WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, August 25, 2017.

‘Trump is divisive’

A new poll has found that a majority of Americans think President Donald Trump is dividing people apart. Over 1,500 voters participated in the nationwide survey conducted by Quinnipiac University. 62 percent of respondents said Trump is dividing the nation, while 31 percent said he is doing more to bring the country together. The poll also found that Trump’s overall job approval rating has plunged to 35 percent, compared to an earlier survey that put the president’s job approval 4 percentage points higher. Trump is in hot water over his response to rallies and violence by white supremacists. Many of those, who took part in the survey, said hate crimes and prejudice have dramatically increased since Trump’s election.

Turkey dismissals

Turkey has dismissed hundreds more civil servants from public service under an emergency rule imposed after last year’s failed coup. Under the new decrees, the government has dismissed more than 900 civil servants from various ministries, public institutions and the military. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's permission will also be required for the national intelligence agency chief to be investigated or act as a witness. One of the decrees also orders the closure of several pro-Kurdish news outlets. Turkey has sacked or suspended more than 150,000 officials in a crackdown since the failed coup. Some 50,000 people, including soldiers, police members and civil servants have been sent to jail pending trial.

Saudi war on Yemen

At least 14 civilians have lost their lives in the latest round of Saudi airstrikes against the Yemeni capital. Women and at least six children are among the dead. The airstrikes struck at least three houses in a southern neighborhood of Sana’a early on Friday. The death toll is expected to go further up as more bodies could be pulled out from the rubble. Saudi Arabia has been leading a deadly air campaign against Yemen for the past two years with the bulk of the casualties being women and children. As the UN rights office reports, only over the past weeks, 42 Yemeni civilians have died in Saudi airstrikes with multiple children among the dead. The aggression has in total killed over 12,600 civilians, displaced 3 million people and pushed the impoverished nation to the brink of famine.

‘Be ready for US invasion’: Maduro

Venezuela's president says Washington’s threat of military action will be answered in the same way. Maduro said he believes in dialogue and diplomacy, but when it comes to military intervention, Venezuela will defend itself. He made the comments during a meeting with members of the Venezuelan military high command and members of his cabinet. On August 11, US President Donald Trump said he was mulling many options for Venezuela, including a possible military action. The comments drew massive criticism from both inside and outside Venezuela.

Kabul mosque attack

A bomber has detonated his explosives inside a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul while worshippers had gathered for Friday prayers. At least 14 people have been killed and some two dozen others injured. Reports suggest that the cleric who led the prayers and a security guard are among those killed. Two policemen have also lost their lives and eight others have been wounded in the subsequent exchange of gunfire that broke out between security forces and several terrorists. A member of the Shia clerical council says the gunmen are still inside the mosque and have taken over both prayer halls. Afghan security forces have surrounded the mosque but haven’t stormed it to prevent more casualties. No group has claimed responsibility yet.

Battle for Tal Afar

Iraqi forces have made further gains against Daesh in one of the terror group’s last major strongholds in the country. The commander of the operations to liberate Tal Afar says army units and the popular mobilization forces have fully liberated the city’s Nahia neighborhood. The commander added that government troops have taken control of a strategic highway linking Tal Afar to Salahuddin province. Earlier in the day, Iraqi forces recaptured a number of villages on the eastern and southern outskirts of the city. Tal Afar, in Iraq’s northwest, has served as a supply hub for Daesh between Syria and Iraq. Baghdad says up to 2,000 terrorists are hold-up in the city, many of them foreign nationals. Meanwhile, the spokesman for Iraq's Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Al-Sistani has called on all forces to protect civilians in Tal Afar.

EU-Britain Brexit gap

Britain and the EU are still at odds over several key Brexit issues days ahead of the third round of talks. The EU has blamed London's lack of substance for the delay in progress. The bloc says it wants to see sufficient progress in three key areas before discussing future trade deals with the UK. Citizen’s rights, Northern Ireland's border and the exit bill are areas of major concern for the EU. European officials say they are unlikely to close the gap between the two sides during their third round of Brexit negotiations due next week. Britain has been pushing for the divorce and talks over a future trade deal in parallel.

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