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Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, March 25

Xinhua, March 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Austria has decided to participate in the establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a foreign minister spokesperson told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The decision was made after a cabinet meeting Tuesday, the spokesperson said. (Austria-AIIB)

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PARIS -- The first black box of the crashed Germanwings flight, which has been found by gendarmes at the site of the disaster, is used for recording conversations in the cockpit, local media reported on Tuesday.

The other black box, which is used for storing flight data, has not yet been retrieved by the gendarmes, BFMTV reported Tuesday night. (France-Crash-Black Box)

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BENGHAZI -- Seven Libyan soldiers were killed and 12 others wounded on Tuesday by a suicide attack on an army checkpoint in the eastern city of Benghazi, according to military sources.

Investigation officer of the army's special forces Fadl Al-Hassi conformed the casualties, saying the suicide bomber used an armored car. (Libya-Attack)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that no reduction of the current 9,800 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan will occur through the end of 2015.

Noting that Afghanistan "remains a dangerous place", Obama said at a joint press conference with visiting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that given the upcoming spring offensive season with Afghan militants, it is worthwhile to grant flexibility requested by Ghani in terms of the U.S. drawdown timeline. (US-Afghanistan-Troops)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane is going to step down, said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement issued Tuesday.

"Ms. Kane has made a crucial contribution to the collective endeavor of the UN and its Member States, as well as the civil society, to advance both the disarmament and non-proliferation agenda and the cause of ridding the world of the scourge of chemical weapons," UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told a daily briefing. (UN-Disarmament-Chief) Endi