WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, June 10, to 08:00 GMT, June 11, 2017.

Fight against terror

Iran’s intelligence minister says the mastermind and main commander of Wednesday’s terrorist attacks in the capital Tehran has been killed by security forces.

Seyyed Mahmoud Alavi said the slain terrorist planned and coordinated the attacks. He added that the mastermind fled the country on Wednesday but the Iranian forces managed to track him down with the cooperation of intelligence services of allied countries and kill him. The senior Iranian official noted that the Intelligence Ministry had been witnessing a sharp increase in terrorist movements across Iran in the past two months. Earlier, Iran’s Police Chief Hossein Ashtari announced the arrest of over sixty terror suspects in police raids. The June 7th attacks on the Imam Khomeini mausoleum and the Parliament building left seventeen people dead and dozens of others wounded. The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Qatar crisis repercussions

The German foreign minister has warned that the dispute between Qatar and Saudi Arabia could lead to war. 

Sigmar Gabriel told a local newspaper that he realized the seriousness of the situation after holding talks with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Kuwait and Iran. He, however, added that he still sees a chance to defuse tensions. Earlier in the day, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov urged dialog between Qatar and its Arab neighbors to ease the standoff. He added that Moscow is unhappy with the current situation and is prepared to do everything in its power to help mediate the crisis. Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies broke off diplomatic ties with Doha on Monday and closed all their borders with the Persian Gulf country accusing it of supporting terrorist organizations. Qatar rejects the allegations. 

US Islamophobia

Anti-Muslim protests have been held in dozens of cities across the United States.

The demonstrators rally in New York City, Chicago, Seattle and several other major cities. The rallies have drawn rival protests by opponents of racism and religious discrimination. The counter-protesters are marching through the streets, shouting slogans like “No hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here". About half a dozen people have been arrested in Minnesota after clashes broke out between the two groups. Several rights groups have denounced the anti-Muslim demonstrations, saying they would fan the flames of religious violence. The rallies are held amid a surge in anti-Muslim crimes across the US.

Caracas clashes

Clashes have broken out between police and demonstrators as anti-government protests continue in Venezuela.

Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the masked protesters. The rallies in the capital Caracas come as demonstrators blame President Nicolas Maduro for what they call an economic crisis in the country, including high inflation. They demand the president step down. Maduro, however, says the protests are initiated by the U-S in order to topple him. Meanwhile, an opinion poll shows 85 percent of Venezuelans oppose Maduro's plan to rewrite the constitution. The opposition says the move aims to alter the rules in favor of the government to keep Maduro in power. But the president says the initiative can restore peace after two months of unrest.

Slamming US's wall plan

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has slammed US President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall between Mexico and the US, saying it is not helpful.

Speaking in Mexico City alongside Mexican President Enrique Penia Nieto, Merkel said putting up walls would not solve problems that countries were facing due to immigration. The German Chancellor added that the history showed only when empires had got on well with their neighbors they could resolve the migration pressures in a way that ensured stability. For his part, the Mexican President said his country would continue to promote and defend free trade.

Gaddafi's son freed

An armed group in Libya says it has freed the son of the country’s former dictator Moammar Gaddafi who has been in custody since November 2011.

A group of former rebels that controls the town of Zintan in western Libya said on its social media page that Seif al-Islam was freed Friday evening. It added that he was released under an amnesty law promulgated by the parliament based in the east. The same armed group made an identical announcement in July 2016 about freeing Seif al-Islam, but it was later denied by the authorities in Zintan. Saif was sentenced to death in July 2015 by a court in Tripoli for his role in the murderous repression during the 2011 uprising. 

Russia warning

Russia has warned that Washington’s targeting of pro-Damascus forces in Syria is unacceptable.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on the US to take concrete steps to prevent such strikes in the future. Lavrov made the remarks in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Tillerson also agreed to step up cooperation to end the Syrian conflict. The so-called US-led coalition against Daesh has targeted pro-Damascus forces on at least three different occasions. On Thursday, the US-led forces carried out strikes against the Syrian army in the south of the country and downed a pro-government drone later that day.

France parliamentary vote

Just one month after the victory of Emmanuel Macron in France’s presidential election, the French are again heading to polling stations to pick their parliamentarians. 

The two-round legislative elections take place on June 11 and 18. A total of 7-thousand, 882 candidates are standing for 577 seats. Meanwhile, over 46 million people have registered to vote which shows a rise of nearly two percent compared with the previous parliamentary election. Polls have closed and vote counting has begun in the French overseas territory of Guiana. The voting is crucial for Macron and his year-old party known as “Forward” which is not currently represented in the National Assembly. 

Qatar's Hamas stance

Qatar has rejected accusations that Hamas is a terror outfit, saying the Palestinian group operating in the besieged Gaza Strip is a legitimate resistance movement.

The Qatari Foreign Minister said although the United States viewed Hamas as a terror organization, the group’s legitimacy is accepted by Arab nations. In an interview with Russian media, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reaffirmed Qatar’s support for the Palestinians. He said he wondered why Doha was being singled out if this was also the position of other Persian Gulf Arab states. Earlier, the top Qatari diplomat said the presence of Hamas' leaders in the country was aimed at facilitating Palestinian unity. Last week, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt cut their relations with Doha accusing it of supporting terrorist organizations. Riyadh insisted Doha must end its support for Hamas before ties could be restored.

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