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 14, 2017.

Gaza patients suffering

Israel has delayed about half of Palestinians’ exiting the besieged Gaza Strip for vital medical treatment. The World Health Organization says from around 2,300 requests submitted to Liaison offices in May, Israel held up over 50 percent of cases without explanation. The UN body reports similar statistics for previous months saying this has led to Gazans’ missing appointments for examinations or treatment. This despite the Palestinians having been granted exit permits. 255 children are among those affected. Israel maintains a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Korean Peninsula crisis

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has stressed the need for peaceful solution to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. Moon made the remarks in a meeting with his aides at the presidential office. The president has urged the US to “respond to the current situation calmly and responsibly”. He also called on Pyongyang to stop the war of words with Washington. Tensions remain high between the US and North Korea. President Donald Trump has warned that the US military was “locked and loaded”, after North Korea threatened to land missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Yemen cholera epidemic

The World Health Organization says over 500,000 Yemeni people have been infected with cholera since its outbreak four months ago. The world agency says it has documented more than 5,000 new cases of the waterborne disease each day across Yemen. According to the WHO, there have been a decline in number of suspected patients in Sana’a and the northern Hajjah and Amran governorates. Despite that cholera cases and deaths still persist and are even on the rise on some newly-affected parts of the war-torn country. The WHO has added that millions of Yemenis remain cut off from clean water and waste collection system in major cities. That’s because of the war and the embargo imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on the country since March 2015.

China warns US

China has rejected US pressure on Beijing over economic issues, saying there’s no future in a trade war between the two countries. The spokeswoman also said the North Korean issue has nothing to do with trade relations between the US and China. The remarks came as the US president is poised to seek an investigation to look at Chinese practices that force American companies to share their intellectual property in order to gain access to China. A senior US official has been quoted as saying that Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order asking his trade office to consider the probe. The official, however, contended that the issue was unrelated to the showdown with North Korea. If an investigation begins, Washington could seek remedies either through or outside the World Trade Organization.

Sierra Leone disaster

Sierra Leone’s government says hundreds of people are feared dead in heavy flooding and mudslides in the country’s capital Freetown. Officials said over 200 bodies were counted in just one hospital in the port city. A total of 312 people are so far confirmed dead. Hundreds more are feared to be trapped under the rubble after a hillside collapsed due to heavy rains. There are reports that mud has covered entire houses in Freetown’s Regent area. Officials said military personnel have been deployed as part of the rescue operation.

DR Congo food crisis

Hunger in the Democratic Republic of Congo has soared over the past year, leaving 7.7 million people in urgent need of food aid. Much of the rise in hunger stems from escalating violence in Kasai and Tanganyika regions. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that an estimated 1.4 million people in the regions have been forced to flee their homes during the past 12 months. The displaced are now grappling with hunger. Violence has grown in the Democratic Republic of Congo since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down following the end of his mandate last December. The resulting conflicts have internally displaced about 3.7 million people, with a steady flow of refugees from neighboring countries putting a strain on the already stretched resources.

Tal Afar offensive

The Iraqi military has begun deploying troops and military hardware near the Daesh-held city of Tal Afar in the country’s northwest. Tal Afar is located west of the recently-freed city of Mosul and is close to the Syrian border. Its liberation will further choke off Daesh’s supply line. Commanders of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, PMU, have said they will assist the army in the imminent offensive for Tal Afar. Daesh occupied some forty percent of Iraq’s territory in 2014 but is on the verge of being totally dislodged from the country. The terrorists are also losing ground in neighboring Syria.

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