WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, September 19, 2018.

Muharram mourning in Iran

Iranians are commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam and the grandson of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad. The Wednesday ceremonies in Iran mark Tasu’a. That’s the ninth day on the lunar month of Muharram. Tasu’a also marks the ninth day of the ten-day mourning ceremonies for Imam Hussein. The tenth day, called Ashura, is the pick of the ceremonies and marks the martyrdom day of Imam Hussein. He and 72 companions were killed by the tyranny of their time 14 centuries ago for standing up against oppression.

Palestinian family blaming Israel

The family of a young Palestinian man, who died in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, blames Israeli forces for his death. 24-year-old Mohammad Zaghlul lost his life in a village north of the city of Ramallah. On Tuesday, Mohammad’s family said Israeli forces arrested him at dawn, and informed them of his death hours later. Now, Mohammad’s mother says he was already dead at his home, shortly after Israeli forces entered it.

China opposes unilateralism

China’s prime minister speaks out about the rise of unilateralism, saying the approach to trade will not solve any problems. Li Keqiang made the comment at the World Economic Forum in the Chinese city of Tianjin. He said multilateralism should be upheld and the basic principle of free trade should be maintained. The Chinese premier said the trend of globalization is unstoppable, even though there are flaws in the process. Li’s comments come amid heightened trade tensions between China and the United States. Beijing imposed tariffs on 60 more billion dollars worth of American imports in a tit-for-tat response to Washington’s levies on 200-billion dollars of Chinese goods.

UK mosque attack

The London-based Islamic Human Rights Commission has called on the UK police to do more to protect Muslims from Islamophobic attacks following a hit-and-run attack outside a mosque. The IHRC said it’s time that the UK police give the Muslim community the same level of protection afforded to other vulnerable communities when there are events held in their places of worship. The commission said the police failure to do so sends a signal of indifference. At least three people were injured after a car struck worshippers outside a north London mosque mid-night on Monday. Police said the attackers, who are still at large, shouted Islamophobic comments before the collision. The Met Police said the incident could have been a hate crime and opened an investigation. The latest statistics show the number of hate crimes in England and Wales increased by nearly 30 percent last year.

Pakistan court ruling

A Pakistani court has ordered the release of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz from jail. The Islamabad High Court also ordered the release of Sharif’s son-in-law, Captain Safdar. The court suspended their sentences received from a lower court in July. The three family members are released on bail until the court’s final decision. Sharif was ousted and disqualified from holding office by the Supreme Court in July 2017. He was arrested on his return from London to the country in July this year. An anti-corruption court sentenced Sharif to 10 and his daughter to seven years in jail over properties they allegedly owned in Britain.

Malaysia’s Najib arrested

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been arrested and is set to be charged over the allegations of graft and abuse of power. The country’s Anti-Corruption Commission detained Najib as part of its investigations into multi-million- dollar state investment fund. The money ended up in Najib’s personal bank accounts ahead of a hotly contested election in 2013. The former premier will appear in court on Thursday where he faces several charges related to allegedly abusing his position. Najib’s ruling coalition lost the general election to Mahathir Mohamad’s reformist alliance in May after he was accused of looting huge sums from the state development fund. Prime Minister Mahathir has reopened probes into the matter and has vowed to bring Najib to justice.

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