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 7, 2017.

Iran rallies

Iranians have turned out in droves for the fifth day in a row to reaffirm their support for the Islamic establishment. In Sunday’s rallies, the demonstrators chanted slogans to condemn acts of sedition and violence. Demonstrators have, in recent days, taken to the streets across the nation to denounce the violence that erupted in several cities over the past few days. Pro-establishment rallies were held in the capital Tehran and several other cities, where demonstrators decried the recent unrest and warned against any plot to trigger sedition in the country.

Egypt al-Quds stance

A new media report reveals Egypt’s double-standard in its dealing with the Palestinian cause. It says Cairo quietly sought to convince Egyptians to accept the U-S recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital, while publicly condemning the move. The New York Times has obtained audio tapes in which an Egyptian intelligence officer is found asking the public to downplay the significance of the U-S president’s decision. While speaking at different talk shows, Ashraf al-Kholi, warns that the unrest over Washington’s move would only harm Egypt’s national interests. He also questions the significance of the holy city as the future capital of a Palestinian state, saying there's no difference between Jerusalem al-Quds and Ramallah. In response to Donald Trump’s move, Egypt publicly slammed the decision as a violation of international resolutions. The new revelation is yet another testimony of secret deals between Israel and certain Arab states. Israeli leaders have long said that Tel Aviv has been quietly cultivating ties with powerful Arab states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi crackdown

Human Rights Watch says Saudi Arabia has been holding a prominent cleric for four months without charge as part of a crackdown on dissent. The rights organization says Salman al-Awda has had no contact with the outside world during his detention. Awda was among more than 20 people arrested in September for what the Saudi government calls “espionage for foreign countries”. Human Rights Watch has been told by his family that the cleric is being held over a tweet about Qatar. Riyadh has cut all ties with Doha, accusing the sheikhdom of having links to extremists. The Saudi regime is notorious for showing zero tolerance toward dissent. Reports say there are tens of thousands of political prisoners in the kingdom.

China ship collision

Thirty-two people are unaccounted for after two vessels collide off the eastern coast of China. Tehran says the missing sailors were onboard an Iranian oil tanker. According to the oil ministry, the liner belonged to the national Iranian Tanker Company fleet. The vessel, carrying condensate oil to South Korea, was under lease by Hanua Total Petrochemical. The thirty unaccounted Iranian sailors and two Bangladeshi crew members are reportedly presumed dead. The incident took place in waters near east of the Yangtze River's estuary. A joint naval and aerial search and rescue operation is underway by Chinese and Korean emergency teams to find the missing victims. There is no word, yet, as to what might have caused the collision between the tanker and a Hong Kong-registered bulk freighter.

German coalition talks

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel says she is hopeful of forming a coalition government after more than three months of political impasse. Merkel made the comments as her conservative union bloc started coalition talks with the center-left Social Democrats. The two parties have ruled Germany for the past four years, but the Social Democrats vowed to join the opposition after a disastrous election result in September. They, however, reconsidered after Merkel failed to forge a three-way coalition with the Free Democratic Party and the Greens in November. Social democrat leader, Martin Schulz has promised not to draw any red lines in the coalition talks. This is the longest government formation efforts in the post-World War Two Germany.

Zakzaky’s health deteriorating  

A Human Rights group is calling on Nigerian authorities to allow the detained leader of the country's Islamic Movement to receive medical attention. The Islamic Human Rights Commission says that Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky is in need of urgent medical treatment after suffering a stroke just recently. The IHRC also called on the Nigerian government to immediately and unconditionally release the 64-year old cleric. The rights group said the Sheikh has to be flown out of Nigeria to receive medical care. Sheikh Zakzaky remains in custody of Nigerian security forces since being detained over two years ago. He is being held without charge following a raid on his residence in Zaria in December 2015 which left scores dead.

Israel furious

Israel is preparing a list of 19 organizations that back the international movement of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions. Tel Aviv says it will prevent members of these organizations from entering Israel. This is the latest effort aiming to step up pressure against BDS. The movement has been gaining worldwide support in the past years, as more people have joined efforts to uphold Palestinian rights.

Syria gains

The Syrian army is pressing ahead with its operation to drive out the remaining foreign-backed militants from their stronghold in the country’s south. Backed by Russian air cover and allied forces, the Syrian government troops managed to retake the town of Sinjar as well as several villages in the province of Idlib. They also approached a military airport in a push to retake the terrorist-held site. According to a monitoring group, around 60 villages have been liberated during the past two weeks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the intense fighting in the Syrian province of Idlib has forced more than 60,000 people to leave their homes. The United Nations has also warned of a dire humanitarian situation in Idlib.

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