The pound recovered Tuesday against the dollar and euro as Prime Minister Boris Johnson looked set to secure his wish for a general election before Christmas aimed at finally forcing through Brexit.

Traders were looking ahead also to a meeting of the Federal Reserve that was expected to end with the US central bank announcing an interest-rate cut on Wednesday.

Around 1115 GMT, sterling clawed back losses to trade at $1.2862, virtually unchanged compared with its level late Monday in New York.

The euro meanwhile reversed direction to stand 0.2-per cent lower at 86.14 pence.

"Bulls have finally escaped the selling pressure and pushed sterling higher on the back of the news that Labour is finally backing the elections," commented Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets.&nbsp;

"The spike in sterling is decent but we are not expecting any significant moves."

Britain appeared headed for a December election after the main opposition Labour party said it would support Johnson's desire for a pre-Christmas poll.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the decision by European Union leaders on Monday to again delay Brexit meant that "for the next three months, our condition of taking 'no-deal' off the table has now been met".

David Cheetham, chief market analyst at XTB trading group, said "the pound will likely stay fairly well supported unless a no-deal outcome becomes more than marginally possible once more".

He added: "Elections are often seen as bringing heightened uncertainty and therefore negative in the near-term for affected markets, but in this case there is a hope that it will bring an end to the present quandary we find ourselves in."&nbsp;

In equities trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.7 per cent in late morning deals, extending earlier losses as the stronger pound weighed on share price for multinationals that have substantial earnings in dollars.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 lost 0.2 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 shed 0.1 per cent.&nbsp;

Elsewhere Tuesday, Asian stock markets diverged following another record-high close for Wall Street on Monday amid a renewed sense of hope over China-US trade talks.

Expectations for a US rate cut and some strong company earnings were also providing a much-needed lift to confidence after a rollercoaster year on global trading floors.

Oil prices extended Monday's big losses that had been sparked by reports of another pick-up in US stockpiles that indicated weak demand growth.

Key figures around 1115 GMT

Pound/dollar: DOWN slightly at $1.2862 from $1.2863 at 2100 GMT

Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.14 pence from 86.29 pence&nbsp;

Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1081 from $1.1100

Dollar/yen: DOWN at 108.90 yen from 108.95 yen

London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 per cent at 7,278.43 points

Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.2 per cent at 12,921

Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 per cent at 5,726.50

EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 per cent at 3,618.32

Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 per cent at 22,974.13 (close)

Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.4 per cent at 26,786.76 (close)

Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.9 per cent at 2,954.18 (close)

New York - Dow: UP 0.5 per cent at 27.090.72 (close)

Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.1 per cent at $60.87 per barrel

West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 per cent at $55.14 per barrel

The pound recovered Tuesday against the dollar and euro as Prime Minister Boris Johnson looked set to secure his wish for a general election before Christmas aimed at finally forcing through Brexit.

The pound recovered Tuesday against the dollar and euro as Prime Minister Boris Johnson looked set to secure his wish for a general election before Christmas aimed at finally forcing through Brexit. Traders were looking ahead also to a meeting of the Federal Reserve that was expected to end with the US central bank announcing an interest-rate cut on Wednesday. Around 1115 GMT, sterling clawed back losses to trade at $1.2862, virtually unchanged compared with its level late Monday in New York. The euro meanwhile reversed direction to stand 0.2-per cent lower at 86.14 pence. "Bulls have finally escaped the selling pressure and pushed sterling higher on the back of the news that Labour is finally backing the elections," commented Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets. "The spike in sterling is decent but we are not expecting any significant moves." Britain appeared headed for a December election after the main opposition Labour party said it would support Johnson's desire for a pre-Christmas poll. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the decision by European Union leaders on Monday to again delay Brexit meant that "for the next three months, our condition of taking 'no-deal' off the table has now been met". David Cheetham, chief market analyst at XTB trading group, said "the pound will likely stay fairly well supported unless a no-deal outcome becomes more than marginally possible once more". He added: "Elections are often seen as bringing heightened uncertainty and therefore negative in the near-term for affected markets, but in this case there is a hope that it will bring an end to the present quandary we find ourselves in." In equities trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.7 per cent in late morning deals, extending earlier losses as the stronger pound weighed on share price for multinationals that have substantial earnings in dollars. In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 lost 0.2 per cent and the Paris CAC 40 shed 0.1 per cent. Elsewhere Tuesday, Asian stock markets diverged following another record-high close for Wall Street on Monday amid a renewed sense of hope over China-US trade talks. Expectations for a US rate cut and some strong company earnings were also providing a much-needed lift to confidence after a rollercoaster year on global trading floors. Oil prices extended Monday's big losses that had been sparked by reports of another pick-up in US stockpiles that indicated weak demand growth. Key figures around 1115 GMT Pound/dollar: DOWN slightly at $1.2862 from $1.2863 at 2100 GMT Euro/pound: DOWN at 86.14 pence from 86.29 pence Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1081 from $1.1100 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 108.90 yen from 108.95 yen London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 per cent at 7,278.43 points Frankfurt - DAX 30: DOWN 0.2 per cent at 12,921 Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 per cent at 5,726.50 EURO STOXX 50: DOWN 0.2 per cent at 3,618.32 Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.5 per cent at 22,974.13 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng: DOWN 0.4 per cent at 26,786.76 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.9 per cent at 2,954.18 (close) New York - Dow: UP 0.5 per cent at 27.090.72 (close) Brent North Sea crude: DOWN 1.1 per cent at $60.87 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 1.2 per cent at $55.14 per barrel

Pound recovers with UK set for general election

Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires.

Under an accord reached a week ago between the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Syrian border guards and Russian military police are meant to remove all YPG forces and their weapons from a 30 km (19 mile) band of territory south of the Turkish-Syrian border by 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday.

After that deadline, Russian and Turkish forces will start jointly to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land on the Syrian side of the border.

The deal, clinched in the Russian Black Sea town of Sochi, reinforced an existing US-brokered ceasefire that had halted Turkey's offensive, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, in northeast Syria targeting the YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist organisation linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey.

"It looks like the YPG terror organisation is still in the area of Operation Peace Spring," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told the Sabah newspaper in an interview.

"This fight (against terrorism) is not over. We are aware that it will not end."

Asked about the joint patrols planned with Russian forces in the border area, Akar said: "The rules of engagement, (the question of) which vehicles are to be used, the authorities and directives are to be determined."

A Russian delegation is currently in Turkey for talks on the border patrols and wider security situation in northeast Syria.

Akar said there were still around 1,000 YPG fighters in the border town of Manbij and a further 1,000 in nearby Tel Rifat. The two towns are located to the west of the strip of territory that Turkey wants to turn into a "safe zone" but Syrian and Russian forces are also meant to clear them of YPG forces.

President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will act alone to clear northeast Syria of YPG forces if Russia fails to fulfil its obligations under the Sochi accord.

Turkey launched its offensive in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump said he was pulling 1,000 US military personnel from the area. Turkey's NATO allies, including the United States, have criticised Ankara's actions, fearing it will undermine the fight against Islamic State.

The YPG is the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been a key ally of the United States against the Islamic State militants.

Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has emerged as the key foreign power in Syria, its influence further bolstered by the withdrawal of US&nbsp;troops from the northeast.

Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires.

Kurdish YPG forces have still not fully withdrawn from a strip of land in northeast Syria from which Ankara says they must leave, Turkey's defence minister was quoted on Tuesday as saying, hours before a deadline for their removal expires. Under an accord reached a week ago between the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Syrian border guards and Russian military police are meant to remove all YPG forces and their weapons from a 30 km (19 mile) band of territory south of the Turkish-Syrian border by 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Tuesday. After that deadline, Russian and Turkish forces will start jointly to patrol a narrower, 10 km strip of land on the Syrian side of the border. The deal, clinched in the Russian Black Sea town of Sochi, reinforced an existing US-brokered ceasefire that had halted Turkey's offensive, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, in northeast Syria targeting the YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist organisation linked to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. "It looks like the YPG terror organisation is still in the area of Operation Peace Spring," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told the Sabah newspaper in an interview. "This fight (against terrorism) is not over. We are aware that it will not end." Asked about the joint patrols planned with Russian forces in the border area, Akar said: "The rules of engagement, (the question of) which vehicles are to be used, the authorities and directives are to be determined." A Russian delegation is currently in Turkey for talks on the border patrols and wider security situation in northeast Syria. Akar said there were still around 1,000 YPG fighters in the border town of Manbij and a further 1,000 in nearby Tel Rifat. The two towns are located to the west of the strip of territory that Turkey wants to turn into a "safe zone" but Syrian and Russian forces are also meant to clear them of YPG forces. President Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey will act alone to clear northeast Syria of YPG forces if Russia fails to fulfil its obligations under the Sochi accord. Turkey launched its offensive in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump said he was pulling 1,000 US military personnel from the area. Turkey's NATO allies, including the United States, have criticised Ankara's actions, fearing it will undermine the fight against Islamic State. The YPG is the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which has been a key ally of the United States against the Islamic State militants. Russia, a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad, has emerged as the key foreign power in Syria, its influence further bolstered by the withdrawal of US troops from the northeast.

