WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, August 18, 2018.

US Saudi war complicity

A Saudi bomb that recently killed dozens of school children in Yemen was supplied to Riyadh by the United States. Munitions experts have been quoted by US media as saying that it was a 500-pound laser guided MK-82 bomb. The weapon is manufactured by top US defense contractor, Lockheed Martin. It is not the first time US weapons supplied to Saudi Arabia have caused mass casualties in Yemen. In October 2016, an attack on a funeral hall by a similar American bomb left more than 150 Yemenis dead. In March 2016 another US-supplied precision-guided bomb killed 97 civilians at a market.

Daesh ‘re-emergence’

A UN report has warned about the return of the Daesh terror group in parts of Syria under the control of US-backed militants. The report, by a UN Security Council panel, says Daesh has regained access to Syrian oil fields in the east and is making profits from selling crude. It says a slowdown in the fight against Daesh has given the terror group “a breathing space” to emerge again in Syria. Daesh was defeated in Iraq and Syria last year but the UN warns that the group is now having small pockets of territory on the two countries’ border. This is the area that is controlled by the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces.

Kofi Annan dies

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan passes away at the age of eighty. His family and foundation confirmed his death, saying he died of a short illness. Annan was from Ghana and served as the seventh UN chief from 1997 to 2006. He was the first black African to take up the role of the world’s top diplomat. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. Annan was later appointed as the UN envoy for Syria. Incumbent Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed sorrow at Annan's death, describing him as a guiding force for good.

Gaza funeral

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip hold a funeral ceremony for two men killed by Israeli forces. Mourners carried the bodies of 26-year-old Sadi Moamer and Kareem Fatayar to their eternal resting place. The two were shot dead during an anti-Israeli protest near the so-called buffer zone on Friday. Over 270 others were also injured during the rally. The protest was part of the Great Return March rallies that began in March. Over 160 Palestinians have lost their lives since then. Palestinians say they will continue the weekly protest rallies until Israel lifts its blockade on Gaza.

Italy bridge collapse

Italy has held a state funeral for the victims of Tuesday’s bridge disaster in the northern city of Genoa. The service was held while more than half of the families of the victims refused to take part. Some relatives also announced a boycott, blaming the government for the tragedy. The funeral coincided with a national day of mourning. Firefighters are still searching for survivors since the Morandi Bridge partially collapsed during a violent storm. On Saturday morning, rescuers found another car with human remains inside. The authorities have not commented on the number of people inside the vehicle. However, local media reported that the car carried a family of three including a young girl. Officials have not yet updated the death toll which is still at 38.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir