WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, June 5, to 08:00 GMT, June 6, 2017.

Diplomatic tensions 

Qatar’s foreign minister says a move by some Arab states to sever ties with Doha has raised serious questions about the future of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council. 

Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani made the remarks to the Qatari media outlet, al-Jazeera. Thani said Qatar would review its relations with the council if it attempts to impose foreign agendas on nations or interfere in their internal affairs. However, Thani said Doha would not react by raising tensions the way its Arab counterparts had taken. The top Qatari diplomat also said that the decision to isolate the Persian Gulf country was an unjustified move based on lies and built on a smear campaign. Al-Thani added that the normal life in Qatar will not be affected by such decision.

Syria civilian casualties

More than 20 civilians have reportedly been killed in a fresh US-led coalition airstrike in northern Syria.

According to a UK-based monitoring group, the coalition’s warplanes targeted civilians while they were trying to flee Daesh terrorists near the city of Raqqah. The provincial capital of Raqqah has been under the control of Takfiri terrorists since 2014. The city has been repeatedly targeted by the US-led coalition under the pretext of curbing the Daesh terror group. Washington claims its warplanes avoid civilian deaths in their bombings of Syria, but locals say most of those killed are civilians.

Khan-Trump feud

The Mayor of London has accused the US President of seeking to divide communities in Britain after Donald Trump criticized his leadership over the recent terror attacks in the city.

Speaking to media, Sadiq Khan said some people thrive on feud and division, adding that he is not going to let Trump divide communities in the country. Khan added that he did not have time to respond to Trump’s criticism. He also called on the British government to cancel a planned state visit by Trump. The US president tweeted Monday morning that Khan had offered a pathetic excuse for comments he had made in response to Saturday’s attacks. On Sunday, Trump had also in a tweet slammed Khan, saying the mayor was telling people there was no reason to be alarmed about the attacks. However, what Sadiq Khan actually said was that Londoners should not be alarmed about the increased police presence on the streets after the bloodshed.

Melbourne terror attack 

Australia’s Prime Minister has strongly condemned a Daesh terrorist attack in Melbourne which ended with two fatalities and three injuries. 

Malcolm Turnbull called for vigilance and deterrence in the face of such violent acts of terrorism. Turnbull praised the swift response of the Victoria police and admired their courageous intervention. However, he questioned the parole state of the attacker who was a known extremist with long record of violence. The premier vowed to strengthen counter-terrorism laws and increase security agility to avoid such incidents in future. Meanwhile, Australia’s Acting Police Commissioner expressed concern over similar copycat attacks elsewhere in the country. 

Israel welcomes Arabs rift

As the tension between Saudi Arabia and Qatar becomes more complicated following the severance of ties between the two, regional countries are now gearing up to play the role of a mediator by calling on Riyadh and Doha to resort to dialog. This, while Israel has welcomed the division in the Arab world, saying the situation could herald a broad anti-terror alliance. More in this report.

Cholera in the time of war

The number of people who have died from a cholera epidemic in war-torn Yemen continues to rise. 

According to the World Health Organization, at least 676 deaths have been registered from the deadly disease since late April. More than 86-thousand cases have also been detected. UNICEF has warned that the number of cases could hit 300,000 in the coming weeks. Local health authorities say they are struggling to cope with the outbreak. International aid groups say Saudi Arabia’s land, sea and naval blockades on Yemen have led to humanitarian catastrophe in the country. Riyadh launched its war on Yemen in October 2015 and since then, has been carrying out almost daily airstrikes on its Arab neighbor. 

Russia role resurfaces 

Leaked documents by the US National Security Agency allege Russian agents have meddled in America’s 2016 presidential election.

The news outlet, The Intercept, has published the documents, saying the Russians hacked into at least one of US voting software suppliers. They also sent spear-phishing emails to more than 100 local election officials days before the November vote. The Department of Justice has charged and arrested the NSA contractor who’s allegedly admitted to copying the confidential data. Russia’s alleged intervention in the US presidential election last year has been creating a fuss since the vote concluded. Moscow denies the allegations.

Iran push for dialogue 

Iran has engaged in an all-out diplomacy effort to help ease the rising tension on the Arabian Peninsula.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has called his counterparts from Qatar, Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon to discuss the row between Doha and some of Arab states. Zarif also raised the issue with foreign ministers of Indonesia, Oman, Tunisia, Malaysia, Algeria, and Kuwait as well as EU Foreign Policy chief, Federica Mogherini. The top Iranian diplomat stressed the need for dialog to resolve the issue. On Monday, Saudi Arabia and some of his Arab allies severed all their diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terror.

Kabul inferno death toll

Afghan President, Ashraf Ghani, says the death toll from last week’s bomb attack in the capital Kabul has risen to 150. 

Ghani said there are over 300 people were wounded as well. Afghan officials previously put the number of those killed at ninety. Last Wednesday, a truck explosion rocked diplomatic areas of Kabul. The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. The incident was followed the next day by explosions on smaller scales as well as deadly clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces. The demonstrators say the Afghan government is incapable of maintaining security in the country. 

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk