WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, August 8, 2017.

Lebanon Offensive

Lebanon’s army is preparing to dislodge hundreds of Daesh terrorists from a remote area near the Syrian border. The campaign seeks to end a years-long threat posed to neighboring towns and villages by the Takfiri terrorists. More than three-thousand troops are in the northeastern corner of Lebanon to take part in the offensive. Fighters from Hezbollah resistance group and the Syrian army will participate in the operation. Lebanon’s interior minister says there are about 400 militants on Lebanese soil, and hundreds more on the Syrian side of the border. The area stretches from the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal and Christian villages of Ra’s Ba’albek and Qaa’, to the outskirts of Syria’s Qalamoun region and parts of the western Syrian town of Qusair that Hezbollah captured in 2013.

Impressive Turnout

A huge turnout is reported in Kenya as voters line up to cast their ballots in the country’s crucial general elections. People are voting in six different elections, including the presidential and parliamentary polls. Opinion polls show a tight race between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his longtime rival Raila Odinga. An estimated 180,000 police officers and members of the security forces have been deployed across the country since the campaign was marred by hundreds of violent incidents. The opposition says the heavy police presence is meant to intimidate voters. Thousands of international observers are monitoring the tense vote.

Plight of Refugees

The United Nations has urged Australia to step up efforts in the protection of asylum-seekers detained in refugee facilities on the two Pacific islands of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. The UN Refugee Agency said the situation for vulnerable people is deteriorating, expressing its concern over the matter and warning of an escalating crisis. The warning comes in the wake of the death of a 28-year-old Iranian refugee whose body was found hanging from a tree. The incident caused rights groups to call for an independent investigation into his death. The Iranian’s death brings to at least five the number of asylum seekers losing their lives since Canberra’s offshore detention facilities were launched in 2013. The UN had previously warned that Australia’s practice of offshore processing was contrary to principles of refugee protection.

Zuma No-Confidence Vote

The South African parliament is holding a session to vote on a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. The embattled president and his entire cabinet will be forced to resign if lawmakers approve the measure. Zuma has already survived seven previous attempts to unseat him in parliament. However, this is the first to be held by secret ballot. Lawmakers from the ruling African National Congress have agreed to support him. The ANC has the majority with 249 of the 400 seats at parliament. As the session is underway, thousands of anti-Zuma protesters held a rally near the parliament in the capital Cape Town.

China Landslide

A landslide in China’s southwestern Sichuan province has left at least 24 people dead. Two people have gone missing. Several others have been injured in the landslide triggered by heavy rains in Gengdi village. Rescue workers have managed to pull one person from the rubble. The landside has also caused massive material damage to homes and roads in the area, with the economic loss estimated at nearly 24 million dollars. Personnel from public security, land resources, roads and traffic departments have been dispatched to clear roads and normalize traffic.

Syria Army Gains

The Syrian army has made advances against Daesh terrorists in Suwayda province.  Troops managed to bring under control a number of strategic hills near the border with Jordan. The operation in Suwayda began last Friday and the army has managed to liberate about 100 square kilometers. The province has been the scene of clashes between Syrian government forces and various terrorist groups in the past six years.

Widespread Mistrust

A new poll has found that the number of US citizens who disapprove of Donald Trump's presidency has climbed to the record high rating of 56 percent. According to a poll conducted by the CNN, only 38 percent of respondents approve of Trump as US president, which is a 6 percent decline compared to a previous poll released in April. The poll says the majority of respondents disapprove of Trump administration’s policies about health care, foreign policy, and immigration. Trump’s approval rating is the lowest in US history.

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