WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, April 17, 2018.

Palestinian prisoners plight

Israel has issued some 50,000 administrative detention orders against Palestinians since 1967. An advocacy group has released the figure on the occasion of Palestinian prisoners’ Day. The Palestinian Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs says the number of administrative detention orders has increased sharply since 2002. It also says about 430 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli jails under such orders. The advocacy group has called on rights organizations to pressure the regime to end the illegal policy. Israel’s administrative detention law allows it to imprison Palestinians for renewable six-month periods without trial or charge. Meanwhile, anti-Israeli protesters have marked Palestinian prisoners’ Day by staging solidarity rallies across occupied territories.

US-led attack on Syria

A senior official from Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah has described the latest US-led attack against Syrian government positions as fruitless. Sheikh Naim Qassim said the targets had come under attack several times before. He said the fact that the US warned Russia of the location and time of the attack shows it does not have any plan for a larger operation. The senior Hezbollah official noted that the US knows such a move will be against its interests. He said the attack was launched at the instigation of Saudi Arabia, because it wants to add fuel to the fire in Syria. He also referred to an Israeli attack on the T4 Airbase in Syria that left several Iranian military advisors dead. Sheikh Qassim said the strike will not go unanswered.

London stabbings

UK police say a teenage boy has been found stabbed to death in east London. The victim was found bleeding on the side of the road and succumbed to his injuries shortly afterward. No arrest has been made. The death of the teenage boy has brought to 60 London’s stabbing death toll this year. The British capital has saw dozens of violent deaths since January the first. An investigation is underway to find the culprits behind the attacks.

Nigeria clashes

People in Nigeria have staged yet another rally to express support for prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky. The protesters peacefully marched in the Nigerian Capital Abuja. The demonstration turned violent after police fired tear gas at the protesters. Clashes between security forces and supporters of Zakzaky left one person dead on Monday. The protesters want the prominent cleric to be released immediately. Zakzaky was seriously wounded and detained in a brutal raid by the army on his residence in the northern Nigerian town of Zaria in December 2015. More than 300 of his followers and three of his sons were killed during the raid. The government has ignored court verdicts ordering his release.

UK Syria strikes

Leader of Britain’s Labour party has criticized Prime Minister Theresa May for joining the United States and France in strikes against Syria without any parliamentary approval. During the debate at the Westminster, Jeremy Corbyn said the prime minister and her government must be accountable to the British parliament not Quote any head of state or the whims of a president. A number of lawmakers also accused May of ignoring the parliament and not seeking its approval for missile strikes in Syria. In response, Prime Minister Theresa May her government has used its judgment about how best to protect the security and interests of the UK in making the decision to join the US-led coalition.

Iran warning

Iran’s foreign minister has warned about the persistent threat of violent extremism in the region even after the end of Daesh terrorists’ self-proclaimed caliphate. Mohammad Javad Zarif made the comment at a ministerial meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Tajikistan. Zarif also called for a common regional strategy to halt the spread of the Daesh ideology of hate and their financial resources. The top diplomat also called on ECO members to allocate extra-budgetary resources to help achieve the organization’s 2025 vision. The outlook envisages facilitation of trade, tourism, and visa regimes among members as well as a push for a bigger slice of global trade. Meanwhile, during the meeting, Iran was elected as the president of the ten-member Eurasian body. Participants also issued a statement, supporting Iran’s membership in the World Trade Organization and condemning unilateral sanctions that bar free trade among nations.

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