WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, October 14, 2018.

Saudi stocks fall

Saudi stocks plunged seven percent in the morning trading on Sunday amid international backlash over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. The nosedive is the worst for the Tadawul All-Shares Index since December 20-14 and wiped out the market’s entire gains over the past nine months. It came after major businesses and international bodies, including the World Bank, boycotted a key investor conference Saudi Arabia is hosting later this month. They cited the case of Khashoggi for their move. The U-S has also threatened to severely punish Riyadh over the issue. There is speculation that the journalist was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Syria militant attack

A war monitoring group says two Syrian soldiers have been killed in a mortar fire from a planned buffer zone in the northwest. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said militants fired several mortar shells at an army position in the central province of Hama. It said, on Saturday, militants also shelled the northern province of Aleppo from another buffer zone in the northwest. The UK-based group did not specify the exact locations of the attacks. The reported attacks violate the last month’s deal between Turkey and Russia for the creation of a demilitarized area in and around Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. The deal obliged militants to withdraw heavy arms from the area by October 10. Turkey and the militants that it supports have said that the deadline was met.

Bavaria elections

People in Germany’s southern state of Bavaria go to the polls in regional assembly elections seen as a litmus test for Chancellor Angela Merkel. Polls have predicted heavy losses for Merkel’s conservative allies, namely the Christian Social Union, and, the Social Democrats. The Christian Social Union is expected to lose its absolute majority, after almost six decades. That’s while, the far-right and anti-immigration A-F-D looks certain to enter the regional assembly. The left-leaning Greens are expected to become the second strongest party. The poor result for Merkel’s conservatives allies could lead to more government instability in Berlin. The Bavaria elections come ahead of another key regional vote in the central state of Hesse later this month, and Merkel’s planned re-election as her party’s leader in December.

UK Labour against arming Riyadh  

Britain's opposition Labour Party says it would stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia if it was in power. Labour’s foreign policy spokeswoman Emily Thornberry said Labour would continue pressuring the Saudi government into changing its unacceptable behavior. Thornberry dismissed Riyadh’s claim that it was not behind the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. She said evidence suggests the Saudi government has killed the journalist.

Israel settlements

Israeli cabinet members approve the construction of 31 settler units in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil, also known as Hebron. The construction permits were agreed in October last year and now the regime has issued the final go-ahead for the controversial move. The planned constructions would be the first such decision since 2002 in al-Khalil. The move is expected to escalate tensions in the city where anti-Israeli sentiments are ultra-high. The Israeli regime has intensified its settlement constructions over the past two years with the new US administration taking the helm of the White House. Washington’s support has emboldened Tel Aviv to push ahead with the constructions which are deemed illegal by international law.

Misery of refugees

Italy has ordered the evacuation of refugees from a coastal town in the region of Calabria. The interior ministry says the transfer procedure from Riacheh to other refugee centers will begin next week. The small southern city was put under the spotlight following the detention of its pro-refugee mayor earlier this month. Domenico Lukano was placed under house arrest on charges of aiding illegal immigration. Italy’s far-right interior minister says the move is proof of the government’s war on the immigration business. The decision, however, has sparked public outcry across Italy with protesters condemning what they called the coalition government's attack on freedom and crackdown on refugees.

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