World

Stock futures plunged and bonds rallied as the projections of the outcome of the US Presidential election remained much tighter than expected on Tuesday as voting drew to a close.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday he never intended to influence the U.S. presidential election by publishing copies of emails linked to Hillary Clinton and suggested he would do the same to Donald Trump, if he could.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brought their brutal White House battle to a crescendo Monday, their campaigns peaking with huge rallies showcasing starkly different visions for the future of the world's greatest power.

A record 46.2 million of the estimated 200 million voters have exercised their franchise in the 2016 US presidential elections before the official voting day, surpassing the 2012 record when 32.3 million people had voted in advance.

Authorities say a gunman opened fire on four people playing dominos at a pub in Jamaica, killing three and leaving one seriously injured.

Booker prize winning Indian-born author Salman Rushdie described Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as a "sexual predator" and asked Americans to "focus" as they choose their next president.

The Islamic State fighters appear to have bulldozed parts of the city to create a "clear line of sight" that likely will help them fight off Iraqi forces.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of a possible Al Qaeda terror threat against the US on the eve of Election Day on November 8.

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been hiding in the group's besieged stronghold of Mosul, encircled by the Iraqi army and allied militias, a senior Kurdish commander told the Independent daily.

"It is disgraceful and outrageous that people who should protect these women and girls are attacking and abusing them," she added.

A US gun store owner has put up a controversial sign and published an advertisement in a daily refusing to sell arms to Muslims and Hillary Clinton backers, saying "we do not feel safe selling to terrorists".

A Pakistani court has barred the opposition party of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan from holding planned anti-government street rallies in Islamabad.

The earthquakes that have buffeted central Italy over the last two months could continue in a devastating domino effect with one large quake leading to another along the central Apennine fault system, a leading seismologist warned on Sunday.

Turkish authorities have dismissed more than 10,000 civil servants over their suspected links with US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for orchestrating the failed coup in July.

"They also warned that the girls should not be allowed in the school again," he said, adding that around 500 girls were attending the school.

With a dozen days left until Election Day, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are refusing to commit to working with each other after the election, putting in question the winner's ability to heal the country's wounds after a volatile presidential race.