WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, October 22, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, October 23, 2017.

Kurdistan's Barzani under fire

The main opposition party in the Iraqi Kurdistan's region, the Gorran movement, is calling on Kurdish President Masoud Barzani to stand down. Gorran spokesman Shoresh Haji said Barzani and his deputy Kosrat Rasul no longer had any legitimacy and called for creation of a national salvation government. The calls follow the September 25 secession vote in the region, which the central Iraqi government strongly opposed and described as unconstitutional. The KRG’s defiance to cancel the referendum prompted Baghdad to deploy troops to the disputed Kirkuk region. The tension divided Kurdish politicians and forced the regional parliament to postpone presidential and legislative polls set for November 1. Gorran also wants the dissolution of a body set up to manage the consequences of the September referendum. The body, led by Barzani, is feared to let the embattled leader stay in power even after he leaves his post.

Italy autonomy votes

Campaigners in two wealthy regions of northern Italy have claimed victory in referendums held to gain more autonomy from the central government. Preliminary results show that 90 percent of voters in Lombardy and Veneto have voted yes in the referendums. The regions want to have additional powers and persuade Rome to allow them to keep more of their taxes at home. Lombardy, which is home to Italy's financial capital Milan, and the Veneto region around Venice together account for about 30 percent of Italy’s national wealth. Both regions have long argued that the north is subsidizing the country's not-so-wealthy south.

UK hostage situation

An armed hostage situation in England has come to an end without any fatalities. Earlier on Sunday, a man broke into a bowling alley at Bermuda Leisure Park in Nanewton, central England. Police said the hostages were staff and that the gunman was arrested after police stormed the building. An eyewitness told a local news channel that the suspect was carrying a sawed-off shotgun. Police said on its social media page that the incident was not terrorist-related.

Russia on Iran inspections

The Russian deputy foreign minister has criticized calls for the expansion of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspections to include Iranian military sites. Sergei Ryabkov says the IAEA is not authorized to carry out such inspections. He says a section of the Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA stipulates that the issue is out of the IAEA’s competence. The US has raised pressure on the agency’s inspectors to demand access to Iranian military sites. The Islamic Republic has time and again stressed that it will not allow international inspectors into the country’s military sites.

Nigeria attack

At least 13 people have been killed after three female bombers detonated their explosives in northeastern Nigeria. The attackers set off their explosives in front of a restaurant in the city of Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno state. The attack also wounded 16 other people. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings. But such incidents are mostly blamed on the Boko Haram terror group. More than 20,000 people have been killed and more than two million fled their homes since Boko Haram launched an armed campaign in 2009.

Catalonia crisis

People have taken to the streets of Madrid to protest the Spanish government’s decision to impose direct rule over Catalonia. The pro-independence protesters accused the government of carrying out a coup. On Sunday, Madrid urged Catalans to accept its direct control and ignore instructions from the secessionist leadership in the autonomous region. The Spanish government has resorted to firing the Catalonia government to stop its independence attempts. The decision which will be implemented this week was rejected by Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and triggered a mass protest march in Barcelona. The decision comes two weeks after Catalonia’s independence referendum. Madrid declared the vote illegal and called on Barcelona to annul the results.

US ‘military preparation’

The US air force is reportedly preparing to put its nuclear bombers back on 24-hour ready alert, amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. According to US media, if approved, the fleet of nuclear-armed B-52 bombers will return to a ready-to-fly posture at a base in the state of Louisiana. Army officials have been quoted as saying that the warplanes have not been on such status since the end of the Cold War in 1991. The move comes as tensions continue to simmer between US and North Korea, with President Donald Trump saying all options on the table when it comes to Pyongyang. Over the past months, North Korea has conducted several nuclear and ballistic missile tests in response to what it calls US threats against the country.

Swiss axe attack

A teenager armed with an axe has injured several people in a rampage in Switzerland. The 17-year-old Latvian national carried out the attack at the post office in the northeastern town of Flums. Several people were wounded in the initial attack before the assailant escaped with a stolen car. The attacker later injured another person at a gas station where he was shot by police and apprehended. The police say the incident was not related to terrorism, and that they were gathering information about the assailant.

Aussie refugee crisis

Australia says hundreds of asylum seekers are refusing to leave a Pacific detention center which is set to be closed by the government. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection says over 600 asylum seekers refuse to leave the Manus camp in Papua New Guinea. The government has planned to move the refugees to the Lorengau Refugee Transit center. Right groups, however, say the asylum seekers fear for their life in Lorengau, where they are reportedly threatened by locals. Canberra’s decision comes after Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court declared the Manus detention center as illegal, and ordered for its closure. Australia blocks asylum seekers arriving by boat, and in return, send them to offshore facilities on Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk