The Wire

Big protests are planned in Sydney in a couple of weeks time as the city hosts world leaders for the APEC meeting. Protest groups and police are already talking tough but although the protest organisers say they only have plans for a big but peaceful event, the New South Wales police have upped their powers and this week unveiled a $600,000 water cannon to be used to quell the violence they are obviously expecting. Senator Natasha Stott-Despoja has denounced the security measures as cynical.