Thousands of Iraqis have gathered in Iraq‘s capital Baghdad and across several southern cities for an eighth consecutive day of anti-government protests.

Demonstrators on Friday demanded economic reform, a government overhaul and an end to the country’s quota-based power-sharing system, while also rejecting Thursday’s announcement by Iraq’s president when he promised to hold a snap parliamentary election once a new law is passed.

President Barham Salih said the country’s beleaguered Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has agreed to step down if a replacement was found.

Abdul Mahdi, despite promises of reforms and a broad reshuffle of his cabinet, has struggled to address the protesters’ demands. He has refused calls for an early election made by his main supporter, populist Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

In a statement during the Friday sermon, a representative of Iraq’s top Shia leader Ali al-Sistani called on the Iraqi government to address the demands of the protesters, while warning against the use of violence by security forces against the protesters.

Mass protests that escalated over the past week have been met with a combative response from security forces, who have used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition against those taking to the streets and have been accused by a government-appointed inquiry of using excessive force.

‘Resignation not enough’

Following Salih’s announcement on Thursday, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to reject Abdul Mahdi’s resignation as a suitable response for their demands.

People from across Iraq thronged Baghdad’s Tahrir Square in a show of fury at an elite they see as deeply corrupt, beholden to foreign powers and responsible for daily privations and shambolic public services.

“Today, the best of the Iraqi people are here against those corrupt traitors, the lowest run of society. God willing, their days are numbered and their place is the dustbin of history,” a protester, who identified himself as Abu Motaz, told Reuters News Agency on Thursday.

Amnesty International said on Thursday security forces were using “previously unseen” tear gas canisters modelled on military grenades that are 10 times as heavy as standard ones.

The overall level of violence has eased in the capital this week despite the killing of three protesters by security forces overnight and early on Thursday morning.

The three died after tear gas canisters were thrown directly at them. More than 50 protesters were injured.

Protests also occurred in seven other provinces. Thousands gathered in Nassiriya, Diwaniya and oil-rich Basra while hundreds hit the streets in Hilla, Samawa and Najaf.

The demonstrations follow a previous bout of anti-government demonstrations held in early October.

More than 250 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the protests erupted.

Many protesters feel the country’s vast oil wealth has not adequately trickled down to its citizens, nearly three-fifths of whom live on less than six dollars a day, World Bank figures show.

Millions lack access to adequate healthcare, education, clean water and electricity.

SOURCE:
Al Jazeera and news agencies

We’ve known for a while now that Google was bringing the “Incognito mode” concept to Maps, allowing you to run searches and find routes without them automatically being tied to your account history.

If you’ve been digging around trying to find the option without any luck, you weren’t just missing it. Though first mentioned back in May at Google I/O, the company says the rollout is just now officially underway.

Word of the rollout comes via a Google Maps support page, as first spotted by AndroidPolice.

It’s a staged rollout, so don’t be surprised if you don’t see the new feature immediately, even if you’re on the latest version of maps. It’s rolling out in batches, beginning with Android users. Google says it should be available to all Android users in “the next few days.”

Once it’s enabled on your account, you can toggle incognito mode on/off by tapping your profile picture, then flipping the switch. Here’s what that looks like:

So why incognito mode? As we wrote back in May: Whether it’s the holiday season and you’re trying to keep your gift-hunting locations under wraps, or you’re visiting a doctor and would just prefer it not pop up the next time a friend grabs your phone for some quick directions, there are all sorts of reasons you might want to leave fewer breadcrumbs. Remember, though, that while it’s less visibly tied to you, it’s still all stored in ways behind the scenes on Google’s end; the company told Wired earlier this month that while Incognito sessions aren’t tied to an account, they are logged with a unique session identifier that gets reset between sessions.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The event is beginning with a $20 discount on the Apple Watch Series 5, which includes savings on 40mm GPS models. During the sale, you can get this version of the Apple Watch Series 5 for $379, down from $399, including multiple case and band color options.

Below we’ve listed the full slate of every product going on sale during eBay’s new event, which hit at 12 p.m. ET on the specified days. In terms of Apple products, the next major deal will be on November 22 for an unlocked iPhone 11.

• November 1 – Apple Watch Series 5 at $20 off
  
• November 8 – Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine at over 50 percent off; Bose SoundTouch 10 Wireless Speaker, Factory Renewed at over $100 off
  
• November 15 – Nintendo Switch Lite, Pokémon Sword, and Pokémon Shield [discount unknown]
  
• November 22 – 128GB Unlocked iPhone 11 at over $45 off
  
• November 29 (Black Friday) – No details yet
  
• December 6 – Ray-Bans at over 40 percent off
  
• December 13 – KitchenAid 4.5 Quart Tilt-Head Ten-Speed Countertop Stand Mixer at over 40 percent off

eBay said that every Friday drop will include free shipping. All of this month’s tech-related offers can be found on eBay’s Tech Deals landing page.

Our full Deals Roundup is keeping track of all of the latest sales as we head into the holidays. You can also visit our Black Friday Roundup to start preparing for the shopping holiday.

In the United States, the $49.99 annual subscription provides a savings of $9.89 per year compared to a $4.99 per month subscription, which totals $59.88 in a year. In other words, the annual subscription effectively provides 12 months of Apple TV+ access for the price of 10 months for paying upfront.

To switch to the annual subscription plan on an iOS device, open the TV app, tap on your profile in the top-right corner, tap on Manage Subscriptions, tap on Apple TV+, and select the one-year option. Those with a free one-year trial will not be billed until expiration of that trial on October 31, 2020 or later.

Apple TV+ launched today and here is everything to know.