Over 700 arrested after protest at New York bridge

NEW YORK: Police reopened the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday evening after more than 700 anti-Wall Street protesters  were arrested for blocking traffic lanes and attempting an unauthorized march across the span.

The arrests took place when a large group of marchers, participating in a second week of protests by the Occupy Wall Street movement, broke off from others on the bridge’s pedestrian walkway and headed across the Brooklyn-bound lanes.

“Over 700 summonses and desk appearance tickets have been issued in connection with a demonstration on the Brooklyn Bridge late this afternoon after multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway, and that if they took roadway they would be arrested,” a police spokesman said.

“Some complied and took the walkway without being arrested. Others proceeded on the Brooklyn-bound vehicular roadway and were. The bridge was re-opened to traffic at 8:05 p.m. (0005 GMT Sunday 2/oct/11).”

Most of those who were arrested were taken into custody off the bridge, issued summonses and released.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene on the famous suspension bridge as a sea of police officers surrounded the protesters using orange mesh netting.

Some protesters tried to get away as officers started handcuffing members of the group. Dozens of protesters were seen handcuffed and sitting on the span as three buses were called in to take them away, witnesses and organizers said.

The march started about 3:30 p.m. from the protesters’ camp in Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan near the former World Trade Center. Members of the group have vowed to stay at the park through the winter.

CELEBRITY SUPPORT

In addition to what they view as excessive force and unfair treatment of minorities, including Muslims, the movement is also protesting against home foreclosures, high unemployment and the 2008 bailouts.

Filmmaker Michael Moore and actress Susan Sarandon have stopped by the protesters’ camp, which is plastered with posters with anti-Wall Street slogans and has a kitchen and library, to offer their support.

Friday evening, more than 1,000 demonstrators, including representatives of labor organizations, held a peaceful march to police headquarters a few blocks north of City Hall to protest what they said was a heavy-handed police response the previous week. No arrests were reported.

A week ago, police arrested about 80 members of Occupy Wall Street near the Union Square shopping district as the marchers swarmed onto oncoming traffic. AGENCIES

The death of the paid text message

The smartphone boom is a mixed blessing for wireless companies. While the devices have boosted data plan sales considerably, they are threatening to kill another revenue stream dead in its tracks: text messaging.

Dozens of smartphone applications offer “free” text messaging services, which allow wireless customers to send and receive texts by piggybacking on their existing data plans. That means people who download those apps — such as GroupMe, Google Voice, Disco, Beluga, Kik and WhatsApp — are able to bypass the expensive texting plans offered by wireless companies.

What s more, an increasing number of free text messaging services are being baked into the smartphones themselves. Research in Motion (RIMM) offers BlackBerry Messenger, which allows BlackBerry users to text one another over their data plans. Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) plans to introduce its similar iMessage app in the fall for the iPhone.

And Verizon Wireless embeds Skype onto every one of its smartphones. Skype bought GroupMe on Sunday, in a deal valued at around $80 million, according to several reports. Since Microsoft s (MSFT, Fortune 500) deal to buy Skype will likely close in the coming months, GroupMe could soon appear on every Windows Phone device.

Hacker group declares cyber war on US police

LAS VEGAS: A hacker group on Saturday claimed it has “defaced and destroyed” websites at scores of US police agencies in retaliation for the arrest of suspected peers accused of hacking into the CIA, British crime agency SOCA, and Sony.

The group called AntiSec — in reference to “anti-security” — said in an online post that it is backing its claim by releasing information it looted more than 70 local police agencies during cyber attacks.

“We are releasing a massive amount of confidential information that is sure to embarrass, discredit and incriminate police officers across the US,” the group said in a message.

“We are doing this in solidarity with Topiary and the Anonymous PayPal LOIC defendants as well as all other political prisoners who are facing the gun of the crooked court system.”

Early this week, 18-year-old British man Jack Davis, believed to be a hacker who went by the online name “Topiary” was granted bail in a London court.

Davis is suspected of being a spokesman for hacking groups Lulz Security (LulzSec) and Anonymous.

He was charged with hacking into websites, including that of Britain’s SOCA, which was out of service for several hours on June 20 after apparently being targeted.

