WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, August 25, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, August 26, 2017.

Saudi Killings

Amnesty International says the UN must respond after Saudi airstrikes on the Yemeni capital led to a night of horror, killing five children. Amnesty was referring to early Friday attacks on houses that left 14 civilians dead and several more injured. The rights organization said the air raids show Riyadh is as brazen as ever in its disregard for international humanitarian law. It added the airstrikes raise serious questions for UN leaders. Amnesty said they should respond for what it called their shameful decision last year to remove Saudi Arabia and allies from the list of violators of children’s rights in the conflict. The organization said the UN needs to urgently investigate Saudi Arabia for the crimes they have committed in Yemen.

Brussels attack

Belgian security forces have shot and killed a 30-year-old man after he attacked soldiers with a knife in the capital Brussels. Police say two officers have sustained injuries following what officials have described as a terrorist attack. Security forces immediately arrived at the scene, cordoning off the area and its surrounding streets. The developments come as security level remains high across Europe following last week’s terrorist attacks in Spain, where at least 15 people were killed.

Horrible Hurricane Harvey

The eye-wall of hurricane Harvey is about to make landfall on the Texas coast with fierce winds of up to 250 kilometers an hour and four-meter waves. The cyclone is the most powerful to hit the US mainland since 2005. Residents of Texas and Louisiana are warned to brace for the category 4 hurricane. The US Hurricane Center has warned of life-threatening and devastating flooding. US President Donald Trump has signed an order declaring disaster in Texas in order to authorize federal disaster relief. This after the governor of Texas called for a major disaster warning. Greg Abbott also warned of massive flooding.

Controversial pardon

Donald Trump has issued his first pardon as US president for a controversial former Arizona sheriff convicted last month of criminal contempt for illegally targeting Hispanic immigrants. Joe Arpaio received the conviction for refusing to acknowledge a federal court decision that his policy of using traffic stops and workplace raids to find suspected undocumented immigrants constituted racial profiling. Arpaio was subsequently convicted in July for ignoring the order to end traffic patrols targeting immigrants. Rights activists accuse the 85-year-old ex-sheriff of sowing divisions by making hundreds of arrests in crackdowns that separated immigrant families and promoted a culture of cruelty. The US president, however, praised Arpaio for protecting the public from scourges of crime and illegal immigration.

Somalia civilian killings

Ten civilians, among them three children, have been killed in a US-led raid on a village near the Somali capital. Ali Nur Mohamed said the farmers were killed one by one after soldiers stormed into Barire village some 50 kilometers from Mogadishu. Three children aged eight to ten and a woman, were among the dead. Somalia's Information Ministry initially announced the offensive targeted al-Shabab militants but later noted civilian casualties, adding that more than one security operation had taken place. The US military confirmed supporting an operation by Somalia National Army in the area but gave no further details. Washington has recently approved expanded military operations in Somalia in the latest sign of increasing US military engagement in the region.

London knife attack

A knife-carrying man has been arrested outside Buckingham Palace in London. British police said the suspect attacked officers outside the palace. There were reports that the man had a sword. Two officers were injured when restraining the suspect. Police have surrounded Buckingham Palace with a heavy presence, blocking off the streets around Queen Elizabeth the second’s residence.

Stranded Rohingyas

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing the persecution in Myanmar are stranded at the border with Bangladesh. The fresh exodus of Rohingyas was triggered after the army launched a new crackdown in Rakhine state following militant attacks on security posts. Witnesses from Maung-daw town say government soldiers entered pre-dominantly Muslims areas on Friday, shooting people and setting fire to homes and property there. Myanmar's authorities however, have blamed the violence on the minority group saying they attacked police posts and killed a dozen soldiers. The heavy-handed crackdown by the army and Buddhist extremists has claimed hundreds of lives of Rohingyas and forced tens of thousands of them to flee the area since 2012.

White House departure

A national security advisor to US President Donald Trump has reportedly quit the job. This is the latest in a string of high profile departures at the White House. Sebastian Gorka reportedly submitted his resignation to the White House chief of staff, John Kelly. An official has disputed Gorka’s resignation but said he no longer works at the White House. Media reports suggest Gorka has denounced President Trump’s foreign policy in his resignation letter. Gorka reportedly expressed dissatisfaction for being internally countered, systematically removed, and undermined. The resignation extends the list of Trump administration’s departures that include chief strategist Steve Bannon, chief of staff Reince Priebus and press secretary Sean Spicer.

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