WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, October 8, 2017.

Iran US warning

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has issued a stern warning to the US amid reports that Washington might designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. IRGC Chief Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said the force would consider the US military an equivalent of Daesh terrorists in the region if Washington made such a “foolish move”. Jafari also warned that if Washington implements its new sanctions law against Iran, it should also move its military bases 2,000 kilometers away to be out of Iran’s missiles’ range. The warning comes after the White House said the US president would announce a new Iran strategy next week. Reports said that the strategy could include designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization and imposing new sanctions on Iran.

Catalonia pro-unity rally

Spaniards have taken to the streets of Barcelona to support unity with Spain and protest the separatists’ move to unilaterally declare independence. The fresh pro-unity rally comes a day after thousands urged to resolve the ongoing political crisis through dialogue. Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has warned that his government can use the constitution to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy if the region declares independence in defiance of Spain’s court ruling. On October 1, more than 90 percent of Catalan voters said YES to separation from Spain, in a referendum deemed illegal by Madrid. Catalonia’s regional government has vowed to declare independence after a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday.

Cross-border clashes

Turkish forces and al-Qaeda-linked militants in Syria have exchanged fire along the two countries’ shared borderline. According to reports, shelling and brief clashes erupted along Turkey's border with Syria near the province of Idlib. There are reports that Turkish forces have entered Syrian territory. They also responded to a missile launched by Tahrir al-Sham terrorists with artillery. No casualties were reported from either side. The fresh tensions came a day after Ankara announced its support for an operation in the area which is mostly controlled by the terror group. Tahrir al-Sham is spearheaded by the former Nusra Front that changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in 2016.

US power cuts

Hurricane Nate has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making its second landfall in the United States along the Mississippi coast. The storm, the first to hit the state since Katrina, has flooded streets and highways throughout the coastal region. The US National Hurricane Center said the storm had sustained winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour. It also left over 100,000 residents in Mississippi and Alabama without power. On Saturday, the Hurricane came ashore in southeast Louisiana, sparking an emergency declaration. No casualties have been reported so far. However, the hurricane had killed at least 30 people in Central America before entering the Gulf of Mexico and disrupting oil production. Nate is the fourth major storm to strike the United States in less than two months.

‘US abetting Daesh’: Nasrallah

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement says the US is helping Daesh terrorists in Syria and Iraq. In a speech commemorating fallen resistance commanders, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said US jets support the terrorists by preventing resistance forces from advancing on Daesh hideouts in Syria. The Hezbollah Secretary-General described Daesh as "a nasty cancer" which must be eradicated. Nasrallah said Saudi plots in Syria failed despite hard efforts to provide the terrorists with money and weapons. Hezbollah, at the request of the Syrian government, has assisted Damascus in battling terrorists in the Arab country, since the outbreak of violence more than five years ago.

May defiant

The British Prime Minister says she is resilient despite growing threats to her leadership. Theresa May was speaking to the Sunday Times after facing a coup by former ministers earlier this week. May says she will not hide from a challenge as she fights off a rebellion from lawmakers against her leadership. The British prime minister is reported to be planning to reshuffle her cabinet within weeks and replace Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. A new poll conducted by the Independent has found that the ruling conservatives' popularity rating has fallen against the opposition Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn. Labour is now backed by 42 percent of voters against 37 percent who support Tories.

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