WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, July 28, 2018 to 0800 GMT, July 29, 2018.

Pakistan politics

Pakistan Tahrik-e-Insaf party is engaged in hectic consultations with other political parties. The PTI is lobbying to win support of newly elected independent candidates to form a coalition government following its victory in last Wednesday’s general elections. Press TV’s correspondent Javed Rana has more details from Islamabad.

Palestinian MP resigns

A Palestinian member of Israel’s parliament steps down in protest at the recent adoption of a controversial law that recognizes Jewish supremacy over Arabs. Zouheir Bahloul also said his resignation will officially take effect when parliament returns from its summer recess in September. The law passed on July 19, defines Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. It only grants Jews the right of self-determination. The legislation does not recognize Arabic as an official language in Israel. The law drew fierce criticism from Palestinian officials while the European Union voiced grave concern over its adoption.

Nicaragua protest

In Nicaragua, thousands of people have rallied to support the country’s bishops against President Daniel Ortega. The demonstrators marched through the streets of the capital Managua, carrying the Nicaraguan flag and statues of the Virgin Mary. They called Ortega and his vice president assassins. The bishops have been trying to mediate talks between the government and the opposition to end the turmoil. The Nicaraguan president has accused the bishops of aiding those who the government says are plotting a coup against him. Nicaragua spiraled into a crisis three months ago after protests against pension cuts grew into calls for Ortega’s resignation. The crackdown by the government has left more than 300 people dead.

Turkey-US tensions

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his country will not take a step back in the face of sanctions by the United States. Erdogan said the friendship between Turkey and the US is at risk, and warned that Washington will lose a sincere partner. The two countries are at odds over Turkey’s detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson. The US has threatened to impose sanctions on Turkey, if it refuses to release him. The American pastor has been in Turkey for more than two decades. He was imprisoned nearly two years ago over the 2016 failed military coup in Turkey. Ankara accuses him of backing the group it says was behind the coup. Brunson denies the charges. This week, he was transferred to house arrest.

Church abuse scandal

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a US cardinal accused of sexual misconduct, the Vatican says. The pontiff ordered the suspension of Theodore McCarrick from the exercise of any public ministry. McCarrick will have to face the accusations leveled against him in a canonical trial. The former Archbishop Emeritus of Washington allegedly assaulted a teenager while working as a priest in New York some five decades ago. Church officials said they had received three complaints of his sexual misconduct, two of which resulted in settlements. A review board, however, removed the cardinal from the ministry in June after finding the evidence against him credible. McCarrick has denied any recollection of the alleged abuse. He is the first cardinal to lose his red hat in living memory.

California inferno

A series of wildfires, ripping through the US state of California, has left six people dead and 17 others missing. The fatalities include two children. Some 3400 firefighters are on the ground, battling the raging blaze. Only five percent of the fire has so far been contained. The inferno is moving toward the city of Redding after leaving the town of Keswick in ruins. Firefighters have described the wildfire as unprecedented.

Palestinian icon freed

A Palestinian teenager who was jailed for slapping an Israeli soldier is freed from prison. Ahed al-Tamimi and her mother, who was also imprisoned over the incident, were released after serving an eight-month sentence. They were driven by Israelis to the occupied West Bank where their village is located. 17-year-old Tamimi turned into a symbol of the Palestinian resistance after she confronted with an Israeli soldier during a raid of her complex. Her sentence drew widespread condemnation from international rights groups including Amnesty International.

US ‘addiction to sanctions’

Iran’s foreign minister says the US is addicted to imposing sanctions on other countries but the Iranian nation, through its unity and resistance, can force Washington to give up such habit. The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif come as the US is set to restore sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal in May. Zarif said the world has also come to the understanding that Washington needs to stop using sanctions to pressurize others. He said the US economic pressure has been unable to hamper Iran’s progress in the past and that the new sanctions would prove futile as well. The top diplomat urged the Iranian people to stand united in the face of the United States in order to preserve the country’s dignity.

US deadly shooting

Another deadly shooting incident in the United States. Police say at least three people were killed and seven more wounded in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday night. New Orleans police said the shooters fired a long rifle and a handgun into the crowd. They reportedly approached the victims from the behind and fired multiple rounds. A manhunt is now underway for the suspects. On Friday, four people were killed in two apparently related shooting incidents in Robstown, Texas. The country has one of the highest rates of gun violence in the world. That has led to calls for changes to the country’s gun law in recent months.

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