WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, April 13, 2018 to 08:00 GMT, April 14, 2018.

Threat of US-Russia conflict

The United States and Russia have clashed at the UN Security Council over the alleged use of chemical weapons in the Syrian city of Douma. The US ambassador to UN accused Russia of using its veto a dozen times to protect the Syrian government. She claimed that Damascus has used chemical weapons at least 50 times since the crisis engulfed the Arab country back in 2011. Nikki Haley noted that there should be no rush to military action but said quote- at one point, something has to be done. For his part, the Russian envoy said the US policy to launch a military attack on Syria cannot be tolerated. He stressed that Russian experts have found no traces of toxic substance used in the alleged Douma attack. Meanwhile, the Syrian envoy to UN has reiterated that his country’s stockpile of chemical weapons was destroyed in 2014.

‘Israel's historic mistake’

The head of Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah says Israel has made a historic mistake by carrying out a deadly attack on an airbase in central Syria earlier this week. Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah slammed Tel Aviv’s decision to commit a stupid crime by striking T4 airbase in Homs province. Nasrallah stressed that Israel had opened a new phase of confrontation in Syria. He also warned the US against any military action in the crisis-hit Arab country. Nasrallah noted that allegations about the use of chemical weapons in Syria are a new game invented by US President Donald Trump. He also said that Washington had been defeated in all its wars in the Middle East.

France strike

French railway workers are out on strike for the third round of rolling stoppages in protest at President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms. Only a third of high-speed trains are operating and local services have also been impacted. The SNCF rail company said 38 percent of the staff necessary for operating trains are taking part in the Friday's walkouts, a marked drop from 48 percent in the first strikes last week. The unions object to plans to deny new SNCF recruits benefits such as jobs for life and early retirement. They fear Macron's proposal to transform the operator into a state-owned joint stock company could eventually see it privatized.

Syria solution

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his German counterpart Heiko Maas have called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria during a phone call on Friday. During their talks, Zarif also condemned any military action against Syria warning that such a move will endanger regional peace and security. The top diplomat added that the alleged gas attack in Syria’s Douma should be impartially investigated. Zarif also denounced the US arms sales to regional countries, especially its backing for Riyadh’s war on Yemen. He said the US policies have destabilized the region.

Palestinian protests

Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have marched along the so-called buffer zone for the third consecutive Friday to protest the Israeli occupation of their motherland. Israeli forces once again opened fire on peaceful protesters, killing one and injuring over 900 others. The Israeli regime forces also used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Gazans began their six-week protests on March 30. Since then, 34 Palestinians have been killed.

Brutal bombings in Syria

The leader of Yemen's Ansarullah movement has issued a stern warning to Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s ongoing deadly war on the nation. Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi said the movement will spare no efforts to boost its missile capabilities as long as Saudi Arabia goes on with its aggression against Yemen. He added that the Yemeni army will also press ahead with drone operations against Saudi military positions. The Ansarullah movement has recently increased its retaliatory strikes against targets inside the Kingdom. It says the attacks are in response to Saudi Arabia’s devastating war which has killed over 14,000 Yemenis since March 2015.

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