Protesters occupy Taiwan parliament

Hundreds of Taiwanese activists were locked in a tense standoff with police Wednesday after they stormed parliament to try to stop the government ratifying a contentious trade agreement with China. Around 200 protesters -- mostly young students -- broke through security barriers and took over parliament's main chamber on Tuesday night, the first such occupation of the building in the island's history. They barricaded the doorways with piles of armchairs, blocking out hundreds of policemen who failed to push their way in early Wednesday, according to AFP.