Hong Kong pro-democracy protest leaders shelved a vote on the movement's direction as concerns grow over the cost of the demonstrations, and the city's stock exchange said it doesn't know when a trading link to Sanghai, expected to start this month, will receive regulatory approval.
Protesters, who have blocked major thoroughfares, snarled traffic and disrupted businesses in the city for more than a month, delayed a planned referendum because of differences in the movement on the issues to be voted on and method of polling.
The protests, which began Sept. 26, were sparked by China's decision to exercise control over nominating procedures for the city's first leadership election in 2017. Tensions have risen in the city between demonstrators and those who opposed to the disruptions.