WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, October 3, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, October 4, 2017.

Russia targets terrorists in Syria

Russia says one of its airstrikes in Syria has killed 12 field commanders of the Nusra Front terrorist group. The Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said more than a dozen terrorists were also wounded in the air raid. Igor Konashenkov added that the Nusra Front leader was critically injured in the same attack. Russia has been conducting aerial attacks against terrorist positions in Syria since 2015 at the request from Damascus. The strikes have helped the Syrian Army make numerous gains against terror groups.

Battle for Hawijah

The Iraqi army says it’s about to fully reclaim the northern town of Hawijah from Daesh. The Iraqi forces launched a final assault on Wednesday to liberate central Hawijah from the Takfiri terrorists. The operation came shortly after the army liberated the strategic al-Rashad area near Hawijah, as well as an air base formerly used by the terrorists as a training and logistic camp. Hawijah lies west of the oil city of Kirkuk and north of Baghdad. It’s one of two pockets of territory in the country which is still under the control of Daesh. Iraq’s multi-phase offensive to recapture Hawijah have been ongoing for nearly two weeks.

Catalonia tensions

Catalonia’s president has said the region will declare independence “in a matter of days”, defying Madrid in dismissing the Sunday referendum as illegal. Carles Puigdemont pointed out that the directive of Sunday’s independence referendum will be implemented by his government at the end of this week or the beginning of next. The Catalan top official added that Madrid’s intervention in taking control of Catalonia’s government would be “an error” which changes everything. Meanwhile, the Spanish king has accused the Catalan leaders of breaking the country's laws by holding an independence referendum.

Mattis defends Iran nuclear deal

The US defense secretary has openly contradicted President Donald Trump’s position on the Iran nuclear deal. James Mattis made the remarks while testifying before the US Senate. He said Iran was fundamentally in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and that it was in the US national security interest to stick to the deal. General James Dunford, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said Tehran was not in material breach of the deal. The remarks come ahead of Trump’s announcement on whether to stay in the 2015 agreement. Trump has described the accord as one of the worst deals he has seen. Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Iran’s compliance with the deal.

US gun violence

The US president says it is not the time for a political debate on gun control in the wake of the deadly mass shooting in the city of Las Vegas. Donald Trump, however, didn’t reject the possibility of such a debate in the future. Republican lawmakers have expressed a similar view, saying the investigation into the Las Vegas carnage is not complete yet. They say emotions are too raw for a proper political debate, defying calls by Democratic lawmakers to come up with a solution to gun violence in the US. Earlier, Las Vegas police announced that they were still working to determine the motive behind the Sunday shooting, which took the lives of at least 59 people and injured hundreds more. The Trump administration has been criticized for loosening firearm regulations and rolling back certain restrictions on gun ownership.

Israeli demolition

Israeli forces have razed to the ground a village in the southern Negev region for the 119th time. According to the residents of al-Araqib village, Israeli armed forces raided the village with bulldozers on Tuesday morning and destroyed every single building. The village, home to around 220 people, was first demolished in July 2010. Since then, displaced residents have urged local as well as international activists to help them rebuild their homes. Israeli authorities regularly carry out demolition orders in the Negev, arguing that the villages there lack building permits. However, residents say it is impossible to obtain a permit to build legally. Al-Araqib is one of some 40 Bedouin villages in southern Israel that are under existential threat.

Russia accuses US of ‘aiding terrorists’

The Russian foreign minister accuses the United States and its allies of fatal provocations against the Russian troops in Syria. In an interview with the UK-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, Sergei Lavrov said the US-led coalition and the militants they support consistently act in a way that helps Daesh and other terrorist groups. Lavrov criticized Washington’s double standards regarding Syria, noting that there was no such thing as good or bad terrorists. He defended Russia’s involvement in the battle against terrorists in Syria. He also hailed the cooperation between Moscow, Ankara and Tehran as a decisive factor in restoring stability in the region. Lavrov slammed the US sanctions against Russia, warning that such aggressive measures won’t go unanswered.

Suu Kyi ‘stripped of honor’

An honor bestowed on Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi is going to be revoked over her failure to address the Rohingya crisis. Oxford City Council announced that Suu Kyi’s Freedom of Oxford award is to be withdrawn, saying she was no longer worthy of the honor based on the evidence provided by the United Nations. Suu Kyi was granted the award in 1997 for her “long struggle for democracy”. According to the Council, the award will be revoked due to her inaction in the face of Myanmar’s violent crackdown on Rohingya Muslims and her failure to address allegations of ethnic cleansing. Reports say other organizations are also re-considering honors given to the Nobel Prize Laureate. More than half a million Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Bangladesh since late August.

Congolese exodus  

The UN refugee agency says violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has driven thousands of refugees into neighboring countries. According to UNHCR, in the past month over 3,300 refugees fled inter-ethnic clashes and fighting between DRC security forces and militia groups into Zambia. The refugees recount extreme brutality, with civilians killed, women raped, and houses set alight. Some sixty percent of the displaced are children suffering from malnutrition and other serious health problems. There are around 27,000 Congolese refugees in Zambia mostly sheltered at transit centers in the border areas. Violence has grown in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down following the end of his mandate last December.

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