WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, May 19, 2017 to 0800 GMT, May 20, 2018.

Yemen's retaliatory attacks

Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters have launched a missile attack on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for Riyadh’s military campaign. According to Yemeni forces, a home-made Badr-one ballistic missile has been fired at a military base in Saudi Arabia’s Asir region. No details have been released about the possible casualties or damage. The Saudi military says it has intercepted the missile. Riyadh started a war on its southern neighbor in March 2015 to reinstate former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi. The campaign has killed over 14,300 Yemenis, mostly civilians.

Venezuela denounces US

Venezuela has accused the United States of using new sanctions against its government's top officials to sabotage Sunday’s presidential election. In a statement, President Nicolas Maduro's government called the sanctions part of "a systematic campaign of aggression" by President Donald Trump's administration and said they had no legal base. The US Treasury on Friday imposed sanctions on three top figures of Venezuela’s ruling party. Washington accused Maduro of profiting from illegal drug trade. The US has also applied sanctions on dozens of top Venezuelan officials over alleged human rights abuses over the past months. But Caracas says the measures are solely an attempt to weaken the anti-US socialists and help Venezuela’s pro-US opposition take power.

Greece's reform deal

The European Commission says Greece has reached a deal with its international lenders on a package of reforms. The Commission said Greece would present the reforms at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers, known as the Eurogroup, on May 24. The European Commission added that Greece would implement the reforms ahead of another meeting on June 21. The country is close to coming out of a debt crisis that plunged the economy into its biggest depression in decades. It has received a record 260 billion euros in repeated bailouts since 2010.

'Saudi, UAE offered Trump help to win elections'

A report has revealed that an emissary for Saudi Arabia and the UAE attended a meeting in New York some two years ago to influence the US presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. According to New York Times, the meeting took place at Trump Tower in August 2016. The emissary told Trump’s eldest son that the two Persian Gulf nations were eager to help his father win the election as president. The report said the envoy was quickly embraced as a close ally by Trump campaign advisers. This is while it is illegal for foreign governments or individuals to be involved in American elections. The emissary was also promoting a secret plan to use private contractors to destabilize Iran. An Israeli specialist in social media manipulation was also present at the meeting.

DR Congo Ebola fears

Border inspectors at an airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have started screening passengers as fears over an outbreak of Ebola grow. Officials say three cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the northwestern city of Mban-daka. The government has also put in place safety measures that involve testing travelers’ body temperature. Residents say they are worried about the disease and are constantly washing their hands and avoiding physical contact.

Venezuela election

People in Venezuela are set to cast their ballots in the country’s presidential election. Voting has started for Venezuelan expats in several countries, beginning with Australia, China, India and Malaysia. In Venezuela, polls will open at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday with millions of voters expected to partake. The Venezuelan president has promised to respect the election results, no matter the outcome. Nicolas Maduro has also called on his main opponent, Henri Falcon, to do the same. Falcon broke off from the mainstream opposition coalition to challenge the incumbent president. Opposition hardliners have boycotted the vote, calling it unfair and rigged. Maduro seeks a second six-year term with polls projecting a possible victory for the socialist leader.

China-US trade ties

The US and China have issued a joint statement on their recent economic talks, pledging not to engage in a trade war. The statement said they have reached a deal to reduce Washington’s trade deficit with Beijing. This will significantly increase China’s imports of US-made products and services. The deal came after high-level talks in Washington between delegations led by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and China's Vice Premier Liu He. The Chinese negotiator later confirmed the agreement as a necessity, but warned that solving the structural problems in mutual trade relations will take time. The world’s two leading economies are locked in a trade dispute after Washington imposed tariffs on imports, which were directly aimed at China. Since then, Beijing has imposed its own tariffs on US goods.

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