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Syrian government forces look at a damaged street in Damascus' north eastern al-Qaboun suburb on May 14, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, May 15.

Qaboun evacuation

The Syrian army says it is now in full control of Qaboun neighborhood of the capital Damascus after the evacuation of foreign-backed militants from the area. The evacuation was completed on Monday after hundreds of militants and their families left Qaboun. Over 2,000 more armed men had evacuated the neighborhood on Sunday. The evacuation deal was reached by the two sides a day earlier. The Syrian government is leading a national reconciliation plan that allows militants evacuate certain areas if they end their siege of civilians in other parts of the country. The most high-profile deals saw over 12,000 civilians escape to safety from the northern towns of Foua and Kfrya.

Germany Turkey

Germany has criticized the Turkish government after Ankara prevented German lawmakers from visiting a NATO air base inside Turkey.German chancellor Angela Merkel called Turkey’s move unfortunate. The German Foreign Ministry also said Ankara’s position is absolutely unacceptable, adding that Berlin will seek an alternative way to access Incirlik airbase. The lawmakers intended to visit some 250 German soldiers stationed at the base near the Turkish city of Adana in southern Turkey. Incirlik is used by the US-led coalition to carry out air raids in Syria.

Nakba clashes

Israeli forces have fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian protesters in the city of Bethlehem, wounding at least three people. The violence erupted as many people joined their peers across the occupied Palestinian territories to mark the 69th anniversary of Palestinians’ forced removal from their homes during the creation of Israel. At least ten protesters were also wounded by gunshot during a march to the Israeli checkpoint at Beil El in Ramallah. Palestinian demonstrators threw stones, as Israeli forces fired live rounds and tear gas. Earlier, thousands of people also marched to Arafat memorial in Ramallah to commemorate Nakba. They carried flags reading WE SHALL RETURN. A similar march was also held in Gaza. Nakba means Catastrophe in Arabic. It marks the forced removal of 700,000 Palestinians from their homeland on May 15, 1948. Israel never allowed them and their descendants to return to their motherland, Palestine.

Putin cyber attack

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned about the risks of governments creating hacking tools in an apparent reference to reports that the malware used for the recent global cyber attack was developed by the US intelligence agency NSA. Putin was speaking to a group of reporters in Beijing where he’s to attend the Belt and Road Forum. He added that Russia had offered the US to sign a cyber security agreement last year but the Obama administration declined to cooperate at that time by denying its urgency. Putin said Russian organizations were also among the services affected by Friday’s global cyber attack but they did NOT suffer any significant damage. The attack hit nearly 150 countries shutting down significant services worldwide.

Qalibaf withdraws

Iranian presidential candidate, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, has announced his withdrawal from the race in favor of fellow candidate Ebrahim Raeisi. In a statement, Qalibaf promised to use all his power to help Raeisi win the May 19 election. The Tehran mayor described the current government as incapable. Both Raeisi and Qalibaf were supported by the Popular Front of Islamic Revolution Forces.

Nakba anniversary

Palestinians in the occupied territories, the Gaza Strip and all around the world are marking the 69th anniversary of their expulsion from their land following the creation of Israel, globally know as Nakba. Nakba Day means the Day of Catastrophe in Arabic and refers to May 15, 1948 when over 700,000 Palestinians were forced to leave their homes and go to exile. They were later settled temporarily in camps in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and several other countries, but could never return to their homes. Now, it is estimated that over six million Palestinians are living out of their motherland. Israel has never recognized the right of return for the exiled Palestinians and their descendants.


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