WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, October 9, 2018 to 0800 GMT, October 10, 2018.

US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley resigns  

US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has announced that she will leave her post at the end of this year. President Donald Trump will name her successor within two or three weeks. Both Haley and Trump have described the past two years as successful periods for the US at the United Nations, but Washington's presence at the international body was far from successful.

Syria amnesty

Syria has issued a general amnesty for army deserters, some of whom have joined militant groups, during the seven-year war on the country. President Bashar al-Assad issued the decree to military deserters both inside and outside Syria. Those on the run inside the country have four months to hand themselves in to avoid any penalties. The ones outside Syria, who tried to avoid the frontline, have six months. The pardon also covers those who avoided compulsory military service. Before the war on Syria, the country’s armed forces were believed to have been 300,000 strong.

US weapons sales

Sales of US military equipment to foreign governments have jumped 33 percent compared to the previous year's total. The US foreign military sales hit 55. 6 billion dollars in the fiscal year ending September 30. The figure represents signed letters of agreement between the United States and other countries. The White House eased restrictions on sales and encouraged US officials to take a bigger role in boosting business overseas for the American weapons industry. A report in March revealed that nearly half of US arms exports over the past five years have gone to the Middle East. Washington is criticized for the sales of arms which are being used by US allies against civilians in Yemen and elsewhere.

Scottish UK split call

The Scottish first minister says the only solution to the country’s Brexit problem is to split from the UK. Nicola Sturgeon added that the British government’s contempt toward Scotland during Brexit talks proves the UK is not a union of equals. Sturgeon noted that Britain’s exit from the European Union is against the will of the Scottish people who backed remaining in the bloc by 62 to 38 percent. She stressed that the outcome of Brexit negotiations will determine the time of Scotland’s new bid for independence. In 2014, Scotland voted to stay in the UK. But Sturgeon and her party say London’s indifference to the Scots’ Brexit vote will lead to a different result in a second referendum.

Saudi journo disappearance

Turkey’s probe into the mysterious disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, has entered a new phase. Investigators say the Saudi consulate has removed the security camera footage. Investigators say the consulate’s Turkish staff were granted a holiday on exactly the day when the journalist went missing. On Tuesday, a Turkish pro-government newspaper published a story containing the photos of 15 Saudi nationals who it claims travelled to Istanbul on the day of the incident. One of the travelling nationals was the head of the forensic department in Saudi General Security. Meanwhile, New York Times quoted a Turkish official as saying that Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated inside the consulate by the order of the highest level of the Saudi royal court. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi monarchy, went missing on Sunday when he visited the Saudi consulate.

Sounding the alarm over rising protectionism

The heads of the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund sound the alarm over rising protectionism in global trade. The officials were speaking during the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. They warned about a declining global investment due to uncertainty in trade policies and called for reforms that could deliver greater prosperity for all. On Tuesday, the IMF cut its global economic growth forecast for 2018 and 2019. The organization cited the trade dispute between the US and China as a major reason behind the negative prospect. The new US administration is widely criticized for its protectionist policies by dragging many countries into an unwanted tariff war.

Taiwan-China tension

The Taiwanese president has pledged to enhance national security in the face of China’s pressure to assert sovereignty over the island. Tsai Ing-wen has warned that her government will not submit to what she called Chinese suppression. She said Taiwan would use all methods to prevent infiltration from other countries. Tsai urged China to avoid being “a source of conflict”. Tsai, however, noted that Taipei will not recklessly take any measures to provoke Beijing. China and Taiwan split amid a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the tiny island as part of its territory. China has repeatedly warned that it will not tolerate any form of activity which attempts to separate the self-ruled island from the mainland.

Hurricane Michael

US officials say Hurricane Michael has intensified into an extremely dangerous category four hurricane. The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Michael is expected to strengthen before making landfall in Florida later on Wednesday. It’s expected to produce a life-threatening storm surge, and bring winds of near 200-kilometers per hour. Michael was initially a category three storm and has already killed 13 people in Central America before reaching the United States. Florida officials have called it a monstrous storm, and declared a state of emergency. More than 370,000 people have been ordered to evacuate to higher ground. Michael is expected to weaken after landfall, as it will move through the southeastern US.

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