LulzSec has claimed responsibility for a 50-day rampage earlier this year against international businesses and government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the US Senate, and electronics giant Sony.

Anonymous and LulzSec have denounced the arrests in the United States last month of 14 people suspected of taking part in an online attack on the PayPal website organized by Anonymous.

PayPal, Visa and MasterCard stopped accepting donations for WikiLeaks in December after the website began releasing thousands of sensitive State Department cables.

AntiSec said that it was leaking 10 gigabytes of data including private email exchanges, passwords, credit card numbers, addresses of officers and information about informants.

“You may bust a few of us, but we greatly outnumber you and you can never stop us from continuing to destroy your systems and leak your data,” the hacker group’s message said.

“We have no sympathy for any of the officers or informants who may be endangered by the release of their personal information,” it continued.

An AFP sampling of police department websites puportedly hacked by AntiSec revealed they were not accessible online. Information posted by AntiSec appeared to include names, addresses, and credit card numbers.

AntiSec said it had used some swiped credit card information to make donations to groups defending civil liberties, Internet rights, and the US soldier accused of giving sensitive military data to WikiLeaks.

Cyberattacks on police departments in an array of US states began about a week ago, according to the group. Local news reports surfaced regarding hacks of police websites, but agencies downplayed damage.

AntiSec expressed offense at being referred to in a recent US Department of Homeland Security bulletin as “script kiddies” incapable of inflicting damage to critical national infrastructure.

Script kiddies is a term used when referring to young hackers that wield software skills mischievously for status or attention.

“You are losing the cyberwar, and the attacks against the governments, militaries, and corporations of the world will continue to escalate,” AntiSec said.AGENCIES

Ruthless Australia thump Kiwis by seven wickets

NAGPUR: Ruthless Australia compounded the miseries of rivals New Zealand by notching up a seven-wicket victory in their World Cup match on Friday.

Chasing an easy target of 207 runs for victory, Australia openers Shane Watson (62) and Brad Haddin (55) piled on 133 for the first wicket in just 18 overs as they punished the erratic bowling of New Zealand in the Group A encounter.

The start ensured that there were no hiccups, though both openers departed in the same over to paceman Hamish Bennett.

Captain Ricky Ponting (12) followed soon after, stumped brilliantly down the leg side by Brendon McCullum off Tim Southee.

Vice captain Michael Clarke and Cameron White saw Australia home in just 34 overs with an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 40
runs to extend their team’s unbeaten run in World Cup to 31 matches.
The Kiwi bowlers did not help their cause by bowling 32 extras, which included 29 wides.

The match was played against a somber backdrop following the devastating earthquake in Christchurch earlier this week.

Both teams observed a minute’s silence and wore black arm-bands, while the New Zealand flag flew at half mast in memory of the victims of the earthquake, which has claimed at least 113 lives with 228 people still missing.

Some of New Zealand players struggled to keep their emotions in check as they linked arms while their national anthem was being played before the start of the match.

After the solemn start, the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait vindicated Ponting’s decision to field first by skittling New Zealand for a 206.

Overnight rain and a little cloud cover prompted Ponting to bowl first in the day match and some fiery fast bowling saw the
Kiwis lose their first six wickets with just 73 runs on the board.
Johnson (four for 33) and Tait (three for 35) shared seven wickets among themselves, while Brett Lee and Shane Watson also chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Steve Smith was the only spinner to pick up a wicket. AGENCIES

Hamas leader says group will never recognise Israel

GAZA: A large crowd of Palestinians cheered a Hamas leader’s pledge on Tuesday never to recognize Israel and celebrated the Islamist movement’s 23rd anniversary at a Gaza rally punctuated by sonic booms from Israeli jets.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, whose group runs the Gaza Strip, said the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) headed by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas had made a “historic mistake” by recognising Israel.

“We said it five years ago and we say it now. we will never, we will never, we will never recognise Israel,” Haniyeh told the gathering which some organisers said was attended by around 250,000 people.

