WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, October 8, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, October 9, 2017.

Germany warning

The German Foreign Minister has warned that the world will change if the US president takes a dangerous course to quit the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5-plus-one group of countries. Sigmar Gabriel slammed Donald Trump for trying to replace the rule of law with the law of the strongest. The German minister says his country is concerned about the decision, adding that nothing good would come out of treating Iran as if it was developing nuclear weapons. Trump has hinted that he may decertify the Iran nuclear deal at the next certification date on October 15 over what he calls Iran’s noncompliance. The move has drawn criticism by high ranking US officials and other signatories to the JCPOA who have repeatedly underlined the need to preserve the accord.

Israeli attack

Israeli forces have attacked Islamic resistance movement Hamas targets in the Gaza strip. There are no immediate reports of any casualties. Israeli tanks targeted east of al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Israel says the attack was in response to a rocket fired from Gaza which exploded in an open area. The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli siege since June 2007. The siege has caused a decline in living standards as well as unprecedented unemployment and poverty.

Rohingya crisis

At least two people have died after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar capsized on its way to Bangladesh. Officials said scores were also missing. Border guards said the unseaworthy boat was overloaded with about 100 people when it sank in the Naf River that separates Myanmar from Bangladesh. The overturned vessel is the latest in a series of deadly mishaps at sea involving Rohingya refugees. Over half a million ethnic Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar’s military crackdown since August. The refugees continue to stream into Bangladesh by land and sea amid reports that Myanmar's military and Buddhist mobs have targeted the Rohingya with summary killings and burned their villages. The United Nations has described the violence as "ethnic cleansing".

Turkey-US row

The United States has suspended visa services at its diplomatic missions in Turkey, citing security reasons. The US embassy said the recent events have forced it to reassess the commitment of the government of Turkey to the security of US mission facilities and personnel. This, after Turkish authorities arrested a US consulate employee of Turkish nationality for alleged links to the Gulen movement. US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen has been blamed by Ankara for last summer's failed coup. Washington says it’s deeply disturbed by the arrest. Turkey says it will cease issuing visas to Americans in a tit-for-tat move.

‘Brexit could cost jobs’

The chairman of the Royal Bank of Scotland has warned that Brexit will cause considerable damage to Britain and will result in huge job losses. Howard Davies added that there would be an unavoidable cost as with Brexit, many foreign banks would move some operations out of the UK. He stressed some time had certainly been wasted up to now in negotiations, which hadn’t really got anywhere. He also said signs of the Brexit impact could already be seen with the fall in London property prices. His warning comes as Paris and Berlin are reportedly preparing to reject requests for Brexit talks to move on to a possible transitional arrangement until the so-called divorce bill is settled.

Israeli restrictions

Israeli authorities have closed the Ibrahimi mosque to Muslims worshippers in the occupied West Bank during a Jewish holiday. Palestinian media say the site of the Mosque which is located in the city of al-Khalil also known as Hebron will remain closed to Muslims until late Tuesday. The Muslim call to prayer is also be banned during the shutdown period. Israeli officials cite security reasons for the closure but severe restrictions for Palestinians are typically implemented during Jewish holidays. The Ibrahimi Mosque is believed to be the burial place of prophet Ibrahim and sacred to both Muslims and Jews.

Afghanistan insecurity

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it will drastically reduce its presence in Afghanistan. It says the decision would particularly affect operations in the north, where facilities in Mazar-i-Sharif and Kunduz provinces would be closed or downsized. The ICRC has stressed that it is not leaving Afghanistan. According to the ICRC, the biggest challenge facing the aid group is exposure to risk. The decision follows attacks that have killed seven of staff members of the aid group this year. Four of the group’s staff have also been abducted over the same period. Around 40 percent of Afghanistan’s territory is either controlled or contested by the Taliban and other militant groups.

UK anti-Muslim hate crimes

New figures have revealed that hate crimes targeting UK mosques more than doubled over the past year. Figures obtained from 45 UK police stations say 110 hate crimes were directed at Muslim places of worship between March and July 2017. The figure is up from 47 cases recorded over the same period in 2016. Racist abuse, acts of vandalism at mosques and bomb threats feature heavily among the reports. Smashed windows at mosques, two cases of arson, damage to cars parked outside, graffiti, harassment and other intimidating behavior were all recorded along with physical assaults on Muslims. The British opposition has called the findings deeply troubling while activists say the true scale of the issue is likely to be wider.

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