Lebanon PM Saad Hariri resigns amid mass protests

Hariri says he intends to make 'positive shock' to country gripped by mass protests

Lebanon's prime minister, Saad Hariri, has announced his resignation, in a move set to spark further uncertainty in a country paralysed by political crises and a nationwide protest movement that has risen up in response.

Hariri's announcement came several hours after large groups of youths overran protest sites in downtown Beirut, ransacking tents and stalls set up by demonstrators who for the past 13 days have demanded an overhaul of the ruling class and an end to rampant corruption.