Turkey says Kurdish YPG still in Syria border area as deadline looms

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said he would submit his resignation on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a "dead end" in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against Lebanon's ruling elite.

The Sunni politician addressed the nation in a televised address after a mob loyal to Shi'ite Muslim groups Hezbollah and Amal attacked and destroyed a protest camp set up by anti-government demonstrators in Beirut.

Lebanon has been paralysed by the unprecedented wave of protests against the rampant corruption of the political class that has collectively led Lebanon into the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.

"For 13 days the Lebanese people have waited for a decision for a political solution that stops the deterioration (of the economy). And I have tried, during this period, to find a way out, through which to listen to the voice of the people," Hariri said in his speech.

"It is time for us to have a big shock to face the crisis. I am going to the Baabda (presidential) palace to present the resignation of the government. To all partners in political life, our responsibility today is how we protect Lebanon and revive its economy."

In central Beirut, black-clad men wielding sticks and pipes wrecked the protest camp that has been the focal point of countrywide rallies against the long entrenched elite.

The turmoil has worsened Lebanon's acute economic crisis, with financial strains leading to a scarcity of hard currency and a weakening of the pegged Lebanese pound. Lebanese government bonds tumbled on the turmoil.

The show of force in Beirut came after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last week roads closed by protesters should be reopened and suggested the demonstrators were financed by its foreign enemies and implementing their agenda.

It is the most serious strife on the streets of Beirut since 2008, when Hezbollah fighters seized control of the capital in a brief eruption of armed conflict with Lebanese adversaries loyal to Hariri. 
&nbsp;

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said he would submit his resignation on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a "dead end" in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against Lebanon's ruling elite.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said he would submit his resignation on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a "dead end" in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against Lebanon's ruling elite. The Sunni politician addressed the nation in a televised address after a mob loyal to Shi'ite Muslim groups Hezbollah and Amal attacked and destroyed a protest camp set up by anti-government demonstrators in Beirut. Lebanon has been paralysed by the unprecedented wave of protests against the rampant corruption of the political class that has collectively led Lebanon into the worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. "For 13 days the Lebanese people have waited for a decision for a political solution that stops the deterioration (of the economy). And I have tried, during this period, to find a way out, through which to listen to the voice of the people," Hariri said in his speech. "It is time for us to have a big shock to face the crisis. I am going to the Baabda (presidential) palace to present the resignation of the government. To all partners in political life, our responsibility today is how we protect Lebanon and revive its economy." In central Beirut, black-clad men wielding sticks and pipes wrecked the protest camp that has been the focal point of countrywide rallies against the long entrenched elite. The turmoil has worsened Lebanon's acute economic crisis, with financial strains leading to a scarcity of hard currency and a weakening of the pegged Lebanese pound. Lebanese government bonds tumbled on the turmoil. The show of force in Beirut came after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said last week roads closed by protesters should be reopened and suggested the demonstrators were financed by its foreign enemies and implementing their agenda. It is the most serious strife on the streets of Beirut since 2008, when Hezbollah fighters seized control of the capital in a brief eruption of armed conflict with Lebanese adversaries loyal to Hariri.

Lebanese PM Saad al-Hariri resigns as crisis turns violent

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/baghdadi-died-whimpering-and-crying-after-running-into-a-dead-end-tunnel-says-trump-258391">President Donald Trump</a> said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/remains-of-islamic-state-chief-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-buried-at-sea-us-official-258568"> Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi</a> as the leader of Islamic State.

"Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops," Trump said on Twitter. "Most likely would have taken the top spot."

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Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1189172468159864832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Trump did not specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a raid by US&nbsp;special forces in northwest Syria, in a major blow to the jihadist group.

Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed a "large number" of Islamic State militants during the raid which culminated in cornering Baghdadi in a tunnel, where he set off a suicide vest.

"He ignited his vest, killing himself," Trump said.

"He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way," Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi's children also died in the blast.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the US military had killed the person who likely would have succeeded Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State. "Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops," Trump said on Twitter. "Most likely would have taken the top spot." Just confirmed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s number one replacement has been terminated by American troops. Most likely would have taken the top spot - Now he is also Dead! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019 × Trump did not specify who he was referring to, but the United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group. US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that fugitive Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died in a raid by US special forces in northwest Syria, in a major blow to the jihadist group. Trump told the nation in a televised address from the White House that US forces killed a "large number" of Islamic State militants during the raid which culminated in cornering Baghdadi in a tunnel, where he set off a suicide vest. "He ignited his vest, killing himself," Trump said. "He died after running into a dead end tunnel, whimpering and crying and screaming all the way," Trump said, adding that three of Baghdadi's children also died in the blast.

Trump says Baghdadi's top replacement also 'terminated'

The Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists said Tuesday they had begun to withdraw their troops from a key area in the war-torn east ahead of a high-stakes summit with Russia.

The long-awaited pullback is a precondition for the first face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, to be mediated by the leaders of France and Germany.

"The process of troop withdrawal began by both sides... in the area of Zolote-4" in the Lugansk region, Ukraine's army said on Facebook.

Vladislav Deinego, a representative of the separatist self-proclaimed Lugansk republic, also said the withdrawal in the area had begun.

Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed the move.

"Today the sides have just resumed the withdrawal of troops and arms in Zolote," Martin Sajdik, an OSCE special representative, told journalists.

The rival forces also need to withdraw troops from the village of Petrivske in the Donetsk region for the high-profile summit to go ahead.

Since coming to power in May, comedian-turned-president Zelensky has sought to revive a peace process to end a five-year-old separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed some 13,000 lives.

But those efforts have stalled as the Kiev forces and the Kremlin-backed separatists have repeatedly failed to pull back troops from the frontline because of exchanges of gunfire.

Zelensky's peace plan including the troop pullback has been strongly criticised by many in Kiev, especially war veterans and nationalists.

Over the past few weeks, thousands of Ukrainians including Zelensky's predecessor Petro Poroshenko protested in the capital Kiev and other cities, slamming a pullback of troops as an act of "surrender."

Nationalists are set to hold a new protest rally outside Zelensky's offices on Tuesday.

Various nationalist organisations even deployed their own troops to Zolote in an effort to prevent a retreat of Ukrainian forces.

Last week the 41-year-old Ukrainian president was forced to personally travel to Zolote in an effort to convince his nationalist critics not to stand in the way of the peace process.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said it was important for Zelensky to "make" nationalists carry out his orders.

Political enemies were quick to criticise Zelensky on Tuesday.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a lawmaker from Poroshenko's party, called the troop withdrawal a "capitulation on the Kremlin's conditions".

In the run-up to the planned summit, Ukrainian, Russian and separatist negotiators also agreed on a roadmap that envisages a special status for the separatist territories if they conduct free and fair elections under the Ukrainian constitution.

Critics say the proposal favours Russia but Zelensky has pledged not to betray Ukraine's interests.

Ties between Ukraine and Russia were shredded after a bloody uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in 2014.&nbsp;

Moscow went on to annex Crimea and support insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists said Tuesday they had begun to withdraw their troops from a key area in the war-torn east ahead of a high-stakes summit with Russia.

The Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists said Tuesday they had begun to withdraw their troops from a key area in the war-torn east ahead of a high-stakes summit with Russia. The long-awaited pullback is a precondition for the first face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, to be mediated by the leaders of France and Germany. "The process of troop withdrawal began by both sides... in the area of Zolote-4" in the Lugansk region, Ukraine's army said on Facebook. Vladislav Deinego, a representative of the separatist self-proclaimed Lugansk republic, also said the withdrawal in the area had begun. Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe confirmed the move. "Today the sides have just resumed the withdrawal of troops and arms in Zolote," Martin Sajdik, an OSCE special representative, told journalists. The rival forces also need to withdraw troops from the village of Petrivske in the Donetsk region for the high-profile summit to go ahead. Since coming to power in May, comedian-turned-president Zelensky has sought to revive a peace process to end a five-year-old separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed some 13,000 lives. But those efforts have stalled as the Kiev forces and the Kremlin-backed separatists have repeatedly failed to pull back troops from the frontline because of exchanges of gunfire. Zelensky's peace plan including the troop pullback has been strongly criticised by many in Kiev, especially war veterans and nationalists. Over the past few weeks, thousands of Ukrainians including Zelensky's predecessor Petro Poroshenko protested in the capital Kiev and other cities, slamming a pullback of troops as an act of "surrender." Nationalists are set to hold a new protest rally outside Zelensky's offices on Tuesday. Various nationalist organisations even deployed their own troops to Zolote in an effort to prevent a retreat of Ukrainian forces. Last week the 41-year-old Ukrainian president was forced to personally travel to Zolote in an effort to convince his nationalist critics not to stand in the way of the peace process. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said it was important for Zelensky to "make" nationalists carry out his orders. Political enemies were quick to criticise Zelensky on Tuesday. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, a lawmaker from Poroshenko's party, called the troop withdrawal a "capitulation on the Kremlin's conditions". In the run-up to the planned summit, Ukrainian, Russian and separatist negotiators also agreed on a roadmap that envisages a special status for the separatist territories if they conduct free and fair elections under the Ukrainian constitution. Critics say the proposal favours Russia but Zelensky has pledged not to betray Ukraine's interests. Ties between Ukraine and Russia were shredded after a bloody uprising ousted a Kremlin-backed regime in 2014. Moscow went on to annex Crimea and support insurgents in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine, separatists begin troop pullback

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is likely to resign, two official sources said on Tuesday, amid unprecedented protests against a ruling elite many accuse of corruption and leading Lebanon towards economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war.

There was no immediate comment from Hariri's office. He will deliver an address at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), an official Twitter account said.

His resignation would defy the powerful Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has twice said he was against such a step, citing the risk of a dangerous void.

In the street, supporters of Hezbollah and its Shi'ite ally Amal forced protesters from a roadblock they had set up in Beirut, tearing down their tents and fighting with them, forcing the police to intervene, the first such incident in the capital.

The Hezbollah and Amal supporters fanned out in the downtown area shouting "Shia, Shia" in reference to themselves and cursing protesters who have been calling for revolution.

Hariri last week sought to defuse popular anger through a set of reform measures agreed with other groups in his coalition government, including Hezbollah to, among other things, tackle corruption and long-delayed economic reforms.

But with no immediate steps towards enacting these steps, they did not satisfy demonstrators whose demands include the resignation of his coalition government.

One of the sources, a senior official from outside Hariri's Future Party, told Reuters the premier would "most probably" announce the government resignation on Tuesday. The report weighed on Lebanese dollar bonds.

The nationwide protests have paralysed Lebanon at a time of deep economic crisis - banks were closed for a 10th day on Tuesday along with schools and businesses, with the pegged Lebanese pound weakening on a black market.

Fears of economic meltdown

A report from credit rating agency S&amp;P last week sounded the alarm over the financial situation. Central bank governor Riad Salameh called on Monday for a solution to the crisis in days to restore confidence and avoid a future economic meltdown.

Hariri has not spoken in public since October&nbsp;21 when he announced reforms including steps to fix gaping holes in the finances of one of the world's most heavily indebted states.

He has been pressing his feuding governing partners, including Hezbollah and President Michel Aoun, to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle to appease the protesters, but has run into strong opposition, political sources said.

A major dispute has flared between Hariri and other groups in his cabinet over the past 48 hours with his opponents accusing him of siding with protesters and not allowing security forces to remove them from the streets, the sources said.

Anti-government protesters had shut the Ring Bridge in central Beirut to traffic for several days, part of an extraordinary wave of unrest against Lebanese politicians over rampant corruption and dire economic conditions.

Pro-Hezbollah and Amal crowds chanted in support of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, as they scuffled with protesters.

It was the first such attempt to unblock roads in the capital by force. Lebanese police deployed between the groups.

Security forces have been trying to persuade protesters to vacate roads across Lebanon but have orders not to use force.

Nasrallah called last week called for the roads to be cleared and told his supporters not to go into the protests which have paralysed the country since Oct. 17.

Hezbollah's al-Manar television, broadcasting Tuesday's clashes live, described them as "big fight" after an "attempt by citizens to open the road".

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is likely to resign, two official sources said on Tuesday, amid unprecedented protests against a ruling elite many accuse of corruption and leading Lebanon towards economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war.

Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is likely to resign, two official sources said on Tuesday, amid unprecedented protests against a ruling elite many accuse of corruption and leading Lebanon towards economic collapse unseen since the 1975-90 civil war. There was no immediate comment from Hariri's office. He will deliver an address at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT), an official Twitter account said. His resignation would defy the powerful Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, whose leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has twice said he was against such a step, citing the risk of a dangerous void. In the street, supporters of Hezbollah and its Shi'ite ally Amal forced protesters from a roadblock they had set up in Beirut, tearing down their tents and fighting with them, forcing the police to intervene, the first such incident in the capital. The Hezbollah and Amal supporters fanned out in the downtown area shouting "Shia, Shia" in reference to themselves and cursing protesters who have been calling for revolution. Hariri last week sought to defuse popular anger through a set of reform measures agreed with other groups in his coalition government, including Hezbollah to, among other things, tackle corruption and long-delayed economic reforms. But with no immediate steps towards enacting these steps, they did not satisfy demonstrators whose demands include the resignation of his coalition government. One of the sources, a senior official from outside Hariri's Future Party, told Reuters the premier would "most probably" announce the government resignation on Tuesday. The report weighed on Lebanese dollar bonds. The nationwide protests have paralysed Lebanon at a time of deep economic crisis - banks were closed for a 10th day on Tuesday along with schools and businesses, with the pegged Lebanese pound weakening on a black market. Fears of economic meltdown A report from credit rating agency S&P last week sounded the alarm over the financial situation. Central bank governor Riad Salameh called on Monday for a solution to the crisis in days to restore confidence and avoid a future economic meltdown. Hariri has not spoken in public since October 21 when he announced reforms including steps to fix gaping holes in the finances of one of the world's most heavily indebted states. He has been pressing his feuding governing partners, including Hezbollah and President Michel Aoun, to carry out a major cabinet reshuffle to appease the protesters, but has run into strong opposition, political sources said. A major dispute has flared between Hariri and other groups in his cabinet over the past 48 hours with his opponents accusing him of siding with protesters and not allowing security forces to remove them from the streets, the sources said. Anti-government protesters had shut the Ring Bridge in central Beirut to traffic for several days, part of an extraordinary wave of unrest against Lebanese politicians over rampant corruption and dire economic conditions. Pro-Hezbollah and Amal crowds chanted in support of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, the head of Amal, as they scuffled with protesters. It was the first such attempt to unblock roads in the capital by force. Lebanese police deployed between the groups. Security forces have been trying to persuade protesters to vacate roads across Lebanon but have orders not to use force. Nasrallah called last week called for the roads to be cleared and told his supporters not to go into the protests which have paralysed the country since Oct. 17. Hezbollah's al-Manar television, broadcasting Tuesday's clashes live, described them as "big fight" after an "attempt by citizens to open the road".

Lebanese PM Saad al-Hariri likely to resign amid protests: Sources

Britain was on course for a December election Tuesday after the main opposition Labour party said it would support Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan, although a date has not yet been fixed.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, "I have consistently said that we are ready for an election and our support is subject to a 'no deal' Brexit being off the table."

He said the decision by EU leaders on Monday to delay Brexit to January 31 meant that "for the next three months, our condition of taking No Deal off the table has now been met.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/brexit-election-johnson-makes-fresh-bid-to-break-the-deadlock-258648">Brexit election? Johnson makes fresh bid to break the deadlock</a>

"We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen," he said in a statement.

Johnson has called for an election on December 12 but Labour and other opposition parties are pushing for a date nearer to December 9.

"It will be a December election," a Labour party source told AFP.

The prime minister will on Tuesday bring forward a bill to legislate for the snap poll, which is expected to pass parliament in the next few days.

Britain was on course for a December election Tuesday after the main opposition Labour party said it would support Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan, although a date has not yet been fixed.

Britain was on course for a December election Tuesday after the main opposition Labour party said it would support Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan, although a date has not yet been fixed. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, "I have consistently said that we are ready for an election and our support is subject to a 'no deal' Brexit being off the table." He said the decision by EU leaders on Monday to delay Brexit to January 31 meant that "for the next three months, our condition of taking No Deal off the table has now been met. Also read: Brexit election? Johnson makes fresh bid to break the deadlock "We will now launch the most ambitious and radical campaign for real change our country has ever seen," he said in a statement. Johnson has called for an election on December 12 but Labour and other opposition parties are pushing for a date nearer to December 9. "It will be a December election," a Labour party source told AFP. The prime minister will on Tuesday bring forward a bill to legislate for the snap poll, which is expected to pass parliament in the next few days.

UK's opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn agrees to December election

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/isis-chief-baghdadi-died-crying-screaming-like-a-coward-by-us-soldiers-trump-258418">Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed</a> in the weekend operation.

