WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, May 20, 2019 to 0800 GMT, May 21, 2019.

US-Iran dispute

Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani has once again rejected the possibility of talks with the United States, saying the situation is not ripe for dialogue. Rouhani says he opts for diplomacy but conditions are not favorable at all for negotiations with the US. He said that under current circumstances, Iran has no way but to resist American pressure. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump publicly appealed to Iran to call him amid rising tensions between the two countries. The White House had even passed a phone number to Switzerland to share it with Iranian officials. Tehran has time and again rejected such offers, arguing that dialogue will bear no fruit. The US has reinstated tough sanctions on Iran after leaving a multilateral nuclear deal more than a year ago.

Trump’s internal problems

The US House Judiciary Chairman says advisors to the President cannot reject a subpoena. This after Donald Trump instructed a former lawyer not to attend a committee hearing. Jerrold Nadler says Trump's former attorney Don McGahn is legally required to testify on Tuesday before the panel. A Democratic member of the committee says it may be forced to open an impeachment inquiry if the White House prevents the committee from accessing information. Earlier, Trump instructed his former lawyer to ignore a subpoena from Congress in relation to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. The White House said the Department of Justice had given Trump the right to prevent McGhan from attending. The committee says he is one of the most important eyewitnesses to Trump’s alleged attempts to obstruct the Mueller investigation.

US immigration policy

Another Guatemalan immigrant child has died in US custody in the state of Texas on the Southern Mexican border. According to a statement from US Customs and Border Protection, the boy was apprehended on May 13. The teenager, who crossed the border illegally is said to have died during a welfare check on Monday morning. Since December, five Guatemalan children have died after being detained at the US border with Mexico. Record numbers of people from Central America are fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries in the hope of seeking asylum in the US. President Donald Trump's administration has been criticized for its harsh approach toward immigrants.

Yemen retaliation

The Yemeni army, backed by Ansarullah forces, has targeted a Saudi arms depot in a drone attack. The arms depot was in an airport in the kingdom’s Najran province. A fire broke out in the facility following the attack. No immediate causalities have been reported. The Saudi-led coalition has confirmed the attack, but says the target was a civilian facility. The attack comes a week after the Yemeni military targeted two Saudi oil pipeline booster stations with drones, and caused damage. The Yemeni army launches retaliatory strikes from time to time in retaliation for the Saudi war on Yemen. The war began in March 2015 and has so far killed over 15,000 Yemenis.

Austria cabinet collapse

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has fired his interior minister, prompting all ministers from the country’s far-right Freedom Party to resign. Kurz sacked Herbert Kickl after a video sting forced Freedom Party's leader Heinz-Christian Strache to step down. Kurz has argued that Kickl could not oversee an investigation into the corruption scandal involving his party leader. Strache was filmed proposing to offer government contracts to a supposed Russian oligarch's daughter. The far-right politician has accepted that the video was catastrophic, and that his behavior was stupid, irresponsible and a mistake.

Libya war fallout

Millions of people are left without water in Libya as an armed group cuts off supplies to the capital, Tripoli, and surrounding cities. The water shortage happened after the group stormed a control room in the Jafara district. The group forced staff to shut down the water pipes connected to underground wells. It claimed to be supporters of general Khalifa Haftar whose forces have been trying to take the capital from Libya’s UN-backed government. However, some say the armed group has no links to Haftar and operates independently.

Huawei shrugs off US

The founder of Chinese giant phone maker Huawei has responded to US attempts to block his company's global ambitions. Ren Zhengfei says Washington underestimates the telecom company’s strength. He says Huawei's 5G will absolutely not be affected by a US ban. Ren spoke to Chinese state media days after President Donald Trump issued orders aimed at thwarting Huawei's business in the United States. He also said the company is discussing with Google how to deal with the US ban. Last week, the White House added Huawei to a trade blacklist. Several countries, led by the US, have raised concerns in recent months that Huawei products could be used by China for surveillance. The company has rejected the allegations.

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