PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT to 08:00 GMT, May 11.

9/11 lawsuit

A Saudi-led political campaign has been launched in the United States after Congress passed a law allowing September 11 victims' families to sue Saudi Arabia in US courts.The campaign includes paying American military veterans to visit Capitol Hill and warn lawmakers about what they said could be unintended consequences. Some of the recruited veterans said Saudi Arabia's government was largely paying for the effort, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Congress voted overwhelmingly for the law in September, overriding a veto by President Barack Obama. The law gives victims' families the right to sue any foreign country found to support a terrorist attack that kills US citizens on American soil. The veterans' lobbying effort began within a month after the vote. Soon, some 70 subcontractors were hired by a Washington-based lobbying and public relations firm that represents Saudi Arabia. Fifteen of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudis.

Italy vigil

In Italy, anti-fascist groups have held a vigil and laid flowers in the outskirts of the capital Rome after three sisters from the Roma community were burned to death in an arson attack. The victims, aged four, eight, and 20, were sleeping with their parents and eight other siblings when their camper van went up in flames. Investigators said that surveillance footage showed a man throwing a bottle at the vehicle before the blaze. They add that it’s unclear if it was a xenophobic act or a personal dispute. There are around 170,000 Roma people living in Italy, and intolerance towards them is fuelled by inflammatory comments by politicians who paint them as crooks.

Mexico US NAFTA

Mexico has called on the US government to uphold the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, arguing that ending the deal would hurt both economies. A Mexican official says unwinding the economic integration of the US, Mexico and Canada would damage America’s exports, risk jobs and hit consumers. He’s warned that scrapping NAFTA would raise the average tariff on US exports to Mexico, a country that has been an important partner in production of American goods and a major market for them. Trade relations between Mexico City and Washington strained after President Donald Trump vowed to scrap the agreement if he couldn’t secure better terms for American workers and industries. Trump argues that the US work force and industries have been the main losers of the deal.

Brazil's Lula trial

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called his trial a farce as he gave his first direct testimony before a federal court on corruption charges. Lula made the comments during the five-hour closed hearing. He said prosecutors accused him based on allegations in the press. The founding member of the Workers' Party, is accused of obstructing an anti-corruption probe targeting the ex-director of state oil giant Petrobras. If proven guilty, Lula could be barred from running for office. He hopes to come back to power in next year’s presidential election. Following the hearing, Lula went to a rally with several thousand supporters who had taken to the courthouse to express their loyalty to him. Lula was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.

Bahrain crackdown

The Bahraini regime has taken a series of draconian measures against activists amid a crackdown on dissent in the Persian Gulf kingdom. An appeals court in Bahrain upheld a death sentence for Maher Abbas over allegedly killing a police officer. The same court upheld life sentences for two other activists. Meanwhile, protests in support of Bahrain’s top Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim continue unabated, with crowds gathering in Diraz village overnight to voice their support for the senior opposition figure. Manama has been cracking down on pro-democracy protests since a popular uprising began in the kingdom in early 2011. The crackdown has left many protesters and activists dead.

Venezuela unrest

More protests take place in Venezuela, as weeks of unrest in the South American country shows no sign of abating. Crowds took to the streets of the capital Caracas in what has been happening daily over the past several weeks. Officials say one protester has died in the latest demonstrations, bringing to 39 the total number of protesters killed in street violence. The oil-rich country of 31 million people has been the scene of rival pro- and anti-government rallies for months. Opposition parties have slammed President Nicolas Maduro’s plan to draw up a new constitution, saying it is an attempt to postpone elections. Caracas denies this and says the crisis is part of a US plot aimed at toppling the government and installing a puppet regime.

Missing Mexican kids

Mothers and relatives of 43 students missing for over two years have marched in the Mexican capital. The protesters, who have taken to the streets in Mexico City on Mother’s Day, held photos of their missing loved ones to press authorities for information on their whereabouts. Some of the mothers have been at a protest camp in front of the attorney general's office since mid-April. Authorities say the students hijacked several buses in Iguala city to travel to the capital in late September 2014. An official investigation concluded that police intercepted them during the journey and a confrontation ensued. According to the inquiry, the students were then handed over to a drug cartel by the police and were presumably killed.

