Environmental activists from the group Extinction Rebellion brought London to a standstill on Monday by erecting a large pink table in the middle of the West End.
Hundreds of protesters carrying chairs are staging a sit-in around the huge table which has the words “Come to the Table” written on it.
The stunt began right after midday and police were forced to close off several roads in the area.
Earlier, hundreds of people marched through St James’s Park, near Buckingham Palace, towards Trafalgar Square, where a marching band blocked the road.
The group converged on Trafalgar Square on Monday morning to begin two weeks of what they described as “impossible rebellion".
Officers tried to bring Monday's protest to an end by putting in place a cordon which allowed people to leave the area but not return to it.
However, this resulted in the area being occupied almost entirely by protesters, forcing police to move some of their cordons.
The Metropolitan Police had previously promised to take a harsher approach after previous Extinction Rebellion demonstrations paralysed the capital.
The protests come before the UK hosts the Cop26 environmental summit in November and after a series of UN reports warning of the increasing danger of climate change.
Gail Bradbrook, co-founder of the activist group, opened the “Impossible Rebellion” campaign with a speech expressing solidarity with nations affected disproportionately by climate change.
The two weeks of activism will take place at locations around London.
Extinction Rebellion said thousands of people are expected to take part in the protests, which aim to “target the root cause of the climate and ecological crisis".
Last year, similar rallies led to the closure of Oxford Street, one of the capital’s main shopping streets.
On Sunday, the activists climbed the outside of the headquarters of the City of London's government as they launched a series protests focused on the capital's financial district.
About 200 Extinction Rebellion protesters demonstrated in front of the medieval Guildhall, home of the City of London Corporation, which governs the city's financial centre.
Among the crowd at Guildhall was Game Of Thrones actor Jerome Flynn, who said it was “more urgent than ever” for people to take a stand together.
“I’m a bit lost for words at the moment. I’m feeling very moved to be here,” he said. “It feels needed and more poignant and more urgent than ever to come together.”
Three activists climbed the facade of the ornate Guildhall, parts of which date back to the 15th century, lit red flares and displayed a banner that said “co-liberation-freedom together".
Climate activist Greta Thunberg last week accused the UK of “greenwashing” its true environmental footprint by not including vital data in its statistics.
The Unicef index, published on Friday, found that around one billion children in 33 low-emission countries, mostly in Africa, faced a “deadly combination” of extreme weather and existing issues such as poverty, leaving them highly vulnerable.
A UN climate panel whose members include the world's top atmospheric scientists gave warning that global warming was dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with deadly heatwaves, hurricanes and extreme weather events likely to worsen in the future.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
