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Xinhua Asia-Pacific News Summary at 1000GMT, March 3

Xinhua, March 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Units of Afghan national security forces launched major operations in Khak-e-Afghan district of the southern Zabul province on Tuesday to ensure the safe release of the 30 passengers from the clutch of kidnappers, an official said.

"The operations involving units of national army, police and national directorate for security was launched in the wee hours of Tuesday in Khak-e-Afghan district and so far 32 militants involved in kidnapping have been killed," the official told Xinhua but declined to be identified, saying authorized officials would brief the media after completion of the operations.(Afghanistan- Operations-Kidnappers)

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HO CHI MINH CITY -- Dengue fever broke out widely in Vietnam's southern localities, killing three out of more than 3,600 infected cases during the first two months of this year, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Local media on Tuesday quoted Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Director of MOH 's Preventive Medicine Agency, as saying that there were more than 5,200 dengue-infected cases reported in 38 out of 63 cities and provinces nationwide in the first two months, an increase of 27 percent year on year.(Vietnam-Dengue-Death)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) seemed poised to launch Rodong ballistic missiles via mobile launchers after firing two short-range missiles in an apparent protest against the start of South Korea-U.S. joint annual war games, Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday citing an unnamed source.

Signs were detected a few days ago that the DPRK deployed two of its transporter erector launchers (TELs) from a Rodong missile station in North Pyongan Province, the government official was quoted as saying.(S.Korea-DPRK-Missiles)

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NEW DELHI -- India's Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi may take over the reins of Congress in April, at a party conclave to be held in Jaipur of western India, according to local newspaper Times of India online Tuesday.

Congress is planning to call a national session between March 28 and April 15, when Parliament will be in recess, to secure the party's support to the generational transition of power of the country's oldest political party, which was badly battered in last year's general election, said the newspaper.(India-Congress-Chief) Endi