Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, June 18
Xinhua, June 18, 2015 Adjust font size:
The chance is very small that the finance ministers of the euro zone countries reach a deal on Greece on Thursday, Dutch Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem said on Wednesday during a debate in Dutch parliament.
"The aim is still to reach an agreement and to keep Greece in the euro zone," Dijsselbloem added. However, he emphasized that a possible agreement should be tested before the end of this month. (EU-Greece)
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WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve signaled that it was on track to move the benchmark interest rate this year despite the lower-than-expected economic outlook.
In its quarterly economic projections, 15 out of the 17 Fed board members and Fed bank presidents expected the appropriate timing for the first interest rate hike in almost nine years will be in 2015, and only two officials saw 2016 will be the appropriate timing. (U.S.-Interest Rate)
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MINSK -- Belarus sees additional risks in view of the deployment of additional NATO military forces near its border, Belarusian Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Andrei Ravkov has said.
"Along with the reinforcement of the air force component of NATO members in the Baltic states and Poland for the sake of protecting the air space, NATO systematically concentrates additional military forces with heavy weapon systems near the Belarusian border," Ravkov said in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS. (Belarus-NATO Forces)
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SANAA -- Car bombs hit an office of the Shiite Houthi group and three mosques in Yemen's capital of Sanaa on Wednesday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, security sources said.
Three cars laden with explosives went off near the office of the Houthi political bureau, the highest decision making body, in northern Yemen, killing 18 Houthi supporters, security sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. (Yemen-Car Bombing) Endite