WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, December 1, 2017.

Bahrain protest call

Bahrain's opposition group, February 14 Youth Coalition, has called for a day of rage on Friday in protest over the continued house arrest of top Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim. The cleric’s health has seriously deteriorated in recent days. The Bahraini senior cleric has been denied medical treatment, and is still kept at home. Sheikh Qassim has been under house arrest since last year, when he was accused of using his position to promote sectarianism and violence. Manama has revoked his citizenship. Bahrainis have held protests in recent days after news spread of Sheikh Qassim’s deteriorating health. Meanwhile, the head of Bahrain’s Center for Dialogue has voiced serious concern over the situation.

Pakistan attack

At least nine people are killed and over 35 others injured in an attack on a university in Pakistan’s northwest. Militants stormed the Directorate of Agriculture Institute in the city of Peshawar, exchanging fire with security forces. Police say an explosion has also been heard in the area. Security forces have cordoned off the area and investigations are underway. Pro-Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they targeted the base of a military Inter-Service Intelligence Agency, known as ISI. Pakistan has been the scene of violent insurgency by Taliban militants in recent years.

Iran earthquake

An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale has shaken parts of Iran’s southeastern province of Kerman. The epicenter of the quake was Govark village, near the town of Hojedk. The tremor was felt in most northern and western areas of Kerman Province, sending people to streets in panic. The quake happened on early Friday morning, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks. It has damaged a number of old buildings, with local officials saying dozens were injured. The tremor came after a major quake left more than 500 people dead and caused widespread destruction in Iran’s western Kermanshah province two weeks ago.

Israeli demolition

Clashes erupt north of the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces demolish a home belonging to the family of a Palestinian prisoner. On Friday morning, Israeli forces destroyed the home of Mohammad Ziad Abu al-Rob in the town of Qabatiya, south of the city of Jenin. Al-Rob is in Israeli jails for allegedly killing a settler back in October. His family was notified of the demolition plan after Israel’s Supreme Court rejected their plea against the order.

Syria threat

Syria has condemned the Saudi-backed opposition for demanding President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power. Bashar Ja’afari made the remarks on the sidelines of the UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva. He said the Syrian opposition has used “provocative and irresponsible language”. The senior Syrian diplomat stressed that the group's preconditions violate the principles of the peace negotiations. He also said the Syrian delegation will leave the Geneva peace talks on Saturday and decide whether to return to the negotiating table or not. The previous rounds of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition have failed to yield positive results mainly due to differences over the fate of the Syrian president.

Saudi Yemen blockade

The United Nations has once again warned about the deepening humanitarian crisis in Yemen, saying Saud Arabia must fully lift its blockade on the war-torn country. UN humanitarian affairs chief Mark Lowcock said up to eight million people are “right on the brink of famine”. He said the Saudi blockade needs to be fully wound down in order to avoid an atrocious humanitarian tragedy, involving the loss of millions of lives. The senior UN official said such tragedy would be unprecedented. Yemen is under Saudi land, air and sea blockade. International organizations have warned that millions of Yemenis are in urgent need of aid.

German coalition talks

The German chancellor says her party is serious to enter coalition talks with the Social Democrats in a bid to avoid a minority government or fresh elections. A spokesman for the conservative Christian Democratic Union says Angela Merkel put forward the issue in meeting with Social Democratic Party chief Martin Schulz. Schulz later confirmed that his party is weighing the proposal. Merkel's decision follows failed negotiations with the Greens and the pro-business FDP. The Christian Democratic Union failed to garner enough votes in Germany's general elections in September and is forced to form a coalition government.

Flynn pleads guilty

The US president's former national security advisor Michael Flynn has been charged with lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia. Court documents, released on Friday, say Flynn willfully and knowingly made a false statement when he said he had NOT discussed the US anti-Russia sanctions with the then-Russian ambassador to Washington during the transition period. The former Trump aide is scheduled to appear in court for a plea hearing later on Friday. If found guilty, Flynn would be the most senior official indicted in a probe into possible collusion between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. Flynn was forced to resign in February after White House officials said he had misled them on his private discussions with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

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