WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, August 30, 2018 to 0800 GMT, August 31, 2018.

‘Illegal’ investigation in US

The US president says Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into his campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia during the 2016 presidential election is illegal. Speaking to Bloomberg, Donald Trump quoted unnamed scholars as saying there should never have been a special counsel. Mueller was appointed by Trump’s own Justice Department to conduct the investigation. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions recused himself from the investigation and that has angered Trump. On Sessions and the job he’s doing, Trump says he’ll wait for the November mid-term elections and then decide his fate. Firing Sessions could spark a new political crisis for Trump. By firing Sessions and appointing a new attorney general more in tone with the presidency, Trump will bring into question the independence of the Justice Department.

Iran nuclear deal

The Iranian foreign minister says honoring the 2015 nuclear agreement is not Tehran’s only option. In a tweet, Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the remaining parties to the deal to fulfill their commitments under the accord and normalize Iran’s economic relations instead of making what he called extraneous demands. Tehran has time and again stressed that it will abandon the deal if other parties of the agreement fail to secure Iran’s interests amid US attempts to pile more economic pressure on the Islamic Republic. Zarif’s comments came after the International Atomic Energy Agency once again confirmed Iran’s full compliance with the agreement. The IAEA, moreover, said it has had full access to all locations in Iran that it needs to inspect.

Syria’s war on terror

Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Syria will not use chemical weapons in its operation to retake Idlib. He stressed that Syria does not have such weapons. Damascus and Moscow have already accused the terrorists of planning to launch a chemical attack in Idlib to provoke military action by the West against Syria. In April, the US, the UK and France unleashed a bombing campaign against Syria in response to an alleged gas attack in the city of Douma. They blamed the Syrian government for the raid, a charge Damascus denies.

Trump WTO threat

US President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw from the World Trade Organization. Trump, in an interview with Bloomberg News, said he will pullout from the organization if it does not shape up. The US president warned that he could even take action against the WTO. Trump has complained that the US is being treated unfairly in global trade and has blamed the World Trade Organization for allowing it to happen. Regarding tariffs, Trump said he will enact import duties on 200-billion dollars worth of Chinese goods as early as next week. Following his remarks, Asian stock markets dropped and partially erased gains made in this week’s global rally. Trump has ignited a global trade war by slapping sharp tariffs on goods from the EU, Canada, Mexico, and China.

US church scandal

The Catholic Church abuse scandal in the US deepens as victims groups demand the Vatican release the names of priests accused of sexual assault. The scandal broke as it was revealed over three hundred priests in the US state of Pennsylvania were involved in the abuse of more than a thousand children. Things got worse when the former Vatican envoy to Washington accused Pope Francis of covering up sexual abuse by a senior US cardinal. Victims groups say the envoy’s admission proves Pope Francis and both his predecessors, Popes Benedict and John Paul ignored the abuse. Victims groups now want a federal investigation into all church entities to uncover any evidence that could lead to the prosecution of those responsible for the abuse.

Fate of Nigerian Muslims

A prominent rights group has called on Nigeria to account for hundreds of supporters of a Shia cleric held behind bars. Amnesty International urged the government to provide details on the fate of some 600 members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria. The rights group said Nigeria must end unlawful arrests and enforced disappearances. The Shia Muslims have been missing since the army launched a deadly assault on the residence of the group's leader in 2015. Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky suffered injuries during the raid which killed 300 of his followers.

Saudi war on Yemen

Yemeni media say Saudi Arabia’s airstrikes hit a number of fishing boats off the country’s western coast. At least 19 Yemeni fishermen went missing as a result of the airstrikes on Hudaydah province. No more details are available. Saudi air raids have repeatedly targeted Yemeni fishermen, as part of the kingdom’s ongoing war on the country. Yemeni officials say nearly 300 fishing boats have been attacked over the past months. They say at least 400 fishermen have been killed. Riyadh launched its war on Yemen in March 2015. Nearly 15,000 people have been killed so far, most of them civilians. Riyadh has also put a blockade on Yemen, causing a humanitarian crisis.

Blocking UN report

Russia has blocked the release of a UN report on the implementation of sanctions against North Korea due to disagreement with some of its findings. Moscow’s Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia announced the measure after a closed Security Council meeting. The report finds North Korea in violation of UN sanctions limiting its imports of oil. That includes reports on some illegal transfers of oil at sea involving Russian ships. Back in July, the US demanded without success an end to all oil exports, claiming illegal ship-to-ship transfers had allowed Pyongyang to evade the sanctions. The US wants North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. Pyongyang brands Washington’s demands for a complete denuclearization without any reciprocal action a gangster-like move.

NAFTA negotiations

Canada’s trade minister says his country needs to get the right deal on a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement, not any deal. Jim Carr says there are risks to all three parties to the pact if no deal can be reached. He made the comments as negotiators from Canada and the United States ended a third day of talks in Washington DC. Negotiations are to resume in an effort to resolve the differences before Friday’s deadline set by US President Donald Trump. The United States and Mexico announced a two-way deal on Monday. The US president has warned he could try to proceed with a deal with Mexico alone and levy tariffs on Canadian-made cars if Ottawa does not come on board.

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