WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, November 24, 2018.

Muslim unity call

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called for unity among Muslim nations in the face of the United States and Israel. Rouhani made the comments in an address to an annual international conference on Islamic unity in Tehran with hundreds of Muslim scholars and politicians in attendance. He said that unity and brotherhood among Islamic countries must be assumed as a duty. The Iranian president, however, pointed out that unity cannot be achieved through words but it requires collective action. Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said Iran considers Saudi Arabia as its brother and is prepared to work with the Arab kingdom to resolve issues.

Confronting Israeli plots  

The leader of the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas has warned Muslims against any restoration of ties with Israel. Haniyeh was addressing the Islamic Unity conference via video link in the Iranian capital Tehran. He also vowed that the Palestinian resistance will reject the United States’ so-called deal of the century. The Hamas chief added Muslims should devise a strategy to confront Israeli plots to Judaize al-Aqsa mosque. Meanwhile the deputy leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement said al-Quds was the pivotal issue of the Islamic world. Sheikh Na'eem Qasim said the Palestinians cannot be divided and they will refuse to give up one inch of their land.

Probing Trump-Saudi ties  

A top democratic lawmaker says the house intelligence committee will conduct a thorough investigation into the US president’s response to the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Adam Schiff said Democrats will look into Donald Trump's financial ties to Saudi Arabia as part of a deep dive on the kingdom. Schiff pointed out potential financial conflicts of interest and emoluments problems which need to be examined. The congressman insisted Americans should know whether foreign investment in the Trump's businesses is guiding US policy. Schiff is expected to become the new committee chairman when majority control of the House changes hands in January. The US president has dismissed the CIA assessment that the journalist’s death was ordered directly by the Saudi crown prince.

France protests

The second wave of “Yellow Vest” demonstrations in Paris has turned violent, as police fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters. Around 3,000 police have been deployed around the French capital to control the spontaneous protests. The movement initially started against the rise in fuel prices, but it broadened into a general opposition to the policies of President Emmanuel Macron. The protesters have gathered in the center of Paris, and more protesters are expected to arrive from rural areas. Last week, nearly 300,000 people took to the streets of Paris, wearing florescent high visibility jackets. Many were injured, and there were reports of two fatalities. The French government justifies the price hike as an anti-pollution levy, saying it is part of the plan to wean the country off fossil fuel.

US Afghanistan casualties  

A US soldier has been killed in Afghanistan, bringing to nine the number of American service personnel killed in the war-torn country this year. That was announced by the NATO, which did not immediately release any details about the soldier or the circumstances surrounding his death. The incident came just weeks after two similar attacks. One of the attacks hit NATO personnel in the western province of Herat. The other targeted a high-level security meeting in the southern province of Kandahar that was attended by General Scott Miller, the top NATO and US commander in Afghanistan. Recently, there have a spate of so-called insider attacks that have struck foreign troops tasked with training and assisting the Afghan military.

Afghanistan mosque blast

The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for Friday’s deadly bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan. The explosion ripped through a mosque inside an army base in Khost province. It killed 32 Afghan soldiers and left 50 others wounded. The victims had gathered to attend Friday Prayers at the mosque, when the bomb went off. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has condemned the bombing as anti-Islamic and inhumane. He has also asked officials to investigate the security breach of the army base and called for those responsible to be punished.

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