WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

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

Dire situation in Yemen

The UN Security Council has expressed grave concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in war-torn Yemen. A statement approved Thursday by the 15-member council cited indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas, with large numbers of civilian casualties and damage to Yemen’s infrastructure. The statement noted that the number of Yemenis in need of assistance has increased by 3.4 million since last year. It also calls for the full opening of all Yemeni ports and its main airport for humanitarian and commercial imports, including food, fuel and medicine. The statement comes as Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen lingers on with no end in sight. Nearly three years of Saudi bombardments and a crippling blockade have been taking their toll on Yemeni civilians.

New anti-Russia sanctions

The United States has announced new sanctions on Russia over its alleged interference in America’s 2016 presidential election and in cyber-attacks. The sanctions were announced by the US Treasury Department. They target several entities including Russia’s Federal Security Service. The US has also sanctioned 19 Russian individuals and several groups including 13 people who were charged in February by Special Counsel Robert Mueller over the 2016 presidential vote. The Treasury Department says the sanctions are aimed at countering Russia’s destabilizing activities. The Kremlin has vowed to hit back. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov says Moscow is preparing retaliatory measures. He said the Trump administration timed the sanctions to come ahead of this weekend's presidential election in Russia. US intelligence agencies claim Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential campaign using hacking and propaganda. Moscow has strongly denied the accusations.

Arrest of Saudi royal in Paris

France has issued an arrest warrant for the sister of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on suspicion of ordering her bodyguard to beat up a designer at her Paris apartment. According to an AFP source that confirms a report by Le Point magazine, the mandate against Hassa bint Salman was issued in late December. The designer was hired in September 2016 to carry out some decorating work at the princess's apartment, in western Paris. He is said to have enraged the princess by taking photographs of the place. She accused the decorator of scheming to sell the pictures to the media. The worker claims that the bodyguard punched him in the face, and he was forced to kiss Hassa bint Salman’s feet. The bodyguard was charged with armed violence and issuing death threats. The Saudi king’s daughter has reportedly fled Paris.

New pledge for UNRWA

The United Nations has received pledges from donor countries of nearly 100 million dollars in new funding for its refugee agency working for Palestinians, also known as UNRWA. According to UN sources, the countries providing the new aid include Qatar, Canada, Switzerland, Turkey, India and France. UN chief, Antonio Guterres, has hailed the funding pledge but said there’s a long way to fully fund UNRWA which is still facing a nearly 350 million dollar deficit this year. Thursday’s donor meeting in Rome came after the US slashed its aid to the UN agency. Washington’s move came after Palestinians condemned President Donald Trump’s administration over its recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital. Meanwhile, Palestinians who are angry over the US aid cut have held a rally in support of UNRWA in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Refugees suing Washington

A group of migrants seeking asylum in the United States have sued the government over unfairly keeping them in custody. The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and immigrant rights groups on behalf of nine migrants. The lawsuit alleges that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement is violating the US constitution and the agency’s own policy guidelines by refusing to release most of the immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department declined to comment on the issue. Under the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s directive, border-crossers applying for asylum can be released from detention on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian reasons.

Reaffirming Syria sovereignty

Iran, Russia, and Turkey say the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria must not undermine the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The foreign ministers of the three countries made the call in a joint statement following their meeting on the Syrian crisis in the Kazakhstan capital Astana. They expressed their determination to continue coordinated efforts in reducing violence and fighting terrorism in Syria. The top diplomats of Russia, Turkey, and Iran then urged further cooperation for paving the way for a political settlement to the Syrian conflict. The present round of talks in Astana was also held to prepare for a heads-of-state summit on the Syrian crisis in the coming months.

Russian response to US

Moscow says it will formulate an appropriate response to new US sanctions on a series of Russian organizations and individuals. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergey Ryabkov, said Moscow would expand its black list of Americans in response to the sanctions. Ryabkov said Moscow wants to maintain dialog with Washington, but he did not rule out extra measures by the Kremlin. Ryabkov added that there are certain individuals in the US who are trying to destroy relations with Russia, warning them against playing with fire. On Thursday, the United States announced a set of sanctions on Russia over its alleged interference in the country’s 2016 presidential election and cyber-attacks. Moscow has strongly denied the accusations.

Anniversary of US massacre in Vietnam

People in Vietnam commemorate the 50th anniversary of the My Lai Massacre, in which the United States killed hundreds of men and women during the Vietnam War back in the 1960s. Hundreds of Vietnamese men and women, along with a number of US war veterans, made it to My Lai Massacre memorial in the country’s Guang Nay province a day before the event. Survivors of the mass killing still have vivid recollection of the tragedy.

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