WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, February 25, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, February 26, 2018.

Syria militants’ chemical plot

Russia says foreign-backed militants near the Syrian capital are planning to use poisonous agents and put the blame on the government. Defense Ministry Spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, says five militant groups have established a joint command center to control Eastern Ghouta. He warned that the situation in Damascus countryside is worsening. The Russian Defense Ministry called on all parties to the conflict to stop any combat actions and armed provocations. This comes amid a nationwide truce that excludes areas controlled by Nusra Front and Daesh terrorists. The Syrian army has taken control of several areas in the flashpoint region of Eastern Ghouta after launching a ground offensive against Nusra Front and other terror groups.

Catalonia tension

In Spain, scuffles have broken out between Catalan pro-independence protesters and police over King Felipe’s visit to the city of Barcelona. Police have made several arrests as the protests continued through the night. Earlier on Sunday, separatists waved Estelada flags and yellow ribbons and called for the release of jailed Catalan leaders. The king was in Barcelona on Sunday for the inauguration of Mobile World Congress. Tensions have grown in recent days, after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy suggested using direct rule provisions to reintroduce Spanish as the main language in Catalan schools. Catalan teachers’ unions have responded by threatening strikes and mass protests to halt the measure.

Japanese refuse new US base

There’s been a large demonstration in a busy shopping district of Tokyo against the construction of a US base on Okinawa Island. Demonstrators called on authorities to halt the project due to environmental damage and pollution among other things. Our Tokyo correspondent Albert Siegel reports.

Students hold rally in US

Former students of a school in the US state of Florida, which saw a deadly shooting this month, have held a march to show solidarity with the victims. The alumni staged the rally in Parkland where the incident happened. The February 14 massacre by a former student led to the deaths of seventeen people. The tragedy has mobilized high school students to push for restrictions on gun sales. However, the National Rifle Association has rejected such calls. Official data show 33,000 people die as a consequence of gun-related violence in the US every year.

Brussels for refugees

Demonstrators have staged a mass rally in Brussels to protest against the Belgian government's immigration policy. Thousands of protesters marched across the city holding signs reading solidarity with refugees should not be criminalized. The protesters also demanded the resignation of Asylum and Migration State Secretary Theo Francken. The right-wing minster made headlines last year by refusing humanitarian visas to a family of Syrian refugees. The protest march kicked off at Maximilian Park, where volunteers have been working for months to help asylum seekers. Many people seeking refugee status have been camping out in the park because of its proximity to the country's immigration department.

Israel siege on Gaza

The Gaza Strip’s charity organizations say Israel’s ongoing blockade on the coastal enclave has claimed the lives of more than one-thousand Palestinians. The organizations say 450 of the victims have died due to the lack of medical supplies and the crisis of medical referrals for outside treatment. Five premature babies have died because of a lack of available medical treatment in the past few days. The charity bodies say Gazans have also been struggling with water and electricity shortages for over a decade and the use of alternative electricity has killed one hundred people since 2006. The organizations also say that 350 workers were killed in the fields of agriculture, fishing and commercial tunnels. Gaza strip has been under land, air and sea blockade by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

Lobby opposes gun laws change

The gun lobby in the United States has come out against proposals by President Donald Trump and other Republicans to raise the age limit for buying certain types of firearms. The National Rifle Association says it doesn’t back any age limit for semi-automatic rifles. Proposals came when Trump hosted governors for dinner at the White House on Sunday. Anger continues to grow over the February 14 school shooting that led to the deaths of seventeen people in Florida. Calls are mounting on authorities for stricter gun laws as well as a ban on assault rifles. The alumni of the school, where the shooting happened, also held a march in solidarity with the victims and their families. The NRA endorsed and backed Trump in his 2016 presidential election campaign.

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