WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, November 18, 2018.

US-China trade rift

Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group, APEC, have failed to reach a deal at the end of their summit in Papua New Guinea. The meeting was dominated by deep divisions between the United States and China over trade and investment. Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill, said at a closing news conference that differences between Washington and Beijing kept APEC members from reaching consensus. The US has criticized China’s Belt and Road Initiative as a push for dominance in global affairs. Washington is also at odds with Beijing over tariffs and what it calls forced technology transfers and the theft of intellectual property.

US to report Khashoggi killer in two days

The US president says final conclusions will be made soon in the murder case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Donald Trump added that the killing should have never happened. Earlier, the State Department rejected as inaccurate reports that the US administration has reached a final conclusion over Khashoggi’s murder. These reactions came after The Washington Post said the CIA concluded that Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered Khashoggi’s assassination. This contradicts Saudi government’s assertions that the crown prince was not involved in the killing. Saudi agents killed the journalist after he entered the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Israel political crisis

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making what he calls last-ditch efforts to dodge the collapse of his coalition. Netanyahu who heads the Likud party said that he would meet with the finance minister later in the day to discuss the snap elections. Moshe Kahlon of the center-right Kulanu party is expected to urge Netanyahu to set an election date promptly. Elections are not due until November 2019. Kahlon says he believes it is not possible to continue with the existing coalition. Netanyahu’s coalition was weakened after Minister of Military Affairs Avigdor Lieberman resigned on Wednesday over a ceasefire deal with the Gaza Strip. That has left the Likud party clinging to a one-seat majority in the 120-seat parliament.

Brexit controversy  

Leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party says the government will have to re-negotiate the EU divorce deal if the parliament rejects it. Jeremy Corbyn told Sky News that Labour will not back the deal. He said the document lacks a permanent customs arrangement with the EU and is vague on other issues. Prime Minister Theresa May also talked to Sky News. She defended her Brexit plan, warning that any attempt to remove her as premier will delay Brexit negotiations. She had earlier rejected the possibility of re-negotiating the draft Brexit deal. May is facing massive pressure over her EU divorce plan and two of her senior secretaries have already resigned over the issue. On Sunday, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also expressed opposition to the draft deal, saying it would be a mistake for the parliament to endorse it.

France protests

A new poll shows that the popularity of French President Emmanuel Macron has dropped to 25 percent. The survey conducted by a research group called I-fop shows that the level of Macron’s popularity has fallen four points since last month. The poll indicates that only four percent of participants in the survey are very satisfied with the president’s performance while nearly forty percent are very dissatisfied. The survey comes at a time when the French are angry at Macron’s economic reforms. On Saturday, people staged nationwide rallies, protesting diesel price hikes and calling on Macron to resign. Officials say more than 400 people were injured during the demonstrations.

Iraq deadly bombing

A car bomb blast has killed at least five people and injured 16 others in the Iraqi city of Tikrit. The police sources said the blast set nearly a dozen vehicles on fire. Security forces have closed most of the city streets. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosion. Such attacks have been rare in Tikrit since Daesh terrorists were defeated in Iraq in 2017. The terror group still carries out bloody hit-and-run attacks in the country.

Killing of Khashoggi

Turkey’s defense minister says the killers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have taken his dismembered body out of Turkey in luggage. Hulusi Akar said the perpetrators of the crime did not face problems for getting the luggage out of country due to their diplomatic immunity. He said the suspects left Turkey three to four hours after committing the murder. Turkey says a group of 15 individuals, including a two-man clean-up team was involved in the murder. Turkish officials have also called for an investigation into whether the body was dissolved in acid. Meanwhile, the US president said on Saturday that a full report on the killing of Khashoggi will be released soon.

Return of Rohingya

Myanmar police have shot and injured four Rohingya Muslims in the country’s Rakhine state, as part of the government’s harsh crackdown on the minority group. Witnesses say two of those injured are in critical condition. They say police opened fire on the crowd after arresting two men accused of smuggling more than 100 Rohingya out of the country by boat. The attack comes as Bangladesh has announced that it will halt the repatriation plan of thousands of Rohingya refugees until next year. The initial plan to return the refugees was set for November 15. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar’s army launched a deadly crackdown on the minority group in August 2017.

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