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 23, 2017.

Eastern Ghouta evacuation

A monitoring group says hundreds of militants evacuated from Syria’s Eastern Ghouta have arrived in the country’s northwestern province of Idlib. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says buses carrying the evacuees entered Idlib province which is held by militant groups. They left the town of Harasta on Thursday, under a deal with Russia for the evacuation of militants and their families from Eastern Ghouta. The deal was clinched to reduce the number of civilian casualties in Eastern Ghouta which has seen fierce fighting for more than a month now. Syrian government forces backed by Russian air cover are engaged in a ground offensive to take back the flashpoint district, which is located on the outskirts of the capital Damascus.

Bolton in White House

In the latest administration shake-up, the US president has replaced National Security Adviser HR McMaster with former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton. Trump announced the appointment in a tweet saying a formal handover would occur in April. Bolton, who's known for his hawkish views, will be Trump’s third National Security Adviser. The ex-ambassador to the UN says he sees his new post as “an honest broker” by providing a full range of options to the president. During an interview with Fox news, he has tried to distance himself from his past statements.

France hostage crisis

French police have killed a gunman who shot dead at least three people in a hostage-taking incident and a shooting spree. Government officials say the assailant was killed during a raid on a supermarket in the southern town of Trebe where he had taken several people hostage. The attacker first hijacked a car in the town of Carcassonne, killing a passenger and injuring the driver. He also shot at a group of policemen near the town, leaving one officer injured. The gunman then drove to the supermarket in Trebe where he took hostages and killed two people. He has claimed allegiance to the Daesh terror group. More than 240 people have been killed in a string of terror attacks in France since 2015. The country is still on high alert in the wake of the terror incidents.

Bolton appointment

Israeli ministers have welcomed US President Donald Trump's appointment of John Bolton as his new national security advisor. The Israeli justice minister described Bolton as a true friend of Israel. He said the Trump administration is turning out to be the friendliest US administration to Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the Israeli environment minister said Bolton has been an unquestionable friend of Israel for many years. But Palestinians slammed Bolton’s appointment. They say the new US national security advisor has a long history of hostility toward Palestinians. Bolton replaced HR McMaster. The 69-year-old is notorious for adopting hardline positions on foreign policy. He was a leading advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Bolton has also pushed for using military force against North Korea and Iran.

Opposing US tariffs

The US president’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports have drawn a firestorm of condemnation at the World Trade Organization. The European Union says the US cannot justify the tariffs by claiming they serve its national security. China, Russia, Australia, India and a number of other countries also slammed the US tariffs on steel. This, after Washington launched a challenge at the World Trade Organization against China over alleged intellectual property breaches. The US has long accused China of forcing American companies to yield intellectual property and commercial information as a precondition for operating in Beijing. US President Donald Trump is due to impose 50 billion dollars in tariffs and investment restrictions on China for what Washington calls stealing American technology. China has also threatened the US with retaliatory measures.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk