WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, November 15, 2017.

Israel vengeance

Israeli forces have blown up the home of a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank. The Israeli military says its troops have knocked down Nimr Jamal’s home in the village of Beit Surik the in the early hours of morning. The soldiers drilled the walls of the house and filled them with explosives to raze it. Jamal shot dead three Israelis and wounded a fourth one outside a settlement in September. He was gunned down by Israeli forces immediately after the shooting. Israel destroys the homes of Palestinians involved in attacks against Israelis. But human rights groups are critical of the policy, saying it is collective punishment.

‘Bloodless transition’ in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s ruling party says President Robert Mugabe has been detained in a bloodless transition of power. The Zimbabwe African National Union has denounced the Mugabe’s decision to sack his deputy, a move believed to be aimed at paving the way for his wife to take office. Meanwhile, reports say soldiers and armored vehicles have blocked access to government offices and the parliament building in the capital Harare. Heavy gun and artillery fire were also reported in Harare’s northern parts. The army, however, denies reports of attempting to carry out a coup, insisting that it’s only targeting criminals affiliated with the government.

Russia’s tit-for-tat response

Russia’s lower house of parliament backs a bill that allows the government to register international media outlets active in the country as foreign agents. Under Russia’s agent law, foreign media should meet requirements currently applicable to foreign-funded NGOs after registration. Duma passed the bill in a second reading. A third reading is still required before the legislation passes on to the upper house of parliament for approval. Duma says the move is in response to the recent registration of Russia Today America as foreign agent in the United States. The Russian TV channel was forced to do so, after US intelligence agencies accused Moscow of interfering in last year’s presidential election. Moscow denies interference in the vote, which gave a victory to Donald Trump.

US-Myanmar ties

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Washington does not intend to slap sanctions against Myanmar as the South-east Asian nation is under fire for its human rights abuses against Rohingya Muslims. Tillerson was speaking at a joint press briefing with Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi. He also called for a probe into “credible reports of widespread atrocities” against Rohingya Muslims committed by Myanmar's security forces. The US top diplomat also added that Washington is "distressed" by the suffering of the Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh. Over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state since late August. Numerous witness accounts point to prevalent rape, murder and torture of the minority group by the military as well as radical Buddhists.

PM Hariri ‘detained’

Lebanese President, Michel Aoun, says Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri has been held against his will in Saudi Arabia. Aoun says there’s no justification why the premier has not returned to his country yet. He went on to conclude that his stay in Saudi Arabia was a detention, adding that there's proof that Hariri's family is also held in the Arab country. Aoun called the move a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, Hariri’s social media account says he’s fine and plans to return to Lebanon within days. On November 4th, Hariri announced his resignation in a shocking move while in Saudi Arabia. His resignation speech was broadcasted through the Saudi state television Al-Arabiya in which Hariri blamed Iran and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah for his resignation. Lebanon, alongside several third-party countries, has questioned the credibility of Hariri’s comments, arguing that they did not reflect reality.

Mugabe ‘confined to home’

South African President, Jacob Zuma, says his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, is under house arrest. Zuma made the announcement following what seems to be a military-staged coup in the South African country. Zuma also expressed deep concern over the situation in Zimbabwe. He called on the Zimbabwean army to bury the hatchet through tolerance and indulgence. Zuma also noted that he would send an envoy to Zimbabwe in a bid to help conflicting sides restore peace and stability to the country. The army rejects reports of attempting to carry out a coup, stressing that it is only targeting criminals affiliated with the government.

Russia targeting terrorists

Russian warplanes have struck Daesh targets in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, six long-range bombers flew from Russia across Iran and Iraq to launch the strike near the town of Bu Kamal. The planes bombarded the terrorist group’s depots, militants, and armored vehicles. The Syrian army and its allied forces backed by Russian air cover had already broken Daesh’s three-year siege on the province. Moscow says less than five percent of the Syrian territory remains in the grip of Daesh terrorists.

Slamming UN ‘inaction’

Yemen has expressed regret over the UN Security Council’s failure to adopt a firm decision to end the Saudi blockade on the Arab country. Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights said, in a statement, that the world body’s inability to put an end to Riyadh’s blockade is embarrassing and questions the council’s role in supporting global peace and security. The Ministry says the world body’s inaction amounts to a green light for the Saudi-led coalition to press ahead with attacks on Yemen and prompts Riyadh to violate international law. The Yemeni ministry called for a UN Security Council emergency meeting to issue resolutions that would end the Saudi blockade and war on Yemen. It also called on the world body to form an impartial fact-finding committee to probe Saudi crimes against Yemeni people.

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