WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, March 16, 2018 to 08:00 GMT, March 17, 2018.

Russia warns Israel

Russia has warned Israel after Tel Aviv joined an anti-Moscow campaign over the recent poisoning attack on a former Russian double agent in the UK. In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Israel told the regime not to be drawn into a renewed anti-Russian hysteria campaign. The statement came after the Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned the Kremlin over the attack. Britain and its Western allies have blamed Russia for the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia which happened on March four in the city of Salisbury. Russia denies any involvement in the incident. London and Moscow have resorted to retaliatory measures against each other over the issue.

Iran says EU supports JCPOA

Iran’s deputy foreign minister says the European parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement strongly support it and want Iran to benefit from the deal. Abbas Araqchi said this was reiterated in the final statement of the Joint Commission on the agreement held on Friday. Araqchi, who represented Iran in the commission, also mentioned the reports that Europe is considering anti-Iran sanctions over the country’s missile program. He said any sanctions that bring back the ones removed under the nuclear accord or undermine the agreement’s effectiveness will go against the Europeans’ pledges in the commission’s meeting. Araqchi noted that any move to appease the US will be a big mistake and will affect the very existence of the nuclear agreement. He also said there is no way forward for keeping the nuclear deal except pushing the US to honor its commitments.

US-China row

Despite opposition from China, the US president signs a controversial bill that would allow American officials to travel to Taiwan for high-level visits. The White House has confirmed the signing of the bill which is non-binding. It also said the measure, passed unanimously by Congress, would have gone into effect without President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Earlier on Friday, China which regards Taiwan as one of its provinces, expressed disappointment at the legislation, urging the US to abide by the one-China policy.

China’s president reelected

In China, lawmakers have unanimously re-elected President Xi Jinping for a second five-year term. Xi received a standing ovation after winning all 2,970 votes at the annual session of the National People's Congress. In 2013, he received 2,952 votes, which was a 99.86 percent share. The Chinese lawmakers also elevated Xi’s former anti-corruption chief, Wang Qishan, to the vice presidency. Earlier, China’s parliament approved the removal of the two-term limit on the presidency, effectively allowing Xi to remain in power for life.

Ex-FBI No. 2 fired

The US attorney general has dismissed former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe who was one of the agency's investigators, looking into allegations of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 US election. Jeff Sessions said investigators concluded that McCabe made an unauthorized disclosure to the news media and lacked candor including under oath on multiple occasions. Sessions was referring to a 2016 news report that revealed disputes between the FBI and justice department over the agency's investigation of democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. McCabe’s dismissal came a few days before his 50th birthday when he would have been eligible to retire with his full pension. McCabe, who stepped down in January and took a leave of absence, called the firing part of the administration's ongoing war on the FBI.

Pro-Rohingya rally in Sydney

People in the Australian city of Sydney have staged a protest to denounce the Myanmar army’s ongoing crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims. The demonstrators called on Myanmar to end its rights abuses and violations against the persecuted Muslim community. They also also expressed anger at the presence of Myanmar’s de facto leader in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN summit, in Australia. Meanwhile, the Australian attorney general says Canberra cannot prosecute Myanmar’s de facto leader for crimes against humanity because she enjoys diplomatic immunity. Christian Porter’s comment comes after several Australian lawyers filed a lawsuit seeking prosecution of Suu Kyi while she is in Australia for the summit. The lawyers said Myanmar’s leader must be tried for crimes committed against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Eurozone reform roadmap

With the German government brought back to stability, France has put the long-running question of EU reforms back on the table. The two nations' leaders met in Paris, but France's proposed changes appeared to get a frosty welcome from the German side. Press TV correspondent Ramin Mazaheri has more on the story.

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