WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, April 10, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, April 11, 2017.

UN drafts on Syria

The United Nations Security Council has failed to adopt three separate US and Russian-drafted resolutions regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. Russia proposed two draft resolutions which fell short of obtaining the required nine votes to pass. The first draft would have set up a new international investigation into the alleged attack in Eastern Ghouta. The Moscow’s second bid backed sending a mission of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to Syria, but required the Security Council to attribute responsibility. Prior to this, Russia vetoed a US-drafted resolution that would have created a new inquiry to ascertain blame for the alleged attack. Russia says the US UN motion could be a prelude to a Western strike on Syria. Meanwhile, the Russian and US ambassadors criticized each other’s drafts at the Security Council meeting.

Syria chemical probe

Meanwhile, Syria says it will fully cooperate with a fact-finding mission invited by Damascus to investigate the alleged chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta. Addressing members of the United Nations Security Council, Syrian ambassador Bashar al-Ja’afari said Damascus looks forward to the mission doing its work with transparency and professionalism and relying on credible evidence. He slammed the United States, France and Britain for what he called sponsoring terrorism in his country. Ja’afari also accused the three countries of causing the joint mechanism to fail in its previous probes of chemical attacks by politicizing the work. The Syrian envoy condemned the presence of US troops in his country and pledged to defend the sovereignty of Syria.

The Facebook scandal

Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has apologized over the mishandling of personal data of millions of users. Zuckerberg said Facebook was fighting “an arms race” against Russian-sponsored groups trying to use the social network to manipulate elections and public opinion. He made the remarks during his long-awaited testimony before the US Senate. The congressional hearing looks into the leaking of users’ private data to the British firm Cambridge Analytica in 2016. The UK firm allegedly used the data to help Donald Trump win the presidential election. The rare joint committee hearing will be followed by a similar hearing in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

French arms sales to Saudi Arabia

The French president has defended his country’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia that is waging a war on Yemen. Emmanuel Macron made the remarks at a joint conference with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He added that France fully supports Saudi Arabia’s security and condemns any ballistic activity from Yemen’s Ansarullah forces. The French president, however, expressed concern over the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen. Paris has come under bitter criticism by people and rights groups at home and abroad for selling arms to Riyadh.

Israeli sniper praised killing Palestinian civilian

The Israeli minister of military affairs has praised a soldier who shot a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip. A controversial video which went viral on social media shows an Israeli sniper shooting an unarmed Palestinian man along the so-called buffer zone. Another soldier expresses joy at having captured it on film. Avigdor Lieberman said the Israeli sniper deserves a medal for the shooting. Israeli military says the Palestinian man who was shot had been orchestrating a protest and that he was hit in the leg.

Barcelona protest

Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Barcelona to protest the detention of seven people in Catalonia in connection with the region’s bid for independence. The protesters, in particular, showed solidarity with an arrested woman who is believed to be a leader of Catalonia’s Committees for the Defense of the Republic, or CDR. They held signs that read “I am CDR”. The committees have been behind the blocking of roads and train lines in Catalonia to press their demand for independence. Earlier on Tuesday, the Catalan police detained six men on suspicion of public disorder offences during tense protests outside the region's parliament in January.

Russia warns US

Tensions rise between Russia and the United States over a possible American attack on Syria. A senior Russian diplomat warned Washington against such attack. The Russian ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin said, any US missiles fired at Syria will be shot down, AND, their launch sites will even be targeted. A top Russian lawmaker has echoed similar warnings. First deputy chairman of the Russian upper house's Defense Committee said Moscow will respond immediately, if its military in Syria is hit by a possible US airstrike. Washington has threatened military action against Syria over a weekend reported chemical attack in Syria. Russia and the US also clashed at a Tuesday session of the UN Security Council over the issue.

Israel Gaza shelling

There seems to be no let-up in the Israeli regime’s acts of violence against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. In the latest incident, the Israeli military shelled a position of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the east of Gaza City. Israel says the attack was in retaliation for Palestinians’ detonating a bomb near an Israeli vehicle near the Gaza border. At least 32 people have lost their lives since Israeli forces began cracking down on anti-occupation protesters in the Gaza Strip more than a week ago. Israeli forces used live fire and tear gas against thousands of protesters who had approached the so-called buffer zone around the besieged costal enclave on the last two Fridays.

IMF warns against protectionism

The managing director of the International Monetary Fund has urged governments to avoid undermining global growth with protectionist trade policies. Lagarde urged economic power houses to open trade rather than putting up new barriers. She said free trade has created millions of jobs with higher wages, but it’s now in danger of being torn apart with protectionism. The comments come amid tensions between the US and China over trade. Last month, US President Donald Trump targeted China by imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Trump has also announced pending tariffs of up to 50 billion dollars on Chinese goods.

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