WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, April 5, 2018.

Russia reaction to UK

Russia says the UK cannot continue to ignore Moscow’s legitimate questions when it comes to the poisoning of a former double-agent spy. Moscow says its wants to establish the truth over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in the British city of Salisbury in March. London says Moscow is behind the poisoning but the Russians vehemently deny the allegation. Lavrov’s call for a probe by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons comes despite the watchdog turning down a Russian bid to launch a joint investigation into the crisis. Moscow has also called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting over the issue. Meanwhile, Lavrov says Russia will continue to respond adequately to aggressive moves by foreign countries over the poisoning case.

France’s railroad strike

France’s largest confederation of trade unions has decided to take part in the next wave of rolling strikes by rail workers. The CFDT is to join the walkouts over President Emmanuel Macron’s proposed reforms of the state-run SNCF railways. The confederation has dismissed the planned reforms as unacceptable. The next rail strike is due to begin on April 8. Air France workers, garbage collectors, and energy workers have also joined the strikes which are planned for the next three months. The stoppages have already disrupted services with only one in eight high-speed trains operating. The railway strike has left thousands of passengers stranded across France.

Iraq says no to foreign forces

The Iraqi president says his country does not need any foreign troops on its soil. In an interview with al-Alam Arabic News Channel, Fuad Masum, however, said Baghdad welcomes military and economic advisors from the US and regional nations. He rejected reports that Washington is seeking to establish a military base in the country in the post-Daesh era. Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iraqi president hailed Iran’s support for the Iraqi government. Masum said the Islamic Republic was the first country that came to Iraq’s help, after Daesh attacks began in 2014, with humanitarian aid, logistic support as well as by sending military advisors. He said Tehran and Baghdad have a lot of commonalities and should expand cooperation in all areas.

Iran slams Israeli crimes

Iran's foreign minister has called for collective global action to condemn Israeli atrocities against Palestinians. Mohammad Javad Zarif demanded an international inquiry into Israeli crimes to bring perpetrators to justice. The top Iranian diplomat made the comments at the ministerial meeting of the 18th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. Zarif also called for an immediate end of the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip and full restoration of the rights of the Palestinians. He also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

Israeli killings in Gaza

Israeli forces have killed another Palestinian in the besieged Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv claims the slain Palestinian was trying to enter the so-called buffer zone. Palestinian officials say they have retrieved the body of the victim. Separately, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinian protesters, injuring several of them near Gaza City. The protests came ahead of Friday’s mass rally against the Israeli occupation, and recent deadly violence. Meanwhile, the death toll of last week’s Israeli attacks on Palestinian protesters in Gaza has risen to 20 after a 34-year-old Palestinian man died of his injuries on Thursday. Tension has been running high across the occupied Palestinian territories following the massacre, which has drawn international condemnation.

Douma militants warned

Russia has reportedly asked militants in Syria’s Douma for an official declaration about the evacuation agreement after a slowdown in its implementation. Five-thousand militants were set to leave the Eastern Ghouta region in the first three days, but only half of them have been evacuated so far. Reports say the agreement reached between Damascus and the militants is facing obstructions, including rejection of the deal by some senior militant commanders as well as their refusal to hand over heavy weaponry. Russia has threatened that the Syrian army will resume operations in the area if the militants fail to comply with the deal. Douma is the only part of Eastern Ghouta still held by anti-Syria groups.

Russia against US drills in Korean Peninsula

Russia has called on the United States to immediately halt all its military activities on the Korean Peninsula. The Russian Foreign Ministry says the drills, like the ones which are ongoing, do not help reduce tensions on the peninsula. The statement follows a Japanese media report that North Korea has agreed to return to the six-party talks on disarmament. The Nikkei newspaper quoted multiple sources connected to Beijing and Pyongyang as saying that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed his readiness for the resumption of talks during his recent secretive trip to China. The last round of North Korea talks, attended by the two Koreas, the US, Japan, Russia and China, was held in 2009. Pyongyang then blamed the US aggression and its military presence in the region for the failure of the negotiations.

Facebook scandal

Facebook has raised the number of users whose information was improperly shared with British political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica. Facebook’s chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, said the information of 87 million users may have been affected. This eclipses a previous estimate of 50 million. Earlier, the US House Commerce Committee announced that the giant network’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, would testify before it on April 11 over the issue. The new estimate could deepen the crisis for Facebook. It has been pressured by the disclosures on hijacking of private data by the consulting group working for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Zuckerberg accepted responsibility for the breach, but said he remained the best person to lead Facebook.

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