Haniyeh had raised speculation last month about a change in Hamas’s charter, which calls for Israel’s destruction, by suggesting the group could accept a referendum on any peace treaty giving the Palestinians a state on land Israel

Egypt Islamists to contest 27 run-off parl’t seats

CAIRO: Egypt’s opposition Muslim Brotherhood will contest 27 seats in a run-off parliamentary vote next week, the group said on Tuesday, meaning it cannot come close to the 88 seats it had in the previous assembly.

“The number of Brotherhood candidates who will contest the run-off is 27,” Gamal Nassar, a spokesman for the group told Reuters. The group earlier said it won no seats outright in Sunday’s first round vote that the Brotherhood said was rigged. AGENCIES

Obama arrives in India eyeing jobs for America

President Barack Obama flew into India’s commercial capital on Saturday aiming to boost ties and seal big-ticket business deals to secure jobs and exports days after voters punished his Democrats in mid-term elections.

Obama will also visit Indonesia, South Korea and Japan on a 10-day tour that will see Washington push to prevent countries unilaterally devaluing currencies to protect their exports, a top theme at the Group of 20 heads of state meet in Seoul next week.

In Mumbai, Obama’s first stop will be the luxury Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, where he will pay respects to the victims of the 2008 attacks at one of the primary targets of gunmen who slaughtered 166 people.

One of the first diplomatic tests for Obama will be at the Taj. Indians will want a strong statement against Pakistan for fostering militants, but Washington must tread a fine line

Lahore: Seven people killed in two incidents of firing

In two separate incidents of firing in Lahore, seven people got killed.
According to police 4 people got killed due to firing among Rustam Khan Group and Shahid Khan Group near Afzaal Park in the area of Harbanspura. The four persons killed belonged to Shahid Khan Group and were identified as Murtaza, Ashraf, Sarfraz and Tariq; where as Shahid Khan remained safe during the shootout. There was an ongoing clash between both the groups since a long time. Soon after this incident, police cordoned off the whole area.
In another incident near Main Market, Township, three people got killed due to firing at the wedding of Waqas. According to police, Waqass friend Azam was drunk and he opened fire randomly due to which Osama, Hassan and Javed got seriously injured. They were then shifted to Jinnah Hospital but they succumbed to their injuries.

G20 vows to reduce imbalances, avoids hard targets

GYEONGJU: The Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies agreed on Saturday to move towards market-determined exchange rates and to pursue the full range of policies needed to reduce excessive external imbalances.

A statement issued after two days of talks contained no numerical targets for current account surpluses or deficits, an idea advocated by the United States.

Instead, the group said that persistently large imbalances to be assessed against indicative guidelines yet to be agreed, would warrant an assessment by the International Monetary Fund.

In a nod to the concern of China and others that lax U.S. policies risk undermining the dollar, the communique said advanced economies would be vigilant against excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates.

The G20 also agreed to a doubling of IMF quotas, or membership subscriptions, as

Israel unwilling for establishing peace in region, says Asad

Members of the Elders’ Group delegation on Tuesday demanded that Israel should lift its unjust siege on Gaza Strip, stressing the necessity of achieving the Palestinian reconciliation and engaging all the Palestinian factions in peace efforts.
The remarks came during President Al-Asad’s meeting with the Group of Elders delegation headed by Former Irish President Mary Robinson with the participation of Former US President Jimmy Carter, Former UN Assistant Secretary General Al-Akhdar Al-Ibrahimi and Indian activist Ila Bat.
President Al-Asad also warned against the serious impacts of the racist, so-called Citizenship Law.The President explained Syria’s vision to solve the problems of the region, and was briefed by the delegation on their visit to Gaza Strip and tour of the region where they witnessed the tragic situation of the Palestinian People due to the inhuman Israeli siege imposed on them.
In a press conference, following her meeting with President Bashar Al-Asad held at the Four Seasons Hotel, former Irish President Mary Robinson described the meeting as very fruitful, pointing out that the main goal of the delegation’s visit is to help in achieving just and comprehensive peace in the region.
She made it clear that focus should be placed not only on the peace process itself but on the results as well so that the people feel and experience them, describing what they saw in Gaza as A Shock.

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