WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, June 18, 2018 to 0800 GMT, June 19, 2018.

Trump’s tariffs on China

The US president has threatened to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods amid escalating trade tensions between the world’s two major economies. Donald Trump says the US trade representative has been directed to identify 200 billion dollars in Chinese products for additional tariffs at a rate of ten percent. He said the action is in response to China’s decision to retaliate against US levies. Last week, China announced an additional 25 percent tariffs on 50 billion dollars worth of imports from the US in retaliation for duties slapped on Chinese technology products. Beijing has said it would continue to take action against what it calls Washington’s outdated and backward behaviors.

US, South Korea suspend war games

The White House says the US and South Korea have agreed to suspend joint war games scheduled for August. US officials say the move to suspend the military drills is in line with President Donald Trump’s comments. Trump announced the end to the drills following his historic summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un in Singapore. He called the exercises expensive and provocative echoing North Korean criticism that Washington had long rejected. Meanwhile, Seoul says the US and South Korea have not made any decisions on other joint drills.

Iraq condemns Dayr al-Zawr attack

Iraq has condemned Monday’s attack on a Syrian military position that also left 22 members of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units dead. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it rejects any attacks against its forces fighting against the Daesh terror group, whether in Iraq or Syria. According to Syrian media, Monday's aerial raid on Dayr al-Zawr province was launched by the US-led coalition. However, a US official has pointed his finger at Israel. The official told the media that there were reasons to believe that it was an Israeli strike on al-Hari, southeast of Bukamal city. According to a UK based war monitoring group, the attack left at least 52 pro-Syrian government forces dead. Israel has frequently launched aerial raids on Syrian positions over the past months.

Red Cross blames Israel

A Senior Red Cross official says Israel’s use of live ammunition against Palestinian protesters in Gaza has triggered unprecedented crisis. Robert Mardini said the vast majority of some 13,000 Gazans had suffered severe injuries, including multiple gunshot wounds during the Israeli crackdown. He said health workers are struggling to cope with the scenario. Mardini added that the Red Cross was holding talks with Israeli military officials to minimize civilian harm. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since anti-occupation protests began near the so-called buffer zone in Gaza on March 30th.

US immigration policy

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees expresses concern over the US president’s policy of separating minors from their migrant parents who enter America illegally. Filippo Grandi says his agency has raised the issue with the US government. He noted that the Donald Trump administration has legitimate concerns over how to manage asylum applications. But Grandi urged Washington to find ways to handle the issue without penalizing the people who he said often have very valid reasons to seek asylum. He made the remarks after Trump defended his tough line on illegal immigration.

Merkel warns about refugees

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says pushing away refugees could have a domino effect that jeopardizes unity among all Europeans. Merkel has made the comments in reaction to an ultimatum from her coalition government to tighten the country’s refugee policy. She has agreed to the demand, but said she will hold talks with other European countries to come to some sort of an agreement over the controversial issue. Germany has been welcoming asylum seekers since a refugee crisis escalated in 2015 in Europe. The open-door policy is now a serious source of friction between different political groups both at home and at the EU.

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