WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, March 21, 2017 to 08:00 GMT, March 22, 2017.

Leader speech

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has condemned the US presence in the Middle East. The Leader says Iran has thwarted the US scheme of creating and using terrorist groups like Daesh to divert attention from Israel’s atrocities.

Israeli court ruling

A teenage Palestinian girl, who was filmed kicking and slapping an Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank, has been sentenced to eight months in prison. An Israeli military court gave Ahed Tamimi the jail term after she agreed to plead guilty to four of the 12 charges she faced. She will also pay a fine of 1,440 US dollars. The deal allowed Tamimi to avoid more serious charges that could have imprisoned her for years. The 17- year-old was detained after she confronted two armed soldiers outside her home in December. Rights groups including Amnesty international have called on Israel to immediately release the Palestinian girl.

Free trade area

African leaders have signed a deal to establish a free-trade zone to improve regional integration and boost economic growth across the continent. The agreement to create the African Continental Free Trade Area was signed in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The accord will now have to be ratified by individual countries. Under the deal, they are obliged to remove tariffs on 90 percent of goods. The agreement will also liberalize trade in services and might in the future include free movement of people and a single currency.

Peru president resigns

In Peru, prosecutors are seeking to bar President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski from leaving the country following his resignation over serious corruption allegations. Anti-graft prosecutors asked a judge to issue the ban after secret video recordings implicated Kuczynski in vote-buying allegations. On Wednesday, the embattled president announced his resignation in a letter to congress despite rejecting the unfair appearance of guilt. Kuczynski said it was the best move for the country to end the months-long political turmoil. Speaker of the Peruvian congress, however, adamantly rejected the terms of the letter. Luis Galarreta said lawmakers categorically and unanimously refused the president's resignation. The 79-year-old former Wall Street banker was elected president in 2016 on promises to modernize Peru and fight corruption.

US budget deal

US lawmakers have reached a bipartisan deal to fund the federal government for the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year. The 1.3 trillion dollar spending bill will prevent a government shutdown if it’s passed and signed into law by the Friday night deadline. House Speaker Paul Ryan hailed the agreement as marking the beginning of a new era for the US military. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the deal will fulfill Democratic priorities. The White House has also voiced support for it, saying the agreement includes a rise in military spending and funds for Donald Trump's promised border wall.

US to cut Palestinian aid

US lawmakers are expected to pass a bill that aims to drastically slash annual aid to the Palestinian Authority. House representatives and Senate leaders came up with the measure to force Palestinian officials stop making payments to the families of those killed or imprisoned by Israel. It is part of an omnibus spending bill and could be either passed or rejected by Friday night. The motion called the Taylor Force Act, has been named after a former military officer who was fatally stabbed by a Palestinian in Tel Aviv in 2016. Washington is currently making a 300- million-dollar aid to the Palestinian Authority each year.

Korea diplomacy

A senior North Korean diplomat has arrived in the Chinese capital, following informal trilateral talks with delegates from the United States and South Korea in Finland. Deputy Director General for North American affairs, Choe Kang Second arrived in Beijing on Thursday. His schedule in the Chinese capital is not yet known. But, he’s there as part of diplomatic efforts to resolve a standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. That’s ahead of planned summits between the two Koreas as well as North Korea and the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has already agreed to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April, and US president Donald Trump a month later.

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