WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, June 29, 2017.

Hate crimes ‘unreported’

A new federal report says that the majority of hate crimes committed over a 12-year period in the US have not been reported to police. The report released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics suggests that most of the hate crimes that occurred between 2004 and 2015 weren’t reported because they were handled some other way. The report adds that those who survived the crimes did not report their cases because they felt that police would not help and that their experiences were not considered important. It also shows a high concern among US citizens over ongoing tensions between law enforcement and black and Latino communities. This, as statistics indicate there is a high surge in attacks against Muslims and Hispanics across the country since President Trump took office in January.

Rallies continue

Protesters have barricaded roads in the Venezuelan capital Caracas calling on President Nicolas Maduro to step down. The demonstrators rallied despite the rain, halting the traffic especially in the east of the city. Police were seen firing tear gas in a bid to disperse the people. Security forces also clashed with protesters to open up the blocked streets. This week marks three months since anti-Maduro protests began. Nearly 80 people have been killed in the violence so far. Protesters are angry at soaring inflation rates and food shortages. The government accuses them of enjoying the support of the US for inciting violence in the country.

China-Hong Kong ties

China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Hong Kong to mark two decades of Chinese rule over the region handed back to Beijing by Britain. This is Xi’s first official visit to Hong Kong as president. Xi is expected to visit a Chinese military base in Hong Kong during his three-day stay. Around 11,000 police forces are involved in the security arrangements of the trip. Protesters have vowed to hold rallies before Xi leaves. The visit comes as tensions between Hong Kong and China have intensified amid concern and resentment over Beijing's growing influence there. Britain returned Hong Kong to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" formula. The constitutional principle guarantees wide-ranging autonomy and judicial independence for Hong Kong.

‘Last push’ for Mosul

The liberation of Mosul looks imminent as Iraqi forces fully recapture the iconic al-Nuri mosque which was blown up by Daesh terrorists last week. The Iraqi military said the armed forces will secure the area as it is most probably rigged with explosives. Retaking the Nuri mosque handed a symbolic victory to the Iraqi forces because the Daesh terrorist group had declared a so-called caliphate from there after taking the city in 2014. On Wednesday, the army captured two neighborhoods of Hadarat al-Sa’ada and Ahmadiya in the Old City of Mosul. Iraqi forces say they are only a few days away from completely dislodging Daesh. They are trying to slow the army’s advance using booby traps, bombers and snipers.

May’s malady

British Prime Minister Theresa May is having tough times; her government is now facing a vote of confidence three weeks after a disastrous election which left her authority in tatters and her Brexit strategy in doubt. Members of the House of Commons are set to vote on the Conservative leader's legislative plans later Thursday. This is a key test of whether May can stay in power. Her party is expected to go on with its programs after forming a minority government with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party. Theresa May’s government came under extra pressure after a string of deadly terror attacks and a blaze at a residential tower in London that left scores of people dead. The government has been accused of mismanagement and security negligence.

Persian Gulf crisis

Qatar prepares a draft agenda to discuss the seemingly unending rift with the Saudi-led alliance, amid intensifying tensions between Doha and its Arab adversaries. Qatar says it will raise the Saudi-led blockade on the small Persian Gulf at the World Trade Organization. Riyadh has presented a list of 13 demands for the country, including the closure of Al Jazeera television network and a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran as preconditions for ending the embargo on Qatar. Doha has rejected the demands as unacceptable. The Saudi regime, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have also severed diplomatic ties with Qatar. They accuse Doha of supporting terrorist groups such as Daesh, an allegation that Qatar vehemently denies.

‘Excuse for aggression’

Syria has rejected as baseless a claim by the US that Syrian troops were preparing to launch a chemical attack. In a statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the allegation is misleading and lacks any shred of truth. It also described the claim as a ploy to justify a new US attack against the Arab nation under ill-founded pretexts. Russia has also slammed Washington’s claim as a large-scale provocation which it said is directed at both Damascus and Moscow. 

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