WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, September 8, 2018.

Yemen peace talks

The United Nations confirms that the Ansarullah movement did not attend peace talks in Geneva, because their conditions had not been met. Griffiths stressed that Ansarullah’s absence in the talks was NOT a fundamental blockage in the process. He said he would soon travel to Yemen and Oman for talks with the movement. The Ansarullah delegation had asked the UN to make it possible for their flight to Geneva with an Omani plane for safety reason. The UN envoy to Yemen made the comments in a press briefing, after three days of talks with representatives from Yemen’s former government. Griffiths described the talks as fruitful and a beginning to bring peace to Yemen. The Arab state is grappling with a conflict that was inflamed by Saudi Arabia more than three years ago.

Basra violence probe  

The Iraqi city of Basrah remains embroiled in violent protests that erupted last week. At least 12 people have died so far. Protesters on Friday night set on fire several government buildings and party offices as well as the Iranian consulate. The Iraqi prime minister has now ordered an investigation into the violence.

China-US trade  

China’s trade surplus with the United States hit a new record high in August despite Washington tariffs. According to customs data, China’s trade surplus reached 31 billion dollars last month. The data shows an 18.7 percent increase from the same month last year. The figures were released just hours after President Donald Trump threatened to slap tariffs on the totality of Chinese goods imported into the US. Trump imposed hefty tariffs on Chinese goods over the past months in a bid to cut imports and increase domestic production. The measure triggered swift tit-for-tat responses from Beijing.

Basra curfew  

Iraqi lawmakers attend an emergency session to discuss the recent violence in the Iraqi city of Basrah that left a dozen people dead over the past few days. The meeting came hours after four rockets fired by unidentified assailants hit the perimeter of Basra airport. The Iraqi prime minister called the unrest political sabotage as he entered the parliament along with several ministers. Basrah has witnessed a week of protests over lack of basic services and unemployment. Friday saw the worst of the violence with masked people attacking and torching governmental buildings. Officials imposed a curfew on the city earlier on Saturday.

Militants false flag gas attack

Russia says terrorists in Syria’s Idlib province have almost completed their preparations for a provocation involving chemical weapons. A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense said leaders of the Nusra Front terrorist group and representatives of the so-called White Helmets met in Idlib on September 7 to coordinate their participation for an impending false flag operation. This comes as the Syrian army is preparing to launch a major military operation to recapture Idlib, the last terrorist stronghold in Syria. Earlier, Syria’s UN envoy Bashar al-Jaafari said Damascus has already submitted information to the UN Security Council that a false flag chemical attack in Idlib is being prepared by the terrorists. He said they aim to lay the blame on the government to provoke a western attack. The US has previously accused Syria of seeking to use chemical arms in Idlib, a charge Damascus strongly denies.

US blocking UN climate talks

Climate activists accuse the United States of actively hindering progress of UN climate talks in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok. Protests are held across the world to mark a global day of action against climate change. The demonstrations, called "Rise For Climate", urge world leaders to accelerate efforts to tackle climate change. The protesters also accused other negotiating blocs, including the European Union, of not doing enough to stand up for developing countries. On September 4 and during a key meeting in Bangkok, UN climate experts warned that time is running out to prevent catastrophic temperature rises. Talks in Bangkok aim at preparing an agenda to be delivered to heads of state at December’s climate summit in Poland. Bangkok talks opened on Tuesday and will wrap up Sunday.

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