WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 27, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 28, 2017.

Israeli settlements

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to never dismantle settlements in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu made the remarks at a ceremony marking 50 years since Israel occupied the West Bank. He claimed that settlements are getting stronger. His comments have angered Palestinians, with presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina calling Netanyahu’s remarks unacceptable. Abu Rudeina further called on the international community to intervene to stop what he called Israeli provocations. The Israeli premier’s comments come months after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution stating that Israel’s settlement activity is in flagrant violation of international law. Tel Aviv has for years defied calls to stop its settlement expansions which are illegal under international law.

PLO slams Israeli soldier’s sentence reduction

A senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, has slammed the reduction of a jail sentence given to an Israeli soldier convicted for shooting dead a severely wounded Palestinian. Mustafa Barghouti said the decision encourages Israeli soldiers to commit violations against Palestinians. He further described the mitigation as “a license to kill”. Rights groups have also denounced the decision to reduce Elor Azaria’s jail sentence from 18 to 14 months after an appeal. In March 2016, Azaria shot dead a 21-year-old unarmed Palestinian who was lying immobile on the ground after he was shot and wounded during an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank.

South Africa rally

Thousands of South Africans have held rallies nationwide, demanding the resignation of President Jacob Zuma over alleged top-level corruption. The demonstrations were organized by the country’s biggest union called the Congress of South African Trade Unions. They accuse Zuma of robbing state resources and colluding with an influential business family that is also involved in massive graft allegations. Some of president’s fellow party members have already begun calls for his ouster. Zuma denies all allegations against him. The South African president will be in power till 2019. Ruling African National Congress will convene in October when Zuma is set to relinquish his post as party chief.

US ‘missile malfunction’ in Afghanistan

A US airstrike in the Afghan capital, Kabul, has left several civilian casualties. The air raid was reportedly called in to help Afghan troops fight attackers who struck Kabul airport with rockets. According to NATO sources, the airstrike suffered a missile malfunction, which caused the civilian casualties. According to Afghanistan's interior ministry, one person died and 11 others were wounded in the attack. The attacks comes as US Defense Secretary James Mattis is on a visit to Afghanistan together with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. Mattis’s trip comes on the heels of Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington will send more reinforcements to Afghanistan.

Parliament brawl in Uganda

A mass brawl has erupted in Uganda’s parliament, after a lawmaker attempted to introduce a measure removing the presidential age limit from the country’s constitution. The raucous scenes emerged amid attempts to extend the rule of long-time President Yoweri Museveni. Several lawmakers were forcibly evicted from the parliament following the chaos which saw several objects being thrown across the legislative chamber. 73-year old Museveni has ruled Uganda since taking power by force in 1986. He is ineligible to run again in 2021 if the age limit is not lifted.

No to JCPOA renegotiation

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, says Tehran will not renegotiate the nuclear agreement known as JCPOA. Zarif made the remarks at the Asia Society in New York. The Iranian foreign minister says the JCPOA took some ten years of talks including two years of tedious negotiations in Vienna. He also says Iran is under the strictest inspection regime and has implemented additional protocols of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Zarif also rejected the US claims that Tehran is violating the spirit of the deal by destabilizing the region. He said the Islamic Republic is at the forefront of fighting terrorism in the region.

Japan parliament dissolved

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dissolved the lower house of parliament and called for a snap election. Abe seeks a fresh popular mandate for his stance on North Korea and a new tax plan and hopes to boost his support in the country’s legislative body. A number of opposition lawmakers boycotted the session to protest Abe's calling the election and creating a potential political vacuum at a time when tensions are high with Pyongyang. The dissolution of the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament comes more than a year before it is required by law. The vote is expected to be held on October 22.

Iran mourning

Thousands of people are holding funeral for Iranian military advisor Mohsen Hojaji, who was beheaded by Daesh terrorists. The procession is being held in Hojaji’s hometown of Najaf-bad, where he will be laid to rest. Mourners from all walks of life, including high-ranking officials, bid farewell to him. Commemoration ceremonies were also held for him in the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, and Isfahan. The 25-year-old was captured by Daesh terrorists during an ambush while he was on an advisory mission in southwestern Syria. He was then transferred to Daesh-held areas in Iraq and decapitated by the terrorists on August the ninth.

US police probe call

Top officials in the US city of Saint Louis have called for an independent investigation of police amid a growing public pressure over misconduct by the law enforcement during recent protests. Saint Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and Interim Police Chief Lawrence O'Toole called for the Department of Justice to conduct a third-party probe alongside the police internal affairs and the civilian oversight board. The two officials say the investigation is necessary because it’s important that the public trust authorities. The American Civil Liberties Union has already sued Saint Louis on behalf of protesters over illegal arrests and the use of unnecessary force against demonstrators. The recent wave of demonstrations erupted after a white police officer was in September acquitted of murder in the killing of a black suspect.

Reaction to Kurdish secession vote

A referendum on secession in northern Iraq could cost an arm and a leg for the Kurdish region. That’s because Turkey says it will not do any business regarding oil exports with Iraq’s Kurdistan. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has assured his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi that Ankara will only deal with the government in Baghdad on crude exports. Yildirim has given the assurance during a telephone call with Abadi. The commodity is seen as the backbone of Kurdistan’s economy and its export is done through a pipeline in Turkey. Any hindrance in the process could deal a heavy blow to the Kurdish region. Meanwhile, all foreign flights to Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan will halt as of Friday. The news has been announced by the chief of the Erbil airport.

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