WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, April 19, 2018 to 08:00 GMT, April 20, 2018.

Iran warns of 'unpleasant' response to US withdrawal form Iran deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has embarked on a six-day trip to New York to attend a high-level meeting on peace at the United Nations headquarters. During his visit to the US, Zarif will also take part in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations. Our UN correspondent Susan Modarres has more.

US aims to expand sale of arms

The administration of US President Donald Trump has introduced an overhaul of the country’s arms export policy to increase sales to Washington’s allies. The administration says the new policy will bolster the US military industry and create employment opportunities for Americans. One of the aims is to speed up arms deals and increase the role of senior US officials, including Trump himself, in closing foreign contracts. The new policy also reduces the weight attached to human rights in military deals. Top US military contractors are among the most likely beneficiaries of the relaxation of rules. The United States is currently under fire for selling weapons to Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are widely criticized for human rights violations in their military adventures.

Yemen humanitarian crisis

The United Nations has expressed concern about restrictions on imports to Yemen and called for the normalization of commercial shipments into the country’s Hudaydah port. Rights groups are also calling on Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade on the strategic port and allow humanitarian aid to enter the country. As our correspondent Mohamed al-Attab reports the blockade has cost some 3500 dock workers their livelihoods.

Ex-FBI head memos

The US Justice Department has handed over partially redacted memos of former FBI director, James Comey, to Congress. The memos include documentation of several conversations Comey had with President Donald Trump from January to April 2017. According to the documents, Trump repeatedly raised concern about the judgment of his former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, weeks before forcing him to resign. It also recounts in detail efforts by Trump to influence the bureau’s expanding investigation of alleged Russian meddling in the US presidential election. Trump, in his Twitter page, slammed Comey for leaking classified information. He wrote that the memos show clearly that there was “no collusion and no obstruction.”

Nigeria protest

Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria have staged another protest rally over the continued detention of their leader Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky. The 64-year-old cleric has been held in custody despite a 2016 court ruling that ordered his immediate release. From the Nigerian capital Abuja, Press TV’s Danjuma Abdullahi now reports.

UN Israel call

Palestinians have staged another rally along the buffer zone dividing the Gaza Strip and Israeli-occupied territories, calling for the recognition of their right to self-determination. The so-called Great March of Return is being held for the fourth Friday in a row amid deadly Israeli crackdown. Over the past weeks, Israeli forces have killed 35 Palestinians and injured thousands of others during the protests in Gaza. In reaction, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, has called for restraint in Israeli use of force. McGoldrick says international law requires protection of demonstrators. He also called for urgent funding to meet critical humanitarian needs in Gaza.

Rohingya refugees plight in India

A pall of gloom and fear has descended on Rohingya refugees in the Jammu region of Indian controlled Kashmir. The mistreated Muslim refugees are facing high communal tension and growing calls for their deportation. Press TV's Syed Ali Safvi has visited the Rohingya camps in Jammu and filed this report.

US gun culture

Mass school shootings in the US have killed more people in the past two decades than in the entire 20th century. A study by researchers at California’s Clemson University shows 22 mass shootings left 66 people dead since 2000. This is while the same number of mass shootings killed just 55 people over the last century. The study also found an alarming trend with more shootings being perpetrated by adolescents. It said the trend has to do with easier access to guns and more common mental health issues. The study called for tackling what it called the gun violence epidemic in the US. School shootings constitute only a fraction of over 30,000 gun-related annual deaths in the US.

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