WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, April 5, 2019 to 0800 GMT, April 6, 2019.

No room for migrants in US

US President Donald Trump tells immigrants heading toward the United States that the system is full and there is no room left for them. Trump made the remarks at a meeting with border patrol agents and other officials in the city of Calexico in California. Trump backed down from a threat to shut the frontier over what he says is an out-of-control influx of migrants and drugs. He said Mexico has done a lot recently to stem the flow of migrants into the United States. However, before leaving Washington, Trump once again threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on auto imports from Mexico. Meanwhile, on both sides of the border, protesters were waiting for Trump to express their anger over what they called the US separatist policies.

US Venezuela sanctions

The United States is ramping up pressure for political change in Venezuela by introducing a range of new sanctions. US Vice President Mike Pence announced that Washington will impose sanctions on 34 vessels owned or operated by the Venezuelan state-run oil firm PDVSA. Pence added that the US will also sanction two additional companies that transport Venezuelan crude to Cuba. A White House official said that Pence will address the United Nations Security Council’s next week meeting on Venezuela. Venezuela's elected President Nicolas Maduro accuses the White House of seeking a regime change in his country because of the Latin American nation’s independence and vast oil wealth.

Libya crisis

Fighting has escalated between Libya’s rival factions near the capital Tripoli.  Forces loyal to renegade General Khalifah Haftar say they have seized control of a village and two towns near the capital. Fighting is also underway near a key airport outside the city. The general’s loyalists say five of their troops have been killed in the clashes. The UN backed government based in Tripoli has deployed additional troops to defend the capital. Haftar has ordered his troops to continue their march on Tripoli. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council called on the general to stop all military movements.

Turkey post-election row

The Turkish president has accused the US and the European Union of meddling in the country’s internal affairs following his ruling party’s demands for vote recounts in the local elections. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the United State and the EU should know their place. Erdogan said Turkey’s elections gave a democracy lesson to the whole world. His comments came after Washington urged Erdogan’s ruling AK party to accept the election results. The European Union also called on Ankara to allow elected officials exercise their mandate freely. Erdogan and his AK party suffered a major upset in Sunday’s local elections after results showed the ruling party lost the capital Ankara and was defeated in Istanbul by a narrow margin.

Iraqi PM in Iran

Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has arrived in Tehran on an official visit. He was formally welcomed by Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani. Earlier, the Iraqi premier was received by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif upon his arrival at Tehran's International Mehrabad Airport. Abdul Mahdi is scheduled to sit down for talks with top Iranian officials. He will also attend a press conference in a matter of hours. The Iraqi premier is travelling to the Islamic Republic nearly a month after the Iranian president paid a visit to Iraq, during which the two sides discussed mutual cooperation in a whole range of areas, including economy and security.

Iran floods

Iran’s interior minister says hundreds of thousands of people in the southwestern province of Khuzestan have been exposed to the recent floods. Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said the authorities, in a given situation, have to choose between the lesser of two evils. He reassured flood victims that the government will compensate for their losses. Meanwhile, Khuzestan’s governor has ordered the total and immediate evacuation of several cities. Unprecedented floods triggered by heavy rains wreaked havoc across the country two weeks ago, killing at least 70 people so far. Aid and rescue operations are still underway in the affected areas.

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