WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, November 19, 2017.

Fight against Daesh

The Daesh terrorist group has lost its last urban stronghold in Syria after being completely routed in neighboring Iraq. This after the Syrian army and allied forces fully liberated the border town of Bukamal. The gain was achieved in a major operation which began on Friday night. The town which is in Dayr al-Zawr province was fully freed from Daesh a week ago but fell into the terrorists’ hands briefly. The Syrian government forces now need to purge the desert areas from the terrorists to fully dislodge them from the country. Daesh gained ground in Syria after foreign-backed militancy plagued the country. Damascus managed to take back all the territories with assistance from Russia and Iran.

Iran mourning

Millions of mourners have converged on Iran’s holy city of Mashhad to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. Muslims from several countries have gathered in the northeastern city to attend mourning ceremonies at Imam Reza's shrine. Massive memorial services are also being held in local mosques and other religious centers across the country. Imam Reza was martyred after being poisoned by the Abbasid Caliph Ma’mun on the last day of the Islamic lunar month of Safar, in the year 818 AD.

Germany coalition talks  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU party and the pro-business FDP are pushing to reach common grounds on a possible coalition. Talks have stalled as the two parties clash on the issues of migration and environment. Merkel's CDU, their sister party CSU, the Greens, and the FDP are struggling to create a framework for the government. They say the talks will be concluded by Sunday evening, with or without an agreement. Pressure has been mounting on the four parties to reach a preliminary agreement and open official talks on a coalition government. Ahead of the talks, Chancellor Merkel urged MPs to redouble their efforts, saying the task of forming a government for Germany is very important.

Talks on Syria

Top diplomats from Iran, Turkey and Russia have begun a trilateral meeting to discuss the Syria crisis. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have met in the Turkish city of Antalya. Later on November 22, Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Turkish and Iranian counterparts, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hassan Rouhani, in Sochi. The three powers have spearheaded a ceasefire initiative and are now cooperating on a political settlement in Syria. They also agreed to establish de-escalation zones in Syria during their talks held in Kazakhstan back in May.

Zimbabwe’s ruling party sacks Mugabe

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has been fired as leader of the ruling ZANU-PF party. The decision came during an emergency meeting by the ruling party to discuss the fate of the embattled president. According to delegates present at the meeting, Mugabe was replaced by former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa whose dismissal by the president on November 6 created tensions in the country. Mugabe has been serving as president since the country gained independence in 1987. The 93-year-old president is currently under house arrest after military generals seized power on Wednesday.

Chile presidential election

Polls are open in Chile’s presidential elections, with the former president likely to gain enough votes to be the country’s 37th leader. Chilean citizens started to cast their ballots as voting began early Sunday. Former president, Sebastian Pinera, is putting all his force to cement his front-runner status to succeed socialist leader, Michelle Bachelet. It is not clear whether the former president can avoid a runoff against his runner up, who is likely to be independent candidate, Alejandro Guillier, who enjoys massive support from the incumbent president. Pinera was the president of the South American country from 2010 to 2014. Chile’s constitution bans presidents to run for consecutive terms, but re-election after skipping a term is permissible.

‘Saudi Arabia destabilizing Mideast’: Iran

Iran’s foreign minister has called on regional countries to contribute to peace processes while slamming Saudi Arabia for its warmongering policies. Zarif made similar remarks in an earlier tweet in which he described as ironic Saudi Arabia’s anti-Tehran accusations. He says Riyadh is fueling terrorism, waging a war on Yemen, blockading Qatar and fomenting crisis in Lebanon while accusing Iran of destabilizing activities. Zarif is now in the Turkish city of Antalya where he’s meeting with his Turkish and Russian counterparts to discuss the latest developments in Syria. The top diplomat says the trio are working to build on a ceasefire achieved earlier and to prepare for inclusive dialog among Syrians. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has hailed the Antalya talks, saying the three countries have agreed on all key issues regarding the Syria peace process.

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