WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, August 3, 2017.

Maduro Rejection

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected allegations that Sunday’s constituent assembly election was rigged. Maduro called the accusations a reaction by the international enemy. Maduro added that nothing can stain the election process because it’s transparent. He vowed that the electoral authorities would carry out a complete audit. The Venezuelan leftist leader, however, postponed the new assembly’s launch to Friday.

Myanmar Muslims Misery

Human Rights Watch has urged the United Nations to insist on its ability to investigate alleged human rights abuses in Myanmar. The HRW has warned that any attempt to block the UN-backed group from entering the country will lead to more extensive human rights violation. In March 2017, the UN Human Rights Council established a fact-finding mission to probe alleged human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. The army swept through Rohingya villages in Rakhine state last November, killing hundreds. It is estimated that some 75,000 members of the community fled to the west and even into neighboring Bangladesh. The government refused to acknowledge the scale of the bloodshed that many said could amount to ethnic cleansing. Rohingya Muslims are among the world’s most persecuted minorities.

Yemen Tragedy

The United Nations has called the crisis in Yemen a man-made disaster. According to the UN development chief in Yemen, economic strangulation is being used as a war tactic. As Press TV’s Mohammad al-Attab reports, an outbreak of meningitis is compounding the cholera epidemic and the risk of famine in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis amid the deadly Saudi war.

Reacting to US Sanctions

Divisions between the US president and Congress are widening further after Donald Trump blamed lawmakers for the latest round of sanctions against Russia. In his latest tweet, Trump said Washington’ ties with Moscow are at an all-time and very dangerous low. The tweet came after he signed into law the new sanctions which target Russia, Iran and North Korea. On Friday, the US House of Representatives and the Senate approved the legislation against the Kremlin for its alleged role in the 2016 US presidential election and over Crimea’s reunification with Russia – a move Russia says is tantamount to a full-scale trade war.

Korean Peninsula Tensions

The Chinese Foreign Minister has condemned South Korea’s recent missile launch and urged all relevant parties to exercise restraint. Wang Yi made the remarks following a meeting with his Turkish counterpart in Beijing. Last week, Pyongyang announced that it had successfully tested another intercontinental ballistic missile. Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been on the rise since North Korea stepped up its missile launches. Reports say Pyongyang has test fired 20 missiles over the past year alone. The intercontinental ballistic missiles are said to have the ability to strike the United States.

Hezbollah Successful Campaign

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has announced the end of an operation aimed at liberating Arsal and Filta regions on the border with Syria from al-Nusra Front terrorists. The end of the operation was announced after Hezbollah fighters managed to take full control of former al-Nusra positions in the northeastern border regions. Nusra Front terrorists left Arsal and Filta on Wednesday after suffering a heavy defeat. According to Hezbollah’s Media Center, one of the key militant positions seized is Hosn al-Kherba, which looks over the al-Ajram Valley. Meanwhile, Hezbollah fighters have dismantled a number of bombs while advancing toward the remaining militant positions on the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Iran Reaction

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has condemned the latest US sanctions against Tehran, saying the Islamic Republic reserves the right to respond. Bahram Qassemi described as regressive and irrational Washington’s new sanctions, stressing that the anti-Iran measures violate international law. Qassemi noted that the US president’s go-ahead to the imposition of a new round of sanctions is a hostile act. The Iranian diplomat said the move once again proved the US government’s irrational and unilateral policies. Qassemi further called on the White House to resolve its internal crises instead of endangering global peace and security.

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