WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, January 3, 2017.

Iranians denouncing violence

Iranians have come out nationwide in a show of unity to denounce deadly violence that hit several cities. People in cities including Ahvaz, Ilam, Kermanshah, Abadan, Gorgan, Khorram Abad and Bushehr voiced their support for the Islamic establishment and carried signs with slogans against the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, blamed Iran’s enemies for fomenting unrest in the country by all possible means. At least 18 people, among them security forces, have been killed in days of street protests that began on Thursday over economic woes.

Koreans push to ease tensions

South Korea has begun preliminary contacts with North Korea on a reopened cross-border communication channel. South Korea’s Unification Ministry says the two neighbors are communicating via the channel at a border village. The ministry says it will use the system to discuss its offer to hold high-level talks on how to cooperate with the North during next month’s Winter Olympics in the South. North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, gave an order for launching the system. Seoul hailed the move as very significant, saying it’s an important step in rebooting long-stalled dialog with Pyongyang. The North Korean leader, in his New Year message, said he’s considering sending a team to the games.

Trump ‘blackmailing’

A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization has hit back at the US president after he threatened to stop aid payments to Palestinians. Hanan Ashrawi said the Palestinians will not be blackmailed by Donald Trump. She also accused Trump of sabotaging Palestinians’ efforts for peace, freedom, and justice. Earlier, Trump said the Palestinians are not willing to engage in peace talks with Israel. He also said they show no appreciation for the hundreds of millions of dollars that they receive in aid from Washington. Tensions between the US and the Palestinians started escalating after Trump recognized Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of Israel.

Israeli killing

A Palestinian teenager has been shot dead by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian health ministry has confirmed the death of 17-year-old Musab Firas al-Tamimi in the village of Deir Nizam, north of Ramallah. 17 Palestinians have been killed since unrest sparked over the US recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's capital last month. We are now going live to our correspondent in Ramallah to get more on the story.

Cost of Daesh mayhem

Iraq announced victory over Daesh late last year but the country is still facing a number of challenges including the return of the internally-displaced persons. In an exclusive interview with Press TV, Iraq's Minister of Displacement and Migration says the IDP crisis costs the Iraqi government 500 million dollars annually. Our Baghdad correspondent Altaf Ahmad reports.

US-Pakistan tensions

Former Pakistani Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif has blasted the US president for his anti-Islamabad comments. Sharif says his country has to end its dependence on aid from Washington. Sharif added that the Pakistani government has always expressed its strong will to fight and end terrorism. The comments come after Donald Trump criticized Islamabad’s commitments to combating terrorism. In a tweet, Trump said the United States foolishly handed Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years while getting nothing in return. The comments angered Pakistani officials, with the foreign ministry summoning the US ambassador to Islamabad to make clarification. Pakistani protesters also took to the streets of the port city of Karachi to denounce the US president and his rhetoric.

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