WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, February 21, 2018.

Iran plane crash

Search teams are struggling to find more bodies from the wreckage of a plane that smashed into a mountain in west-central Iran. A number of bodies have so far been recovered from the crash site, located near a snow-capped peak of the Zagros mountain range at a height of around 4000 meters. The bodies have been transferred to the foot of the mountain and delivered to the authorities. The wreckage of the ATR-72 was spotted on Tuesday, two days after the crash. The aircraft was flying from Tehran to the city of Yasuj when it went down near its destination, killing all 66 people onboard. A team of French experts are in Iran to investigate the cause of the incident.

5 years for tweets

A Bahraini court has sentenced a prominent rights advocate to prison on charges of criticizing Manama and the war on Yemen. Nabeel Rajab will have to spend five years behind bars. The verdict comes following tweets about alleged torture incidents in Bahraini jails and the Saudi war on Yemen. The Bahraini center for human rights has slammed the ruling as shameful and mockery of justice. Amnesty International also says the five-year jail sentence is a slap in the face of justice. In a separate ruling, a military court has sentenced six people to death. The Manama regime has intensified its crackdown by sentencing more activists and dissidents, defying international calls to release political prisoners.

Turkey Syria operation

A monitoring group says Turkey is still going ahead with its assault in Syria’s Afrin despite the arrival of pro-Syrian government forces to the area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Turkish forces shelled the town of Afrin overnight. The pro-Syrian government forces entered the town on Tuesday to help Kurdish militants fend off the Turkish assault. But soon after their arrival, the Turkish military targeted them with shellfire. Last month, Ankara launched the operation in Syria under the pretext of fighting Kurdish militants. The Damascus government slammed the assault as a violation of its sovereignty.

No to JCPOA renegotiation

The Iranian president has reiterated Iran’s principled position on the 2015 nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries. Hassan Rouhani stressed that Iran will remain committed to the historic deal as long as other signatories fulfill their obligations under the accord. Rouhani made the comments during a meeting with visiting Spanish foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, in Tehran. Rouhani noted that there is no reason to re-negotiate or drive a hard bargain over an agreement, which has already been signed. Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani underlined the need for the full implementation of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA. Earlier, the Iranian foreign minister also held talks with his Spanish counterpart and discussed a whole range of issues, including the landmark nuclear agreement.

Turkey threat

Turkey says whoever helps Kurdish forces in Syria’s Afrin region would be considered a legitimate target. Turkish presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, in a statement, also said that any group supporting YPG Kurds would be considered as a terror organization. The warning comes a day after pro-Syrian government forces entered Afrin to help Kurdish forces in their fights against the Turkish assault. The Turkish military, however, soon targeted the Syrian forces with shellfire. Turkey considers the YPG a terror organization and says it is linked to Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK. Last month, Ankara launched an operation against YPG fighters in Afrin. Damascus denounced the offensive as violation of its sovereignty.

Nigeria abduction fears

More than 90 Nigerian school-girls are feared missing after the Boko Haram terrorist group attacked a village in the northeastern state of Yobe. A witness says he heard cries and shouts for help inside three passing trucks near a village in Yobe. The witness was reportedly forced to show the terrorists the way out of the area and then released. Nigerian police and the regional education ministry have so far denied any abduction, but parents and other witnesses say some girls remained missing. Their disappearance, if confirmed, would be one of the largest since Boko Haram abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in 2014.

Saudi war on Yemen

Saudi Arabia has launched a fresh airstrike on Yemen, leaving more deaths and destruction in the country. The latest attack targeted several cars in Safra district of Sa’ada province. At least 15 people, all of them civilians, were killed in the bombing. Meanwhile, the Yemeni army-backed by Ansarullah fighters has launched an attack against Saudi forces inside the kingdom. Two Saudi soldiers lost their lives in the attack that took place in Jizan region. The attacks are in retaliation to Saudi Arabia’s relentless bombing of Yemen that has been going on since March 2015. Nearly 14,000 people, mostly civilians have lost their lives since then.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk