WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 1800 GMT, May 6, 2019 to 0800 GMT, May 7, 2019.

Iran denounces US 

Iran’s President says Washington’s push to drive Iranian oil export to zero is aimed at destabilizing the region. Hassan Rouhani made the remarks during phone calls with Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Iraqi President, Barham Salih. Rouhani also highlighted the recent Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and called on Muslim countries to get united to prevent Tel Aviv from committing such aggressions. The Qatari Emir said his country has told Washington many times that Doha is against any move leading to instability in the region. Iraq’s president, for his part, said Baghdad is against any measures harming Iranian people. Sheikh Tamim and Barham Salih also condemned the Israeli aggressions.

Istanbul vote rerun

Istanbul’s mayor-elect has condemned the order by Turkey’s top election body for a rerun of mayoral election in the city. Ekrem Imamoglu called the decision treacherous and accused the authorities of trying to take back his election win. Imamoglu, however, vowed to run again. Ruling AK party’s candidate, Binali Yildirim, also said he would take part in the process. The re-run decision by the Supreme Election Board was based on unsigned result documents from the March poll and accusations that some ballot box officials then were not civil servants. Turkey’s main opposition, Republican People's Party, has called the rerun of Istanbul vote as a plain dictatorship. It accused the ruling AK party of overruling the will of the people and disregarding the law.

Sudan's deadly demonstrations

Months of protests in Sudan are said to have claimed the lives of 90 demonstrators across the African country. A doctors’ committee linked to the opposition says it has collected the names of those killed by security forces from reliable sources. According to the committee, the first deaths took place on December 20 when demonstrations against ousted president Omar al-Bashir erupted. The death toll given by the opposition is higher than the official figure of 65 since December. Bashir was toppled by the army on April 11. A transitional military council is now in power but protests still rage on. Demonstrators demand that army generals hand over power to a civilian government.

Russia Venezuela support

The Venezuelan foreign minister has expressed his country’s readiness to fend off any military intervention plots by the United States. Jorge Arreaza stressed that that the Venezuelan people and government are ready for all scenarios. He made the comments after a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Moscow. Sergei Lavrov, for his part, slammed Washington for threatening crisis-ridden Caracas.

Trump’s tax returns

The US Treasury Secretary says he will not hand over President Donald Trump’s tax returns to Congress. Steven Mnuchin said the request by the Democratic-controlled House Committee to have six years of Trump's tax returns lacks a legitimate purpose. Mnuchin’s refusal comes despite a formal request by the committee chairman, Richard Neal, under a law authorizing him such actions. Neal later said he would consult and determine an appropriate response. In 2016, Trump became the first presidential candidate in decades to seek the White House without first disclosing his tax returns. At the same time, he has not divested from his global business holdings, exposing him to accusations of potential conflicts of interest in conducting US affairs.

US-China trade war

The United States says it will move forward on President Donald Trump’s order to increase tariffs on Chinese goods. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer says as of Friday, levies on 200 billion dollars of Chinese goods will be increased from ten percent to 25. Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said over the weekend, China reneged on previous agreements and derailed months of progress on talks. However the two men said the move does not mean talks with China have ended. The news comes as a Chinese delegation is heading to Washington on Thursday.

UK Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May has been warned that she will be gone very quickly if she agrees to the opposition Labour’s demands on her EU divorce deal. Senior sources from May’s Consrvative party told the Daily Telegraph that her Tuesday meeting with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will be the decision point for her future. The sources said May’s removal process could begin as soon as this week if she agrees to a post-Brexit customs union with the EU. May wants an agreement with the Labour to get her Brexit deal past the parliament before the European parliamentary elections later this month. But Conservatives say Labour’s demand for a permanent customs union with the EU goes directly against May’s pledge to end it.

UN warns about nature

The United Nations has released its first comprehensive report on biodiversity. The report says nature is in more trouble now than at any time in human history. It warns that our Earth is being pushed towards extinction by manmade pollution, deforestation and climate change. We have a report.

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