WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, August 23, 2018 to 0800 GMT, August 24, 2018.

Gaza under siege

A Palestinian rights group has urged the international community to find practical solutions to what it has described as an unfolding humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip. The Popular Committee against the Siege on Gaza has warned that the Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave has imposed a calamitous humanitarian situation on the residents. The NGO’s chief, Jamal al-Khudari, has warned that Gaza would be uninhabitable by 2020. The Gaza Strip has been under an all-out Israeli siege since June 2007. The blockade has pushed poverty and unemployment to unprecedented levels over the years.

South Africa summons US envoy

South Africa has summoned the US charge d'affaires over President Donald Trump's recent tweet about land reforms in the African nation. The move came after a spokesman for South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Donald Trump was trying to sow the seeds of division. South Africa has announced that Trump’s tweet has made it more determined to push ahead with its land reforms. Earlier, the US president tweeted that his administration would investigate what he described as land seizures and large-scale killing of white farmers. Last month, the South African president pledged to change the Constitution to allow the expropriation of land without compensation. White people in South Africa, who make up less than ten percent of the population, own over 70 percent of privately-owned farmland.

Italy threatens EU

Italy has threatened to suspend funding to the European Union unless the bloc’s member states agree to take in refugees from a coastguard ship in Sicily. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio has said that if nothing comes out of a European Commission meeting on redistributing refugees from the Diciotti ship on Friday, Italy will not be willing to give 20 billion euros each year to the EU. The comment came after humanitarian groups including the United Nations refugee agency renewed calls for the refugees’ release from the vessel. Nearly 180 asylum seekers have been stuck on the ship for over a week as Italian authorities do not allow the passengers to disembark.

Israel under fire

The European Union has expressed its opposition to Israel’s expansionist policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. In a statement, the EU foreign affairs spokeswoman stressed that Israel’s recent plans to build new settler units in the occupied West Bank is an obstacle to peace. Maya Kocijančič said Tel Aviv’s settlement activities endanger the prospect of a viable future Palestinian state. Earlier this week, Tel Aviv approved plans to build 650 more settler units. The new units will be built in Beit El settlement near the city of Ramallah. Israel has stepped up settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territories in recent months. All Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

Australia's new PM

Australia's Treasury Secretary Scott Morrison has been chosen as the country's new prime minister. Former Home Secretary Peter Dutton who lost the vote to Morrison initiated a leadership challenge against the now unseated Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Dutton accused Turnbull of bullying and intimidating cabinet ministers to ditch their support and resign. Some 12 ministers either quit their posts or offered to do so in recent weeks. Then a majority of members of the ruling Liberal Party signed a petition against Turnbull. He took the petition as a vote of no-confidence and did not contest the challenge anymore. Turnbull had earlier said he would quit the world of politics if unseated.

China-US trade war

China has pledged to keep retaliating against what it has referred to as unreasonable US trade tariffs. Finance Minister, Liu Kun, said Beijing would take all necessary measures to protect its interests. Liu told Reuters that the government would try its best not to harm the interests of foreign businesses in China. He said Beijing would increase spending to support workers affected by US tariffs. On Thursday, American and Chinese officials ended two days of talks with no major progress. Meanwhile, the trade war between the two sides has escalated. Both countries have slapped a further $16 billion worth of each country’s goods. China has also filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization.

Canada-Saudi Arabia ties  

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed concern over reports that five human rights activists in Saudi Arabia face the death penalty. Trudeau said it is important to have positive relationships with countries around the world, adding that Canada will continue to stand up strongly for human rights. The two countries are locked in a diplomatic row triggered by Canadian criticism of the kingdom's human rights record. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia imposed an economic war on Canada after Ottawa called for the release of another female activist. It froze all new trade and investments in the country, moved to pull out thousands of Saudi students from Canadian universities and vowed to stop all medical treatment programs in Canada.

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

www.presstv.ir