WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, May 12, 2019 to 0800 GMT, May 13, 2019.

Yemen developments

The United Nations says the withdrawal of Yemen’s Ansarullah forces from three key ports in the province of Hudaydah was proceeding for a second day. The Saudi-backed former regime still refuses to pull out its forces in line with a ceasefire agreement the two sides reached in Sweden last year. Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has been in control of ports of Salif, Ras Isa and Hudaydah. The ports have been under a tight siege by Saudi Arabia since last June. Hudaydah is a lifeline for the war-ravaged country's crippled economy. The Ansarullah has denounced Saudi-backed forces’ refusal to withdraw, with officials calling on the UN to press Riyadh to move in line with the Stockholm agreement.

Lithuania election

The Lithuanian prime minister says he will quit after he could not make it to the run-off round of the country’s presidential election. Skvernelis said the results showed that his expectations from the election were too high. With 85 percent of the ballots counted, Gitanas Nauseyda, an economist and political novice topped the first round with 31 percent. He will face runner-up Ingrida Shimoneete, a conservative ex-finance minister, who secured 29 percent. The country’s premier came in third with 21 percent. The run-off between the top two candidates will be held on May 26. The winner of the election will replace the incumbent president who was not allowed to stand again due to having served two times. Voter turnout was reported at over 56 percent.

US-China trade war

The tensions between China and the US are heightening as a close advisor to American president says both sides will suffer from a trade war. Earlier in our News Review Program, we discussed the issue. Let’s take a listen.

Iran calls for probe into UAE ship incidents

Iran reacts to Sunday’s maritime incidents off an Emirati port by warning about possible plots hatched by foreign elements for destabilizing the region. Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, expressed concern and sorrow over the reported attack on several Emirati and Saudi oil tankers, saying such moves could have been made by ill-wishers to disrupt peace and security in the region. He said the incidents could negatively impact the safety of shipping and security of navigation. He also called on regional countries to be vigilant. Mousavi warned about any adventurism by foreigners, urging a probe into the blasts. Meanwhile, Saudi energy minister confirmed that two of the targeted vessels belonged to the kingdom and were bound to the US. He said no casualties or leaks occurred due to what he described as a sabotage attack.

Fallout of trade tensions

Asian markets sink again amid concerns that an escalation in the US-China trade war could damage global growth prospects. China's mainland slipped, with Shanghai and Shenzhen Composite indexes tumbling over one percent on Monday. Japan's Nikkei average sunk as much as one percent to hit its lowest level in two months. South Korean Kospi Composite and Australia’s benchmark both were down nearly one percent. The market nervousness followed the failure of the US-China talks, with Washington hiking tariffs on 200 billion dollar worth of Chinese goods and Beijing vowing to retaliate. On Sunday, Dow futures were also down 270 points while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures shed more than one percent amid Wall Street's investors fear of an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies.

Iran nuclear deal

The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says Brussels fully supports the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Mogherini called on rival powers to avoid any further escalation over the issue. Earlier this month, Iran announced that it will suspend parts of its commitments under the nuclear deal. Tehran threatened to take further measures if the other signatories fail to mitigate the impact of renewed US sanctions within 60 days. Washington withdrew from the deal a year ago and imposed more sanctions on Iran. The US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo is also on his way to Brussels in order to meet EU officials and talk about Iran.

NZ mosque attacks inquiry

New Zealand begins an inquiry into terror attacks on two mosques in the city of Christchurch in March that left over 50 people dead. The country’s Royal Commission aims to seek whether police and intelligence services could have prevented the massacre. The Commission is scheduled to report its findings to the government on December 10. On March 15, a white supremacist opened fire on Muslim worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch while livestreaming the massacre on Facebook. The terror attack left 52 worshippers dead and over 50 others injured. New Zealand’s spy agencies have faced criticism in the wake of the attacks for underestimating the danger posed by right-wing extremism.

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