Demonstrators converging on the G20 summit this evening began taking over squats on the border of London's Square Mile to use as bases from which to launch a series of co-ordinated "direct action" protests.
The occupation of four buildings prompted the first confrontations with police, and marked the start of two days in which officers are expected to play cat and mouse with protesters determined to bring the financial heart of the capital to a standstill.
Protests are expected to centre around the Bank of England, where anti-capitalists and anarchist groups will converge at noon, and the European Climate Exchange in Bishopsgate, where at 12.30pm environmental activists say they will "swoop" on to the street and set up an overnight camp.
Financial institutions across the capital are on high alert, with police fearing that dozens of small, organised cells of anarchists are planning to peel away from the main demonstrations to force their way into office buildings, tube stations or banks.
Protesters have circulated a map of City targets that includes the offices of scores of banks, law firms and energy companies. It identifies 138 targets across the City, with more than 50 financial institutions pinpointed, including some of those blamed for sparking the economic crisis.
Many offices in the City of London will be closed and boarded-up tomorrow, including branches the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB. Hundreds of workers have been told to work from home. Those who are venturing into work have been told to "dress down" to avoid potential attacks.
Organisers of the expressed dismay a their portrayal as violent thugs and accused police of exaggerating the threat. They did, however, say they feared police warnings of "very violent" clashes may have attracted agitators who will infiltrate the demonstrations.
Police earlier arrived at an occupied derelict pub, in Shoreditch, moments after supporters posted the address online, advertising it as "conversion space" "for all anti-G20 action … and almost ready for the summer of rage". Officers stopped and searched people entering the building. They arrested three, one on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, one for carrying a saw and one for going equipped with weapons.
Nearby, around a dozen protesters had barricaded themselves into an empty Victorian office block.
The activists, their faces covered with scarves, said they hoped to use it as a base for hundreds of other protesters arriving in the capital ahead of the summit.
Police sealed off the short street for a period with vans and around a dozen police officers.
"They were being quite heavy-handed for a while," said Charlotte, 24, a protester. "The police were opening people's wallets and pulling out cards to look at their name." Friends of hers had been arrested, she added.
Inside the cavernous office block around 40 protesters were planning how they could accommodate and feed others who might arrive.
At a meeting they planned rotas to search skips for food and arrange for friends to bring cooking equipment and other supplies.
On one wall of the meeting room an activist had written instructions in marker pen about what to do if you were arrested, including the telephone number of a firm of solicitors.
Five other activists affiliated to the group Climate Camp said they were stopped and searched under anti-terrorism legislation at a cafe around the corner from the squat.
"A lot of police came in and very forcefully told use they were stopping and searching under the Terrorism Act," said Bradley Day, 22.
"We were meeting in the cafe to organise food for our camp, so all they found on us were recipes for cakes and lists of ingredients." Scotland Yard said it had no record of the searches.
The majority of protesters are likely to attach themselves to one of three events. Climate Camp will alert around two thousands campaigners by text message about the whereabouts of their planned "camp", to be set up somewhere in the Square Mile. The provisional plan is to meet at 12:30pm at the Climate Exchange.
G20 Meltdown will see a coalitions of anti-capitalist, anarchist and single-issue protest groups converge on the Bank of England.
Four groups will walk to the Bank from separate tube stations. At 2pm, Stop the War Coalition is leading a separate march from the US Embassy in Grosvener Square to Trafalgar Square, to demand that Barack Obama pulls US troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Small bands of protesters have also indicated they may convene at the ExCeL Centre in Docklands, where the summit will take place tomorrow.
David Howarth MP, who yesterday mediated last-minute talks between protesters and police, warned there was still "mutual misunderstanding" between the sides. He said the meeting between Climate Camp organisers and Scotland Yard's Commander Bob Broadhurst and chief superintendent Ian Thomas, had been "business-like" and both sides had exchanged numbers.
But he was concerned police appeared to believe that causing disruption to commuters would warrant intervening to stop a demonstration.
"I still think the two sides have different views on what's proportional," he said. "Police still seemed to think that any disruption of traffic is worth stopping a demonstration for. It's a shame this meeting did not happen earlier – there are points of mutual misunderstanding and the police really don't like the way in which Climate Camp is a non-hierarchical organisation."
Police have still not met with the organisers of G20 Meltdown, although the co-ordinator of the group, Marina Pepper, has said she would "talk about the plans" with police.
Confrontations, she said, would only occur if police attempted to prevent the protesters from reaching their destination. "When you've got the side of right on your side you won't be stopped, will you?" she said, adding that protesters would be bringing pillows. "And yes, we are prepared to fight truncheon with pillow."
Source - The guardian
Showing posts with label economic crisis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economic crisis. Show all posts
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
First solar-powered phone goes on display
Samsung unveiled the world's first solar-powered mobile phone at an industry show here on Monday where the sector is showcasing the new technology it hopes will drive demand through the economic crisis.
The South Korean manufacturer put its "Blue Earth" phone on display in front of curious crowds at Mobile World Congress, with industry insiders keen to see the mini solar panels located on the back of the phone.
