WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, June 14, to 08:00 GMT, June 15, 2017.

US shooting

A shooting incident at a sprawling UPS warehouse and customer service center in the US city of San Francisco has left four people dead, including the shooter. The shooting that happened at a UPS facility close to a freeway in Potrero Hill has led to a massive police response. Local media say the shooter turned the gun on himself following the violent attack. Police say the situation is under control and they are hunting for possible accomplices inside the facility. Reports, however, say a lone shooter entered the building during a morning meeting. He has been described as a disgruntled employee.

Turkey court ruling

Turkey’s main opposition party has slammed the jailing of one of its senior lawmakers on spying charges. Deputy Chairman of main opposition Republican People’s Party, CHP, called the imprisonment “an intimidation attempt” targeting opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party. He also criticized the judiciary for being under complete control of the executive power. An Istanbul court first gave a life sentence to CHP lawmaker Enis Berberoglu on charges of revealing secret information. But the sentence was subsequently reduced to 25 years in jail. The court also said the lawmaker would be stripped of his political rights following the announcement of the decision. Berberoglu was accused of leaking a video, which purportedly showed Turkey’s intelligence agency trucking weapons to Syria. The Turkish government says the trucks were carrying humanitarian aid.

US militarism

The US military has stepped up its presence and firepower in the highly strategic deserts of southeastern Syria. According to US-backed militants, American forces have set up a second base around 65 kilometers from al-Tanf in Homs province. Militants say more US troops and weapons are arriving at both bases. Special Forces are also patrolling distances up to 100 kilometers from al-Tanf. Meanwhile, the US has moved its long range artillery to the region. A senior US intelligence official describes the deployment as a significant boost as the artillery known as HIMARS has a range of 300 kilometers. Tensions have escalated recently near al-Tanf in Syria’s Badia deserts near the Iraqi border. US warplanes have twice bombed Syrian troops advancing on terrorists. American forces are deployed in Syria without the consent of the government in Damascus.

Mogadishu bombing

Over a dozen people have been killed and several others wounded in a car bomb attack in the Somali capital. Police say the assailant rammed his explosive-laden car into the entrance of the Posh Hotel in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab militants have claimed credit for the attack. Somali police have also confirmed that gunmen are currently holding an unknown number of hostages in a nearby restaurant. According to security forces, two attackers have been killed and 10 people freed as an operation is ongoing in the area. Al-Shabab militants, who are fighting to overthrow the Somali government, killed thousands of people in similar attacks in 2016.

US's anti-Russia sanctions

The US Senate has voted overwhelmingly to advance wide-ranging sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy. The measures call for strengthening existing sanctions and imposing new ones which target Russia’s mining, shipping, and railway sectors. US senators say the move is intended to punish Moscow for interfering in the 2016 presidential election, as well as its support for the Syrian government. The legislation also ties the anti-Russia measures to a bill which would impose sanctions on Iran that are currently under debate. In doing so, it forces the White House to reject stricter punishments against Iran if it decides to hold off on anti-Russia sanctions. The bill is expected to move next to the US house for a vote.

Iraq-Syria border security talks

A Syrian army delegation has held talks with Iraqi military officials in Baghdad to discuss border security. Iraq's defense ministry says this is the first public visit of its kind in years to coordinate the fight against the Daesh terrorist group. Iraqi army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Othman al-Ghanmi says the two sides discussed controlling Syria-Iraq borders to maintain pressure on terrorists and establish a joint operations center. He said Daesh is the common enemy of Iraq and Syria. The Syrian army pushed Daesh back in the southeast Syrian Desert and reached the Iraqi border last week. Baghdad and Damascus have agreed to continue intelligence sharing to provide flexibility for the Iraqi air forces to bomb targets near the border. Iraqi warplanes struck Daesh targets inside Syria for the first time in February.

Iran fighting terrorists

Iranian forces have killed three members of a terrorist organization in the country's southeast. The security forces also arrested five terrorists in the city of Chabahar. Ammunition and explosives were discovered and one member of the security forces was killed during the operation. The suspects are believed to be members of Ansar al-Furqan terrorist group based in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. The group had threatened to carry out suicide attacks in the coming days. Iranian intelligence and security forces have stepped up their activities following the June 7th twin attacks in Tehran in which seventeen people were killed and dozens more wounded. Scores of suspects have been arrested and several terrorist plots have been foiled since then.

Gaza power cut

More than a dozen international rights groups have warned of a “total collapse” in the Gaza Strip if Tel Aviv proceeds with its plans to further cut power supplies to the besieged enclave. A joint statement by 16 human rights groups has asked Israel's attorney general to intervene. It also urged Israel to provide sufficient electricity to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza. In a separate statement, Amnesty International also warned of a looming humanitarian disaster, saying cutting electricity would endanger thousands of lives including hospital patients and babies on life support. The Israeli regime on Sunday decided to reduce the amount of electricity supplied to Gaza by 45 to 60 minutes. People of Gaza currently receive only three to four hours of electricity a day, delivered from the territory's own power station and others in Israel and Egypt.

Trump probe

A prominent US newspaper has revealed that President Donald Trump is currently under investigation for possible obstruction of Justice. The Washington Post, citing unnamed U- officials, said the special counsel overseeing a probe into Russia’s alleged meddling in the US presidential election, is now looking into whether Trump tried to obstruct justice – which is a criminal offense. The report adds that senior US intelligence officials have agreed to be interviewed by investigators working for the special counsel, Robert Mueller. Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats and head of the National Security Agency Mike Rogers are among those to be interviewed as early as next week. The stated focus of the investigation into Trump has been Russia’s alleged efforts to sway last November’s presidential election. Trump vehemently denies any collusion between himself or any of his associates and Russia.

Paris deal implementation

The President of the European Commission has ruled out the possibility of renegotiating the Paris climate agreement following the US withdrawal from the accord. Juncker added the US decision to quit the agreement will make the world more united to work toward fully implementing the Paris climate deal. The European Commission President added that the accord took 20 years to negotiate and now is the time for action. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump announced Washington's withdrawal from the agreement, drawing widespread international condemnation. The Paris accord is aimed at limiting the rise in global temperatures which has been blamed on greenhouse gas emissions. The deal’s implementation will start in 2020.

US-Qatar joint exercise

Two US warships have arrived in the Persian Gulf for a joint exercise with the Qatari Navy. According to Qatar’s Ministry of Defense, the American warships arrived at Hamad Port south of Doha on Wednesday. The joint exercise comes at a time when Qatar is embroiled in a crisis with its fellow Arab rivals in the Persian Gulf. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and his Qatari counterpart Khalid al-Attiyah also signed a 12 billion dollar deal under which Washington will sell F-15 fighters to the country. Meanwhile, Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu who arrived in Qatar on Wednesday, urged dialogue to end the crisis. Cavusoglu made the demand after meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as well as Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman. He is slated to travel to Kuwait on Thursday, before holding talks with Saudi King Salman in Saudi Arabia on Friday.

Egypt protest

Egyptians have taken to the streets of the capital after a parliamentary committee approved a deal that paves the way to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. There were minor scuffles between police forces and protesters and several people were arrested. The demonstration was organized by former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi. He called on all Egyptians to stage more nationwide rallies against the deal. The deal to transfer the two Red Sea Islands of Tiran and Sanafir was rejected by a number of courts shortly after it was signed in 2016, but a year later another court voted in favor of the controversial agreement.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk