WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, October 31, 2018 to 0800 GMT, November 01, 2018.

Russia warning  

The Russian defense ministry says chlorine gas containers have been smuggled into areas controlled by western-backed White Helmets organization for a false flag chemical attack in Syria's Idlib province. Igor Konashenkov said the terrorists and members of the White Helmets organization have tried to lure the people to take part in the fake video footage in exchange for food. Russia and Syria have both presented the United Nations with evidence that armed groups want to blame Damascus for a false-flag chemical attack and pave the way for the US and its allies to attack Syria. The US has accused Syria of attacking civilians with chemical weapons in previous operations. Damascus has strongly denied any involvement in either case, saying the attacks had been carried out by militants to slow Syria’s progress in the fight against terror.

Khashoggi killing order

A spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party says the dissident Saudi journalist could not have been murdered without high-level order from the kingdom. Omer Chelik stressed that Turkey will not let anyone cover up Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. He said it is impossible that Saudi officials have not still found Khashoggi’s body. The Turkish chief prosecutor has also said that Khashoggi was strangled and his body dismembered in a pre-planned killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The revelations came after the kingdom’s top prosecutor finished his investigations in Turkey and returned to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh initially denied involvement in the murder. It later admitted the killing but constantly kept changing its account of how the incident took place. Riyadh also rejects that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the hit.

Italy floods

Heavy downpours and the following flash floods have caused deaths and massive destruction across northern Italy. The floods destroyed many roads and buildings and caused a bridge to collapse near Ponte del Priula in the province of Treviso. Thousands of houses have been left without electricity and phone connections. Some 6,000 firefighters have been dispatched to the flood-hit areas to deal with the crisis. So far, heavy rains and high winds have claimed at least 11 lives since Monday. This has prompted the country’s civil defense to put the situation under close monitoring.

UN criticized

Yemen’s Ansarullah criticizes the UN decision to form a committee to investigate the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while ignoring Riyadh's war on Yemen. The president of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee slammed the international community’s double standards about the Saudi war on Yemen. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi called on the global community to address the plight of the Yemeni people just as it deals with Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul. He called for the formation of a fact-finding committee to launch a full-fledged investigation into crimes by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

‘Suspend Saudi nuclear talks’

Republican and Democratic senators have asked US President Donald Trump to suspend civilian nuclear energy talks with Saudi Arabia. The lawmakers said they will block any US-Saudi nuclear agreements if Trump continues with the negotiations. They also urged the White House to revoke any approvals for the transfer of nuclear services, technology or assistance to Saudi Arabia. The bipartisan group of senators said the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised serious concerns about the current decision makers in the kingdom. The US president has refused to directly blame the ruling regime in Riyadh for Khashoggi’s murder.

Anti-fascist protest

In Germany, over a thousand people have participated in a demonstration against the far right and Neo-Nazi politics. The protest happened in the city of Hamburg. The demonstrators protested the growing popularity of right-wing groups such as Alternative for Germany, known as AFD. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Freiburg as the AFD held a meeting in the city's northernmost suburb. A September poll revealed that support for the AFD has reached an all-time high.

Kim Jong-un Seoul visit  

The two Koreas have officially launched the demilitarization process of their heavily fortified border as they try to further ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. A no-fly zone and a ban on military near the border, known as the DMZ, came into effect on Thursday. This was part of an accord signed during last month's inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, which includes a halt in all hostile acts, and a gradual removal of landmines and guard posts within the DMZ. The United States has expressed its opposition to the deal, saying it could undercut the so-called defense readiness amid what it called slow progress on North Korea’s de-nuclearization. South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, however, said the two Koreas as well as the US will achieve complete de-nuclearization and lasting peace.

US ‘security threat’

The US Secretary of State says China is the biggest national security challenge facing Washington. Mike Pompeo said the US is trying to convince China to behave like a normal nation on commerce based on international law. He accused China of stealing intellectual property and called this inappropriate. Pompeo made the comments after Washington indicted ten Chinese nationals for stealing aviation secrets from the US. Washington claims China is forcing American companies to yield intellectual property and commercial information as a precondition for operating in Beijing. The United States and China have slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's goods over the past few months.

Trump against migrants

The US president hardens his anti-immigration rhetoric, pledging to harshly deal with a caravan of migrants fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Donald Trump was addressing his Republican supporters in Florida ahead of the midterm congressional elections. Earlier, Trump said he could send as many as 15,000 soldiers to the border with Mexico to stop what he described as dangerous groups of migrants. He also threatened to halt aid to the countries of origin of migrants. Despite Trump’s pressures and rhetoric, a new caravan of nearly 2,000 people from El Salvador has reached the Guatemalan border hoping to get to the United States. The first caravan comprises 3,500 people. They left Honduras in mid-October and are now in southern Mexico.

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