WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, February 28, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, March 1, 2017.

Terrorists’ chemical plot

The US military intervention in Syria has drawn condemnation from Syria and Russia at the UN Security Council over its airstrikes in the Arab country’s Dayr al-Zawr province. The Security Council members also discussed deadly clashes between terrorists and government forces in Eastern Ghouta. Damascus says terrorists in the area are preparing to launch a large-scale chemical attack to level yet another accusation against the Syrian government.

US support for Saudi Arabia

US senators have introduced a bill that will force Congress to vote on the withdrawal of Washington’s support for Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen. The legislation was drafted by two senators, Independent Bernie Sanders and Republican Mike Lee. An aide to Lee says the move revolves around Congress reasserting its control and power on war decisions from the government. Meanwhile, aides say Sanders and Lee are working to win support from colleagues as well as the Senate leadership on the bill which calls for ending support for the Saudi war. Washington has sold billions of dollars worth of weapons to Riyadh since the kingdom attacked Yemen in early 2015. The Pentagon also gives intelligence to the Saudis and their allies. Nearly 14,000 Yemenis have been killed, many of them women and children.

Europe's cold snap

A blast of Siberian weather has sent temperatures plunging across Europe, leading to more than 40 deaths and travel chaos. Meteorologists have documented temperatures above freezing in much of the continent. The icy weather, dubbed as “the Beast from the East”, has led to cancellation of hundreds of flights in France, Britain, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia and Serbia. Hundreds of schools have been shut and several railroads closed across Europe. Officials have been racing against time to open emergency shelters and increase relief efforts to protect homeless people. Forecasters say bitter cold is expected to stay for days to come.

Civilian casualties in Syria

Nusra Front terrorists have shelled the Syrian city of Dara’a, killing two civilians. The victims were a girl and a young woman. Eighteen other civilians were injured. A medical source says the number of deaths could rise as nine of those wounded have sustained life-threatening injuries. Nusra Front also fired shells at Jabba village and Khan Arnabah in Quneitra countryside. The shelling caused material damage.

Brazen Israeli threat

A senior Israeli military official has suggested that Tel Aviv needs to kill Hezbollah’s Leader Sayyed Hassan Nassrallah if it wants to win a future war against the Lebanese resistance movement. Chief of Israeli Ground Force, General Yaakov Barak said killing Hezbollah’s chief is very important and that it will bring a decisive victory for Israel. Tel Aviv has already launched two wars on Lebanon since 2000. Back in November, the Israeli military issued a similar threat. Hezbollah has, however, warned that it will give a crushing response if Israel attacks Lebanon again. Meanwhile, a top American senator has predicted a new Israeli war with Lebanon. Lindsey Graham cited Israeli officials as saying that another war is imminent if Hezbollah continues to arm itself with missiles. The Republican senator from South Carolina warned that any future war between the two sides will incur a lot of damage to Israel.

Trump aid resignation

White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump's closest and most loyal aides, is resigning. She is expected to leave in the next few weeks. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says Hicks’ departure was not related to her testimony to a congressional committee on Tuesday about an investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election. Hicks was caught up in a controversy surrounding former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, whom she had been dating. Porter left the administration after he was accused of abusing his two ex-wives. Hicks was one of the first people hired by Trump when he began his presidential campaign.

US Syria bases

Russia says the US has established some 20 military bases on the Syrian territory controlled by Kurds. Alexander Venediktov, who is an aide to the secretary of Russia’s National Security Council, says the US and other foreign interference has hampered the establishment of peace in Syria. He says Washington has provoked Turkey to launch a military operation in Syria’s northwestern Afrin region by boosting Kurdish forces with most advanced weapons. Ankara launched a cross border incursion into Afrin in mid-January to battle Kurdish YPG forces that it considers as terrorists.

Argentina protest

Argentine teachers have taken to the streets of the capital Buenos Aires to protest against the government’s education reforms and demand higher salaries. Teaching unions marched through the city holding banners and flags, denouncing President Mauricio Macri’s reforms. The organizers said Argentine teachers face inequality, discrimination and dismissals, with many of them on the verge of hunger and misery. The Latin American nation has witnessed a number of protests against Macri’s reform proposals over the past months. Last week, teachers’ unions rejected a 12 percent salary hike offered by the government. Unions are demanding a 24 percent increase, claiming that the government offer is insufficient.

Bahrain crackdown

Bahraini authorities have stripped two more people of their citizenship on terrorism charges. The revocation came after the two were sentenced to seven years in jail for allegedly training to use weapons. The Bahraini regime has already revoked the nationality of hundreds of its citizens over the past few years. The policy gained momentum after the 2011 popular uprising and the regime’s crackdown to hush political dissent. Prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim is among the top figures whose citizenship is revoked. Prominent international human rights groups have already slammed the practice as illegal.

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