World leaders welcomed his death, but they and security experts warned that the group, which carried out atrocities against religious minorities and horrified most Muslims, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/baghdadis-death-not-the-end-of-islamic-state-iran-258406">remained a security threat</a> in Syria and beyond.

The official said that President Donald Trump, by announcing the withdrawal of US&nbsp;forces from northern Syria on October&nbsp;6, did not suggest that Washington was abandoning the fight against Islamic State.

"There was never an idea that we would abandon the mission of going after ISIS. ... This is a major effort that is continuing," the official told reporters.

Foreign ministers will meet in Washington on November&nbsp;14 to discuss the mission.

"The United States is determined to prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and continues to work with the Global Coalition to destroy ISIS remnants and thwart its global ambitions," the US&nbsp;State Department said in a statement.

It said the Washington meeting's discussions would have a "particular focus on recent developments in northeast Syria and their relationship to stability and security of the region."

Trump has softened his <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/us-retreat-from-syria-could-see-islamic-state-roar-back-to-life-258190">pullout plans for Syria</a> after a backlash from Congress, including from fellow Republicans, who say he enabled a long-threatened Turkish incursion on October&nbsp;9 against Kurdish forces in Syria who had been America's top allies in the battle against Islamic State since 2014.

US&nbsp;special forces carried out the Syrian operation in which Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by detonating a suicide vest when he was cornered in a tunnel.

Trump said on Monday he may declassify and release part of the video taken on Saturday of the raid. The video is believed to include aerial footage and possibly footage from cameras mounted on the soldiers who stormed Baghdadi's compound.

Trump said on Sunday that Baghdadi had died "whimpering and crying" in a raid that fulfilled the president's top national security goal.

The United States has given the remains of Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom, three officials told Reuters.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if the United States had told Russia about the operation in advance. Trump, in announcing the operation, said Russia "treated us great" by opening up airspace it controlled for the raid.

Peskov added: "If this information is confirmed, we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism."

French President Emmanuel Macron said Baghdadi's death was a major blow against Islamic State, but "the fight continues to finally defeat this terrorist organisation".

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh (Islamic State) once and for all."

In Southeast Asia, an important focus for Islamic State, officials said security forces were preparing for a long battle to thwart the group's ideology.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, home to some of Asia's most organised Islamist militants, said they were braced for retaliation by Islamic State loyalists, including "lone-wolf" attacks by radicalised locals.

The United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group, in a separate US&nbsp;operation in northern Syria.

Although Baghdadi's death will unsettle Islamic State, it remains capable and dangerous, said Delfin Lorenzana, defence secretary of the Philippines, where the group's influence has taken a hold in its troubled Mindanao region.

"This is a blow to the organisation considering al-Baghdadi's stature as a leader. But this is just a momentary setback considering the depth and reach of the organisation worldwide," Lorenzana said. "Somebody will take his place."

Islamic State has no declared successor as leader. But the group has proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years.

Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States - which offered a $25 million reward - as leader of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate.

Islamic State has brutally attacked religious minorities and launched deadly strikes on five continents in a violent campaign that horrified most Muslims.

In their long hunt for Baghdadi, Iraqi intelligence teams secured a break in February 2018 after one of his top aides gave them information on how he escaped capture for so many years, two Iraqi security officials said.

Baghdadi held strategy talks with his commanders in moving minibuses packed with vegetables in order to avoid detection, Ismael al-Ethawi told officials after he was arrested by Turkish authorities and handed to the Iraqis.

"Ethawi gave valuable information which helped the Iraqi multi-security agencies team complete the missing pieces of the puzzle of Baghdadi's movements and places he used to hide," one of the Iraqi security officials said.

Iraqi security officials said Kurdish intelligence agents had exchanged information with counterparts in Baghdad on the movements of Baghdadi and his aides in Syria. One of the Kurds' sources passed on a "golden tip" earlier this year.

Suspicious movements were spotted by locals at a house in a village in Syria, which was placed under surveillance and turned out to be the house used by Baghdadi, the Iraqi officials said.

The raid on Baghdadi comes weeks after Trump announced the withdrawal of US&nbsp;troops from northeastern Syria.

Critics expressed concern at the abandoning of the Kurdish fighters who were instrumental in defeating Islamic State in Syria, and said the move might allow the group to regain strength and pose a threat to US&nbsp;interests.

The Pentagon, however, said the United States would repel any attempt to take Syria's oilfields away from US-backed Syrian militia with "overwhelming force," whether the opponent is Islamic State or even forces backed by Russia or Syria.

Trump said the raid would not change his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.

But killing Baghdadi could help blunt those concerns, as well as boosting Trump domestically at a time when he is facing an impeachment inquiry in the US&nbsp;House of Representatives.

Egypt, which is fighting militants loyal to Islamic State, said the killing of Baghdadi was "an important step towards eradicating terrorism".

US&nbsp;foe Iran, which accuses the United States and its allies of creating Islamic State, was dismissive. Information Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted: "Not a big deal, You just killed your creature".

At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad.

Thousands of civilians were killed by the group as it mounted what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against Iraq's Yazidi minority. It also caused worldwide revulsion by beheading foreign nationals from countries including the United States, Britain and Japan.

The group has claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, France, Orlando, Florida, Manchester, England, London and Berlin, and in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in the weekend operation.

The United States wants to bolster a coalition fighting Islamic State in northeastern Syria, a senior State Department official said on Monday, after the leader of the jihadi movement, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed in the weekend operation. World leaders welcomed his death, but they and security experts warned that the group, which carried out atrocities against religious minorities and horrified most Muslims, remained a security threat in Syria and beyond. The official said that President Donald Trump, by announcing the withdrawal of US forces from northern Syria on October 6, did not suggest that Washington was abandoning the fight against Islamic State. "There was never an idea that we would abandon the mission of going after ISIS. ... This is a major effort that is continuing," the official told reporters. Foreign ministers will meet in Washington on November 14 to discuss the mission. "The United States is determined to prevent a resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq and continues to work with the Global Coalition to destroy ISIS remnants and thwart its global ambitions," the US State Department said in a statement. It said the Washington meeting's discussions would have a "particular focus on recent developments in northeast Syria and their relationship to stability and security of the region." Trump has softened his pullout plans for Syria after a backlash from Congress, including from fellow Republicans, who say he enabled a long-threatened Turkish incursion on October 9 against Kurdish forces in Syria who had been America's top allies in the battle against Islamic State since 2014. US special forces carried out the Syrian operation in which Baghdadi killed himself and three of his children by detonating a suicide vest when he was cornered in a tunnel. Trump said on Monday he may declassify and release part of the video taken on Saturday of the raid. The video is believed to include aerial footage and possibly footage from cameras mounted on the soldiers who stormed Baghdadi's compound. Trump said on Sunday that Baghdadi had died "whimpering and crying" in a raid that fulfilled the president's top national security goal. The United States has given the remains of Baghdadi a burial at sea and afforded him religious rites according to Islamic custom, three officials told Reuters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to say if the United States had told Russia about the operation in advance. Trump, in announcing the operation, said Russia "treated us great" by opening up airspace it controlled for the raid. Peskov added: "If this information is confirmed, we can talk about a serious contribution by the president of the United States to the fight against international terrorism." French President Emmanuel Macron said Baghdadi's death was a major blow against Islamic State, but "the fight continues to finally defeat this terrorist organisation". British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We will work with our coalition partners to bring an end to the murderous, barbaric activities of Daesh (Islamic State) once and for all." In Southeast Asia, an important focus for Islamic State, officials said security forces were preparing for a long battle to thwart the group's ideology. The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, home to some of Asia's most organised Islamist militants, said they were braced for retaliation by Islamic State loyalists, including "lone-wolf" attacks by radicalised locals. The United States on Monday confirmed the killing of Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir, Islamic State spokesman and a high-ranking figure within the jihadi group, in a separate US operation in northern Syria. Although Baghdadi's death will unsettle Islamic State, it remains capable and dangerous, said Delfin Lorenzana, defence secretary of the Philippines, where the group's influence has taken a hold in its troubled Mindanao region. "This is a blow to the organisation considering al-Baghdadi's stature as a leader. But this is just a momentary setback considering the depth and reach of the organisation worldwide," Lorenzana said. "Somebody will take his place." Islamic State has no declared successor as leader. But the group has proved resilient, continuing to mount or inspire attacks in the region and beyond despite losing most of its territory in recent years. Baghdadi had long been sought by the United States - which offered a $25 million reward - as leader of a jihadist group that at one point controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq, where it declared a caliphate. Islamic State has brutally attacked religious minorities and launched deadly strikes on five continents in a violent campaign that horrified most Muslims. In their long hunt for Baghdadi, Iraqi intelligence teams secured a break in February 2018 after one of his top aides gave them information on how he escaped capture for so many years, two Iraqi security officials said. Baghdadi held strategy talks with his commanders in moving minibuses packed with vegetables in order to avoid detection, Ismael al-Ethawi told officials after he was arrested by Turkish authorities and handed to the Iraqis. "Ethawi gave valuable information which helped the Iraqi multi-security agencies team complete the missing pieces of the puzzle of Baghdadi's movements and places he used to hide," one of the Iraqi security officials said. Iraqi security officials said Kurdish intelligence agents had exchanged information with counterparts in Baghdad on the movements of Baghdadi and his aides in Syria. One of the Kurds' sources passed on a "golden tip" earlier this year. Suspicious movements were spotted by locals at a house in a village in Syria, which was placed under surveillance and turned out to be the house used by Baghdadi, the Iraqi officials said. The raid on Baghdadi comes weeks after Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from northeastern Syria. Critics expressed concern at the abandoning of the Kurdish fighters who were instrumental in defeating Islamic State in Syria, and said the move might allow the group to regain strength and pose a threat to US interests. The Pentagon, however, said the United States would repel any attempt to take Syria's oilfields away from US-backed Syrian militia with "overwhelming force," whether the opponent is Islamic State or even forces backed by Russia or Syria. Trump said the raid would not change his decision to withdraw troops from Syria. But killing Baghdadi could help blunt those concerns, as well as boosting Trump domestically at a time when he is facing an impeachment inquiry in the US House of Representatives. Egypt, which is fighting militants loyal to Islamic State, said the killing of Baghdadi was "an important step towards eradicating terrorism". US foe Iran, which accuses the United States and its allies of creating Islamic State, was dismissive. Information Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted: "Not a big deal, You just killed your creature". At the height of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people from northern Syria to the outskirts of Baghdad. Thousands of civilians were killed by the group as it mounted what the United Nations called a genocidal campaign against Iraq's Yazidi minority. It also caused worldwide revulsion by beheading foreign nationals from countries including the United States, Britain and Japan. The group has claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, France, Orlando, Florida, Manchester, England, London and Berlin, and in Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