"This type of device would be ideal for developing markets where workers have long hours and don't have access to electricity," commented Nick Lane, chief researcher at consultancy Direct2 Mobile.
"It would also interest consumers with an eye on the 'green' aspects, or companies and their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes."
The device is to be launched initially in Europe in the second half of 2009 but is likely to be out of the price range of a worker in the developing world. A Samsung representative said it would be a mid to high-end handset.
A full charge taking 10-14 hours in the sun would offer about four hours of talk time. The phone can also be plugged in to charge, with the solar panels used to top up the battery to extend its power.
Fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics also put a prototype solar-powered phone on display although the handset is not ready for market.
LG showcased a mobile phone-enabled watch, which it said was a world first.
The Mobile World Congress, which runs from Monday to Thursday, is the world's biggest mobile phone show and is set to bring together 60,000 industry insiders from 1,200 companies, according to the organisers, the GSM Association.
As well as the launches and new industry initiatives, the economic crisis has cast a pall over the gathering with cost-cutting the new concern of an industry that has become accustomed to constant growth.
Nevertheless, the chief executive of Russia's Vimpelcom operator, Alexander Izosimov, sought to stress the rosy future of the industry as a whole despite the morose economic climate.
"We are dealing with something that is absolutely guaranteed to expand in the future," he told reporters. "Our growth (as an industry) is absolutely secured."
The chief executive of China Mobile, the biggest Chinese network operator, said that his company had felt the impact of the financial crisis, but he underlined the recession-resistant nature of providing phone connections.
"Even in difficult times, people need to use their mobile phones," CEO Wang Jianzhou told reporters.
All the major network operators such as Vodafone, MTN or Telefonica were present, as well as the major handset makers -- including new entrant Acer, a Taiwanese manufacturer better known for making computers.
Acer unveiled its first range of phones, with the first four high-end models set to go on sale in March or April and another six handsets to follow, marketing manager Sylvia Pan told AFP.
The touch-screen phones were demonstrated mostly in black with a design that resembles the top-selling Apple iPhone.
The move illustrates two trends in the mobile phone industry: the growing attractiveness of the high-end market for "smart phones" and the arrival of traditional laptop computer makers in this segment.
Software giant Microsoft and Finnish handset maker Nokia also announced their responses to the phenomenal success of Apple's AppStore.
Apple launched the AppStore last July, enabling users of its high-end iPhone to download new applications for their devices. The 500,000th download was celebrated at the end of January.
Microsoft hit back with its "Windows Marketplace for Mobile," while Nokia unveiled its "Ovi Store." Both offer the same service as the AppStore, which allows users to personalise their phones with tailored applications.
Like Apple, Microsoft and Nokia will allow outside developers to write applications that can be downloaded on their sites.
In other news Monday, Google got a boost when Chinese manufacturer Huawei revealed only the second mobile phone to integrate the US company's mobile phone operating system called Android.
Rival developers are battling to create the dominant operating system for mobile phones, with Google competing with Microsoft, Nokia and an open-source Linux-based project.
The first phone to use Android was launched last year in October, the G1, made by Taiwan-based group HTC in partnership with German network operator T-Mobile.
Source - Solardaily
The South Korean manufacturer put its "Blue Earth" phone on display in front of curious crowds at Mobile World Congress, with industry insiders keen to see the mini solar panels located on the back of the phone.
"This type of device would be ideal for developing markets where workers have long hours and don't have access to electricity," commented Nick Lane, chief researcher at consultancy Direct2 Mobile.
"It would also interest consumers with an eye on the 'green' aspects, or companies and their CSR (corporate social responsibility) programmes."
The device is to be launched initially in Europe in the second half of 2009 but is likely to be out of the price range of a worker in the developing world. A Samsung representative said it would be a mid to high-end handset.
A full charge taking 10-14 hours in the sun would offer about four hours of talk time. The phone can also be plugged in to charge, with the solar panels used to top up the battery to extend its power.
Fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Electronics also put a prototype solar-powered phone on display although the handset is not ready for market.
LG showcased a mobile phone-enabled watch, which it said was a world first.
The Mobile World Congress, which runs from Monday to Thursday, is the world's biggest mobile phone show and is set to bring together 60,000 industry insiders from 1,200 companies, according to the organisers, the GSM Association.
As well as the launches and new industry initiatives, the economic crisis has cast a pall over the gathering with cost-cutting the new concern of an industry that has become accustomed to constant growth.
Nevertheless, the chief executive of Russia's Vimpelcom operator, Alexander Izosimov, sought to stress the rosy future of the industry as a whole despite the morose economic climate.
"We are dealing with something that is absolutely guaranteed to expand in the future," he told reporters. "Our growth (as an industry) is absolutely secured."
The chief executive of China Mobile, the biggest Chinese network operator, said that his company had felt the impact of the financial crisis, but he underlined the recession-resistant nature of providing phone connections.
"Even in difficult times, people need to use their mobile phones," CEO Wang Jianzhou told reporters.
All the major network operators such as Vodafone, MTN or Telefonica were present, as well as the major handset makers -- including new entrant Acer, a Taiwanese manufacturer better known for making computers.
