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A Rohingya refugee holds an umbrella during rain in Bangladesh's Balukhali refugee camp on September 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 17, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 18, 2017.

Rohingya refugee crisis

An international aid agency has warned that Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh face a humanitarian disaster due to a lack of food and shelter amid a refugee influx. The International Organization for Migration said the humanitarian response needed to be rapidly scaled up. The agency said the vast majority of refugees were women and children who were malnourished and vulnerable to diseases. Authorities have begun moving refugees to different camps to streamline the distribution of help. Nearly 410,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority have fled from Myanmar's western Rakhine state to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown. The United Nations has branded the offensive a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Iraqi Kurdistan’s referendum

Iraq’s vice president has warned that Baghdad will not allow the creation of a second Israel after Tel Aviv voiced support for the planned Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq. Nuri al-Maliki made the comments to the US ambassador to Iraq following a meeting with the diplomat. That’s according to a statement released by the vice president’s office, which added that an entity set up on a religious or ethnic base like Israel would not be acceptable. Maliki also warned the independence vote would have dangerous consequences for the security, sovereignty and unity of Iraq. On Tuesday Israeli Premier, Benjamin Netanyahu voiced Tel Aviv's support for the referendum. The semi-autonomous Kurdish region has insisted on holding the vote despite regional and global opposition to the plan.

US threatens North

The United States has ramped up rhetoric against North Korea, warning that Pyongyang will be destroyed if it poses a serious threat to the US or its allies. Washington's United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley, made the warning. She said North Korea must end its reckless nuclear and ballistic missile drive. Haley also said the UN had run out of options on containing North Korea and that the White House may have to turn the matter over to the Pentagon. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump mocked North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un as “Rocket Man” during a phone call with the South Korean president. They pledged stronger pressure on the North. This came a day after Pyongyang vowed to complete its nuclear program in the face of international sanctions. North Korea says its nuclear and missile programs are part of its defense policy to counter US threats and sanctions.

US race protests

Protests continue for the third day in the US city of Saint Louis, Missouri, amid growing anger over the acquittal of a white cop in the 2011 fatal shooting of a black man. Demonstrators observed six minutes of silence in front of the city’s police department. They said the move symbolized six years between the victim’s death and the officer’s acquittal. Authorities took security measures prior to the rallies. Protests began after a judge ruled that officer Jason Stockley was not guilty and acquitted him of first-degree murder in the shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. The former officer was accused of planting a gun in Smith's car but later testified that he had acted in self-defense.

Arab-Israel ties

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah has reportedly criticized the Arab boycott of Israel, saying that the Bahrainis are free to visit Israel. According to Israeli media, King Hamad’s statement was revealed at an event hosted by pro-Israeli group Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. King Hamad's stance on Israel was welcomed by the Israeli center's director who hailed the monarch as ahead of the pack and smart. The report comes weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described relations with the Arab world better than any other time. The boycott of Israel was adopted by the Arab League and its member states and bars all relations between Arab nations and Israel.

Iran nuclear deal

Iran’s president says the country will give an appropriate response to any possible violation of the nuclear agreement. Hassan Rouhani says Iran will never be the first party to breach the nuclear deal, but if the other side intends to violate the rights of the Iranian people, the Islamic Republic will respond appropriately. Rouhani made the comments in a meeting with the Iranian elite in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly. He said whether the US is worried or happy, the JCPOA will remain alive in the political history of the world. Rouhani added that leaving the nuclear deal is equal to breaching a clear political commitment by a government. US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear up the nuclear deal. Trump says Iran is violating the spirit of the agreement, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.

24 years of incarceration in Palestine

A Palestinian rights organization says Israel has arrested around 110,000 Palestinians and violated their rights since the signing of the Oslo Accord 1993. The Commission of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs has stated 103 Palestinian prisoners have been killed inside Israeli prisons due to medical negligence, torture or direct killing. The commission also said Tel Aviv enacted some 15 laws which violate the rights of Palestinian prisoners in the same period. It also added nearly 16,000 Palestinian juveniles and 1700 women were jailed by Israeli forces. Israel is accused of violating the Oslo Accord, which was signed by Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 1993.

US police crackdown

Police and protesters have clashed in the US city of Saint Louis for the third consecutive night over the acquittal of a former police officer in the killing of a black man. Police made at least 80 arrests shortly before midnight when people ignored orders to disperse. Authorities say one policeman was injured in scuffles with demonstrators. Property damage was also reported in Saint Louis. Protesters blocked roads, calling for justice. Protests began after a judge ruled that former officer Jason Stockley was not guilty and acquitted him of first-degree murder in the 2011 shooting of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. The former officer was accused of planting a gun in Smith's car but later testified that he had acted in self-defense.


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