WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, October 2, 2018 to 0800 GMT, October 3, 2018.

US threatens Russia

The United States has threatened Russia with a military strike after claiming that Moscow is developing banned cruise missiles. US ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison said Russia is building medium-range ballistic missiles in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. She said Washington remains committed to a diplomatic solution but it is ready to consider a military strike if Moscow doesn’t halt its activity. The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the US envoy’s remarks as aggressive and destructive. It added that Washington will get a detailed response from Moscow’s military experts. The US claims Russia is developing a ground-launched system in breach of a Cold War treaty that allows Russia to launch a nuclear strike on Europe, but Moscow has strongly denied the allegation.

Iraq ends political deadlock

The Iraqi Parliament has voted Barham Saleh the country’s new President. The nominee for Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party defeated Fuad Hussein from the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The vote went to a second round where Hussein withdrew his candidacy twice which was rejected on both occasions. Saleh then named Adel Abdul-Mahdi as Prime Minister designate and tasked him with forming a new government. Abdul-Mahdi has 30 days to form a cabinet and present it to the parliament for approval.

Trump's ‘dubious’ tax schemes  

A newly-published report by the New York Times shows that the US president participated in dubious tax schemes in the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud. The report found that Donald Trump received at least 413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s business. The report added that much of this money came to Trump because he helped his parents dodge taxes. It said Trump and his siblings set up a sham firm to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from their parents. The probe raises new questions about Trump’s refusal to release his income tax returns which breaks with decades of practice by former US presidents. The findings are said to be based on thousands of official documents. But a Trump’s lawyer says the report is totally false.

Saudi Arabia's anti-Iran campaign

A new report reveals that a UK-based TV channel which conducted an interview with an anti-Iran terrorist organization's spokesman following a terror attack in Ahvaz, is funded by Saudi Arabia. The Guardian cited a source close to the Saudi government as saying that Iran International received at least 250-million dollars from Saudi Arabia last year. Meanwhile, Britain’s media regulator, Ofcom, has launched an investigation into the Saudi-linked channel after it conducted a live interview with the spokesman of a terrorist group who claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Ahvaz. However, the group later rejected involvement in the assault. Iran International also aired a live coverage of a rally of the anti-Iran terror group, MKO, earlier this year.

Italy protests

People have taken to streets in the Italian capital Rome to support an arrested pro-refugee mayor. The demonstrators slammed the arrest of Domenico Lucano, saying he is a role model in Italy and around the world. They accused Italy’s coalition government of attacking freedom. The protesters pledged to return to the streets on Saturday. Lucano was arrested on Tuesday on charges of aiding illegal immigration. The mayor of Riace has achieved worldwide fame for welcoming refugees to his village in the south of Italy. Meanwhile, people have rallied in the southern city of Naples to protest a visit by anti-refugee Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.

Malaysian PM criticizes creation of Israel

The Malaysian prime minister renews criticism of Israel for being the root-cause of trouble in the Middle East. Mahathir Mohamad has told BBC’s Hard Talk that the problems in the region began with the creation of Israel in 1948. His comments come days after he blasted Israel in his UN General Assembly address. He had said the world rewards the regime for breaking international laws and committing acts of terrorism against Palestinians. The Palestinians refer to the day Israel was created as Nakba or Catastrophe. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled from their homeland.

Canada revokes Myanmar leader’s honorary citizenship

Canada has officially revoked the honorary citizenship of Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The move by the Canadian Senate is a reaction to Suu Kyi’s refusal to denounce Myanmar’s military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The unanimous vote has made Suu Kyi the first person to be stripped of Canada’s honorary citizenship that was granted to her in 2007. Several entities, including the University of Oxford, have already taken away their titles and awards from her. They say Suu Kyi should have done something to stop the atrocities or to express solidarity with the Rohingya. The brutal campaign pushed more than a million Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh last year. The UN has condemned the bloody crackdown as ethnic cleansing.

Indonesia searches for quake survivors

Rescue workers are racing against time to pull out those trapped under the rubble of Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami. Five days after the 7.5 magnitude quake, aid workers still try to find survivors. So far, officials have put the death toll at nearly 1,400. But they say it might climb even higher since chances of finding anyone alive are now pretty thin. Meanwhile, those who survived the disaster are frustrated with lack of aid and food supplies.

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

www.presstv.ir