WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, August 26, 2018 to 0800 GMT, August 27, 2018.

Syria attack warning

Russia has again warned of a fake chemical attack in Syria to frame the country’s government. The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said English-speaking specialists have arrived in Syria to stage the attack. Major General Igor Konashenkov said the operation is planned to be carried out in a village in Hama province in the next two days. Earlier, the ministry said the US, the UK and France are preparing to use the planned attack as a pretext for airstrikes against Syria. In April, the three countries unleashed a bombing campaign on Syria in response to an alleged gas attack in the city of Douma. They blamed the Syrian government for the raid. But Damascus denied the claim.

US mass shooting

Several people have been killed and some 10 others wounded in a mass shooting in the US state of Florida. The incident occurred at a live-streaming video game tournament at a restaurant in the city of Jacksonville. The sheriff’s office advised citizens to stay far away from the area, saying it was not safe. It also said SWAT teams were doing a methodical search in the area. The motive behind the attack was not immediately clear. The incident marks the third mass shooting to hit Florida in the last two years. Gun violence has claimed the lives of nearly 10,000 people so far this year.

Church abuse scandal  

Thousands of protesters have rallied in Ireland's capital to protest sexual abuse by priests. During the pope's visit, the demonstrators marched through the streets of Dublin to vent their anger at the Vatican’s role in the abuses committed by the Church in Ireland. The country’s officials used the first papal visit to Ireland in 39 years to demand action by the Roman Catholic Church to address the systemic cover-up of child abuse. Also, rights group Amnesty International called on Pope Francis to acknowledge Vatican's responsibility for a policy of “willfully covering up” crimes committed by the clergy in Ireland to protect the institutions of the Church.

Legal battle begins

Iranian lawyers are set to begin legal arguments before the International Court of Justice in a case against renewed sanctions imposed by the United States. Tehran filed the lawsuit against Washington in late June; just weeks after the administration of President Donald Trump re-imposed a wave of unilateral sanctions. The US move followed Trump’s decision to pull out of the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement. Tehran says the measures violate the 1955 friendship treaty between the two countries and harm the economy of the Islamic Republic. Iran also demands compensation for the damages. The UN’s top Court was set up in 1946 to resolve international disputes. Its rulings are binding, but it has no power to enforce them and on many occasions they have been ignored by some countries, including the United States.

Condemning apartheid

Palestinian members of the Israeli Knesset are working with Palestinian officials to condemn Tel Aviv at the United Nations over its controversial nation-state law. That’s according to Israeli media. Reports say the Palestinian lawmakers and officials want to condemn Israel at the UN general assembly session next month. They are working to convince the UN to advance a resolution that likens Israel’s nation-state law to apartheid. Israel passed the legislation on July 19. It calls Israel the homeland of the Jewish people, and gives them the unique right to self-determination. The legislation has drawn widespread opposition, even among Israeli officials, and Jews living abroad. Critics say the law is racist and is against minorities including Palestinians living in the occupied territories.

Pontiff abuse allegation

Pope Francis has refused to respond to accusations that he had covered up sexual abuse. The pontiff stressed that the document containing such allegations speaks for itself. The pope was referring to a document presented by a former Vatican official which accuses him of knowing the sex abuse allegations against a US cardinal for years. He read the statement aboard an aircraft taking him from Ireland to Vatican. The pope’s two-day trip to Dublin came amid massive international outcries over a global clerical sex abuse scandal. Reports from the United States, Chile and Australia, surfaced in the past few years detailing decades of institutional cover-ups by churches.

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