WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, October 11, 2017.

Iran nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has warned that a possible US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal would be a defeat and a great loss for Washington. Rouhani said the US would tarnish its very own reputation in the world by walking out of the landmark agreement. He said even the US allies in Europe are against undermining the accord. The Iranian president noted one can count the number of countries and regimes standing by Washington in this regard on the fingers of one hand. Rouhnai said it’s a shame that US President Donald Trump publicly announces he opposes anything done under his predecessor Barack Obama. The comments come as Trump is expected to decertify the Iran nuclear deal by mid-October.

Korean Peninsula tensions

Russia and China have urged Washington to ease tensions with North Korea as the US is holding drills with its regional allies on the Korean Peninsula. Russian Foreign Ministry officials demanded that the US reduce the intensity of rhetoric with regard to the ongoing crisis on the peninsula. The demand comes as a US Navy aircraft carrier is conducting drills with a Japanese warship in waters near North Korea. China’s Foreign Ministry also called for restraint after the US flew two heavy bombers over the peninsula amid joint military exercises with South Korea. The ministry urged all sides to avoid provoking each other. The drills come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. Over the past months, North Korea has conducted several nuclear and ballistic missile tests in response to what it calls US threats against the country.

UK racial injustice

A UK government report has revealed that black and ethnic minorities are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as white British adults. The audit covers areas including health, education, employment and crime. It also shows that police are three times more likely to stop and search non-white Britons. The report exposed “significant divisions” in the way ethnic minorities are treated. The UK prime minister admitted that the Brits felt such a disparity saying that people who had lived with discrimination didn’t need a government audit to make them aware of the scale of the challenge.

Russia accusation

Russia has accused the US of allowing Daesh terrorists to move about freely in an area near an American military base in Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry says Moscow wants to know how some 300 Daesh terrorists had passed through the area in pickup trucks. The ministry adds that the terrorists tried to block the highway between Damascus and Dayr al-Zawr, which is used to supply Syrian forces. It also says about 6-hundred terrorists, based in a refugee camp in the US-controlled area had driven en masse to a former customs post on the Syrian-Jordanian border earlier this month. Russia says the US base and the area around it have become a black hole where terrorists operate unhindered. The US says the facility is temporarily used to train partner forces to fight against Daesh.

Iraq arrest warrants

An Iraqi court has ordered the arrest of organizers of the Kurdistan secession referendum. An Iraqi judicial official says a court in the capital Baghdad has issued arrest warrants for the chairwoman and two other members of the referendum commission. The court has acted at the request of Iraq’s National Security Council, which is headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The organizers held the secession referendum on September 25, despite the Supreme Court’s warning that the vote would contravene the constitution. Baghdad has reacted to the vote by severing ties with the Kurdistan region. Neighboring countries have also has cut international air links to the Kurdish region.

Spain says no to mediation call

The Spanish prime minister has rejected any offer of mediation to resolve the crisis over Catalonia's independence push. Mariano Rajoy says there is no possible mediation between “democratic law AND disobedience and unlawfulness”. He added that Catalan authorities have broken the law by holding the referendum on October the first. The Spanish premier also accused Catalan leaders of inciting street protests to give an appearance of legitimacy to the vote. Rajoy was addressing the Spanish parliament, a day after Catalan officials signed what they called a declaration of independence from Spain. The Spanish prime minister has vowed to do everything in his power to prevent Catalan independence.

US missiles in S Korea

South Korean activists and residents of the regions hosting an advanced US missile system are challenging the legality of the deployment in court. The case coincides with increasing tension on the Korean Peninsula with the deployment of other US military assets following Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests earlier this year. Press TV correspondent Frank Smith reports from Seoul.

Damascus bomb attacks

At least two people have been killed as three bomb attacks rock the Syrian capital Damascus. One of the dead was a policeman who tried to stop the bombers. Six others, among them two children, were also injured during the attacks which hit near the main police headquarters. The Syrian interior ministry said two suicide bombers who tried to storm the police center clashed with guards before detonating their explosives outside the building. Police surrounded a third attacker behind the building who also blew himself up. No group has claimed responsibility. This is the second such incident this month. Another deadly twin suicide attack by Daesh terrorists hit a police station in the Midan district of the city on October 2.

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