US wants to bolster fight against Islamic State after its leader's death

Iraqi security forces killed at least 14 people in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala overnight after opening fire on protesters, medical and security sources said, in a return to tactics denounced by the government's own internal inquiry.

At least 865 people were wounded, the sources said. Three protesters died in the southern city of Nassiriya from wounds sustained in earlier protests.

Kerbala's health department chief, however, said 122 people were injured, including 66 members of the security forces.

Kerbala's police chief denied in a statement that any protesters had been killed and said only one person had died in an unrelated criminal incident, calling footage of security forces shooting at protesters that went viral on social media fabricated and designed to "incite the street" in the city.

Thousands of Iraqis<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/defying-crackdown-thousands-of-iraqis-keep-protesting-258449"> took to the streets</a> this week in the second wave of protests against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's government and a political elite they say are corrupt and out of touch. The total death toll since the unrest started on October&nbsp;1 is now at least 250 people.

The unrest, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/iraqs-wave-of-protests-its-roots-and-how-to-begin-fixing-it-258108">driven by discontent</a> over economic hardship and deep-seated corruption, has broken nearly two years of relative stability in Iraq, which from 2003 to 2017 endured a foreign occupation, civil war and an Islamic State insurgency.

OPEC member Iraq boasts vast oil wealth, but many Iraqis live in poverty or have limited access to clean water, electricity, basic health care and education. The country is still struggling to recover from years of conflict since 2003.

Many Iraqis blame a political elite they say is subservient to one or another of Baghdad's two main allies, the United States and Iran. They say these powers use Iraq as a proxy to pursue their struggle for regional influence, without concern for the needs of ordinary people.

Despite promising reforms and ordering a broad reshuffle of the cabinet, Abdul Mahdi, whose position is increasingly precarious in the face of the stiffest challenge since he took office a year ago, has so far struggled to address the demonstrators' complaints.

A Reuters correspondent saw a convoy of anti-riot police driving towards Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Tuesday where protesters, now joined by students, gathered for a fifth day.

A spokesman for Abdul Mahdi said on Sunday that anyone disrupting work or school days would be severely punished.

"They threatened us with our jobs, said they would cut our salaries off if we came, they can keep the salaries! Why all this blood? Why have all these young men lost their lives," said a teacher in Tahrir Square who declined to give her name.

An Iraqi government committee investigating the first wave of unrest, which took place during the first week of October, found that 149 civilians were killed because security forces used excessive force and live fire to quell protests.

Its report, which said more than 70 per cent&nbsp;of the deaths were caused by shots to the head or chest, held senior commanders responsible but stopped short of blaming the prime minister and other top officials, saying there had been no order to shoot.

Authorities committed serious human rights violations and abuses, the United Nations mission in Iraq said.

Protests stopped for two weeks before resuming on October&nbsp;25.

Security forces fired tear gas on Monday at school and university students who defied a warning from Abdul Mahdi and joined thousands in Baghdad protesting against his government.

Soldiers were seen beating high school students with batons in two Baghdad districts. A Defence Ministry statement condemned the incident and said the soldiers did not represent the Iraqi army as a whole. It did not say if they would be punished.

Populist Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who backs parliament's largest bloc and helped bring Abdul Mahdi's fragile coalition government to power, called on Monday for early elections after a curfew was announced in Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces killed at least 14 people in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala overnight after opening fire on protesters, medical and security sources said, in a return to tactics denounced by the government's own internal inquiry.

Iraqi security forces killed at least 14 people in the Shi'ite holy city of Kerbala overnight after opening fire on protesters, medical and security sources said, in a return to tactics denounced by the government's own internal inquiry. At least 865 people were wounded, the sources said. Three protesters died in the southern city of Nassiriya from wounds sustained in earlier protests. Kerbala's health department chief, however, said 122 people were injured, including 66 members of the security forces. Kerbala's police chief denied in a statement that any protesters had been killed and said only one person had died in an unrelated criminal incident, calling footage of security forces shooting at protesters that went viral on social media fabricated and designed to "incite the street" in the city. Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets this week in the second wave of protests against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's government and a political elite they say are corrupt and out of touch. The total death toll since the unrest started on October 1 is now at least 250 people. The unrest, driven by discontent over economic hardship and deep-seated corruption, has broken nearly two years of relative stability in Iraq, which from 2003 to 2017 endured a foreign occupation, civil war and an Islamic State insurgency. OPEC member Iraq boasts vast oil wealth, but many Iraqis live in poverty or have limited access to clean water, electricity, basic health care and education. The country is still struggling to recover from years of conflict since 2003. Many Iraqis blame a political elite they say is subservient to one or another of Baghdad's two main allies, the United States and Iran. They say these powers use Iraq as a proxy to pursue their struggle for regional influence, without concern for the needs of ordinary people. Despite promising reforms and ordering a broad reshuffle of the cabinet, Abdul Mahdi, whose position is increasingly precarious in the face of the stiffest challenge since he took office a year ago, has so far struggled to address the demonstrators' complaints. A Reuters correspondent saw a convoy of anti-riot police driving towards Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on Tuesday where protesters, now joined by students, gathered for a fifth day. A spokesman for Abdul Mahdi said on Sunday that anyone disrupting work or school days would be severely punished. "They threatened us with our jobs, said they would cut our salaries off if we came, they can keep the salaries! Why all this blood? Why have all these young men lost their lives," said a teacher in Tahrir Square who declined to give her name. An Iraqi government committee investigating the first wave of unrest, which took place during the first week of October, found that 149 civilians were killed because security forces used excessive force and live fire to quell protests. Its report, which said more than 70 per cent of the deaths were caused by shots to the head or chest, held senior commanders responsible but stopped short of blaming the prime minister and other top officials, saying there had been no order to shoot. Authorities committed serious human rights violations and abuses, the United Nations mission in Iraq said. Protests stopped for two weeks before resuming on October 25. Security forces fired tear gas on Monday at school and university students who defied a warning from Abdul Mahdi and joined thousands in Baghdad protesting against his government. Soldiers were seen beating high school students with batons in two Baghdad districts. A Defence Ministry statement condemned the incident and said the soldiers did not represent the Iraqi army as a whole. It did not say if they would be punished. Populist Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who backs parliament's largest bloc and helped bring Abdul Mahdi's fragile coalition government to power, called on Monday for early elections after a curfew was announced in Baghdad.

Iraqi security forces open fire on protesters, kill 14

Pakistani officials have ordered additional security forces be deployed to the capital Islamabad, authorities confirmed Tuesday, days ahead of the expected arrival of thousands of Islamist protesters calling for the dissolution of the government.

