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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, April 23

Xinhua, April 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The White House said Thursday that a U.S. counterterrorism operation in January killed two hostages, one American and one Italian, held by al-Qaida in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"It is with tremendous sorrow that we recently concluded that a U.S. government counterterrorism operation in January killed two innocent hostages held by al-Qaida," said a White House statement. (U.S.-Hostage)

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JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Thursday declared the conclusion the two-day Asian-African summit which adopted three important outcome documents.

The summit promised to reinvigorate the New Asian African Strategic Partnership (NAASP). (Indonesia-Asian African Summit)

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YANGON -- A total of 200 people have been hospitalized due to food poisoning in Kan Balu township, Myanmar's northwestern Sagaing region following an entertainment event held at a monastery for a religious function, local media reported Thursday.

The incident, which happened Wednesday, was said to have happened after people consumed gooseberry soup cooked with dried fish with water chemically sprayed to prevent flies, said local newspaper the Mirror. (Myanmar-Food Poisoning)

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BISHKEK -- Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Joomart Otorbayev tendered a verbal resignation on Thursday, the government press service confirmed to Xinhua.

Otorbayev announced the decision after delivering his government work report for 2014 at a session of the parliament.

Otorbayev, who was named the prime minister in April 2014, did not give any immediate reasons for his resignation, only saying that he did not want to hold the post any longer. (Kyrgyzstan-PM-Resignation)

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MOSCOW -- At least two people were killed and eight others were injured in an explosion of fireworks warehouse on Thursday in the central Russian city of Oryol, local authorities said.

"Two workers of the warehouse died, and eight others have been hospitalized," the Interfax news agency quoted the press secretary of local interior ministry as saying. (Russia-Fireworks Blast) Endi