WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, October 2, 2018.

Violence against Rohingya

Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries have called on Myanmar to allow a UN commission to probe last year’s deadly violence against Rohingya Muslims. Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, says the call was made following a meeting of the ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last week. Balakrishnan says the ministers expressed grave concerns over what they called a man-made humanitarian disaster. So far, Myanmar rejected all requests to carry out any probe in the country. In August 2017, Myanmar’s army launched a deadly crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. An untold number were killed and more than a million were recorded fleeing the violence. The United Nations branded the crackdown ethnic cleansing; an accusation Myanmar rejects.

Indonesia tsunami aftermath

The death toll from Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami has risen to more than 1200. The dead include dozens of religious studies students whose bodies were pulled from their landslide-swamped church on Sulawesi Island. It happened when a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami that smashed into the seaside city of Palu last Friday. Rescue and search operations continue as many people still remain missing. Meanwhile, two successive earthquakes measuring five-point-nine and six on the Richter scale hit Indonesia’s Sumba Island. There were no immediate reports of casualties and no tsunami alert was issued either.

Spain slams Catalonia violence

The Spanish prime minister has blamed Catalonia’s recent tensions on the region’s separatist leader, Quim Torra. Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, says Torra is encouraging radicals. He called on the region’s president to stop endangering political normalization with the central government. Sanchez warned that violence is not the way forward. Catalonia has witnessed tensions on the first anniversary of its banned independence referendum.

IAEA Iran inspection

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has inspected all sites and locations in Iran which it needed to visit. IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano, has said in a statement that the information available to the agency is subject to exact review. He noted that the data include those from third parties, which the IAEA will not take at face value. Amano’s comments come days after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Iran of having a secret atomic warehouse near the capital Tehran. Iran has denied the allegation as baseless. The IAEA carries out verification of Iran’s atomic commitments under the country’s nuclear deal with world powers.

Syria-Iran battle against terror

The Syrian foreign minister says Iran’s missile attack on terrorists in eastern Syria was in line with the two countries' joint fight on terrorism. Walid Moalem noted that the joint efforts of Damascus and Tehran are legitimate. He underlined the bilateral cooperation is consistent with Syria’s national interests. The top diplomat added Damascus will conclude the final chapter on the war on terror by liberating the remaining militant-controlled areas in Syria. Moalem also condemned Israel’s airstrikes on his country accusing Tel Aviv of applying the aggressive approach to prolong the conflict. On Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched six surface-to-surface ballistic missiles at a base used by leaders of last month’s terror attack in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz.

Iraq elects new president

Iraq's parliament has elected a new president after a scheduled vote on Monday was delayed. Barham Saleh from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan won 165 votes in the first round. Fuad Hussein from the Kurdistan Democratic Party picked up 89 votes. The vote went to a second round where Hussein withdrew his candidacy. The two largest Kurdish parties each put forward a candidate. For the first time, the two dominant parties contested the post. Under the Iraqi constitution, the new president must be a Kurd.

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