PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, May 11, 2017.

Saudi Tips over 9/11

A Saudi-led political campaign has been launched in the United States after Congress passed a law allowing September 11 victims' families to sue Riyadh 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.

Bahrain Crackdown

Leading advocacy group Human Rights Watch has criticized the Bahraini regime for denying an entry visa to one of its researchers. The HRW says Bahraini authorities have denied entry to scores of previously-jailed activists, human rights defenders, journalists and even the UN special rapporteur on torture over the past few years. According to the rights body, the regime in Manama has once again shown its intolerance towards rights advocates. American-passport holder Omar Shakir arrived in Manama on May 9 to attend a FIFA assembly meeting but was deported immediately. American citizens receive their Bahraini visas upon arrival in Bahrain. In February, Shakir who investigates human rights abuses of Palestinians in the occupied territories and the Gaza Strip was denied work permit by Israeli authorities.

Vigil for Romas

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, their parents and eight other siblings were sleeping 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-thousand Roma people living in Italy, and intolerance towards them is fuelled by inflammatory comments by politicians who paint them as crooks.

Greece Growth Forecast

Bad news for the people of Greece: The European Commission has released its spring economic evaluation in which it has sharply cut the growth forecast for the debt-torn country. The commission reports that the Greek economy will grow by two-point-one percent in 2017. That’s point-six percent down from an earlier prediction. The commission has also slashed the forecast for 2018 to two-point-five percent from the earlier prediction of three-point-one percent. Greece is now at the center of a bailout row with its international creditors including the EU. Just last week, Athens reached a preliminary deal with its lenders on new austerity policies. In an attempt to tackle the issue of national debt, the government has enacted several rounds of austerity measures from 2010 to 2016 that at times triggered nationwide protests.

Solidarity with Prisoners

Palestinians are staging demonstrations across occupied territories in solidarity with prisoners who are on a hunger strike in Israeli jails. The protesters are holding posters of Palestinian prisoners including former Fatah Movement Leader Marwan Barghouti, who initially called for the hunger strike. The health condition of 16-hundered inmates is said to be critical, 25 days into the strike. According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, the prisoners’ situation has become sensitive and dangerous.

Balancing the Market

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, has called for a collective effort to match supply and demand in the global oil market. In a report, OPEC said member states should exercise common policies to rebalance market stability. The cartel also expressed concern over a hike in the US oil production. The demand came after OPEC members agreed to cut production in November to reduce the oil glut. Crude prices recently dipped briefly under 50 dollars per barrel in world markets as a result of Washington’s rising output.

Yemen Cholera Outbreak

The World Health Organization has confirmed fifty one deaths caused by cholera and fifty eight cases of the disease in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says laboratory testing has confirmed the highly contagious infection in 10 governorates across the war-torn county. This is the second cholera outbreak in Yemen in a year. It hits the country while less than half of its medical facilities are functional amid the deadly Saudi war. The UN says two-thirds of Yemen's population is on the brink of famine as a result of the war. The world body has also described the plight of the impoverished nation as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

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