Brazil corruption

Brazil's former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has given his first direct testimony before a federal court on corruption charges. Lula is accused of receiving a seaside apartment as a bribe from a construction company. The hearing was closed to the public and media. Thousands of Lula's supporters gathered outside the courthouse to protest against what they see as a judiciary out to sabotage the leftist politician’s comeback to politics. A guilty verdict and failure of an appeal will bar the former Brazilian from seeking political office again. Lula was president from 2003 to 2010 and is seen as a front-runner to return to power in 2018.

Laptop ban

Officials say the US is likely to expand a ban on laptops on commercial airliners to include some European countries. European and American officials declined to say when they expect Washington to make the announcement. The measures are expected to impact US carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines. In March, the US announced restrictions on laptops on flights originating from 10 airports throughout the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar. Officials cite fears that a concealed bomb could be installed in electronic devices on board passenger planes as a reason for the ban.

US Russia

The administration of US President Donald Trump remains defiant amid growing calls to appoint a special prosecutor to look into Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 presidential election. The remarks came amid calls from Democrats for a thorough investigation into the Kremlin’s alleged meddling in the US presidential vote as well as Moscow’s links to the Trump campaign. Russia is accused of stealing and disclosing emails from the Democratic Party and a series of other institutions to influence the November election. However, Moscow has on multiple occasions rejected allegations that it paved the way for Trump to defeat his democratic rival Hillary Clinton and win the presidency.

Trump Comey

US President Donald Trump has defended his decision to fire the FBI Director amid James Comey’s efforts to investigate Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election. Trump made the comments during a meeting with former US secretary of state and national security advisor Henry Kissinger at the white House. The Senate Democrats have renewed calls for a special investigation into whether Russia interfered in the presidential election. They say the need for a probe is now more urgent after the abrupt firing of the FBI Director. Meanwhile, people on Wednesday gathered outside the White House to protest Trump’s move. Democrats accuse the US president of trying to slow down the investigation into his alleged links to Moscow.

Syria Tabqa retake

US-backed Arab and Kurdish forces have captured a key city in northern Syria from Daesh militants. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces have retaken Tabqa and the nearby dam. An SDF official says both the city and the dam are now under the control of the SDF. Tabqa sits on a strategic supply route and served as a key Daesh command base. The adjacent dam is another important strategic location. They were both in the hands of Daesh terrorists before being captured by SDF troops.

US weapons to Kurds

A US military spokesman says Washington is set to deliver weapons to Syria’s Kurdish fighters soon. John Dorrian claims the White House will do its best to ensure that the weapons will help the Kurdish forces known as YPG in their fight against Daesh terrorists in Syria. The remarks came despite Turkey’s angry objections to the US president's order to arm the Kurdish forces. The Turkish government views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the PKK militant group, which is labeled a terrorist organization by both Ankara and Washington. The PKK fights for an independent Kurdish region in Turkey.

Mattis Russia

Washington has criticized Russian military build-up near Baltic States, warning that it’s ready to deploy any capabilities to deter Russia in Europe. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis described as destabilizing what he called the increase of Russian combat power in the Baltic region. He was speaking at a conference in Lithuania. American officials suggested that the United States could deploy Patriot missiles to the region in the summer. Russia is preparing for massive military exercises in its western region with Belarus in September. Moscow has also deployed a missile system in its enclave of Kaliningrad near Poland. Ties between Russia and US-led NATO alliance have reached the lowest since the US military build-up in Eastern Europe. Moscow has accused the US-led alliance of stoking tensions by expanding eastward.

Erdogan US

The Turkish president has called on the US to overturn a decision to arm Kurdish fighters in Syria. Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he will express his concerns and discuss the issue with the US president during his visit to Washington next week. He added that he intends to discuss the matter at an upcoming NATO summit in Brussels to make sure that Ankara’s allies prefer to be on its side rather than the terrorists'. The Turkish foreign minister has also urged Washington to reverse its decision to support Kurdish fighters.

Senate Comey

US Senate Democratic leader has reiterated calls for a special counsel to look into whether Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election.The Senate minority leader says the need is more urgent after Republican President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director, James Comey. Schumer argues that there’s little reason to think Comey’s investigation into Hillary Clinton's private email server is true reason Trump fired him. The FBI director was sacked reportedly because he gave inaccurate information to Congress last week regarding Hillary Clinton's emails. Meanwhile, Senate majority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, says he does not support any additional investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, noting that it would impede probes already under way.

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