Acer unveiled its first range of phones, with the first four high-end models set to go on sale in March or April and another six handsets to follow, marketing manager Sylvia Pan told AFP.
The touch-screen phones were demonstrated mostly in black with a design that resembles the top-selling Apple iPhone.
The move illustrates two trends in the mobile phone industry: the growing attractiveness of the high-end market for "smart phones" and the arrival of traditional laptop computer makers in this segment.
Software giant Microsoft and Finnish handset maker Nokia also announced their responses to the phenomenal success of Apple's AppStore.
Apple launched the AppStore last July, enabling users of its high-end iPhone to download new applications for their devices. The 500,000th download was celebrated at the end of January.
Microsoft hit back with its "Windows Marketplace for Mobile," while Nokia unveiled its "Ovi Store." Both offer the same service as the AppStore, which allows users to personalise their phones with tailored applications.
Like Apple, Microsoft and Nokia will allow outside developers to write applications that can be downloaded on their sites.
In other news Monday, Google got a boost when Chinese manufacturer Huawei revealed only the second mobile phone to integrate the US company's mobile phone operating system called Android.
Rival developers are battling to create the dominant operating system for mobile phones, with Google competing with Microsoft, Nokia and an open-source Linux-based project.
The first phone to use Android was launched last year in October, the G1, made by Taiwan-based group HTC in partnership with German network operator T-Mobile.
Source - Solardaily
Friday, 12 December 2008
Barack Obama's choice of energy team signals climate change intent
Barack Obama has picked an energy team that includes a Nobel Laureate obsessed with fighting global warming and an acolyte of Al Gore — a clear sign that he intends to move quickly on climate change legislation despite the dire economy.
Mr Obama has chosen as his Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who won the 1997 Nobel Prize for Physics and who in recent years has devoted himself to the cause of inventing alternative fuels.
The President-elect has also created a new post, a White House overseer of energy, environmental and climate policy — already known as an "energy tsar" — who will be responsible for driving his agenda on Capitol Hill. For this, he has picked Carol Browner, a former legislative director to Al Gore.
The choices, and the fact that Mr Obama is intent on co-ordinating environmental policy from inside the White House, underscores his intent to push ahead with his hugely ambitions and expensive plan to create alternative fuels, and reduce carbon emissions, despite the fierce resistance that will inevitably come from US industry.
Mr Obama is in fact exploiting the economic crisis as a way to justify much of his legislative agenda. He is arguing that economic recovery is tied implicitly to big reforms in areas such as healthcare, the environment and schools, and he appears to have a Democratic-controlled Congress willing to fund much of it.
Yesterday, as he announced Tom Daschle, the Democrats' former leader in the Senate, as his Health Secretary, Mr Obama said: "Now, some may ask how, at this moment of economic challenge, we can afford to invest in reforming our healthcare system. Well, I ask a different question — I ask how we can afford not to."
Mr Chu, 60, the son of Chinese immigrants, has been director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California since 2004. On his website, he says it has been his "mission" to make the facility the world leader in finding alternative and renewable energy sources. He views a shift away from fossil fuels central to fighting global warming.
On Tuesday, Mr Obama had a meeting in Chicago with Mr Gore, declaring afterwards: "The time for denial is over." He added, referring to climate change: "This is a matter of urgency and national security, and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That is what I intend my Administration to do."
Source - The times
Mr Obama has chosen as his Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who won the 1997 Nobel Prize for Physics and who in recent years has devoted himself to the cause of inventing alternative fuels.
The President-elect has also created a new post, a White House overseer of energy, environmental and climate policy — already known as an "energy tsar" — who will be responsible for driving his agenda on Capitol Hill. For this, he has picked Carol Browner, a former legislative director to Al Gore.
The choices, and the fact that Mr Obama is intent on co-ordinating environmental policy from inside the White House, underscores his intent to push ahead with his hugely ambitions and expensive plan to create alternative fuels, and reduce carbon emissions, despite the fierce resistance that will inevitably come from US industry.
Mr Obama is in fact exploiting the economic crisis as a way to justify much of his legislative agenda. He is arguing that economic recovery is tied implicitly to big reforms in areas such as healthcare, the environment and schools, and he appears to have a Democratic-controlled Congress willing to fund much of it.
Yesterday, as he announced Tom Daschle, the Democrats' former leader in the Senate, as his Health Secretary, Mr Obama said: "Now, some may ask how, at this moment of economic challenge, we can afford to invest in reforming our healthcare system. Well, I ask a different question — I ask how we can afford not to."
Mr Chu, 60, the son of Chinese immigrants, has been director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California since 2004. On his website, he says it has been his "mission" to make the facility the world leader in finding alternative and renewable energy sources. He views a shift away from fossil fuels central to fighting global warming.
On Tuesday, Mr Obama had a meeting in Chicago with Mr Gore, declaring afterwards: "The time for denial is over." He added, referring to climate change: "This is a matter of urgency and national security, and it has to be dealt with in a serious way. That is what I intend my Administration to do."
Source - The times
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
