PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, May 11, to 08:00 GMT, May 12.

Hezbollah Warning

The secretary general of the Lebanese resistance movement, Hezbollah, has warned Israel against getting involved in a conflict with the group. Speaking in a live televised speech, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Tel Aviv is afraid of any future confrontation with Hezbollah because it knows that any such war could take place inside the occupied Palestinian territories. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Hezbollah leader touched upon the situation in Syria. Nasrallah said terrorists are provoking sectarian and religious rifts in the Arab country. He reiterated that Hezbollah will continue to support the Syrian government and people in their fight against terrorists. Nasrallah said Iran and Russia are Hezbollah’s allies in Syria, and that the resistance movement has no disagreements with them on the establishment of a ceasefire in the war-ravaged country.

US Senate on Comey

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe has contradicted the White House claim that fired chief James Comey had lost the bureau members’ support. McCabe made the remarks during a US Senate Intelligence Committee hearing after the sacking of Comey by President Donald Trump. He also disagreed with the White House suggestion that investigating Russia’s alleged interference in the US presidential election is a low priority of the FBI. McCabe was made acting FBI director Tuesday evening following the firing of Comey. The Trump administration has given a series of accounts for the decision to sack him. The US Senate Intelligence Committee has also asked Comey to testify before the panel in private next Tuesday.

Germany’s Afghanistan Presence

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Berlin will continue to lead NATO's military training mission in northern Afghanistan. Merkel, however, noted that Germany is not looking to increase its presence in the war-torn country. The German chancellor added that she will wait to see the outcome of NATO's assessment of a request from its military chiefs to send more troops to Afghanistan. Merkel made the remarks after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin. A decision on the presence of the Western military alliance in Afghanistan is due within weeks. The issue will top the agenda of the NATO annual summit in Brussels on May 25.

West Bank Clashes

Israeli forces have attacked Palestinian protesters taking to the streets in the occupied West bank in solidarity with hunger-striking prisoners. Several demonstrators had difficulty breathing after inhaling tear gas fired by the Israeli troops. The Israeli forces also used live bullets and water cannon to disperse the protesters. Palestinians are angry over the dire conditions under which the hunger strikers are being held in Israeli jails. The health condition of 1,600 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.

Seeking Guarantee

The European Parliament has raised alarm that the Brexit negotiations could be blocked if the rights of citizens are not guaranteed. European Parliament's Brexit Coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the Brexit talks would start with addressing the rights of the European Union and UK citizens. He said after the citizens’ rights were concluded and made public, further Brexit talks would take place. Verhofstadt said around four million citizens of EU nations residing in Britain were concerned about their rights and job security after Brexit. UK’s divorce from the EU is also expected to impact the lives of millions of British people living outside the Britain.

Contradictory Comments

US President Donald Trump insists he always intended to sack FBI Director James Comey, contradicting earlier remarks that he acted on the recommendation of top Justice officials. In his first television interview since setting off a political storm with the abrupt dismissal, Trump said he intended to fire “showboat and grandstander” Comey regardless of recommendations. His remarks come just hours after the White House said Comey’s dismissal was a result of his handling of a probe into emails of former presidential contender Hillary Clinton. Elsewhere, in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the FBI’s acting head Andrew McCabe contradicted Trump’s earlier account that the agency had been in turmoil before he fired Comey. McCabe also said the FBI would pursue an investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign. Democrats have accused Trump of trying to foil the FBI’s probe into Moscow’s alleged interference in the election.

Assad on Fighting Enemies

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to defend de-escalation zones, which are established with the aim of ending the conflict in the battle-torn country. In an interview with a Belarusian TV channel, Assad said the de-escalation zones gave foreign-backed militants a chance to hand over their weapons and reconcile with the government. He stressed that he would have a firm response to any breach of the ceasefire in those zones. The Syrian president also added that he would not back down from fighting the terror groups operating in the country. The creation of de-escalation zones was agreed by Russia, Iran and Turkey during negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana earlier this month. According to the deal, four de-escalation zones have been set up across Syria, where the most intense fighting has been underway between government troops and the militants.

UN Silence on Saudi War

Yemeni rights activists are calling for an international conference to discuss the United Nations responsibility regarding the Saudi war on the country from the viewpoint of international law. They say the world body’s silence has emboldened Riyadh to continue its war crimes against Yemenis. Press TV correspondent Mohamed Attab has a report.

Daesh Atrocities

Three more mass graves have been discovered in Iraq's western province of Anbar. Officials say the graves, around Fallujah and the provincial capital Ramadi, contain the bodies of civilians and members of security forces. Police say the exact number of bodies is not yet clear, but that all the victims had been executed by Daesh terrorists. Security forces have been deployed to the sites and forensic teams are expected in the coming days. Anbar province has been the scene of clashes between government forces and Daesh terrorists over the past years.

UK Child Poverty

Four million children across Britain are living in poverty, with the figure set to rise by a further million in the next ten years. The shocking statistics were released in a new report on child poverty in the UK. The report calls on the government to take immediate action to prevent the situation from further impacting vulnerable young people. Press TV's Amina Taylor has the details.

Palestinian Hunger Strike

Friday marks the 26th day of a mass hunger strike by Palestinian inmates against the inhumane conditions they’re facing in Israeli jails. Palestinian media say nearly 100 more prisoners have joined the strike, bringing the number of hunger strikers to almost 1,800. More than 1,500 Palestinian prisoners participated in the action when it began on April 17. It’s now difficult to verify the exact number of the participants, because while more have joined in, some others have abandoned it over health problems. The hunger strike is aimed at raising awareness about Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinian inmates in its jails. The prisoners are denied basic rights such as contact with their families and receiving medical care.

Battle for Mosul

Iraqi armed forces are pressing ahead with operations to dislodge Daesh terrorists from the country’s northwest. In the latest developments on the battlefield, the Popular Mobilization Units launched an all-out operation to liberate al-Qairawan district in Nineveh Province. They also managed to regain control of a village near the city of Tal Afar. This, as Iraqi troops blast their way in western Mosul as part of an offensive to boot out Daesh terrorists. An Iraqi army commander has expressed hope that government troops will have fully recaptured the Old City by the next two weeks. Mosul, which fell to Daesh nearly two years ago, is the last stronghold of the terror group in Iraq.

US Climate Policy

The US secretary of state says his country will not rush to make a decision on its policies regarding climate warming. Rex Tillerson was speaking at a meeting of Arctic nations in Alaska. His comments came as the delegates renewed calls for addressing global warming and cautioned that climate change is the most serious threat to Arctic biodiversity. The US is one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gases in the world. Since Donald Trump took over as US president, there have been concerns that the US may withdraw from some climate change agreements that it’s a signatory to.

Brexit Economic Fallout

The Bank of England has warned about the economic fallout of Britain’s exit from the EU, saying it’s already making families poorer.  Carney went on to say that 2017 will be a more challenging time for British households. His comments came during a press conference intended for the bank’s Quarterly Inflation Report. The report also unveiled the bank's trimmed-down predictions for the UK economic growth in general. Carney, however, said that Brexit is not the sole cause behind the forecasted economic decline and that its effects are expected to dwindle over the course of time. The grim outlook for Britain’s economy comes four weeks before a general election that will decide Brexit’s framework as put forth by Prime Minister Theresa May.

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