WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, August 8, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, August 9, 2017.

Zuma survives no-confidence vote

South African President Jacob Zuma has once again survived a no-confidence vote in parliament. The result was announced after lawmakers debated the motion for nearly two hours. Zuma has survived several such votes in the past. This one was the first to be conducted by secret ballot. The president has been under fire for numerous allegations of corruption and mishandling the economy. The ANC which holds a majority of the 400 parliament seats has repeatedly said its members will not support the opposition-led attempt to unseat the president. Following the vote, Zuma addressed a rally in Cape Town, thanking them for their support. He said they proved once again that the ANC is the organization of the people. Zuma has held power since 2009 and his current tenure is due to run until 2019.

Incirlik deal

German lawmakers are finally allowed to visit soldiers serving at Incirlik air base in Turkey. German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, informed Bundestag of the agreement with his Turkish counterpart. Up to 7 members of the parliamentary defense committee can take part in a delegation led by NATO top officials for the visit. German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the decision as “a good solution”. Tensions between the two NATO members intensified ever since Ankara refused to allow German lawmakers to visit troops at a Turkish air base and imprisoned several German nationals. In response, Berlin issued a travel warning to Turkey for safety concerns. Ankara has also accused Berlin of sheltering Kurdish militants as well as people linked to last year’s failed coup. Germany denies the allegation.

Syrians killed in US raids

A Syrian opposition group monitoring the war in Syria says nearly 30 civilians have been killed as a result of US-led coalition airstrikes on the city of Raqqah over the past 24 hours. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 9 women and 14 children were among the victims. It added that 14 of the dead were members of one family. According to the monitoring group, the death toll is expected to rise due to the number of people who are critically wounded. The coalition started its operation in Syria in late 2014 without permission from Damascus under the pretext of fighting terrorism. The coalition claims hundreds of civilians have been killed in its airstrikes so far but monitoring groups say the number is much higher.

Kenya election disputed

Partial results from Kenya presidential election show President Uhuru Kenyatta is leading his main rival Raila Odinga by a significant margin. Kenya’s election commission says over 70 percent of votes have been counted so far. Official results show Kenyatta is ahead with over 55 percent of the votes while his rival has nearly 44 percent. The opposition coalition has rejected the results as fake and illegitimate. Odinga said the electoral body had not provided forms signed by party observers from each polling station certifying the results. Final results are expected to be announced within one or two days.

Shias massacred by Taliban

The death toll from the massacre of civilians in Afghanistan’s northern province of Sar-e Pol has risen to 60. The mass killing occurred in Mirzawalang after the Taliban claimed they had captured the mainly Shia village over the weekend. The attack was reportedly carried out under the order of a local Taliban commander who has pledged allegiance to Daesh. The militants took hundreds of others hostage. Locals say the assailants bearing Taliban and Daesh banners also kidnapped nearly 50 girls and women. The Taliban later released 235 hostages but an unknown number of people are still being kept hostage. The Afghan Defense Ministry says the operation to retake the valley will happen soon. It says commando forces have been deployed to the area and airstrikes are being carried out. The failure of the government and NATO forces to respond in time has outraged the residents of the flashpoint area.

Venezuela’s crisis

Foreign ministers from across the Americas have slammed Venezuela for what they call a breakdown of democratic rule. The ministers say they would not recognize Venezuela’s newly-elected Constituent Assembly. They say setting up the assembly was “a new modality of coup d’état”. The statements were made at the end of a meeting hosted by Peru. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for a dialog with Latin American countries to resolve the political crisis. However, Venezuela’s foreign minister has condemned the summit as a hostile move against Caracas, saying it aims to prepare the ground for the spread of US imperialism.

Nagasaki bombing anniversary

Japan has marked the 72nd anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki, in which tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Hundreds of people and officials attended a memorial service on Wednesday. The ceremony was followed by speeches from several officials, including mayors of the bomb-struck cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The top officials urged the Japanese government to join a recently-adopted UN treaty against the use of nuclear weapons. The treaty's been endorsed by 122 countries, but Japan and other nuclear states under the US nuclear umbrella have not joined it yet. During the Second World War, the US Air Force dropped a uranium bomb on Nagasaki only days after targeting Hiroshima with its first atomic bomb. More than 220,000 people lost their lives in the bombings.

US-North Korea war of words

South Korea has branded as unhelpful the recent threat by North Korea to launch a missile strike against the US Pacific territory of Guam. North Korea’s military has warned that the attack on Guam would be carried out in a “multi-current and consecutive way” once the leader makes a decision. This war of words comes hot on the heels of a stern warning by Donald Trump. The US President has said that Washington would respond with what he called fire and fury to any threat from Pyongyang. The US congresswoman for Guam has urged Trump to work with the international community to deescalate tensions. The island’s governor has also said Guam is prepared for any eventuality.

China quake

At least 13 people have been killed and over 170 others injured in a strong earthquake that jolted China's Sichuan province. The magnitude 6.5 quake hit a remote mountainous area 200 kilometers west of the city of Guangyuan at a depth of 10 kilometers. According to state media, six tourists were among the dead. China's National Commission for Disaster Reduction estimated that nearly 100 people may have died. Authorities restored electricity to most of the affected areas and the military dispatched rescue teams to help with relief efforts. Hours later, a 6.3 earthquake hit the western province of Xinjiang near the Kazakhstan border. The quake hit at a depth of 26 kilometers with its epicenter located northeast of the city of Yining. There were no immediate reports of possible casualties.

France car ramming

At least six soldiers have been injured in a car-ramming incident outside the French capital, Paris. Media reports say two of the soldiers have been seriously injured. The incident happened after a car crashed into a group of soldiers in a Paris suburb. A French official says the incident was a deliberate act. Police have launched an investigation to find the vehicle. France is in a state of emergency following a spate of terror attacks and soldiers are on routine patrol in and around Paris.

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