WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, March 16, 2017.

Hailing Astana talks

Iran’s foreign minister says recent advances by the Syrian army have had a positive impact on the Astana peace initiative. Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remark during a joint press conference with his Russian and Turkish counterparts in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The trio held a meeting in the city to discuss the latest developments on the Syrian crisis. Zarif hailed the Astana negotiations as the only successful international initiative on the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov touched upon the situation in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, saying the hourly ceasefire regime would last until all the civilians could leave the war-ravaged region. Turkey’s top diplomat called for an end to all clashes in Eastern Ghouta, saying the situation is heading toward disaster.

Eastern Ghouta evacuation

More people are leaving Syria’s militant-held Eastern Ghouta district on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, about 2,000 people left Eastern Ghouta on Friday, and the number may rise to around 20,000 by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Russia has announced that the country’s military and the Syrian government will extend a ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta as long as it takes to allow all civilians to leave the enclave. Thousands of Syrian civilians have so far managed to leave the militant-held area, using a humanitarian corridor established by the Syrian Army. The troops, backed by the Russian air force, launched a ground offensive to retake Eastern Ghouta in February.

Russia-UK poisoning row

Russia says it no longer pays attention to accusations by the UK that it orchestrated a toxin attack on English soil. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov again denied Moscow’s involvement in the poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the English town of Salisbury on March 4. Lavrov criticized London’s lack of cooperation with Moscow, calling it a violation of international agreements. London has turned down Moscow’s repeated demands for a sample of the nerve agent. Britain accuses Russia of breaching the Chemical Weapons Convention and international law. Lavrov also announced Moscow’s plans to expel British diplomats in a tit-for-tat response to the expulsion of 23 Russians. Unidentified sources claim the nerve agent was planted in the suitcase of the former spy’s daughter before she left Moscow. This is the first offensive use of such a weapon on European soil since World War II.

Iran nuclear deal

Representatives of Iran and the P5+1 group of countries have gathered in Vienna for crucial talks amid speculations about Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement. Delegates from Iran, the US, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union will meet on Friday as part of periodic meetings of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said lifting of anti-Iran sanctions as well as US violations of the nuclear deal will be high on the agenda. He reiterated Tehran’s stance that the deal is non-negotiable. The meeting will be held against a backdrop of attempts by US President Donald Trump to walk out of the 2015 agreement. Trump calls the accord the worst of its kind, and has pushed for its renegotiation ever since coming to office. But Iran and the other parties to the deal have opposed the plan.

US helicopter crash

The Pentagon has confirmed that all seven service members aboard a US military helicopter that crashed in western Iraq were killed. The Pentagon said the crash did not appear to be a result of enemy activity. It added that an investigation is however underway to determine the cause of the incident. The US helicopter was used by the Air force for combat search and rescue operations. It crashed Thursday afternoon near the town of Qaim in Anbar Province close to the Syrian border. The United States says it has more than 5,000 troops in Iraq to fight Daesh terrorists. Iraqi lawmakers have demanded the US withdraw from their country.

Spy poisoning accusations   

Russia has described as shocking and unforgivable UK accusations that President Vladimir Putin was directly behind the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergey Skripal on English soil. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had nothing to do with the incident. The accusation against Putin was made by UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Johnson also urged Britain’s allies to condemn the Kremlin. London has turned down Moscow’s repeated demands for a sample of the chemical agent used to poison Skripal and his daughter Yulia. On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats over the issue. Moscow has strongly rejected the allegations that it was involved in the poisoning incident, saying it could respond to Britain’s move any minute.

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