Islamabad police spokesperson Zia Bajwa said extra police forces from across the country were being deployed "at the main entry points" of the capital, adding that security was also being increased around main government buildings and the diplomatic enclave.&nbsp;

A senior law enforcement official also confirmed the deployment of reinforcements.&nbsp;

The march represents the first major challenge to Prime Minister Imran Khan's government as his administration battles rising public anger over a faltering economy and double-digit inflation. &nbsp;

The "Azadi (Freedom) March" is being led by Khan's long-time rival Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-declares-jui-f-senator-hafiz-hamdullah-saboor-as-confirmed-alien-258301"> Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam </a>(JUI-F), one of the country’s largest Islamist parties.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/why-pakistans-heart-bleeds-for-hafiz-saeed-252370">Why Pakistan’s heart bleeds for Hafiz Saeed?</a>

Rehman has repeatedly claimed that Khan took power following "rigged" polls in 2018, and is calling for fresh elections -- but has remained vague about what tactics he and his supporters will use once they arrive in the capital.&nbsp;

"The whole nation has developed a consensus that this is a fake government which doesn't enjoy the public's mandate," Rehman told thousands of demonstrators in the central city of Multan Tuesday.&nbsp;

The cleric is leading tens of thousands of marchers who are descending on the capital from cities across Pakistan and plan to converge in Islamabad on October 31.

Authorities have already begun sealing off the capital's diplomatic enclave with shipping containers, while efforts to strike a deal with the protesters before they arrive in Islamabad appear to have failed.&nbsp;

Khan has labelled the march as an attempt to "blackmail" his government and dismissed reconciling with Rehman, insisting the cleric has benefited from large-scale graft for years.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Pakistani officials have ordered additional security forces be deployed to the capital Islamabad, authorities confirmed Tuesday, days ahead of the expected arrival of thousands of Islamist protesters calling for the dissolution of the government.

Pakistani officials have ordered additional security forces be deployed to the capital Islamabad, authorities confirmed Tuesday, days ahead of the expected arrival of thousands of Islamist protesters calling for the dissolution of the government. Islamabad police spokesperson Zia Bajwa said extra police forces from across the country were being deployed "at the main entry points" of the capital, adding that security was also being increased around main government buildings and the diplomatic enclave. A senior law enforcement official also confirmed the deployment of reinforcements. The march represents the first major challenge to Prime Minister Imran Khan's government as his administration battles rising public anger over a faltering economy and double-digit inflation. The "Azadi (Freedom) March" is being led by Khan's long-time rival Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), one of the country’s largest Islamist parties. Also read: Why Pakistan’s heart bleeds for Hafiz Saeed? Rehman has repeatedly claimed that Khan took power following "rigged" polls in 2018, and is calling for fresh elections -- but has remained vague about what tactics he and his supporters will use once they arrive in the capital. "The whole nation has developed a consensus that this is a fake government which doesn't enjoy the public's mandate," Rehman told thousands of demonstrators in the central city of Multan Tuesday. The cleric is leading tens of thousands of marchers who are descending on the capital from cities across Pakistan and plan to converge in Islamabad on October 31. Authorities have already begun sealing off the capital's diplomatic enclave with shipping containers, while efforts to strike a deal with the protesters before they arrive in Islamabad appear to have failed. Khan has labelled the march as an attempt to "blackmail" his government and dismissed reconciling with Rehman, insisting the cleric has benefited from large-scale graft for years.

Pakistan ramps up security in capital ahead of Islamist march

The Taliban should call a one-month ceasefire to prove they still control their forces, Afghanistan's national security advisor said Tuesday, amid signs the US wants to rekindle talks with the insurgents.

Hamdullah Mohib, a strong critic of earlier US-Taliban negotiations that excluded his government, said the Taliban no longer operate as a cohesive body and some commanders may have joined the Islamic State group.

"If the Taliban really want peace, they should prove how much control they have over their commanders and how much they really obey their commands," Mohib said at a press conference.

"Our suggestion is for a one-month ceasefire, followed by negotiations."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/on-again-off-again-erratic-history-of-talks-with-the-taliban-248439">On again, off again: Erratic history of US talks with the Taliban</a>

Observers have sometimes questioned whether there is a disconnect between the Taliban's political wing, based in Doha, and its military commanders in Afghanistan.

The insurgents have repeatedly rebuffed previous calls for a ceasefire, but last year they downed weapons for a historic, three-day truce.

Mohib, Afghanistan's former ambassador to the US, said any future negotiations should include his government, as well as Pakistan, which has long been accused of backing the Taliban.

"Pakistan should provide a guarantee that they will not support the Taliban or other groups like them and not give them safe havens," he said.

Pakistan denies it supports the Taliban.

The US spent the past year pushing for a deal with the Taliban that would have seen the Pentagon pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan in return for security guarantees.&nbsp;

But President Donald Trump cancelled talks last month as Taliban attacks continued, including one that killed a US soldier.&nbsp;

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy leading talks for Washington, has since spoken informally with Taliban officials in Pakistan, raising the possibility Washington seeks to resume dialogue.

Khalilzad was in Kabul on Sunday and visited Islamabad again Monday, though it was unclear if he spoke to Taliban officials on that visit.

Mohib in March infuriated the Trump administration by suggesting Afghan-born Khalilzad wanted to install a caretaker government and make himself "viceroy".

Even though Trump has declared the Taliban talks "dead", Khalilzad has continued criss-crossing the globe to build international consensus on a potential deal with the Taliban and an eventual end to America's longest war.

On Monday, he welcomed a proposal from China to host a fresh meeting bringing together Afghan officials and the Taliban, and last week the US and Europe issued a joint statement saying: "Sustainable peace can only be achieved through a negotiated political settlement."

The Taliban should call a one-month ceasefire to prove they still control their forces, Afghanistan's national security advisor said Tuesday, amid signs the US wants to rekindle talks with the insurgents.

The Taliban should call a one-month ceasefire to prove they still control their forces, Afghanistan's national security advisor said Tuesday, amid signs the US wants to rekindle talks with the insurgents. Hamdullah Mohib, a strong critic of earlier US-Taliban negotiations that excluded his government, said the Taliban no longer operate as a cohesive body and some commanders may have joined the Islamic State group. "If the Taliban really want peace, they should prove how much control they have over their commanders and how much they really obey their commands," Mohib said at a press conference. "Our suggestion is for a one-month ceasefire, followed by negotiations." Also read: On again, off again: Erratic history of US talks with the Taliban Observers have sometimes questioned whether there is a disconnect between the Taliban's political wing, based in Doha, and its military commanders in Afghanistan. The insurgents have repeatedly rebuffed previous calls for a ceasefire, but last year they downed weapons for a historic, three-day truce. Mohib, Afghanistan's former ambassador to the US, said any future negotiations should include his government, as well as Pakistan, which has long been accused of backing the Taliban. "Pakistan should provide a guarantee that they will not support the Taliban or other groups like them and not give them safe havens," he said. Pakistan denies it supports the Taliban. The US spent the past year pushing for a deal with the Taliban that would have seen the Pentagon pull thousands of troops from Afghanistan in return for security guarantees. But President Donald Trump cancelled talks last month as Taliban attacks continued, including one that killed a US soldier. Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy leading talks for Washington, has since spoken informally with Taliban officials in Pakistan, raising the possibility Washington seeks to resume dialogue. Khalilzad was in Kabul on Sunday and visited Islamabad again Monday, though it was unclear if he spoke to Taliban officials on that visit. Mohib in March infuriated the Trump administration by suggesting Afghan-born Khalilzad wanted to install a caretaker government and make himself "viceroy". Even though Trump has declared the Taliban talks "dead", Khalilzad has continued criss-crossing the globe to build international consensus on a potential deal with the Taliban and an eventual end to America's longest war. On Monday, he welcomed a proposal from China to host a fresh meeting bringing together Afghan officials and the Taliban, and last week the US and Europe issued a joint statement saying: "Sustainable peace can only be achieved through a negotiated political settlement."

Taliban should call ceasefire to prove control of forces: Official

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, America's big tech companies are being challenged on many fronts from across the political spectrum, from antitrust concerns to their policies on political ads and ensuring election security.

Many of the Democratic presidential candidates have argued in favour of either breaking up or tightening regulation of firms such as Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Amazon.com Inc.

Republican President Donald Trump's administration has also stepped up its scrutiny, announcing a wide-ranging investigation in July into whether major digital tech companies engaged in anti-competitive practices.

Trump's Democratic challengers also criticise online platforms for allowing politicians to make false claims in advertising ahead of the election next November.

Social media platforms are under particular scrutiny after US&nbsp;intelligence agencies said Russia used them to wage an influence operation to interfere with the 2016 election - a claim Moscow has denied.

Here are some of the candidates' positions on Big Tech.

