WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, May 20, 2018.

‘Practical steps needed’ to keep JCPOA: Iran

The Iranian foreign minister calls on the EU to take more practical steps to keep the Iran nuclear deal. Mohamamd Javad Zarif was speaking with the EU’s energy commissioner in Tehran. He said the EU must do more than lending political support to the nuclear agreement. Zarif added that one way to preserve the accord would be increasing investments in Iran. Miguel Arias Canete said the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal has caused problems for Europe. He noted that the EU is determined to work with Iran to keep the deal.

No to US stance

The French finance minister has urged Europe not to allow the United States to be the economic policeman of the world. Bruno Le Maire said the European response must be clearly NO to Washington’s economic stance. He was reacting to US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw his country from the Iran nuclear deal and impose sanctions against European companies doing businesses with Iran. The French minister said Paris is making proposals to strengthen the European economic sovereignty. He added that France is looking at possible ways that the EU can use to compensate firms facing US sanctions over Iran. Le Maire was referring to the 1996 statute which he said could allow the bloc to intervene to protect European companies against any US sanctions.

China military deployment

China says it has landed bombers on islands and reefs in the disputed South China Sea as part of a training exercise. Beijing has made the announcement in a notice published on its air force micro blogging website. The notice describes the exercise as preparation for the “battle for the South China Sea”. It does not, however, mention the exact location of the drill. Meanwhile, the United States has dispatched warships to disputed areas of the South China Sea to challenge China's extensive sovereignty claims in the territory. Washington says it's committed to what it calls a free and open Indo-Pacific. Similarly, Philippine opposition lawmakers condemned what they called China's militarization of the region.

Venezuela vote

Polls have opened in Venezuela in the country’s presidential election. Millions of voters are expected to cast their ballots despite harsh economic conditions and foreign pressure. Authorities have tightened up security across the country to ensure a peaceful voting process. 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, a former army officer, 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.

Iraq post-election talks

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has met with Moqtada al-Sadr, whose political bloc came in first in the country’s parliamentary elections. According to Abadi, the two agreed on speeding up the process of forming a new government. He also said that they will work together and other parties in the process. Sadr, for his part, noted that he is open to any coalition as long as the aim is building Iraq, based on an Iraqi decision. Sadr’s bloc is hugely short of a majority, holding less than a sixth of Iraq’s parliamentary seats. To be able to enter the government, he needs to form a coalition large enough to secure a parliamentary majority. He also cannot become prime minister as he did not run for the parliament himself.

Summit preparations

Leaders of South Korea and the US have discussed North Korea's threats to scrap a planned summit with Washington in a phone conversation. According to South Korea’s presidential office, Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump exchanged views on various actions taken recently by the North. Seoul said the two leaders agreed to work closely for the success of the landmark summit planned for June 12 in Singapore. Last week, Pyongyang also canceled high-level talks with Seoul over its joint military exercises with Washington. North Korea views such drills as a provocation and a rehearsal for invasion. The US, however, threatened the North with a Libya-model intervention if Pyongyang refused a deal with Washington.

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