WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, March 13, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, March 14, 2017.

Tillerson fired

US President Donald Trump has fired yet another senior official from his administration. This time, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson got the axe for what Trump described as friction over things. Trump says the top diplomat will be replaced with Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo. CIA’s deputy director, Gina Haspe, will lead the intelligence agency. Meanwhile, the White House has fired one of Tillerson's top aides for belying the official account of the secretary of state's dismissal. Tillerson also said he was unaware of the reason for his sacking. Reports coming out of the White House suggest that the US president wants a whole new team in place ahead of talks with North Korea. Trump and Tillerson have long been at loggerheads over a wide range of issues.

Backing UK stance

Several Western leaders have expressed support for the British government in a row between London and Moscow over the recent poisoning of a former double agent blamed on Russia. US President Donald Trump has said Russia must clearly explain how an allegedly Russian-developed nerve agent came to be used on British soil. Trump has also stressed the need for punishing those responsible, adding that Washington is “with the UK all the way”. French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the attack and expressed Paris’s solidarity with London. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Moscow must provide quick answers to what she described as legitimate questions posed by the UK. European Commission Vice President has also slammed the attack, saying the EU stands united. Russia has repeatedly denied UK allegations of Moscow’s involvement. Sergei Skripal was found unconscious in Salisbury last week. He is currently in critical condition.

Ethnic cleansing of Rohingya

A top UN official says all evidence he’s been presented point to Myanmar’s intentional cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims that could amount to genocide. Adama Dieng who is assessing the situation of the Rohyinga minority described what he saw as a human tragedy with fingerprints of the Myanmar government as well as the international community. According to the UN advisor, a scorched earth campaign against the minority group has been underway since August 2017 which was both predictable and preventable. The UN advisor urged the Security Council, the General Assembly as well as India and China that can influence Myanmar’s government to take a responsible action. It is estimated that thousands of Rohingya have been killed and some 700,000 fled Myanmar over the past year.

Division on Iran deal

A senior Pentagon official says the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries is still in the best interests of the United States. US Central Command Chief says the landmark accord helps curb Iran’s nuclear program. General Joseph Votel added that if the deal fell apart, Washington would have to find another way to deal with what he called Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. He stressed that the view is also shared by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford. The statements run counter to US President Donald Trump’s stance on the nuclear deal. Trump has described the accord as a terrible agreement and threatened to scrap it unless new restrictions were placed on Iran before May 12.

Anti-Trump protests

Demonstrators have staged a march against US President Donald Trump's proposed Mexico border wall near the San Ysidro border crossing in California. Meanwhile, deportees, immigration activists and Trump opponents held a protest on the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border. Trump examined 9-meter-tall prototypes built last year along the border in a bid to fulfill his controversial campaign promise. San Diego's Republican mayor criticized Trump's short visit, saying the president won't get a full picture of the city. Tensions have risen between California and the Trump administration over the state’s refusal to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Moreover, San Diego's City Council last year passed a resolution opposing Trump's proposed wall.

UK-Russia tensions

Russia’s UK embassy says Moscow has not responded to Britain’s ultimatum to explain how an alleged soviet-era toxin had been used to attack a former double agent. An official from the embassy says Russia will not respond to London’s demand until it is provided access to samples of the chemical substance. He added that any punitive measures against Russia would be met with a response. The embassy reiterated that Russia was not involved in the attack. British Prime Minister Theresa May had set a deadline of Tuesday midnight for Russia to explain how an allegedly Russian-developed nerve agent had been used on British soil. Meanwhile, the United States, France and Germany have expressed their support for London in the row with Moscow. The former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, was found unconscious in Salisbury last week and is currently in critical condition.

Zarif's warning

The Iranian foreign minister has warned the United States about the consequences of violating the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries. Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US has not walked out of the agreement because it knows that it would be isolated if it did so. He says the nuclear accord is a multilateral agreement that was endorsed by the UN Security Council. The top Iranian diplomat says if the US scraps the deal, it will be violating a document that Washington itself proposed. Zarif added that no country would be interested in entering into an agreement with Washington knowing that it would be valid only under the administration that signs it.

Palestinian boycott

Palestinian officials have skipped a meeting hosted by the White House to address the humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza Strip. Palestinians boycotted the meeting over Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital. During the meeting, Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to the US president, gave a presentation to the attendees. Potential electricity, water, sewage and health projects were discussed, but no proposal was outlined. Gaza Strip is experiencing a dire humanitarian situation due to the years-long Israeli blockade on the besieged enclave.

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