WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, March 13, 2019.

Rouhani meets Iraqi cleric

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has met with Iraq’s top cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, in the holy city of Najaf. The meeting was held on the third day of Rouhani’s official visit to Iraq. There have been no words on the issues the two individuals have discussed yet. The Iranian president is scheduled to meet with other senior officials and clerics in Najaf. He’s already held a string of meetings with Iraqi high-ranking officials in the capital Baghdad and the holy city of Karbala.

Iran warns Israel

Iran has warned of a firm response to any act by Israel to block its oil export. Defense Minister, Amir Hatami, says Iran considers such actions against its oil sales piracy. Hatami has assured that Iran’s naval force has the capability to protect the country’s shipping lines against threats. The warning comes a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to stop what he called Iran’s oil smuggling by intercepting tankers carrying Iranian crude. He said Israel’s navy will have a more important role in blocking Iran’s effort to bypass US sanctions on its oil sales.

No deal Brexit vote

Top European officials have expressed serious concern over the rejection of the brexit deal by UK lawmakers. The European Council President regretted the move saying that it has significantly increased the risk of a damaging no-deal divorce. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator also underlined that the bloc had done all it could to help win approval for the deal. The Dutch prime minister insisted that any request from London for a delay in Brexit must be supported by a credible and convincing justification. The German foreign minister accused Britain of playing carelessly with the well-being of its citizens and the economy. Meanwhile, the limbo on Brexit reflected swiftly on the market. The British pound dropped sharply while the Euro made a slight gain.

UK ‘national crisis’

The British prime minister and the leader of the opposition Labour Party have exchanged fiery remarks in parliament as lawmakers prepare to vote on whether the government should pursue a no-deal Brexit. Corbyn said May is no longer in control of the Brexit process. He accused the premier of plunging the country into an unprecedented national crisis through her strategy on leaving the EU. In response, May criticized Corbyn for failing to have a clear Brexit stance. She said the labour leader has nothing to offer to Britons, adding that Corbyn has not been loyal to even to the principles of his own party. Meanwhile, the European Union says all responsibilities of Brexit impasse now lie with the United Kingdom.

Israeli crackdown

Israeli forces have arrested two dozen Palestinians in their latest raids into the occupied West Bank. Our correspondent in Ramallah, Mona Kandil, has the details.

Saudi rights concerns

Ten women rights activists have appeared before a court in Saudi Arabia amid international outcry over their detention without charges. The women attended their first trial in Riyadh's criminal court on Wednesday. According to a judicial official, only family members of the detainees were allowed to enter the court. More than a dozen women activists were rounded up in May last year in what Human Rights Watch and Amnesty international described as the kingdom’s escalating crackdown on activists. According to reports and HRW’s documents, some of the detainees had even gone through torture, abuse and sexual harassment. The latest trial has intensified scrutiny of the Kingdom’s rights record following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey last October.

Turkey-Israel row

A war of words has sparked between Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Turkish president was addressing his supporters in the capital Ankara. The Israeli prime minister had earlier called Erdogan a dictator. The spat sparked after Netanyahu said Israel only belongs to the Jewish people. Erdogan condemned the notion as blatant racism and discrimination. The Israeli premier responded by calling the remarks a joke. He said Erdogan attacks Israel while Turkish journalists and judges fill his prisons. The Turkish presidential office then swiftly responded by calling Netanyahu the leader of an apartheid regime who kills women and children and imprisons Palestinians in their own land. Ankara added, lies and pressure will not hide Netanyahu’s crimes. The Israeli Knesset passed a law last year recognizing Israel as a Jewish land for Jewish people.

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