WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, April 19, 2019 to 0800 GMT, April 20, 2019.

Freedom of speech?

The American tech giant Google has disabled the accounts of Press TV and its sister channel Hispan. Google has denied their access to all its services including its popular video streaming platform Youtube and its email service, Gmail. The firm has made the move without prior warnings and subsequent explanation.

Condemning terrorist attack

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned a recent deadly terrorist attack in Pakistan. Zarif said Iran will continue to support the people and government of Pakistan. He said terrorists and their sponsors are terrified by close relations among Muslim nations. On Thursday, a group of attackers shot dead 14 bus passengers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan. The deadly attack came ahead of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s planned visit to Iran on Sunday.

Syria president plea

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called for progress in stalled negotiations on a de-escalation zone around the northwestern province of Idlib, which is controlled by terrorists. Assad made the call in a meeting with the Russian president’s special envoy Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus. The meeting came ahead of fresh Syria talks aimed at ending the conflict in the war-torn country. During the meeting, Assad stressed his government’s determination to eliminate terrorist groups which are holed up in Idlib and attack civilians in neighboring areas. Lavrentiev expressed confidence that the upcoming Syria talks will achieve more successes. The new round of Syria negotiations is scheduled to be held on April 25 and 26 in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana, renamed in 2019 to Nur-Sultan.

Downing Saudi drone

Yemen’s Houthi fighters have shot down a reconnaissance drone belonging to Saudi-led forces over northwestern Sa’ada province. The Ansarullah movement has released the video of a burning drone coming down on the outskirts of the Sahar district. The movement says the intruding aircraft was targeted with a surface-to-air missile as it was on a surveillance mission. Hours later, Saudi warplanes carried out a retaliatory attack on a camp near the presidential palace area of the capital Sana’a. The military coalition says the airstrike was aimed at destroying Ansarullah’s drone capabilities. The movement has not commented on the air raid. Saudi Arabia launched a war on Yemen in early 2015 which has left more than 15,000 people, mostly civilians, dead.

Trump impeachment calls

A group of US congressional democrats has called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump following the release of redacted report on the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. In a Twitter post, senator and presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren said the Democratic-led House should initiate the impeachment proceedings. She also called on lawmakers from both parties to do their constitutional duty. Top Republican Senator Mitt Romney has also broken from party lines, saying he is sickened by the report’s findings. The House judiciary and intelligence committee chairs have urged further investigation into the report and its complete publication. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s report cleared Trump of suspicion that he had been in collusion with Russia. But Democrats are emboldened by the findings about numerous instances of obstruction of justice by the president. Trump calls the investigation crazy, fabricated and untrue.

US Libya policy

US President Donald Trump has spoken with Libya’s Khalifa Haftar, in a sign of Washington’s support for the renegade general whose forces are on an all-out offensive against the Libyan capital. According to the White House, Trump and Haftar discussed the need to achieve peace and stability in Libya. It said the US president also recognized Haftar's significant role in fighting terrorism and securing Libya's oil resources. This came as a UN push to broker a ceasefire in the North African country hit trouble. On Thursday, the US and Russia opposed a British bid at the Security Council to demand a ceasefire in Libya. Observers say Trump's words of praise for Haftar explain the general’s determination to pursue his offensive. Meanwhile, the internationally-recognized Libyan government has accused Haftar of ordering airstrikes against civilians and has issued an arrest warrant for him.

Iran flood relief

Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani has promised that the government will do whatever it can to help the flood-hit people rebuild their lives. Rouhani made the pledge during talks with officials in the western province of Lorestan. They discussed relief operations, which have been ongoing over the past two weeks, following severe floods in Lorestan. The Iranian president hailed the efforts by all units, including the country’s armed forces. He said such united efforts succeeded in restoring public services to the vast affected areas, in a short period of time. Unprecedented floods triggered by heavy rains have hit two dozen Iranian provinces since mid-March. Some areas are still grappling with the impacts of the deluge, amid overflow of dams and rivers.

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