WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, December 17, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, December 18, 2017.

Iran slams Saudi ‘war crimes’

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the recent Saudi airstrikes that have left a large number of civilians dead in Yemen over the past few days.  Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi extended condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in the attacks including one which hit a wedding convoy. He said the surge in the air raids on Yemen shows Saudi Arabia is desperate and has failed to achieve any of its goals in Yemen. Qassemi also criticized the international community’s silence on what he described as the Saudis’ war crimes which are being committed with US-supplied arms in Yemen. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman urged the UN to step up its efforts to protect Yemeni civilians, most notably women and children.

No to Trump's al-Quds move

Fresh rallies have taken place around the globe in protest at US President Donald Trump’s controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital. Demonstrators gathered in the center of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo to condemn Trump’s announcement and voice solidarity with Palestinian people. A similar rally was held in Russia’s western city of Voronezh, where angry protesters stomped on Trump’s posters. In France, protesters rally in central Paris, which is home to one of Europe's largest Muslim communities. They denounced Washington’s al-Quds move, and described Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as criminals. They also accused Paris of being complicit in Israeli atrocities. Similar protests were held in the US capital Washington DC as well as India’s New Delhi, Indonesia’s Jakarta and Pakistan’s Karachi.

Pinera wins Chile election

Conservative candidate Sebastian Pinera has won Chile's presidential run-off vote, with his center-left opponent Alejandro Guillier conceding defeat. The former president garnered over fifty four percent of the votes in the tight race. Pinera’s victory marked the country’s shift to the right following years of uninterrupted center-left rule. Socialist President Michelle Bachelet had supported Guillier, who saw an unexpected surge in his support ahead of the election. Pinera’s comeback highlighted an increasing tilt to the right in South America following the rise of conservative leaders in Peru, Argentina and Brazil. Pinera campaigned on a platform of what he called perfecting tax and labor laws.

Israel attacks Gaza

Israeli warplanes have bombarded several targets in the besieged Gaza Strip. Israeli fighter jets pounded an area northwest of Beit Lahia. Tel Aviv says the airstrikes come after rockets fired from the Gaza Strip sounded sirens in Israel. According to the Israeli army, the projectiles hit the southern area of Hof Ashkelon, without causing any casualties or major property damage. Early on Thursday, Israeli aircraft hit what Tel Aviv claimed to be three military facilities of Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza. Israel has intensified its airstrikes against the Gaza Strip since US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

Russia inquiry in US

A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Special Counsel Robert Mueller has denied the accusations that the access to emails about collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia was unauthorized. Peter Carr said that the investigation team obtained tens of thousands of emails in the course of its ongoing criminal probe. He added that Mueller’s team has secured either the account owner's consent or gone through appropriate criminal process. Earlier, lawyers representing US President Donald Trump’s transition team wrote to members of Congress accusing Mueller of unlawfully gaining access to the emails. Trump, himself, has also denounced the access of Mueller’s team to the emails.

Atlanta airport outage

In the US, thousands of passengers are enduring sheer misery at Atlanta airport as a power outage has paralyzed almost all of the terminals. Officials say a fire incident may have damaged the airport’s electrical facility. Technicians have so far managed to restore power to at least one terminal, while six other terminals remain without electricity. Some 1000 incoming and outgoing flights have been canceled following the incident. The airport, which is the world’s busiest, is the heart of the US air transport system.

Israeli arrests

Israeli forces have detained some 430 Palestinians since the outrage began over the unilateral US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital. According to the Palestinian information center, the detainees include more than 130 children and many women. The Israeli crackdown in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip started soon after US President Donald Trump took his controversial decision on Jerusalem al-Quds. Since then, Israeli forces have also killed nearly a dozen Palestinians and injured over 3400 more. Meanwhile, Palestinian leaders are scheduled to meet in the city of Ramallah later in the day to devise a new strategy in light of Trump’s action. Separately, a senior member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization has accused the United States of being complicit in the Israeli occupation. Hanan Ashrawi said Israel is destroying the two-state solution and Washington has reneged on all its obligations.

 UN warns of Rohingya 'genocide'

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has raised the alarm about possible acts of genocide against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said it was difficult to establish the well thought out and planned crackdown due to the high threshold, but a judicial proceeding will in all likelihood confirm it in the future. Zeid said Myanmar's flippant response to the crisis exacerbates fears that the carnage will only get worse. The UN rights chief added that his call on Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi to stop the military operation was in vain. Zeid has already called the violence a textbook example of ethnic cleansing. Over 600,000 Muslims have fled Myanmar ever since the military renewed its bloody crackdown in August, with numerous documented incidents of massacre, rape and arson.

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