Press TV's news headlines

Pelosi Taiwan visit

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is on a visit to Taiwan, says her country will not abandon its commitment to the self-ruled island. Pelosi says the message of her trip is this: America’s solidarity with Taiwan is crucial. She was speaking after talks with Taiwan’s President. Tsai Ing-wen said the island will not back down in the face of military drills China has conducted in response to Pelosi’s trip. Taiwan’s defense ministry said the drills breach the island's waters. It called them an irrational move to challenge the international order. Beijing denounced Pelosi’s visit immediately after she landed in Taipei on Tuesday evening. 

Russia nuclear warning

Russia has accused NATO countries of what it calls a fierce hybrid confrontation against the country. That, Moscow says, dangerously balances on the edge of open military clash. Russia says it stands for preventing the clash, but it will not back down if the West tries to test Moscow’s resolve. Those comments were made by a senior Russian foreign ministry official at the UN nuclear non-proliferation conference. Alexander Trofimov also said the conflict in Ukraine does not warrant Russia's use of nuclear weapons. But, he added, Moscow could use its nuclear arsenal, in response to direct aggression by NATO. Meantime, the Russian defense ministry has accused the US of direct involvement in the Ukraine war. The ministry has referred to comments by a Ukrainian official about the way Kiev had used Washington’s HIMARS rocket system launchers based on real-time information. 

'US empty promises'

The leader of Hezbollah resistance movement has slammed US’ empty promises for the transfer of natural gas and electricity from Egypt and Jordan to Lebanon. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said one year has passed since the US ambassador’s promise, but nothing has happened in practice. He added that the movement had proposed to buy fuel from Iran to meet Lebanon’s energy needs, but the US did not allow it to happen. Nasrallah said the United States and Israel are the embodiment of Devil and Hezbollah’s struggle against them will continue. Nasrallah’s remarks came two days after he issued a stern warning to Israel about exploiting Lebanon’s offshore energy resources. Nasrallah said the resistance movement is ready for any scenario, including a war, to protect those resources. The dispute between Lebanon and Israel escalated in early June, after the regime sent a drilling ship to the Karish gas field in the Mediterranean. Lebanon dismisses Israel’s claim that the field falls within its so-called exclusive economic zone.

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

www.presstv.co.uk