WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, January 2, 2017.

Iran unrest supporters

The spokesman for the Iranian government has condemned the US and Israel’s support for recent violent protests in the country. Mohammad Baqer Nobakht has said nobody can doubt the animosity of Washington and Tel Aviv toward the Islamic Republic. Nobakht said the US president praises and enjoys violent protests in the country. The Iranian official noted that violence is different from criticism and that all citizens have the right to protest and express their criticism under the country’s Constitution. Several Iranian cities have been the scene of street protests in recent days, with people calling on authorities to resolve economic problems. Some of the rallies turned violent after protesters went on rampage at some places. At least ten people, including a member of the security forces, have been killed in the unrest.

Saudi war on Yemen

Saudi fighter jets have conducted new airstrikes in Yemen, killing at least eight people in the northern province of Sa’ada. One of the air raids hit a vehicle on a road leading to a border area with Saudi Arabia, killing seven people. Saudi warplanes also carried out an airstrike on another area of the province, killing one person. The attacks come a day after 26 Yemenis lost their lives in the air raids on the province of Hudaydah. Saudi Arabia and its allies started their deadly war campaign against Yemen in March 2015. At least 13,700 Yemenis, mostly civilians, have lost their lives since then.

Israeli ambitions

Israel further complicates the provision of handing over parts of Jerusalem al-Quds to Palestinians, who want the city’s east as the capital of their future independent state. The Knesset set a higher threshold for any vote on the issue by passing an amendment to the existing legislation. The amendment raises the number of votes required for the approval of any such proposal from 61 to 80 in the 120-seat Knesset. The decision comes less than a month after US President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem al-Quds as the Israeli capital. The move sparked global outrage. The UN resoundingly rejected the policy in a General Assembly vote. Palestinians want the occupied West Bank as part of a future independent state, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

Enemy plots against Iran

The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution says the country’s enemies are exploiting every opportunity to deal a blow to the nation. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei praised tens of thousands of people who got martyred during the eight year war imposed against Iran in the 80s. He said martyrs made great sacrifices to stop the enemy which was supported by Western and Eastern powers as well as some reactionary Arab regimes of the region. The leader mentioned the saddening situation which some Middle Eastern and North African countries are entangled with. He noted that the enemies would have had no mercy on Iranian people if they had been allowed to enter the country.

Call for anti-Israel protests

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has called for the escalation of anti-Israel protests after the Knesset passed a controversial bill on Jerusalem al-Quds. Hamas has slammed Tel Aviv’s racist and extremist policies. It says the measure approved is in continuation of a series of attacks on the holy city and the Palestinians. Hamas stresses that Israel is falsifying history and realities with its claims on Jerusalem al-Quds. The Knesset has given final approval to legislation aimed at making it more difficult to hand the Palestinians parts of the holy city under any future peace deal. The amendment raises the number of votes required for the approval of any such proposal from 61 to 80. This less than a month after Donald Trump recognized al-Quds as Israel's capital.

Saudi repression

UN experts have urged Saudi Arabia to stop repressing rights activists. United Nations human rights experts want Riyadh to release dozens of human rights defenders detained merely for peacefully exercising their civil and political rights. In a statement, the experts decried what they called a worrying pattern of widespread and systematic arbitrary arrests and detentions by the kingdom. They criticized Riyadh for the explicit violation of rights to assembly, association and belief. International rights groups have also repeatedly condemned the Saudis for cracking down on freedom of expression, persecuting the Shia minority and systematic discrimination against women.

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