WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, September 28, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, September 29, 2017.

UN warns Israeli firms

The UN has warned that firms operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank could be blacklisted by the world body. UN Human Rights Commissioner, Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, has reportedly sent official letters to 150 companies which actively do business in Israeli settlements. The companies have been told that operating in the occupied Palestinian territories is in breach of international law. All Israeli settlements are illegal but Tel Aviv has defied international calls to stop their expansion. Around 500,000 Israelis live in the settlements.

UN slams Myanmar

The secretary-general of the United Nations has strongly condemned the crackdown on Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, calling it a humanitarian and human rights nightmare. Antonio Guterres made the remarks during the first public meeting of the Security Council on Myanmar in eight years. The UN chief says the violence against the Rohingya had spiraled into the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency. Guterres has appealed to authorities in Myanmar to immediately halt all military operations saying the violence could spill over into the central part of Rakhine state threatening a further 250,000 Muslims with displacement. He also called on the government in Myanmar to open humanitarian access to its conflict-ridden areas and grant the Muslims nationality. The crackdown has sent over 500,000 Rohingya fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.

Saudi war on Yemen

Saudi warplanes have conducted fresh air raids in Yemen, killing several civilians. A number of people were also injured in the air attacks that targeted a marketplace in Hajjah province and a school in Sa’ada province. The attacks caused heavy material damage and destroyed several buildings. The kingdom started its war on Yemen in March 2015. Since then, nearly 13,000 Yemenis, many of them women and children have been killed. Much of Yemen's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble in the war.

Israeli occupation

The US ambassador to Israel has angered Palestinians after claiming that the Israeli regime has occupied only two percent of the West Bank. David Friedman said the Israeli settlements are part of what he called the Jewish state proper. He added that the settlements have a high nationalistic, historical and religious significance. An aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said the US envoy displayed absolute ignorance of the facts and the position of the United States. Saeb Erekat noted that Friedman’s remarks were false and misleading. The international community, including the United Nations, considers Israel’s presence in the West Bank as occupation and condemns the settlements as illegal.

Syria demanding UN action

Syria has written letters to the United Nations, urging immediate international action to stop the airstrikes by the US-led coalition in the war-torn country. The Syrian Foreign Ministry has denounced the air raids as barbarous war crimes that violate basic principles of international humanitarian law. Damascus says other members of the coalition have helped the United States cause the bloodbath in Syria. On Wednesday, coalition warplanes reportedly used internationally-banned white phosphorus bombs to target a town in the countryside of Dayr al-Zawr. The US-led coalition launches regular airstrikes in Syria in a purported bid to drive out Daesh, but many civilians have fallen victim to the attacks. The raids have neither the authorization from Damascus nor a mandate from the UN.

French anger at austerity

Austerity cuts have once again prompted France's pensioners to march across the country. The elderly say years of worsened healthcare and social services and increased taxes have led to a decline in their living standards. Ramin Mazaheri has more from Paris.

Iraq offensive

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has announced the beginning of the second phase of the ongoing offensive to liberate the northern district of Hawijah from Daesh terrorists. The army and its allied forces have begun approaching towards the city of Hawijah inside the district from three directions. Fierce fighting is taking place westward, while troops have taken a strategic bridge and three villages north of Hawijah city. The offensive to liberate the district began on September 21. The first phase of the operation was accomplished within a few days. Hawijah lies west of the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk. The district and a stretch along the Syrian border are the last pieces of land still in the hands of Daesh. The terrorist group overran about one-third of Iraq in 2014.

Rohingya refugee crisis

Bangladesh police say more than 50 Rohingya refugees are missing after their boat capsized in heavy seas. Authorities say 19 people are already confirmed dead. The International Organization for Migration said about 130 people are believed to have been onboard when their boat went down in heavy rain and storm. The asylum seekers were trying to flee the crackdown in Myanmar. Aid groups say more than half a million refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since late August when the crisis began. The situation has raised the alarms at the United Nations Security Council.

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