WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, October 9, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, October 10, 2017.

Fatal fire in California

The death toll from fast-spreading massive wildfires in the US state of California has risen to ten.

According to state officials the fatalities occurred in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties. Firefighters and rescue teams are struggling in several counties of Northern California to contain nearly a dozen fires burning out of control, with high winds hampering their firefighting efforts. A state of emergency has been declared in the region as the blaze continues to burn large swathes of land. California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the destruction caused by the wildfires is preventing the flow of emergency services. Authorities say 1,500 homes and business have been destroyed while some 20,000 residents have been evacuated to safety.

US arming terrorists

The Syrian Defense Ministry has released a video showing weapons and ammunition seized from different terror groups operating in the country. The ministry says all the confiscated weapons are mainly from the US and its allies.

The ministry said the weapons were procured through various channels in Eastern Europe with the support of the US and NATO and then delivered to the terrorists via Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Syrian authorities say Israel has also been implicated in the arms support, with Tel Aviv providing Nusra Front terrorists with weapons and ammunition. Syria has long been calling for an end to the foreign support for different armed groups involved in the country’s six-year-long conflict. Damascus says the war could be terminated much sooner without the foreign-backed militancy.

Warning to Catalonia

Spain’s deputy prime minister has warned the president of Catalonia over his plans to declare independence, saying Madrid will not stand by and watch. 

Soraya Saenz de Santamaria says the Catalan president is leading the northern region toward social breakdown and jeopardizing its future. She says Puigdemont’s behavior is causing great concern among many people, stressing that he is ignoring the majority of Spanish people. The statements come after the Catalan president threatened to declare independence. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the ruling party has issued a controversial warning to Puigdemont, saying he might suffer the fate of a Catalan president who was arrested and shot dead by the government of General Franco. 

No access to Rakhine

A prominent rights group has reacted to Sunday’s boat incident in which at least 12 Myanmar Muslims were killed en route to Bangladesh. Amnesty International says the tragic deaths are new evidence of the desperate situation of the Rohingya in Rakhine state. 

Gomez said the government of Myanmar is actively blocking aid groups from reaching the affected areas. He said such restrictions show a callous disregard for human life and must end immediately. Myanmar’s military has begun a deadly crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in August. Hundreds of thousands of them have fled to neighboring Bangladesh as the army continues burning villages to the ground.

Cholera epidemic in Yemen

Aid organizations are sounding the alarm as the number of cases in Yemen’s cholera epidemic, fueled by the Saudi War, is set to hit world record highs. 

The World Health Organization says the rapidly spreading disease has exceeded 800,000 cases. Thousands of new cases are being recorded on a daily bases since the outbreak began six months ago. Yemen is set to surpass Haiti, which has documented 815,000 cases over the past seven years. Charity organization, Save The Children, says there has not been a faster outbreak since records began in 1949. Aid groups have denounced Saudi Arabia’s war for fueling the epidemic. They say Riyadh has repeatedly bombed hospitals and imposed a blockade that has left tens of millions of Yemenis without vital humanitarian aid. 

US fatal shooting

A police officer has been killed in a shooting incident in the US state of Texas. 

The incident occurred at Texas Tech University in Lubbock when police discovered drugs at one of the students’ residence. The suspect was taken to the school’s police station, where he pulled out a gun and shot an officer fatally. The assailant was later taken into custody. He has been identified as 19-year-old Hollis Daniels.

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