WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, April 1, 2019.

Saudi torture

Leaked medical reports have revealed severe abuse of political prisoners in Saudi Arabia. According to the British daily, The Guardian, the reports show that political prisoners in the kingdom are suffering from serious malnutrition, cuts, bruises and burns. In almost all the cases, the reports demanded the prisoners be urgently transferred from solitary confinement to a medical center. Pressure has been growing on Riyadh in recent months over reports that some female activists have been subjected to electric shocks and lashings in custody. Human Rights Watch have urged Saudi Arabia to immediately release all jailed peaceful dissidents and allow international monitors to conduct a full probe into their treatment.

Turkey's local elections

The Turkish High Election board says the main opposition party’s candidate is ahead in the vote count in Istanbul mayoral elections. The head of the election board added the opposition CHP’s candidate is leading the race against the candidate of the ruling AK party by nearly 30,000 votes. The official did not specify which percentage of votes had been counted. Earlier, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his party may have lost Istanbul vote but has won many municipalities in the economic hub.

Iran floods

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says saving people’s lives is the most important thing in crisis management. As the country is battling against deluges in a number of provinces, the president instructed officials in flood-stricken areas via phone calls. Rouhani thanked the officials for their continuous efforts and called on them to stay on alert to minimize possible damages in those areas. New warnings have been issued in some cities as more floods are anticipated. Some 400 towns and cities have been affected by the floods since last week. According to official figures, over 25,000 houses have been ruined and 45 people have lost their lives since then. Aid and relief operations are in full swing in the affected areas.

China forest fire

In China, firefighters are battling to contain a huge forest fire that has killed at least 30 firefighters so far. Authorities have sent some 700 firefighters to bring the fire under control. The 30 firefighters were killed after getting trapped in a huge fireball caused by a sudden shift in wind direction. The fire broke out on Saturday in a remote and mountainous area of Sichuan province in southeast at an altitude of about 4,000 meters. The area has poor communications and transport links.

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