WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, October 19, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, October 20, 2017.

Catalan dispute continues

European Council President Donald Tusk has said the EU cannot resolve Spain's political crisis with Catalonia. Speaking at a news conference during an EU summit in Brussels, Tusk stressed that the bloc’s member states firmly believe there is no room for any kind of mediation in the row between Madrid and Barcelona. He said the issue is not on the Council’s agenda. Tensions have been running high between Madrid and Barcelona since October first, when Catalonia’s regional government defied Spanish authorities by holding a secession referendum. The Spanish government brands the vote as illegal.

May on Brexit

The British prime minister has asked European Union leaders to offer her a Brexit deal that she can sell to her people at home. Theresa May made the appeal at a summit dinner in Brussels, as her counterparts said there were signs of progress in the Brexit negotiations. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wanted a clear deal, highlighting repeated complaints by European leaders that Britain had not clarified what it wanted. European Union leaders also say London’s concessions to ease the fears of the bloc’s citizens living in Britain are not enough. The UK’s opposition party warned earlier that walking out of the talks without a deal would have catastrophic consequences.

Terrorists in Syria to be finished soon: Putin

The Russian president says Moscow supports the Syrian government in its war against terror. Vladimir Putin says the terrorists will soon be defeated in Syria. Putin says despite some setbacks, the Syrian peace process is developing in a positive way. The Russian president says Moscow is worried by the difficult process of communication between Damascus and the opposition. He stresses that there is great mistrust between the warring parties. Putin says there is a risk that the de-escalation zones in Syria may lead to the division of the Arab country. He has added, however, that he hopes the risk can be avoided. Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed in May to create the zones in several areas across the war-torn country in order to reduce fighting.

France slams Israeli settlements

Paris has denounced Tel Aviv’s decision to build some 3,000 new settler units in the occupied West Bank. A French Foreign Ministry statement called on Israel to suspend the decision and to live up to its international obligations. The ministry said Colonization, as recalled in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, was illegal under international law. It also warned that settlement plans had reached an unprecedented level since the beginning of the year. The statement added that the plan sent a very negative signal which could only undermine the confidence required between parties. All Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land are illegal under international law.

US gun culture

A new study has revealed that about three million people in the United States carry a loaded handgun daily, while nine million do so at least once a month. The results show that most of the gun-carriers are young men who cite personal protection as the reason for their habit. The lead author of the study says about 90 percent of all firearm crimes in the US involve a handgun. The researchers say restrictions on carrying handguns have been loosened over the last 30 years. There have been many cases of mass shootings in the US at schools, concerts and workplaces. Earlier this month, a gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, killing nearly 60 people.

The plight of Rohingya refugee kids

The United Nations Children’s Fund has raised the alarm over the plight of Rohingya Muslim kids fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar. Ingram said the health situation of many of the children, even as they arrive in Bangladesh, is pretty desperate. He said one in five Rohingya kids, under the age of five, is acutely malnourished. The UNICEF official hailed the international aid delivered to Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, saying the situation has improved compared to the beginning of the crisis. He, however, warned that without immediate additional funding, the continuation of aid efforts would be impossible. Nearly 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh since August. The mass migration came after the Myanmar army unleashed a brutal crackdown against the minority group.

US racial tensions

Anti-racism activists in the United States have hackled a white supremacist leader during his speech at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Protesters booed and hissed at Richard Spencer, with their chants drowning him out during his speech on Thursday. Hundreds more people also gathered outside the venue carrying signs and chanting slogans such as “No more Spencer”, “Nazi not welcomed here”. The protest came amid simmering racial tensions in the country. The security was tightened in and around the venue amid fears that the event could turn violent. The talk was Spencer's first planned speech on a college campus since a rally led by him and others in Charlottesville, Virginia turned deadly in August. Spencer and his supporters believe the United States belongs only to the White race.

Deadly global pollution

A new report suggests environmental pollution remains one of the world’s biggest killers, with toxic hazards taking at least nine million lives annually. A study released by the Lancet medical journal shows the air and water contamination is causing more deaths than smoking, hunger or natural disasters. It says that pollution-related deaths and diseases cost some four-point-six trillion dollars a year. The study warns that the crisis threatens the survival of human societies. According to the report, the vast majority fatalities occur in Asia and Africa as well as in countries with poor and low incomes. India, where both traditional and modern pollution are severe, has the largest number of pollution deaths. China is second while Russia and the United States are also in the top 10 list.

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