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 26, 2017.

Bahrain rights violations

Activists have once again warned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Bahrain. Members of Bahrain Center for Human Rights, US-based Human Rights First, and Persian Gulf Center for Human Rights co-hosted a press conference in Lebanon to address the issue. The activists said rights violations have hiked up in Bahrain as international pressure on the Kingdom has weakened. They expressed concern over the increasing number of arrests for political reasons and warned about the alarming health situation of prominent rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who’s in jail over criticizing the regime. Manama has unleashed a heavy-handed crackdown since 2011, when pro-democracy demonstrations broke out across the Kingdom.

Australia ‘Invasion Day’

Thousands have rallied across Australia, denouncing the country’s national day as Invasion Day. In Melbourne, demonstrators rallied from Parliament House, calling for equal rights for all Australians. Joined by aboriginals, the protesters also demanded an end to Australia Day being celebrated on January 26 and called for its date to be changed.

Talks on Syria

Austria’s capital, Vienna, is hosting the second day of a fresh round of UN–sponsored talks on Syria. Syria’s warring factions are discussing key issues like governance, drawing up a new constitution and holding elections. On the first day of talks, representatives of the Syrian government and the foreign-backed opposition held separate meetings with the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura. Damascus had previously said that it would only discuss fighting terrorism since the opposition had set preconditions for talks by demanding the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. The eight previous round of talks failed to produce any results.

German coalition talks

German political parties are engaged in formal negotiations to form a new coalition government following last year’s failure to reach a consensus. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats, their Bavaria-only sister party, the CSU and the center-left Social Democrats are aiming to complete negotiations within two weeks. Leader of the SPD party, Martin Schulz, has stated that the EU needs Germany to resume its leadership role in the bloc in the face of international challenges, including those coming from the US. Merkel has also expressed optimism with regards to the talks, saying they are seeking ways to end the political impasse in Europe's largest economy. Attempts aimed at forming a coalition failed last year with the Greens and pro-business Free Democrats facing a deadlock in talks.

US Iran accusation

US President Donald Trump has renewed his anti-Iran accusations at the World Economic Forum in Davos. During the closing remarks at meeting in the Swiss city, Trump called on world countries to block what he called Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon. This follows moves by his administration to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015. Trump has already decertified Iran’s compliance with the accord also known as the JCPOA. He has promised not to renew sanctions waivers for Tehran. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly verified Iran’s full compliance with the JCPOA. Under the accord, the Islamic Republic accepted some restrictions on its atomic activities in exchange for the removal of sanctions.

Turkey Syria incursion

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to sweep Kurdish militants from the length of the country’s border with Syria. Erdogan said Ankara could extend its current military operation in northwest Syria all the way east to the border with Iraq. He said after its ongoing assault in Afrin, Turkey will continue towards east and the town of Manbij. US soldiers are currently positioned in Manbij along with the Syrian Kurdish forces. Earlier, the YPG called on Damascus to help them fend off Ankara’s assault. Turkey launched an air and ground offensive against the Kurdish militants with the support of the so-called Free Syrian Army on Saturday. The aim of the attack was to crush the YPG in Afrin and its surrounding areas and create a so-called safe zone. Ankara considers the YPG to be a terrorist group.

Saudi Arabia crackdown

Prominent rights group Amnesty International has slammed Saudi Arabia for handing down harsh prison sentences to two Saudi human rights activists. Amnesty says the conviction of the two Saudis shows the kingdom is bent on silencing civil society and human rights defenders under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman. On Thursday, Mohammad al-Otaibi and Abdullah al-Attawi were sentenced to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively. The charges against them included setting up an organization without authorization and publishing damaging statements about the kingdom. The Saudi crown prince has aggressively pursued social and economic reforms in his country since taking power in 2017. But rights groups have warned of increasing persecution of rights activists under his rule.

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