WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, November 02, 2018.

Zionist leader Saudi visit

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met with American Evangelical Christians and Israel’s supporters in Riyadh. The delegation was led by American-Christian Zionist leader, Joel Rosenberg. They also met with a number of senior Saudi officials, including foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir. Thursday’s talks covered a number of issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The pro-Israel delegation said they went to Riyadh in response to an invitation by the kingdom made more than two months ago. The meeting is seen as yet another sign of growing ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, although the kingdom denies this. Reports earlier this year said the two have secret military cooperation.

US Latin America policy

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, slapping sanctions on Venezuela’s gold exports. Trump’s national security advisor made the announcement during a speech in Miami, Florida. Venezuela has recently turned to gold to shore up its foreign currency reserves and deal with high inflation and shortages of basic consumer products. The Trump administration has also imposed new sanctions on Cuba for supporting the Venezuelan government and promised additional penalties against Nicaragua. Washington has branded the three countries as a “troika of tyranny”, which represents oppression and totalitarianism.

Iran oil waivers

The US has agreed to let eight countries including, Japan, India and South Korea keep buying Iranian oil after Washington re-imposes sanctions on Tehran from next week. Bloomberg has cited a senior White House official as saying the waivers are aimed at preventing a rise in oil prices. The official, however, said the waivers are temporary. The Iranian Oil Ministry said this shows the country’s crude is needed and could not be withdrawn from the market. The US sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector will come into effect on November 5. Washington had previously told its allies to cut all oil purchases from Iran to zero. It had also threatened to punish firms that continue business with Iran when sanctions are reintroduced.

Plight of Rohingya

Parliamentarians of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have urged Myanmar and Bangladesh to halt a plan for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. ASEAN human rights chief, Charles Santiago, criticized the plan as poorly thought-out. Santiago noted that the minority group should not go back to “live in barracks and as squatters”. He said Myanmar must first put in place plans for the protection of the Rohingya who live under an apartheid-like system. The repatriation is scheduled to begin this month. On Tuesday, the United Nations refugee agency also advised against setting a timetable for the return of Rohingya Muslims. More than 700,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh since August last year after Myanmar began a heavy-handed crackdown.

Catalonia independence cost

Spanish prosecutors have demanded up to 25-year jail terms for Catalan separatist leaders. The accused are 12 Catalan leaders. Their charges include rebellion and misuse of public funds during last year’s failed secession bid. The trial is expected to start early next year. This comes more than a year after Catalan leaders attempted to break from Spain in October 2017 by staging a referendum despite a court ban. Spain's then conservative government moved swiftly to depose the Catalan executive, dissolve the regional parliament and call snap local elections in December.

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