Riot police in Pittsburgh fired teargas and pepper spray to break up what it says was an unauthorized G 20 economic summit protests. Many of the marchers wore black and carried signs denouncing capitalism. They tried to head from from a city neighborhood to the convention center, where world leaders are gathering.
Police warned the demonstrators they did not have a permit to gather and urged them to leave. Officers fired tear gas and set off high-pitch sirens to force the marchers to break up. No injuries or arrests have been reported.
Meanwhile, the White House says the top priority for the G20 is regulating financial markets that let risky investments plunge the world into a deep recession.
But the G20 leaders are torn on the best way to tackle this challenge. They also disagree on how much control the international community should have over financial markets.
Leaders are also expected to work on ways to promote global trade, repair lending systems, and provide financial aid to developing countries dealing with global warming.
Several bilateral meetings are also scheduled before the summit officially gets underway, including talks between U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Japanese and Chinese officials.
G20 members are the United States, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Mexico, France, Germany, the European Union, Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, and Turkey.
Some information for this report was provided by AP. BY VOA
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