WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, March 16, 2019.

New Zealand terror attack

Residents in New Zealand’s southern city of Christchurch pay respect to the victims of the Friday terror attacks. A constant stream of people is heading to an area near Masjid al-Noor, one of the mosques targeted by the terror attack. They lay flowers and notes, and pray for the victims of the carnage. At least 49 people were killed, when a white-supremacist started shooting at worshippers at the two mosques. The attacker live streamed the carnage. The attacks, which were the worst ever peacetime mass killings in New Zealand, have drawn widespread international condemnations.

Slamming US Saudi support

A leading rights group has criticized the US government for its continued support for Saudi Arabia despite the kingdom’s hand in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Amnesty International says Washington calls the killing a human rights abuse but continues to support Riyadh. Amnesty added that the contrast shows the US is ignoring its human rights obligations. The Washington Post columnist was killed last year inside the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul. The US State Department on Wednesday characterized the killing of Khashoggi by the Saudi government’s agents a human rights abuse. Washington has, however, refused to point its fingers at Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who the CIA concluded was likely to have ordered the killing.

New Zealand premier meets Muslim community leaders

The Prime Minister of New Zealand has met with Muslim community leaders in Christchurch, a day after deadly terror attacks on two mosques in the city. Ardern said the victims came from across the Muslim world. According to hospital sources, they worked through the night in dozens of operating theatres to save survivors. 39 people are being treated for injuries including gunshot wounds. They include a two-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, who is in critical condition. Crowds of people headed to sites near the mosques to pay respect to the victims and lay flowers. A white supremacist live-streamed the massacre on social media while he shot dead 49 Muslim worshippers. Australian-born Brenton Tarrant appeared in court where he was charged with murder. Further charges are expected to follow.

France protests

French police clash with yellow vest protesters heading to the streets on the eighteenth consecutive week of nationwide anti-government rallies. Police in riot gear fired teargas and water canon at the demonstrators as they took to the streets of the capital Paris. The Yellow Vest movement has continued over the past several months, during which thousands have been arrested. Some of the protests also turned violent, leaving at least ten people dead and hundreds injured. The rallies began in November against a rise in fuel tax, but they eventually turned into a general call for President Emmanuel Macron to resign. The French president launched a national debate in response to the protesters’ demand, an initiative that was wrapped up yesterday. Macron has not yet discussed the result of the debate.

Russia threat

Moscow has warned to retaliate against new anti-Russia sanctions by the US, Canada and the European Union. The Russian foreign ministry slammed the ‘hypocrisy and cynicism” of the illegitimate sanctions. The ministry vowed to respond to the trio's unfriendly move in kind. Moscow has also accused the West of Russophobia, saying the sanctions will bear no results. On Friday, Washington, Ottawa and Brussels announced new sanctions against several Russian officials and companies in response to what they described as Moscow’s continued aggression in Ukraine. The sanctions freeze all property and interests in property belonging to the designated individuals and entities. The measures also proscribe American nationals from transacting with them.

Ansarullah retaliation warning

Yemen's Ansarullah Movement has warned it has the capability to target the Saudi capital in retaliation for a recent airstrike that killed dozens of women and children. An Ansarullah spokesman said the movement has a legitimate right to extend its attacks to the capitals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Yahya Saree added that Ansarullah is in possession of aerial photographs and the coordinates for dozens of enemy targets, including military headquarters, facilities and bases. Yemeni forces have previously hit Saudi Arabia and the UAE with ballistic missiles. Last week, the United Nations said Saudi war planes killed 10 women and 12 children in Yemen, shattering a fragile truce in the war-torn country.

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