CHINA News - Flood concerns in Thai capital dismissed, Oct 16, 2011

A local citizen walks on temporary wooden board above flooded water towards Si Phraaya Pier in Bangkok, Oct. 16, 2011. Thai Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut assured on Sunday that Bangkok would be safe from flooding formerly expected on weekend as northern runoff from upstream has already passed Bangkok and drifted into sea. Speaking at Sunday's press conference at the National Flood Relief Center set up to cope with the worst flooding in decades, the minister said that water peaked Saturday at 2.29 meters against the 2.5-meter flood barrier height. (Xinhua/Song Zhenping)

BANGKOK, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Thai Agriculture Minister Theera Wongsamut assured on Sunday that Bangkok would be safe from flooding formerly expected on weekend as northern runoff from upstream has already passed Bangkok and drifted into sea.

Speaking at Sunday's press conference at the National Flood Relief Center set up to cope with the worst flooding in decades, the minister said that water peaked Saturday at 2.29 meters against the 2.5-meter flood barrier height.

The center earlier expressed concerns over the high level of the Choa Praya River forecast to reach 2.3 meters on Sunday caused by runoff from the north, coinciding with the period of high tide.

Meanwhile, Royal Irrigation Department Director-General Chalit Damrongsak added that from this day on, the water level in Chao Phraya River would stabilise while water from upstream would be diverted to the East of Bangkok.

However, the director-general warned that sea tide was forecasted to reach its peak again during Oct. 28-30. He therefore asked people not to demolish flood protection walls but to reinforce them for a certain period of time.

Since late July, the country has been facing with widespread and longstanding floods caused by heavy monsoon and tropical storms. Two-thirds of the whole country have been affected while nearly 300 people were killed. Hundreds of businesses were forced to close, resulting in job suspension of over 300,000 employees.

THE GUARDIAN - Occupy protests against capitalism spread around world , Oct 16, 2011

Protests inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York and the "Indignants" in Spain have spread to cities around the world.

Tens of thousands went on the march in New York, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome, Sydney and Hong Kong as organisers aimed to "initiate global change" against capitalism and austerity measures.

There were extraordinary scenes in New York where at least 10,000 protesters took their message from the outpost of Zuccotti Park into the heart of the city, thronging into Times Square.

Only 36 hours earlier, police were preparing to evict the protest from Zuccotti Park. On Saturday they escorted thousands of marchers all day as they made their way uptown through Manhattan, and looked on as they held a rally at a New York landmark.

Occupy Wall Street protesters take part in a demonstration at Times Square in New York. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Dave Bonan, who was at Occupy Wall Street on the first day of the protest a month ago, said it was "a little surreal" that the protest had spread. "I didn't expect it to last more than 15 minutes," he said. "The fact it lasted more than a day inspired people all over the world to capitalise – no pun intended – on our success."

In Madrid, tens of thousands of people take a part in a demonstration in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, home of the "Indignants" movement, which has been building through the summer as Spain's economy faltered.

Tens of thousands of people take a part in a demonstration in Puerta del Sol square in Madrid on Saturday, part of the global movement against corporate greed. Photograph: Arturo Rodriguez/AP

In London, dusk fell on more than 2,000 protesters assembled in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, earlier addressed by the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

There was civil unrest in Rome, where police turned teargas and water cannon on the crowds. Smoke hung over Rome as a small group broke away from the main demonstration and smashed windows, set cars on fire and assaulted television news crews. Others burned Italian and EU flags. "People of Europe: Rise Up!" read one banner in Rome. Fights broke out and bottles were thrown between demonstrators as some tried to stop the violence.

CBS News - Police back down from "Occupy London" site, Oct 16, 2011

A banner is displayed in front of St Paul's Cathedral in the city of London, October 16, 2011, as part of global protests inspired by the "Occupy Wall Street" and "Indignant" movements. (BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

Occupy Wall Street Protests

• Police back down from "Occupy London" site
• Mayor: Rome riot damage to cost $1.4M
• 175 arrested in Occupy Chicago protest

• Dozens arrested in Ariz. anti-Wall St. protests
• Thousands of protesters fill NYC's Times Square
• Complete Coverage »

(CBS/AP)

A protest allied with Occupy Wall Street is continuing for a second day near London's financial center, with protesters camped out outside St. Paul's Cathedral.

The church square near the London Stock Exchange was the scene of protests by up to 3,000 people Saturday. Organizers told BBC News that at least 250 camped overnight.

The protests Saturday were largely peaceful, but there was sporadic violence when demonstrators clashed with a police cordon on the steps of the cathedral.

CNN News - Witnesses: Security forces fire on Yemen protesters, killing 6, Oct 16, 2011

What's behind escalating Yemen violence?

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Activists call the killing of a woman "a scary escalation"
• A doctor treating wounded in Sanaa pleads for blood donations
• Protesters have been calling for Saleh to step down for months
• The government says it is trying to negotiate a solution

(CNN) -- Yemeni security forces opened fired on demonstrators gathering for a planned march in Sanaa on Sunday, killing five people and injuring 54 others, according to a medic on the scene.

In a separate demonstration in the city of Taiz, a woman was killed by a shot to the head from a government sniper, medics and eyewitnesses in Freedom Square Taiz said.

Medics named her as Aziza Othman Kaleb. Four others who were next to her were also injured by the snipers in the march, the same sources said.

Opposition activists in her hometown and in the capital said she was 20 years old and claimed she was the first woman to be killed while marching against the government. CNN could not independently confirm that claim.