WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 0900 GMT to 1700 GMT, December 28, 2018.

Bangladesh vote campaign

Campaigning for Bangladesh's general election has ended after weeks of violence. The poll is scheduled for Sunday. The ruling Awami League party is seeking a third straight term in the election against the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, BNP. The opposition whose leader Kahleda Zia is in jail, has vowed to remove curbs on the media, increase wages and freeze energy prices. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina accused the opposition of organizing bomb attacks. The opposition claimed that more than 8,200 of its leaders and activists had been arrested since the election schedule was announced last month. At least six people have been killed since the campaign started on November 8. Human Rights Watch said the election is being conducted in what it called a repressive environment.

Syrian army in Manbij

Syrian armed forces have entered the northern town of Manbij after Kurdish YPG militants urged the government in Damascus to protect them in the face of Turkish attacks. In a statement, the Syrian army said it guarantees full security for all Syrian citizens and others present in Manbij. The army said it is determined to defeat all invaders and called on Syrians to preserve the country’s sovereignty. The army entered the town after six years and raised the national flag following an invitation from the YPG. That’s days after Turkey sent military reinforcements near Manbij, where Kurdish militants have a stronghold. Turkey views the YPG as a terrorist entity and a threat to its security. Ankara has vowed to clear the area from the militant group after the United States announced that it will pull out of Syria.

Syria summit

Russia says it will host the leaders of Iran and Turkey early next year in a trilateral summit to discuss the Syria situation. Russian President's Middle East Envoy Mikhail Bogdanov made the announcement, saying the meeting will take place around the first week of the year. He said the exact time of the summit will depend on the schedules of the three presidents. The summit will be the latest within the framework of the Astana talks which initially began to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis. The Moscow summit will also be the first one following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of Washington’s withdrawal from Syria.

US government shutdown

Reports suggest roughly 800,000 American workers may need financial aid as the government shutdown continues in the United States. Private companies and NGOs are reportedly working to provide financial assistance to the workers who are unable to receive their paychecks. The US office of personnel management has also advised government employees to reach out to creditors for alternative payment options. It released sample letters to show how shutdown workers could ask for financial help. This as Congress once again failed to vote on a resolution to end the closure on Thursday. The US government is currently in a partial shutdown amid standoff over President Donald Trump’s border wall funding. The shutdown is expected to continue into 2019, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay or with low wages.

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