President Trump

Trump, whose social media use and digital advertising campaign helped propel him to the White House in 2016, in September attacked the "immense power" of social media giants in his address to the United Nations.

Trump has stopped short of calling for tech giants to be broken up, as Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have, but said "obviously there is something going on in terms of monopoly," when asked about major tech companies in a June interview with CNBC.

Trump and other Republicans have also criticized social media companies, without evidence, for alleged political bias.

The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. wrote an opinion piece for The Hill political website in September entitled "Free speech suppression online builds case to break up Big Tech."

Silicon Valley firms have also been at odds with the Trump administration over policies such as its repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules and the impact of the U.S.-China trade war on their supply chains.

Joe Biden

Biden, who was vice president in the Silicon Valley-friendly Obama administration, has taken a more moderate stance than his progressive rivals on the issue of big tech company break-ups.

In a May interview with the Associated Press, he said that splitting up companies such as Facebook was "something we should take a really hard look at" but that it was "premature" to make a final judgment.

The campaign told Reuters that, as president, Biden would aggressively use "all the tools available - including utilizing antitrust measures" to ensure corporations act responsibly.

He did not speak up during a discussion of the issue at the most recent Democratic debate in October.

Biden has criticized e-commerce giant Amazon's $0 federal tax bill in 2018.

"I have nothing against Amazon, but no company pulling in billions of dollars of profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers. We need to reward work, not just wealth," he said in a tweet in June.

His campaign also clashed with Facebook, Twitter and Google over their political ad policies after they refused to take down a Trump ad that the Biden team said contained false claims about his son Hunter's dealings with Ukraine.

Elizabeth Warren

Warren is leading the charge to break up big tech companies on the grounds they hold outsized influence and stifle competition.

She has called for legislation to restrict large tech platforms - which she would designate as "platform utilities" -from owning and participating in a marketplace at the same time.

Under this law, Apple would not be allowed to both run the App Store and sell its own apps on it, for example.

She also said she would nominate regulators to unwind anti-competitive mergers such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, and Amazon's deal for Whole Foods.

Warren in October challenged Facebook's policy of exempting politicians' ads from fact-checking by running ads containing the false claim that CEO Mark Zuckerberg was endorsing Trump's re-election bid.

The senator from Massachusetts has also said that she would reject campaign donations over $200 from executives of big tech firms.

Bernie Sanders

Sanders, a US senator from Vermont who frequently criticizes corporate influence, has also called for the break-up of big tech companies such as Facebook and Amazon.

His administration would "absolutely" try to split apart the companies, Sanders said at a Washington Post event in July.

He has said that he will have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review all mergers that have taken place during the Trump administration. His broad plan to reshape corporate America would also mandate all large companies to be owned partly by their workers.

Asked how he differentiates himself from Warren on major issues, Sanders told ABC in October: "Elizabeth considers herself - if I got the quote correctly - to be a capitalist to her bones. I don't."

Sanders has been vocal in his attacks on Amazon over issues such as its tax contributions and working conditions at its warehouses. In 2018, he introduced a 'Stop BEZOS Act' in the Senate, in a reference to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which would make large corporations either pay their workers more or pay the government for public benefits that their workers receive.

Pete Buttigieg

In general, Pete Buttigieg, who became Facebook's 287th user shortly after it was launched in 2004 at Harvard University, where he was a student, has been more reluctant to slam the tech giants than some other candidates.

The mayor from South Bend, Indiana, said that the break-up of big tech companies is a "remedy that should be on the table," but also said it was not a politician's place to designate which companies should be broken up.

He has said that the FTC should be empowered to prevent and sometimes reverse mergers, but argued that large tech companies should be scrutinized for their actions rather than their size. He says concerns over monopolies and concerns over data security or privacy should not be conflated.

He is in favour of having legislation to protect individual data rights at a national level, including the right to be forgotten - which would give citizens the power to demand that online platforms delete data about them, as is the case in Europe.

Kamala Harris

Senator Harris of California, the home of Silicon Valley, has said that Facebook has not been sufficiently regulated. She has not called outright for the break-up of big tech firms but said it should be "seriously" considered.

During the campaign, Harris touted her experience protecting consumers' online privacy while she was state attorney general.

In Congress, Harris, along with fellow candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar, introduced the bipartisan ENOUGH Act in 2017 to protect against online exploitation of private images. Harris recently called on Twitter to suspend Trump's Twitter account, saying his tweets threaten violence. In response, the company said that Trump's tweets did not violate its policies.

Amy Klobuchar

The Minnesota senator has made oversight of big technology companies one of her major issues in Congress and argued for data privacy laws and net neutrality safeguards as priorities at her campaign launch in February. Klobuchar has called for tighter regulation of tech giants and suggested that companies who profit from users' data could be taxed.

She has not endorsed Warren's plan for their break-up, saying that she would first want investigations. Her plan for her first 100 days in office includes an "aggressive retrospective review of mergers," which she said she would pay for with an extra merger fee on "megamergers."

She is also one of the authors of the bipartisan Honest Ads Act, which would require social media platforms to disclose the purchaser of a political ad, as is required for television and print ads.

Andrew Yang

Yang, the former CEO of a start-up, has benefited from a surge of grassroots supporters on social media who style themselves as the #yanggang.

Although the technology entrepreneur said "we would be well served" if big tech companies were to break themselves up, he is more focused on dealing with the impact of automation on American jobs and on regulating artificial intelligence. Yang has also emphasized the negative effects of tech on mental health and said he would create a Department of Attention Economy, ideally led by tech ethics advocate Tristan Harris, to look at how to responsibly design and use apps and devices.

He has also called for people to receive a share of the economic value generated from their data.

Cory Booker

New Jersey Senator Booker said that Warren's call to break up the tech giants was "more like a Donald Trump thing to say" and has instead argued that stronger antitrust laws need to be enforced.

When questioned at the October Democratic debate on the issue, Booker advocated reforms to stop tech companies being used "to undermine our democracy" around elections.

He talked broadly about antitrust, "from pharma to farms," but did not single out tech companies.

A Stanford University graduate who co-founded his own social media start-up WayWire, Booker has historically received donations from major Silicon Valley names such as Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO also donated $100 million to Newark schools when Booker was mayor of the New Jersey city.

Beto O' Rourke

O'Rourke, a former US representative from Texas, wants to see Big Tech regulated rather than broken up. He has said he does not think it is the role of a president to designate which companies should be dismantled.

O'Rourke's campaign told Reuters he would stand up for small business by preventing online platform owners from promoting their own content and products over that of competitors. He also plans to create a new digital markets regulator to create and enforce rules on issues such as privacy and data mobility.

O’Rourke, who as a teenager was part of an influential hacking group, has also said he thinks social media companies should be treated as publishers.

He wants to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally provides immunity to online platforms for content posted by users, to make social media companies more accountable for the amplification of hate speech and domestic terrorism on their platforms.

His campaign recently urged Facebook, Twitter and Google to do more to combat online disinformation, after the campaign encountered the spread of a false claim about a gunman in a mass shooting.

Julian Castro

Castro, who was secretary of housing and urban development in the Obama administration, has said it is worth considering proposals to break up the big tech companies and said during the recent Democratic debate that the US&nbsp;needs to take a stronger stance in cracking down on monopolistic trade practices.

In the October debate, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, also singled out Amazon by name for helping to "put small businesses out of business" and for "shortchanging a lot of its workers."

Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard, a US representative from Hawaii, has called for the break-up of big tech companies and praised Warren's plan.

In July, she filed a $50 million lawsuit against Google accusing the company of discrimination when it temporarily suspended her ad account after the first Democratic debate. Google said the account had been automatically flagged for unusual activity, without specifying exactly what the issue was.

Gabbard said that Google's actions reflected "how the increasing dominance of big tech companies over our public discourse threatens our core American values."

Tom Steyer

California billionaire Steyer has said he is running for president to remove the influence of corporate money from politics.

In the October debate, he said that monopolies either have to be dismantled or regulated, but that to win against Trump, Democrats would have to "show the American people that we don't just know how to tax and have programs to break up companies."

Instead, he said, Democrats must harness the innovation and competition of the private sector.

Steyer's campaign has been noted for its massive ad spending which helped push him to the debate stage, including more than $6 million in Facebook ads, according to Democratic digital firm Bully Pulpit Interactive.

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, America's big tech companies are being challenged on many fronts from across the political spectrum, from antitrust concerns to their policies on political ads and ensuring election security.

