WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, November 15, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, November 16, 2017.

Trump on the cusp of impeachment?

Democratic representatives have submitted articles of impeachment to the US Congress to remove President Donald Trump from office. The articles of impeachment include obstruction of justice, violation of the Constitution, undermining the independence of the federal judiciary, and undermining freedom of the press. The Tennessee congressman insisted that even if the effort fails, the signatory representatives will hold briefings on the charges to enlighten the American public. Trump has had his first term marred by a range of controversial decisions such as firing the former FBI director. The US president is also haunted by an investigation into alleged collusion with Russia during his election campaign in 2016.

Saudi Yemen blockade

The United Nations has warned that Yemen’s hospitals are running low on fuel. The world body says fuel supplies needed to run hospital generators and pump clean water will run out in less than three weeks unless the Saudi-led coalition lifts its blockade. Yemen has expressed regret over the UN Security Council’s failure to adopt a firm decision to end the Saudi blockade on the Arab country. Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights said, in a statement, that the world body’s inability to put an end to Riyadh’s blockade is embarrassing and questions the council’s role in supporting global peace and security. The Ministry says the world body’s inaction amounts to a green light for the Saudi-led coalition to press ahead with attacks on Yemen and prompts Riyadh to violate international law.

Nigeria violence

Suicide bombers have killed at least a dozen people in multiple attacks in northeastern Nigeria. Around 30 others were also wounded when two men and two women blew themselves up in a busy neighborhood of the city of Maiduguri. Some reports say all the attackers were women. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombings. But the attacks bear the hallmarks of the Boko Haram terror group. More than 20,000 people have been killed since Boko Haram’s militancy began in Nigeria and several neighboring countries in 2009.

‘Genocide’ in Myanmar

A human rights organization has unveiled dreadful truths about the Myanmar army’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims. According to a report by Fortify Rights, Myanmar's security forces have slit the throats of Rohingya Muslims and burned them alive. The report has documented widespread and systematic attacks on the minority group. It also said there is mounting evidence to prove that Myanmar’s army has committed genocide against the Rohingya. The United Nations has described Myanmar's heavy-handed crackdown on the world’s most-persecuted minority group as ethnic cleansing.

Anti-Muslim attacks in US

A report suggests that physical assaults against Muslims in the US have for the first time surpassed those recorded in the year after the 9/11 attacks. The report was published by the Pew Research Center, which is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington. It says 127 attacks against Muslims were reported in 2016 compared with 91 cases in the year before showing a rise of 40 percent. According to the report, 93 of such incidents had been reported in the wake of the September 11 attacks of 2001. Reports of hate crimes and racially-motivated violence against minorities have increased in the US since Donald Trump took office in January.

Protest against UK budget plans

Thousands of students have taken into the streets in London to protest the government’s budget plans. Young people from all over Britain called for free education days before budget discussions by the government. The demonstrators demanded that education be funded by higher taxes on the wealthy. They also called for the abolition of tuition fees. The opposition Labor Party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, encouraged participation in the protest in a prerecorded message. Corbyn accused Tories of betraying young people by making unprecedented cuts to further education. Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has announced that the government will publish its Autumn Budget on November 22.

Japan-US drills

Japan and the US begin a joint naval exercise off Okinawa Island amid escalating tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. The US Navy says the 10-day drill is designed to increase the defensive readiness of Japanese and American forces through training in air and sea operations. A US aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyers have taken part in the exercise. The US also held rare joint drills in the western Pacific, with the Japanese and South Korean navies over the weekend. Such war games by the US have constantly caused tensions with North Korea which have escalated over the past months. The North sees the exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion of the country.

Puigdemont to return to take part in polls

The deposed leader of Catalonia, who’s absconded to Belgium, says he will run for the region’s upcoming parliamentary elections, wishing to return to Spain afterwards. Carles Puigdemont will also propose a list of candidates from his Democratic Party of Catalonia as well as some independents. Puigdemont and four former Cabinet members are facing an extradition hearing on Friday that could send them back to Spain. The officials are accused of rebellion and sedition over their role in the independence referendum held in Catalonia in October. Catalan parliamentarians voted to declare independence following the vote, sending the region into an ongoing deadlock with the central government.

No to the far right

Thousands of Austrians have staged a demonstration in the capital to voice their protest against the formation of a government that includes a far-right group. The protesters gathered in Vienna’s government district, holding candles, torches and even bicycle lamps. They warned authorities against the appointment of right-wing extremists in government positions. The demonstrators said they don’t want extremists in power.

Korean Peninsula tensions

A high-ranking South Korean official has warned the US against attacking North Korea. Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of South Korea's ruling party, says the US must avoid taking military action against the North without Seoul's consent. She stressed the need to find a peaceful solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Choo is in Washington to meet senior US officials. US president Donald Trump has repeatedly lashed out at North Korea amid escalating tensions in the region. On Wednesday Trump once again emphasized that he is not taking any option, including the use of force, off the table vis-à-vis Pyongyang.

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