WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, February 15, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, February 16, 2018.

US Syria occupation

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has slammed the presence of American forces near the town of al-Tanf in southeastern Syria. Maria Zakharova says US forces continue to occupy a 55-kilometer zone, adding that the area has become a shelter for the remaining members of Daesh. She says US forces have started almost open confrontation with the Syrian army on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River. The Syrian government has repeatedly called on the US and its allies to withdraw their forces from its soil. Since September 2014, the US-led coalition has carried out regular airstrikes in Syria without an authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

US travel ban 'unconstitutional'

A US federal court has ruled that President Donald Trump's travel ban on citizens of six Muslim-majority countries is unconstitutional. The US Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia rejected the travel ban, as discriminatory against Muslims because of their religion. It said the ban is tainted with animus toward Islam. Meanwhile, the US Supreme Court has already agreed to hear the travel ban case in April. The apex Court in December let the order go into full effect while legal challenges by some states continue. Trump has said the ban is a legitimate measure to protect national security. The executive order, which has been revised three times, mainly targets citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.

Ethiopia politics

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has stepped down. In a televised speech, Desalegn said he made the decision to help the implementation of reforms following years of violent unrest in Ethiopia. The 52-year old politician noted that the country’s political crisis has led to the loss of lives and the displacement of many people. He expressed hope that his resignation will result in lasting peace and democracy. Desalegn also resigned as chairman of the ruling coalition that contains four parties representing Ethiopia's ethnic groups. The violence ravaging the country over the past few years has harmed foreign investor confidence. Ethiopia is East Africa’s largest economy.

Israel's Gaza siege

The Gaza Strip’s sole power generating plant has stopped working due to lack of fuel, further exacerbating the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory. Press TV’s Gaza correspondent Ashraf Shannon brings us more details in the following report.

US school massacre

A rights group says Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz was a member of a white supremacist group. The Anti-Defamation League says Cruz had joined the military-style exercises of the shadowy Republic of Florida group near Tallahassee, Florida. Meanwhile, an FBI agent has said that the bureau was warned last year about an ominous online comment by the 19-year-old suspect but was unable to locate him. Cruz, who opened fire at a high school in Florida on Wednesday, has been charged with 17 counts of murder. Police say the shooter had been expelled from the school due to unspecified disciplinary reasons. Students who knew Cruz described him as volatile and creepy. US President Donald Trump ordered flags at embassies, government buildings and military installations at half-staff following the deadly incident.

US immigration bill downed

The US administration has slammed Democratic lawmakers following the Senate’s failure to pass a bipartisan plan that would protect young undocumented immigrants from being deported. The White House says the democrats are not serious about finding a path to legal status for nearly two million young adults brought to the US as kids, also known as Dreamers. This, as senators failed to muster enough support for four proposals including the one backed by President Donald Trump and two bipartisan measures. The failed votes came after Trump slammed the leading bipartisan proposal as a total catastrophe. The US president had previously said any immigration bill to protect Dreamers should include funds to build a border wall with Mexico, end the visa lottery program and impose curbs on visas for the families of legal immigrants.

War crimes in Afghanistan

A human rights group says the International Criminal Court has received over one million statements of alleged war crimes from Afghan citizens. The organization of Human Rights and Eradication of Violence made the report, saying the data were collected during three months. The head of the group says each of the 1.7 million statements include multiple victims so the number of individuals seeking justice could be several million. The Taliban and the US-led coalition are among the main groups being accused. The ICC was established in 2002 with a mission to investigate war crime allegations across the globe. The body can only look into cases in Afghanistan after May 2003, when the country signed the treaty which established the court.

Trumpian reaction

US President Donald Trump has blamed the Florida school shooting on the issue of mental health, refusing to address gun control. The US president went on to call the suspect of the incident as “mentally disturbed” and emphasized the importance of reporting such instances. He did not, however, comment on the suspect’s alleged links to a white supremacist group. Trump also avoided to respond to growing calls for tighter gun control measures. Meanwhile, thousands of people gathered at a park in Florida for a candlelight vigil in honor of the 17 victims killed in the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School. Many expressed their disbelief over the fact that a troubled teen with reported expressions of violence in the past was able to legally buy a gun from a local store.

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