WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, October 10, 2018 to 0800 GMT, October 11, 2018.

Missing Saudi journo probe

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. Authorities say the consulate’s Turkish staff were granted a holiday on the day when Khashoggi went missing. Turkish media have published CCTV footage which they say shows evidence of a plot against the dissident Saudi journalist. 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. Social media users have identified several of the men as members of Saudi security forces. 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 last Tuesday while visiting the Saudi consulate.

Idlib demilitarized zone

The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman says more than 1,000 militants have left a demilitarized zone in Syria’s Idlib province. Last month, Russia and Turkey clinched a deal on creating the demilitarized zone around Syria’s Idlib. Under the agreement, all factions in the zone have to hand over their heavy weapons while the Nusra Front terror group has to leave the area entirely. The deal also prevented a government offensive in the province. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the agreement is temporary.

Israeli demolitions

Israeli forces demolish two Palestinian homes in al-Halawa neighborhood in the West Bank city of al-Khalil also known as Hebron. The Israeli troops also confiscated solar panels used to supply the two homes with electricity. Israel says Palestinians had built the homes without a permit. Prior to the demolition, Israeli forces closed the roads leading to the area. About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian territories. All the settlements are illegal under international law.

‘Saudi Prince ordered operation targeting Kashoggi’

US media say Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and de facto ruler ordered an operation targeting journalist and US resident Jamal Khashoggi. According to The Washington Post, US officials said Saudi authorities had been heard discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi from the US state of Virginia, where he resided, and detain him. The paper quoted several of Khashoggi's friends as saying that senior Saudi officials had approached him offering protection, or even a high-level government job, if he returned home. But Khashoggi was skeptical of the offers. Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish officials suspect he was murdered there. Saudi Arabia has rejected allegations that it is behind his disappearance.

Bahraini clerics call for boycotting elections  

A group of Bahraini scholars have called for boycotting parliamentary and municipal elections in the Persian Gulf kingdom. Bahrain’s outlawed opposition party al-Wefaq has also held a press conference in London against the upcoming elections. Al-Wefaq says with up to 4,500 dissidents in Bahraini jails, the elections would not be legitimate.

Hurricane Michael  

Hurricane Michael kills a man as it slams into the US state of Florida with winds of up to 250 kilometers per hour. Authorities say the victim was killed by a falling tree. Michael battered the coastline with sideways-blown rain, powerful gusts and huge waves. It swamped streets, flattened trees, and knocked out power to a quarter-million homes and businesses. Michael grew from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in about 40 hours. It is the most powerful hurricane to hit the US mainland in nearly 50 years.

US's North Korea sanctions

US President Donald Trump has ruled out easing of sanctions on North Korea, saying South Korea will not lift sanctions on Pyongyang without US approval. Trump made the statement after South Korea said it was considering easing its own sanctions against the North to encourage its de-nuclearization. Washington has encouraged its allies to maintain sanctions on North Korea as part of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. Seoul has also said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed discontent with an inter-Korean military pact reached last month. The US and North Korean leaders reached a vague de-nuclearization agreement during a summit in Singapore in June. However, Pyongyang says Washington has betrayed the spirit of the summit by making unilateral demands on the complete and irreversible de-nuclearization, while putting the sanctions in place.

Global shares down

Asian markets have plunged steeply amid monetary policy dispute between the US Federal Reserve and the White House. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down over 3-percent at the opening on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei experienced its sharpest daily drop in months. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares shed to its lowest in eighteen months. China shares also touched very low with the Shanghai index slipping 4-percent, and the Shenzen composite dipping 5-percent. On Wednesday, the Wall Street tumbled as well, after President Donald Trump criticized the central bank, saying it is going too fast in raising interests while data points to a strong economy. Analysts say investors are seriously concerned over the US Federal Reserve’s decision to increase interest rates.

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