WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, June 21, to 08:00 GMT, June 22, 2017.

‘Admission of defeat’

The Iraqi Prime Minister says Daesh has sent an official declaration of its defeat in Mosul by bombing the city’s landmark al-Noori Mosque. This, as Iraq's defense ministry accused the Takfiri group of committing yet another historic crime by blowing up the mosque and its famous leaning Minaret in Mosul's Old City. The explosion occurred as Iraqi Special Forces advanced to within 50 meters of the 840-year old Mosque. Heavy clashes are ongoing between Iraq’s elite Counter Terrorism Service and Daesh near the site of the blast. The Takfiri group says US warplanes bombed the Mosque. But the US-led coalition denies this. In the summer of 2014, Daesh used the historic landmark to proclaim its so-called caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Government troops have cornered the terrorists in the Old City, having recaptured all the districts they once held in Mosul.

Germany withdrawal of troops from Incirlik

German lawmakers have approved of a plan to withdraw troops from the Incirlik airbase in southern Turkey. In a statement, the German parliament said it backs the plan to move all 280 troops from Incirlik to an airbase in Jordan. The statement added that lawmakers expect the move to go ahead swiftly. This comes after Ankara denied members of Germany’s parliament access to its soldiers stationed at the airbase. A spat between the two countries emerged after Berlin banned some Turkish politicians from campaigning in Germany. Ankara responded by accusing the German government of "Nazi-like" tactics.

Catalonia independence

The top Spanish court has banned Catalonia region from engaging in an independent foreign policy initiative. Spain's constitutional court said any such attempt by the pro-independence regional government would be unconstitutional and void. The court judgment found that only the Spanish government has the right to engage in diplomatic affairs. Catalonia’s regional government created its secretariat last year to seek international support for a referendum on self-determination in October. Madrid rejects the planned vote as illegal and has warned Catalan leaders of repercussions. According to a recent poll, close to three-quarters of Catalans support holding a referendum.

Israel-Saudi ties

US President Donald Trump has congratulated Mohammad bin Salman on his appointment as Saudi Arabia’s new Crown Prince. The White House says Trump and Bin Salman agreed that cutting off all support for terrorists and extremists must be a top priority. They also discussed what the White House called “lasting peace between Israel and Palestinians. Meanwhile, Israel’s Communications Minister, Ayoub Kara, described Mohammad bin Salman’s appointment as a hope for the kingdom’s faster rapprochement with Israel. He described the strengthening of relations between Riyadh and the Trump administration as the beginning of a new era for Saudi Arabia and Israel.

US racial profiling

A court in the US state of Wisconsin has acquitted a former police officer in the fatal shooting of an African-American man. Dominique Heaggan-Brown was found not guilty of first-degree reckless homicide in the killing of 23-year-old Sylville Smith. The ex-cop’s attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense. The criminal complaint, however, stated that the victim was unarmed when Heaggan-Brown shot him dead. The death sparked several days of violent protests and led to the arrest of dozens of people last August in the US. The ruling follows Friday's acquittal of a police officer in the state of Minnesota over the shooting death of a black man. Authorities have urged the public to remain calm following the verdict.

Chile clashes

Students have clashed with police as demonstrations for free education continue in Chile. On Wednesday, some 5000 students took to the streets of Chile’s capital Santiago to push for free education for all Chileans. Security forces used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Due to high costs of higher education in Chile, many people either fail to go to college or have to get loans. The loans and their high interest rates leave many students with crippling debts that take years to be paid off. The Confederation of Chilean Students, have so far held many protests to reject the government’s higher education reform proposals.

UN Iraq warning

The United Nations Children’s Fund has warned that more than five million Iraqi children are in urgent need of aid as the war against terrorism rages on in the country. UNICEF said in Mosul Daesh terrorists kill, injure and abduct children to punish their families and deter them from fleeing. International organizations say that over 100,000 civilians, of whom half are children, are currently trapped in the Old City center, the last area still controlled by Daesh in the city. UNICEF says more than 1,000 children have been killed and over 1,100 have been wounded since 2014 when Daesh overran Mosul.

Vigil for Muslim teenager

People in the US city of Reston have held a vigil for a Muslim teenage girl who was beaten to death after a late-night prayer service. People gathered for the vigil holding signs of support for Nabra Hassanen and expressed condolences for her tragic death. On Sunday, the 17-year-old teen was walking back from a local mosque when she was attacked. Her body was later found in Sterling area, outside Washington with signs of beating. A man identified as Darwin Martinez Torres is charged with the murder. The Muslim community urged authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime but so far police stress that the murder was the result of a road rage.

US Yemen investigation

A new investigation reveals the presence of clandestine prisons in the south of Yemen, run by the United Arab Emirates with the help of American interrogators. The probe by the Associated Press found that most of the 2,000 detainees in at least 18 secret centers are people who went missing all of a sudden in the cities of Mukalla and Aden. According to witnesses, beating, flogging, sexual assault and extreme torture such as grilling have been common practices in the UAE-run prisons. Senior American defense officials have acknowledged that they are aware of torture allegations and that US forces are involved in the interrogation of detainees. The UAE denies all the allegations. The United Arab Emirates is an ally of Saudi Arabia and supports Riyadh in its aerial campaign against Yemen that began in 2015.

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