WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

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

Putin US visit?

US President Donald Trump has asked his administration to invite his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to visit Washington later this year. In a tweet, White House Press Secretary, Sarah Sanders, said Trump asked his national security adviser, John Bolton, to extend the invitation to Putin for a working-level dialog. The invitation comes as the White House has been under mounting pressure following Trump’s controversial summit with Putin in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. Trump was roundly criticized from both Democrats and Republicans for siding with Moscow over the judgments of US intelligence on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

Palestine slams Israeli Knesset

The Palestinian president slams the Israeli Knesset’s adoption of a law which recognizes Jewish supremacy over Arabs in the occupied territories. Mahmoud Abbas said the law will not change the historical situation of Jerusalem al-Quds as the eternal capital of Palestine. He added that the legislation will not discourage Palestinians in their legitimate struggle to defeat the occupation and establish their independent state. Abbas urged the international community to stop such laws which he described as racist. Turkey condemned the move accusing Israeli officials of seeking an apartheid system. The European Union also voiced grave concern over the issue. The legislation says only Jews have the right of self-determination. It does not recognize Arabic as an official language in the occupied territories.

Cameroon human rights criticized

A prominent rights group has slammed Cameroon's government and Anglophone separatists for escalating violence that has displaced over 180,000 people. Human Rights Watch says the Cameroonian government has committed grave rights abuses against civilians, including murder, arson and torture. The US-based group also blames the separatists for kidnapping and killing civilians. An HRW director says the human rights situation in Cameroon has reached crisis level and could escalate further. The English-speaking minority in Cameroon seek independence from the largely francophone central African country. The government is accused of using violent tactics to suppress the protests caused by perceived discrimination against Anglophone citizens.

North Korea denuclearization

The US government's intelligence chief says North Korea can denuclearize within one year but that is unlikely to happen. Dan Coats said the process is more complicated than people think. The Director of National Intelligence added that the denuclearization is hard and is going to take a long time. However, he stressed that opening communication channels was worth it. Earlier, White House national security adviser, John Bolton, said North Korea could denuclearize in a year. On June 12, President Donald Trump, and North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, held a summit in Singapore. Since then, there has been no sign of concrete action by Pyongyang toward denuclearization. The US secretary of state visited Pyongyang in early July and the two sides struggled to make headway on the issue.

EU trade concerns

The US president has criticized the European Union for a record 5-billion-dollar fine that EU anti-trust regulators imposed on Google. Trump said the EU was taking advantage of the United States. Google said it would appeal against the EU decision. The fine is nearly double the previous penalty that the company was ordered to pay last year. EU officials on Wednesday also ordered Google to stop using its popular Android mobile operating system to block its rivals. The move heightened the trade tensions between Washington and Brussels. In an interview aired on Sunday by CBS, Trump labeled the EU a "foe" with regard to trade.

Modern slavery report

A rights foundation says modern slavery in developed countries is more common than thought. The Walk Free Foundation’s latest Global Slavery Index shows there are over 40-million slaves worldwide. In the US, the report finds over 400,000 modern slaves. The figure is around 136,000 in the UK, which is 12 times higher than the government’s estimate. The report says slavery is increasing in Australia and some European nations. It notes, however, that governments at these countries were also frontrunners of tackling the problem. The Index defines modern slavery as situations of exploitation that people can’t refuse or leave due to reasons like violence or threats. Sexual exploitation, forced labor, and forced marriage are all considered as modern slavery based on this definition.

Nicaragua violence

Nicaragua’s President, Daniel Ortega, labels the ongoing political unrest in his country a conspiracy backed by the United States. Ortega was speaking on the 39th anniversary of a revolution that toppled former dictator Somoza. Ortega blamed the current unrest on Catholic bishops as well. They have been trying to mediate talks between the opposition and the government. The opposition accuses Ortega of being a dictator and says he must resign. Calls for his resignation have been growing due to the government’s heavy-handed response to opposition protests. Nearly 300 people have been killed since the demonstrations began in April. Ortega is resisting calls to step down.

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