In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, America's big tech companies are being challenged on many fronts from across the political spectrum, from antitrust concerns to their policies on political ads and ensuring election security. Many of the Democratic presidential candidates have argued in favour of either breaking up or tightening regulation of firms such as Facebook Inc, Alphabet Inc’s Google and Amazon.com Inc. Republican President Donald Trump's administration has also stepped up its scrutiny, announcing a wide-ranging investigation in July into whether major digital tech companies engaged in anti-competitive practices. Trump's Democratic challengers also criticise online platforms for allowing politicians to make false claims in advertising ahead of the election next November. Social media platforms are under particular scrutiny after US intelligence agencies said Russia used them to wage an influence operation to interfere with the 2016 election - a claim Moscow has denied. Here are some of the candidates' positions on Big Tech. President Trump Trump, whose social media use and digital advertising campaign helped propel him to the White House in 2016, in September attacked the "immense power" of social media giants in his address to the United Nations. Trump has stopped short of calling for tech giants to be broken up, as Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have, but said "obviously there is something going on in terms of monopoly," when asked about major tech companies in a June interview with CNBC. Trump and other Republicans have also criticized social media companies, without evidence, for alleged political bias. The president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. wrote an opinion piece for The Hill political website in September entitled "Free speech suppression online builds case to break up Big Tech." Silicon Valley firms have also been at odds with the Trump administration over policies such as its repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules and the impact of the U.S.-China trade war on their supply chains. Joe Biden Biden, who was vice president in the Silicon Valley-friendly Obama administration, has taken a more moderate stance than his progressive rivals on the issue of big tech company break-ups. In a May interview with the Associated Press, he said that splitting up companies such as Facebook was "something we should take a really hard look at" but that it was "premature" to make a final judgment. The campaign told Reuters that, as president, Biden would aggressively use "all the tools available - including utilizing antitrust measures" to ensure corporations act responsibly. He did not speak up during a discussion of the issue at the most recent Democratic debate in October. Biden has criticized e-commerce giant Amazon's $0 federal tax bill in 2018. "I have nothing against Amazon, but no company pulling in billions of dollars of profits should pay a lower tax rate than firefighters and teachers. We need to reward work, not just wealth," he said in a tweet in June. His campaign also clashed with Facebook, Twitter and Google over their political ad policies after they refused to take down a Trump ad that the Biden team said contained false claims about his son Hunter's dealings with Ukraine. Elizabeth Warren Warren is leading the charge to break up big tech companies on the grounds they hold outsized influence and stifle competition. She has called for legislation to restrict large tech platforms - which she would designate as "platform utilities" -from owning and participating in a marketplace at the same time. Under this law, Apple would not be allowed to both run the App Store and sell its own apps on it, for example. She also said she would nominate regulators to unwind anti-competitive mergers such as Facebook's deals for WhatsApp and Instagram, and Amazon's deal for Whole Foods. Warren in October challenged Facebook's policy of exempting politicians' ads from fact-checking by running ads containing the false claim that CEO Mark Zuckerberg was endorsing Trump's re-election bid. The senator from Massachusetts has also said that she would reject campaign donations over $200 from executives of big tech firms. Bernie Sanders Sanders, a US senator from Vermont who frequently criticizes corporate influence, has also called for the break-up of big tech companies such as Facebook and Amazon. His administration would "absolutely" try to split apart the companies, Sanders said at a Washington Post event in July. He has said that he will have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review all mergers that have taken place during the Trump administration. His broad plan to reshape corporate America would also mandate all large companies to be owned partly by their workers. Asked how he differentiates himself from Warren on major issues, Sanders told ABC in October: "Elizabeth considers herself - if I got the quote correctly - to be a capitalist to her bones. I don't." Sanders has been vocal in his attacks on Amazon over issues such as its tax contributions and working conditions at its warehouses. In 2018, he introduced a 'Stop BEZOS Act' in the Senate, in a reference to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which would make large corporations either pay their workers more or pay the government for public benefits that their workers receive. Pete Buttigieg In general, Pete Buttigieg, who became Facebook's 287th user shortly after it was launched in 2004 at Harvard University, where he was a student, has been more reluctant to slam the tech giants than some other candidates. The mayor from South Bend, Indiana, said that the break-up of big tech companies is a "remedy that should be on the table," but also said it was not a politician's place to designate which companies should be broken up. He has said that the FTC should be empowered to prevent and sometimes reverse mergers, but argued that large tech companies should be scrutinized for their actions rather than their size. He says concerns over monopolies and concerns over data security or privacy should not be conflated. He is in favour of having legislation to protect individual data rights at a national level, including the right to be forgotten - which would give citizens the power to demand that online platforms delete data about them, as is the case in Europe. Kamala Harris Senator Harris of California, the home of Silicon Valley, has said that Facebook has not been sufficiently regulated. She has not called outright for the break-up of big tech firms but said it should be "seriously" considered. During the campaign, Harris touted her experience protecting consumers' online privacy while she was state attorney general. In Congress, Harris, along with fellow candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar, introduced the bipartisan ENOUGH Act in 2017 to protect against online exploitation of private images. Harris recently called on Twitter to suspend Trump's Twitter account, saying his tweets threaten violence. In response, the company said that Trump's tweets did not violate its policies. Amy Klobuchar The Minnesota senator has made oversight of big technology companies one of her major issues in Congress and argued for data privacy laws and net neutrality safeguards as priorities at her campaign launch in February. Klobuchar has called for tighter regulation of tech giants and suggested that companies who profit from users' data could be taxed. She has not endorsed Warren's plan for their break-up, saying that she would first want investigations. Her plan for her first 100 days in office includes an "aggressive retrospective review of mergers," which she said she would pay for with an extra merger fee on "megamergers." She is also one of the authors of the bipartisan Honest Ads Act, which would require social media platforms to disclose the purchaser of a political ad, as is required for television and print ads. Andrew Yang Yang, the former CEO of a start-up, has benefited from a surge of grassroots supporters on social media who style themselves as the #yanggang. Although the technology entrepreneur said "we would be well served" if big tech companies were to break themselves up, he is more focused on dealing with the impact of automation on American jobs and on regulating artificial intelligence. Yang has also emphasized the negative effects of tech on mental health and said he would create a Department of Attention Economy, ideally led by tech ethics advocate Tristan Harris, to look at how to responsibly design and use apps and devices. He has also called for people to receive a share of the economic value generated from their data. Cory Booker New Jersey Senator Booker said that Warren's call to break up the tech giants was "more like a Donald Trump thing to say" and has instead argued that stronger antitrust laws need to be enforced. When questioned at the October Democratic debate on the issue, Booker advocated reforms to stop tech companies being used "to undermine our democracy" around elections. He talked broadly about antitrust, "from pharma to farms," but did not single out tech companies. A Stanford University graduate who co-founded his own social media start-up WayWire, Booker has historically received donations from major Silicon Valley names such as Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO also donated $100 million to Newark schools when Booker was mayor of the New Jersey city. Beto O' Rourke O'Rourke, a former US representative from Texas, wants to see Big Tech regulated rather than broken up. He has said he does not think it is the role of a president to designate which companies should be dismantled. O'Rourke's campaign told Reuters he would stand up for small business by preventing online platform owners from promoting their own content and products over that of competitors. He also plans to create a new digital markets regulator to create and enforce rules on issues such as privacy and data mobility. O’Rourke, who as a teenager was part of an influential hacking group, has also said he thinks social media companies should be treated as publishers. He wants to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which generally provides immunity to online platforms for content posted by users, to make social media companies more accountable for the amplification of hate speech and domestic terrorism on their platforms. His campaign recently urged Facebook, Twitter and Google to do more to combat online disinformation, after the campaign encountered the spread of a false claim about a gunman in a mass shooting. Julian Castro Castro, who was secretary of housing and urban development in the Obama administration, has said it is worth considering proposals to break up the big tech companies and said during the recent Democratic debate that the US needs to take a stronger stance in cracking down on monopolistic trade practices. In the October debate, the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, also singled out Amazon by name for helping to "put small businesses out of business" and for "shortchanging a lot of its workers." Tulsi Gabbard Gabbard, a US representative from Hawaii, has called for the break-up of big tech companies and praised Warren's plan. In July, she filed a $50 million lawsuit against Google accusing the company of discrimination when it temporarily suspended her ad account after the first Democratic debate. Google said the account had been automatically flagged for unusual activity, without specifying exactly what the issue was. Gabbard said that Google's actions reflected "how the increasing dominance of big tech companies over our public discourse threatens our core American values." Tom Steyer California billionaire Steyer has said he is running for president to remove the influence of corporate money from politics. In the October debate, he said that monopolies either have to be dismantled or regulated, but that to win against Trump, Democrats would have to "show the American people that we don't just know how to tax and have programs to break up companies." Instead, he said, Democrats must harness the innovation and competition of the private sector. Steyer's campaign has been noted for its massive ad spending which helped push him to the debate stage, including more than $6 million in Facebook ads, according to Democratic digital firm Bully Pulpit Interactive.

Where US presidential candidates stand on breaking up Big Tech

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