WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, January 25, 2019.

Anti-Saudi rally in Yemen

Thousands of Yemenis have held a demonstration in the city of Sa’ada to condemn the Saudi-led aggression against their country. The demonstrators denounced the US complicity in supporting Riyadh for committing war crimes in Yemen. During a speech on Thursday, the leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement said Yemenis are determined to stand up to oppressive measures of Saudi Arabia and its regional allies. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said the Saudi-led alliance uses all methods, including an economic war, to weaken the Yemenis' will. The Saudi war on Yemen, which started in 2015, has so far left over 15,000 people dead.

China-US tensions  

China has urged the US to abide by its One-China principle. The call comes a day after Washington sent two warships through the Taiwan Strait. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says China closely followed the warships passage through the Strait. Chinese President Xi Jinping said in early January that Beijing reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control. In response to Xi’s speech, the Taiwanese president pledged to defend the island's democracy and called for international support to protect Taiwan's way of life. US President Donald Trump recently signed an accord reaffirming Washington’s commitment to Taiwan, including arms sales.

'No-deal' Brexit warning

The British chancellor has stressed the UK's departure from the European Union without a deal will damage the British economy. Philip Hammond says there will be very significant disruption in the short term. He says the economy will also take a significant hit in the medium- to long-term. The remarks echo a previous warning issued by the Bank of England. A no-deal scenario means London will crash out of the European Union without any agreements on the withdrawal process or the future relationship. Hammond also suggested the EU may move what he described as red lines set by Brussels on the controversial backstop provision. The backstop surrounds the issue of the Irish border and has caused deep divisions within the ruling Conservative Party.

Macedonia name deal

Greek lawmakers have ratified a controversial name change deal with neighboring Macedonia that has sparked protests across Greece. Under the deal, Macedonia’s name will be changed to the Republic of North Macedonia. The agreement ends a 27-year-old dispute between Greece and Macedonia. It paves the way for normalizing ties between the two countries as well as Macedonia’s membership in NATO and the European Union. Thousands of people gathered outside the Greek parliament, some of them calling lawmakers traitors for their approval of the deal. Opponents of the name change in Greece say the approval of the deal could lead to territorial claims over the country’s largest northern province of Macedonia and an appropriation of Greek cultural heritage.