WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, May 31, 2018 to 0800 GMT, June 1, 2018.

US veto threat

The United States says it will unquestionably veto a United Nation’s draft resolution that calls for the protection of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, described the Kuwait-proposed draft resolution as a grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt. The UN Security Council was scheduled to vote on the draft resolution Thursday but decided to delay voting after Washington said it sought changes to the proposal. Diplomats say Palestinians may turn to the UN General Assembly if the draft resolution is opposed by the US. The draft resolution comes after an exchange of fire between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip this week that was the worst flare-up since 2014.

Countering US tariffs

Washington’s key trade partners have strongly condemned the US decision to impose hefty tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum. French President Emmanuel Macron says the US import duties are illegal and a mistake. German Chancellor Angela Merkel condemns the decision as illegal. She says the move risks sparking a disastrous spiral of retaliatory measures. Merkel says the European Union is ready for appropriate countermeasures. The UK says it’s deeply disappointed, adding that European countries are close allies of the US and should be fully exempted from the tariffs. Canada and Mexico have already announced measures to hit back.

Italy politics

Italy’s political crisis seems to be close to an end as President Sergio Mattarella has given prime-minister designate Giuseppe Conte a second government mandate after Sunday’s rejection of his proposed cabinet. Conte has already presented his list of ministers and is set to be sworn in on Friday afternoon. From Rome, Press TV’s Max Civili has the details.

EU slams Israel

The European Union has urged Israel to reconsider its decision to demolish a Palestinian Bedouin village in the occupied West Bank. The EU said in a statement that the demolition undermines "prospects for a lasting peace." It added that expanding settlements will complicate solution to the conflict. The statement warned Israel about the reality of unequal rights, perpetual occupation and conflict on the occupied lands. It also blamed Israel for violating international law saying the EU expects the Israeli authorities to reconsider and reverse decisions to evict, demolish and confiscate Palestinian homes.

Fending off US sanctions

The French foreign minister has called for the creation of mechanisms other than the dollar to help firms doing business with Iran after the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. Jean-Yves Le Drian stresses that such mechanisms help Tehran export its oil. He says the EU has already made progress to protect the bloc’s companies from US sanctions on Iran. US President, Donald Trump, announced Washington’s pullout from the nuclear deal in May. He pledged to reinstate nuclear sanctions on Tehran and impose what he called the highest level of economic bans on the Islamic Republic. Tehran says it only stays in the deal if the remaining signatories to the agreement give guarantees that the accord benefits Iran economically.

Spain no-confidence motion

Parliamentary debates continue in Spain for the second day, as the country’s lawmakers prepare to vote on a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The vote was proposed by the opposition Socialists following a corruption scandal involving the prime minister’s People’s Party. Rajoy’s chance of surviving the vote was minimized on Thursday after the Basque Nationalist Party said it would support the motion. The announcement gave Socialist leader, Pedro Sanchez, more than the absolute majority to take power immediately after Rajoy. Sanchez says the prime minister has failed to take responsibility for his party’s corruption scandal that includes charges of money laundering and tax crimes. On Thursday, he asked Rajoy to resign, but the embattled premier refused to do so. Rajoy accuses Sanchez of using the motion to propel himself into government without an election.

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