WATCH PRESS TV NEWS HEADLINES

Here is a brief look at Press TV Newsroom's headlines from 09:00 GMT to 17:00 GMT, April 19, 2018.

Damascus deadline

The Syrian army has reportedly given Daesh terrorists 48 hours to withdraw from an enclave, south of the capital Damascus. According to Syrian media, the army and allied forces are ready to launch an operation if the terrorists refuse to surrender the enclave around the Palestinian Yarmouk camp and the al-Hajar al-Aswad area. Government forces had begun shelling terrorist positions on Tuesday in preparation for an assault. The area is much smaller than the eastern Ghouta region which was recently retaken from foreign-backed militants. The Syrian army and allied forces have gained swathes of territory from the terrorists by launching military operations or by letting them leave for other parts of the country.

US-North Korea talks

The US president has expressed pessimism about a possible diplomatic thaw with Pyongyang ahead of his planned summit with North Korea’s leader. Trump was addressing a news conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He raised the possibility that the yet-to-be-scheduled summit with Kim Jong-un might be called off because of lack of agreement over an agenda or because it might not be successful. The US president, however, outlined some of the parameters of the talks. He said he will seek the release of three American hostages and an agreement in which North Korea gives up its nuclear weapons. Washington currently does not have diplomatic relations with the North, although the two sides were in high-level contacts in the past. Trump has also confirmed that CIA director Mike Pompeo recently met with the North Korean leader.

Facebook changing user terms

Facebook is applying changes to its terms of service to make sure the majority of its users will not be affected by a new European Union privacy law. The company is set to transfer responsibilities from its Ireland headquarters to the US. The move would exempt one-and-a-half billion users from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation which will take effect on May 25. The EU law will restrict what companies can do with people’s online data and fines them for collecting users' personal information. Facebook has been under fire after the personal information of nearly 87 million users ended up in the hands of a British political consultancy that was hired by US President Donald Trump for his 2016 election campaign.

Cuba politics

Cuba is set to swear in its first Vice President, Miguel Diaz-Canel as the country’s new leader. Diaz-Canel is to replace Raul Castro by a unanimous vote at the parliament. Lawmakers will gather later on Thursday to formally announce their vote on Diaz-Canel. The 57-year old candidate will immediately take the oath of office as Cuba’s new president. This will end the rule of the Castro family over Cuba after nearly 60 years. Raul Castro took over as president from his late brother Fidel in 2006 after he suddenly fell ill. Raul will, however, remain a powerful figure as he is to keep his post as the head of the Communist Party until 2021.

Peace treaty in Korean Peninsula

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has called for an official end to a decades-long armistice with the north saying a peace treaty must be pursued instead. Moon made the comments ahead of a next week summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The South Korean president, however, signaled that a peace treaty would depend on the North’s decision to give up its nuclear weapons. The Korean Armistice Agreement, signed between Seoul and Pyongyang in 1953, brought about a complete cessation of hostilities and ended the Korean War. But the two neighbors are technically still at war as tensions on the Korean peninsula occasionally flare up.

OPCW Syria mission

Russia accuses militants of preventing inspectors of the chemical arms’ watchdog OPCW from reaching the site of an alleged gas attack in the Syrian city of Douma. Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov says the militants also want to stop an unbiased professional investigation into the incident. On Wednesday, the OPCW said security concerns had hampered plans for its experts to travel to Douma. This, after the watchdog said a UN security team came under fire during a reconnaissance mission in the city. The US and its allies have accused the Syrian army of carrying out the alleged gassing in the Damascus suburb on April seven. Damascus has strongly rejected the accusation.

Armenia protests

At least 20 protesters have been arrested in the Armenian capital Yerevan where mass demonstrations continue against ex-president Serzh Sarkisian's election as prime minister. The arrests took place in Yerevan's Republic Square. This, after hundreds of protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to government buildings. The opposition has denounced as a power grab, Tuesday's parliamentary vote which made Sarkisian prime minister. Armenia has been a scene of protests over the recent days over the issue, with the opposition leader calling for a peaceful velvet revolution.

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