WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, June 15, 2018 to 0800 GMT, June 16, 2018.

EU refugee row

The French president has criticized the European countries' handling of the refugee crisis, calling for further cooperation on the issue. Emmanuel Macron was speaking alongside the visiting Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Paris. Meanwhile Conte called for adopting measures aimed at speeding up the assessment of asylum requests throughout the continent.

‘Deal with Daesh’

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria have reportedly released Europeans captured allegedly fighting for Daesh back to the terrorist group. According to the Daily Telegraph, the SDF agreed to exchange prisoners with the Takfiri group under secret exchange deals. The British daily says French and German nationals were among those exchanged under the deals in 2018. It says the SDF has currently three British prisoners who could potentially be involved in future exchanges. The SDF has captured several Daesh terrorists in recent months in Syria.

Nicaragua crisis

Nicaragua has resumed talks with opposition groups to end the country's political deadlock and two months of deadly demonstrations. Previous talks were suspended after rights groups accused Nicaraguan security forces of opening fire on thousands of demonstrators during a truce. The government also rejected a church proposal to allow international inspectors to investigate the killings of the protesters during the rallies. The opposition groups say that President Daniel Ortega has established an autocratic government. Ortega, however, rejects the allegations. He says the rallies are a conspiracy led by the opposition in order to terrorize people. Nicaragua has been the scene of violent protests since April. The demonstrations have so far left some 165 people dead.

US immigration policy

US authorities have separated about 2,000 children from their migrant parents who illegally crossed the country's southern border over a recent six-week period. The family separations took place between April nineteen and May 31. A spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security says the minors were held in decent conditions while the detained parents were awaiting adjudication and possible prosecution. The official says the process can take several weeks. The Republican-led House of Representatives is struggling to craft a viable immigration plan that may be put to the vote next week. The controversial practice of separating families at the border has earned the administration of Donald Trump a firestorm of rebukes. The president blames the situation on Democrats.

US goods boycott

A new opinion poll shows seventy percent of Canadians support a boycott on US-made products amid a simmering trade dispute with Washington. A boycott will be difficult, but hugely damaging, as Canada is the biggest market for US-made goods. The study found that a majority of respondents in both the US and Canada back the Canadian premier’s position in the standoff. The poll also showed eight in ten Canadians support Justine Trudeau’s threat to retaliate against US tariffs on imports of Canadian steel and aluminum. Trudeau has denounced the new tariffs as insulting. He has also criticized US President Donald Trump for his push to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Iran nuclear deal

The Chinese foreign minister says dialogue and cooperation, not sanctions, are the key to maintaining the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Wang Yi made the remarks at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Chavushoglu in Beijing. Wang added that the Iran nuclear deal, also known as JCPOA, has played an effective role in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East. He stressed that there’s no reason to disturb the integrity and sanctity of this international accord. The top Chinese diplomat noted that Beijing has always maintained transparent cooperation with Tehran. He expressed hope that such a mutually beneficial cooperation could be continued without any disturbance.

Trump-Russia collusion probe

One of US President Donald Trump’s former advisers and campaign managers is now in jail. The sentencing comes as more suspicions are being raised about the Trump presidency. Press TV correspondent Colin Campbell has the latest.

South Africa power outages

South Africa suffers power outages for a second day as workers protest over wages at national electricity provider Eskom. Eskom said it is implementing outages because of what it called an illegal protest action by some of its employees. It added that there is a high risk of further power cuts over the weekend. The company started the outages on Thursday after it said protesters had blocked trucks carrying coal and buses ferrying staff to power stations. Labor unions want a 15 percent pay rise. The dispute comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa seeks to cut costs at struggling state companies.

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