WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, July 4, 2017.

North Korea ICBM Launch

North Korea says it has successfully test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch was overseen by the country’s leader Kim Jong-un. Pyongyang says the Hwasong 14 missile flew over 900 kilometers before hitting its target precisely. The missile was fired from a site in North Phyongan province and landed in the Sea of Japan. The North also said its missiles are now capable of striking anywhere in the world. The launch has drawn strong reactions from South Korea and Japan.

US Drone Strikes

A US drone attack in Afghanistan’s Kunar province has left four people dead. According to Afghan officials, the unmanned aircraft targeted Daesh-affiliated militants. Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it has launched an airstrike in Somalia targeting al-Shabab militants in the Juba region. There are no reports of casualties yet. The US has been carrying out drone strikes in a number of Muslim countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen. Washington claims the attacks are aimed at taking out the terrorists, but filed reports show a large number of civilians have been killed in the air raids.

UK Terror Report

Britain’s Green Party has criticized the government for delaying the publication of a report on foreign funding of extremism and terror in the country. Greens’ co-leader Caroline Lucas has called the delay astonishing. She said the government should clarify whether they are keeping the report secret because it is critical of Saudi Arabia. The criticism comes after the Home Office confirmed that the investigation may never come to light. The Home Office said the report contains very sensitive information and only the prime minister can decide on its publication. The probe was commissioned by former prime minister David Cameron to convince his Liberal Democrat coalition partners to support airstrikes in Syria. Now, Liberal Democrats as well as opposition Labour and Scotland’s ruling SNP are calling on the government to make the findings public.

Neo-Nazism Revisited

In Germany, a government report has unveiled that far-right violent acts witnessed a fourteen percent spike last year amid an influx of refugees to the country. The report registered 1600 acts of violence by neo-Nazis and other far-right groups in the country in 2016. It also estimated that more than 12000 people with far-right views in Germany were considered ready to commit acts of violence. Police reports also show a surge in anti-refugee acts and sentiments in the country. More than a million asylum seekers, mostly fleeing the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, arrived in Germany in 2016.

Proposal for Deescalation

Russia and China have called for a cessation of all military activities on the Korean Peninsula following the North’s latest self-proclaimed successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. During a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping's to Moscow, he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin demanded the suspension of North Korea’s missile activity simultaneously with the US and South Korea's joint war games. The two leaders also stressed the importance of dialogue in reaching a proper settlement of the tensions. The Russian foreign ministry has separately called on the Pyongyang to abide by the United Nation’s resolution on missile testing. Moscow says nothing other than multilateral talks can help resolve the issue.

Independence Drive

The ruling coalition in Catalonia says it will declare independence from Spain immediately if a majority of voters seek self-rule in a referendum to be held on October the first. The announcement is made as Catalonia has introduced a new law to pull out the northeastern region from Spain's legal system. The new law that will be submitted to parliament for a vote is meant to evade the legal challenges of organizing a referendum. Spain’s conservative government has blocked Catalonia’s previous referendum attempts. The Constitutional Court has nullified a resolution approved by Catalonian parliament calling for the referendum.

Defiant Doha?

The Qatari foreign minister says his country will not bow to demands that violate its sovereignty. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani says demands put forward by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt as part of a proposal to normalize ties are impossible to meet. He also called the Saudi-led sanctions imposed on his country illegal. Thani criticized the United Arab Emirates, which it believes is trying to smear Qatar's reputation. He stressed that combating terrorism and putting an end to financing terrorism in the region are a priority for his country. He made the remarks after meeting with the German foreign minister who is touring the region to help resolve the crisis. Sigmar Gabriel says the crisis can be resolved only through dialog in which the sovereignty of all nations must be respected.

Held as Human Shield

Reports from the Iraqi flashpoint city of Mosul indicate that the army forces and counter-terrorism units have slowed down their advance through the last streets still held by Daesh terrorists. An Iraqi commander says the presence of almost 10-thousand civilians who are trapped inside the old city with little food, medicine or water has affected the army’s advances. Some of those people are believed to have been brought from other areas to Mosul by the terrorists to be used as human shield. Another commander says the Iraqi army’s progress has also been slowed down by the high number of improvised explosive devices planted in streets and buildings.

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