WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, February 5, 2017.

Yemen retaliation

Yemeni forces have carried out a retaliatory missile attack against Saudi Arabia, targeting the Kingdom’s southwest. According to Yemeni media, the army has fired a short-range ballistic missile at the King Faisal military base in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region. They have also confirmed that the missile hit the target successfully. Saudi media, however, have rejected the news, saying the missile was intercepted before hitting the target. Yemeni forces conduct missile attacks against Saudi forces in retaliation for the deadly invasion of their country that has claimed nearly 14,000 lives since March 2015.

Belgium terror trial

The last surviving suspect of the 2015 Paris attacks stands trial in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Right at the beginning of the hearing, Salah Abdeslam told the presiding judge that he wouldn’t answer any questions. He’s charged with attempted murder of police officers during a shootout four months after the Paris attacks. The Belgian-born French national could serve forty years in jail if convicted. Abdeslam has also refused point-blank to speak about the probe into the Paris attacks. 130 people lost their lives in the Paris terrorist attacks, which were claimed by Daesh.

India-Pakistan tensions

Nuclear-armed rivals, India and Pakistan have once again traded accusations of cross-border shelling that left four Indian soldiers and one Pakistani civilian dead on Sunday. Both countries accuse the other of initiating artillery and small arms fire leading to the fatalities. Two Pakistani children and two Indian soldiers also sustained injuries during the skirmishes. New Delhi and Islamabad often accuse each other of violating a ceasefire agreement they reached in 2003. Tensions have mounted ever since the right-wing Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in India in 2014. The two neighbors have a long history of bitter relations especially over the disputed Kashmir region. India and Pakistan have fought two full-scale wars over Kashmir since their independence from Britain in 1947.

US nuclear policy

China has slammed the new US nuclear policy, urging Washington to abandon its “cold war mind-set” in devising such strategies. Shuang also urged the US to earnestly assume its responsibilities to make the world safer. The top Chinese official made the remarks at a news briefing in response to the Pentagon's 2018 Nuclear Posture Review which was released on Friday. The document lays out plans to revamp the US nuclear arsenal by diversifying its options against potential enemies. In the summary of the nuclear review, US Defense Secretary James Mattis names China and North Korea as potential threats.

UK hospitals crisis

Doctors in the UK have been refusing to perform urgent surgeries on patients with potentially fatal diseases due to serious shortage of intensive care beds in hospitals. Doctors’ leaders and the Patients Association said that the cancellations could lead to the death of patients with cancer or heart diseases. Hospitals complain that the country’s healthcare body, the National Health Service, has failed to provide sufficient intensive care beds forcing doctors to prioritize flu patients at risk of dying before surgery over other very sick people including those suffering from cancer and heart problems. On Saturday, people took the streets of the capital London to support the NHS which has been under heavy funding pressure in winter 2018.

Iran slams US militarism

Iran has condemned the United States’ unilateralism and militarism, calling them threats against peace and security. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said the US has always proved to have hostile policies towards Iran and has continued to make obstacles for Iran after the 2015 nuclear deal. Qassemi said Tehran will never allow Washington to interfere in its internal affairs. Regarding the situation in Syria, he said Iran, Russia and Turkey will continue talks on the issue. Qassemi also called on Turkey to end its cross-border operation in northern Syria.

Turkey arrests

Turkey says security forces have arrested hundreds of people so far for criticizing Ankara’s military operation in northern Syria. The Interior Ministry said 449 people have been detained for spreading terrorist propaganda on social media, while 124 others were arrested for taking part in protests. Last week, 11 senior members of the Turkish Medical Association were also arrested after the organization criticized the operation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described members of the body as traitors. Last month, Turkey launched an air and ground offensive, dubbed Operation Olive Branch, against the Kurdish YPG militants in Syria’s northern Afrin region. Turkey views the YPG as an ally of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or the PKK which is considered a terror group by Ankara.

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