WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom’s headlines from 18:00 GMT, July 5, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, July 6, 2017.

Venezuela Crisis

In Venezuela, pro-government activists have stormed into opposition-controlled congress, injuring several lawmakers and journalists. The angry crowd set off fireworks in the interior gardens of the capitol building in the capital Caracas. The opposition-controlled legislature was holding a special session to mark the country's Independence Day when the incident happened. Venezuela has been the scene of clashes between supporters and opponents of President Nicolas Maduro’s government for the past months. The president’s opponents accuse him of repression, baseless detentions, and chronic mismanagement. Maduro, however, says the protesters are supporting a US-backed coup attempt against his government.

Palestinian Aspiration

The new chairman of the Hamas political bureau says the movement plans to liberate the Palestinian land and establish an independent state. Ismail Haniyeh made the remarks in Gaza during a first speech following his appointment as leader of the Palestinian resistance movement. He also said securing the release of Palestinian prisoners and repatriation of refugees are among other goals of the movement. Haniyeh condemned Israel's policy of administrative detention as act of terror while the world has turned a blind eye. Haniyeh stressed that the Palestinians will fight back against the Israeli settlements in the west bank and won’t surrender. The Hamas leader also thanked Iran for supporting the resistance movement and arming it with military hardware.

Saudi War on Yemen

The United Nations says 270-thousand people are suspected to have contracted cholera in an outbreak of the disease in war-torn Yemen. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the cholera outbreak has now spread to all 21 governorates across the country and over 1600 people have died from the disease since late April. Dujarric added that the World Health Organization and its partners received medical supplies and equipment to treat 10,000 people in the Yemeni cities of Aden and Hodeida. The Saudi-led war against Yemen has caused more patients to die due to medicine shortages.

UNSC Divided on N Korea

US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, says Washington will present a new draft resolution to the Security Council after North Korea test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile. Haley made the remarks during a meeting of the UN Security Council. She accused Pyongyang of destabilizing the Korean Peninsula. Haley also urged the international community to join hands in order to impose harsh economic measures on North Korea. She stressed that the US will use military force against the North, if need be. Meanwhile, Russia says it opposes taking military action and economic measures against North Korea.

Blaming Turkey

The latest round of Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana has failed to make a breakthrough. The Syrian government has blamed Turkey for the lack of progress. Iran, Russia and Turkey attended the Astana talks, which revolved around setting up four de-escalation zones in war-torn Syria. Russia said there was no agreement over the contentious issues of the boundaries and policing of the safe zones previously agreed. Moscow said documents outlining how the four zones should work need finalizing. Tehran, Moscow and Ankara agreed in May to establish four de-escalation areas in a potential breakthrough toward ending the years-long war in Syria. The trio has said it would hold the next round of talks in Astana at the end of August.

Blair War Crime Charges

The British High Court has heard a case for former Prime Minister Tony Blair to face prosecution over his role in the U-S invasion of Iraq. The case seeks to overturn a court decision which upheld Blair’s immunity from prosecution last November. The judge will now review the court ruling. The prosecution aims to try Blair for war crimes over his decision to join the US invasion of Iraq. Last year, a long awaited inquiry into the Iraq war known as the Chilcot report concluded that the invasion was unnecessary. The report also slammed the intelligence on the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, saying the UK undermined the authority of the UN Security Council by insisting that Iraq possessed such arms.

Misery of Refugees

Leading rights advocacy group, Amnesty International is warning about the soaring death toll of refugees in the central Mediterranean. Amnesty international has blamed the European governments for failing to prevent the drowning of thousands of people. The rights body says European states have turned their backs on a search and rescue strategy and put the lion share of that responsibility on NGOs and the Libyan coastguard. Amnesty also noted that European ministers have shamelessly preferred to strike reckless deals with Libya to prevent the flow of asylum seekers instead of saving lives and offering protection.

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