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Here is a brief look at Press TV newsroom's headlines from 18:00 GMT, May 13, to 08:00 GMT, May 14, 2017.

Syria evacuation

The Syrian government has reached an evacuation deal with foreign-backed militants holed up in a Damascus neighborhood.

Government military operations have been halted in the Qabun neighborhood of the capital. It is not yet clear where the fighters would go. Earlier, government forces had advanced in Qabun recapturing 80-percent of the area. The agreement comes after similar deals to evacuate the neighboring districts. On Friday over 1,200 people left Barzeh and Tishrin for the northwestern province of Idlib. Damascus says the agreements are the best way to end the six-year war.

Korean Peninsula tensions 

North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile which traveled some 700 kilometers amid heightened tensions with the United States.

According to the South Korean military, the missile has been launched from northwest of the capital Pyongyang. In a statement, the US military’s Pacific Command confirmed the latest test, saying the type of missile was still being assessed. The launch comes four days after a new president took office in South Korea and amid US war games in the pacific. US President Donald Trump has previously said that a major conflict with the North is possible. Earlier a top North Korean diplomat was quoted as saying that Pyongyang would be willing to hold talks with Washington if the right conditions were set. North Korea says its missile and nuclear programs are in response to US aggressive polices in Southeast Asia.

Brexit divorce bill

The British foreign secretary says the European Union might have to pay Britain for leaving the bloc instead of the other way round.

Boris Johnson says Britain has contributed greatly to the assets it shares with the EU. He says the EU is trying to squeeze his country dry with the Brexit bill. The former London mayor threatened that Britain could simply walk away from the negotiations, saying no deal was better than a bad deal. London’s financial commitments when it was an EU member are among the most difficult Brexit issues that need to be negotiated. EU officials insist that Britain should settle its financial liabilities for Brexit. The divorce bill could cost Britain up to 100 billion euros.

China economic forum 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for free trade and an open world economy during a key trade event in Beijing.

Xi made the comment at the opening of the Belt and Road summit, a Chinese initiative aimed at reviving the ancient trade route known as the Silk Road. Xi added that Beijing is ready to spend 124 billion dollars on the plan. He said everyone is welcome to join what he said is the road to future peace and development of the world. Meanwhile, at the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to protectionism, saying it is a threat to global economy. Leaders from 29 countries including Spain and Italy are attending the summit. The Silk Road economic belt is a massive infrastructure project connecting Asia, Europe and Africa via a complex network of ports and trade hubs. 

Ukraine violence

Violence persists in eastern Ukraine; at least four civilians have died in shelling blamed on pro-Russia militias. 

Ukrainian authorities say the victims lost their lives as a mortar landed in the courtyard of a house in the government-held town of Avdiivka. Ukraine’s military has accused pro-Russian forces of carrying out the artillery attack, using ammunition banned under the terms of the Minsk peace deal. There’s been no reaction from the militias yet. The Minsk agreement was signed in 2015 to end the fighting between government forces and the pro-Russians. The three-year conflict has killed about 10-thousand people.

Germany state elections 

Polls have opened in local elections in Germany's most populous state. The vote is seen as a litmus test for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union ahead of September's national elections.

Over 13 million eligible voters in North Rhine-Westphalia can cast their ballots to elect a new regional parliament. The western state, which includes Cologne, Duesseldorf and the Ruhr industrial region, is a traditional stronghold of Social Democrats of Martin Schulz. However, opinion polls show that the Social Democrats are neck-and-neck with Merkel's party with some even placing the Christian Democratic Union ahead. The election comes four months before the national elections. It is closely watched because it can show whether Chancellor Angela Merkel will be successful in her quest for a fourth term. 


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