WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, August 29, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, August 30, 2017.

War on Yemen

Five people have been killed and several others wounded in a fresh Saudi airstrike in western Yemen. The deaths occurred when Saudi Arabian jets targeted an oil tanker on the highway connecting the capital Sana’a to the port city of Hudaydah. On Saturday, Saudi warplanes pounded a residential area in the capital Sana’a killing 14 people, six of them children. Saudi warplanes also bombed a hotel in the Arhab district near the capital Sana’a on August 23. The attack left at least 60 people dead and over a dozen injured. Nearly 60 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, have called on the United Nations for an independent investigation into violations and rights abuses committed in Yemen. They said Saudi Arabia had conducted scores of unlawful airstrikes, some of which may amount to war crimes.

'Iran will not bow to pressure'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the US demands for international nuclear inspectors to visit the Islamic Republic's military facilities are unlikely to be accepted by the IAEA. Speaking at a live TV interview, Rouhani reacted to last week’s remarks by the US ambassador to the United Nations. At a meeting with the IAEA chief, Nikki Haley pressed the agency to seek access to Iranian military bases. Further in his remarks, the Iranian president said the US was failing to create a global consensus against the Islamic Republic due to political instability in America. Rouhani added that Europe would continue supporting the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA despite Washington’s dissatisfaction. He said Tehran would respond in kind to US threats but would not begin to violate the nuclear deal.

Iraqi PM rejects Kurdistan referendum

The Iraqi prime minister has hailed the defeat of Daesh in the city of Tal Afar as the fruit of high cooperation among various Iraqi institutions. Haider al-Abadi noted that Daesh was nearing its demise in Iraq. On Monday, Iraqi forces managed to drive Daesh terrorists out of Tal Afar after almost nine days of heavy fighting. The Takfiris in Iraq are now only in control of the city of Hawija in Kirkuk province and a few small towns near the border with Syria. Meanwhile, Abadi criticized the transfer of Takfiri terrorists from areas along the Lebanese-Syrian border to Daesh-held regions in Syria’s Dayr al-Zawr province, which borders Iraq. He said the terrorists had to either surrender or die as Baghdad sought to uproot Daesh not rein them in. He also reiterated Baghdad’s opposition to any referendum in the country’s Kurdish region on secession from Iraq.

US nuke test

The US air force has tested a notorious nuclear weapon, less than a day after North Korea test fired another ballistic missile that flew over Japan. The B61-12 gravity nuclear bombs are described as the most dangerous weapon in America’s arsenal. The US National Nuclear Security Administration says the bombs were dropped by fighter jets at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada to check the aircraft’s capability to deliver the weapon. This is the second time the US tests such bombs. The first flight test of the weapon happened in March, drawing a wave of condemnation.

UN condemns North Korea

The United Nations Security Council has condemned North Korea’s recent ballistic missile launch as outrageous calling on Pyongyang to halt such actions. The Council says that North Korea is deliberately undermining regional peace and security by its missile launches which also cause great security concern around the world. The 15-member body, however, says it is committed to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation. The statement comes a day after North Korea fired a medium-range ballistic missile which flew over Japan. North Korean state media confirmed the launch and cited leader Kim Jong-un as saying that there would be more ballistic missile launching drills with the Pacific as a target in the future. Pyongyang says its missile program is a deterrent against the threats posed by the US.

Rohingya fleeing crackdown

The International Organization for Migration estimates that about 18,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Myanmar have crossed into Bangladesh over the last week. The IOM said the Rohingya, who have crossed the border are staying in make-shift camps or with communities in Bangladesh. It added that “hundreds and hundreds more are also standard at the border between the two neighbors”. The exodus began following a harsh crackdown by Myanmar’s security forces and Buddhist extremists against the Rohingya. The ensuing violence is believed to be the worst faced by Rohingya Muslims over the past five years. The ongoing wave of violence broke out following a Friday attack on security forces, which Myanmar blames on Rohingya Muslims.

Korean Peninsula tensions

Now, countries have reacted differently to the latest missile launch by North Korea. China says it’s opposed to any war on the Korean Peninsula, stressing that the deployment of the U-S missile system in South Korea will further escalate tensions in the region. The same call was made by the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya. He also urged the United States and South Korea to scale down their joint military drills. Both China and Russia have stressed that diplomatic ways must be used to end the current tensions on the Korean peninsula. But, Japan and South Korea say pressure should be increased against North Korea.

Yemeni children’s plight

The UNICEF representative for Yemen has called for an immediate peace settlement to put an end to the "grave violations" against Yemeni children. Meritxell Relano went on to stress that the only solution for the crisis in the war-torn country was to implement a peace agreement, negotiated between all the parties and their alliances in the conflict. Saudi Arabia launched an offensive on Yemen in 2015 in support of troops loyal to former president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The war has killed over 12,600 Yemenis and has dragged the Arab country to the brink of widespread famine.

Hurricane Harvey death toll

The death toll from the devastating hurricane Harvey in southern US has climbed to at least 18. The storm has dumped record rainfall, leaving large parts of the city of Houston underwater and causing widespread damage. Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in search of emergency shelter amid severe flooding. Houston mayor imposed nighttime curfew following the heavy flooding. US President Donald Trump also visited Texas on Tuesday to survey the damage caused by Harvey. The storm has dumped over 120 centimeters of rain on the region. Harvey made landfall in Texas on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane. It has since weakened to a tropical storm but is still unleashing massive amounts of rain over Texas and Louisiana.

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