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Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1000 GMT, July 15

Xinhua, July 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Afghan Taliban on Wednesday announced that the militant group was ready for peace talks with the Afghan government, the outfit leader Mullah Mohammad Omar said in a congratulatory message ahead of Eidul Fitr festival to celebrate the end of Muslims' fasting month Ramadan, probably falling on Friday depending on moon sight.

"If we look into our religious regulations and history, we can find that meetings and peaceful interactions with the enemies of Islam, is not prohibited but what is unlawful in meetings with enemies is overlooking Islamic principles," Omar said in the statement posted on a Taliban website. (Afghanistan-Taliban-Peace talk)

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NEW DELHI -- India's left-wing rebels have killed four policemen they kidnapped in eastern Indian state of Chhattisgarh, said local media Wednesday.

The policemen's bodies were found in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Indo-Asian News Service quoted a state minister as saying in Raipur, the state capital of Chhattisgarh where there is a big presence of the Naxalite rebels. (India-Rebel-Killing)

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SEOUL -- South Korean prosecutors said Wednesday that dozens of officials, including 10 former and current military generals, were indicted for corruption charges on defense projects.

The joint investigation team between the prosecution and the military, which was launched in November last year to eliminate irregularities in defense projects, unveiled an interim probe result, local media reports showed. (South Korea-Corruption)

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JAKARTA -- Indonesia posted a trade surplus in June, the seventh month in a row, as imports fell sharply in the biggest economy in the Southeast Asia, national statistic bureau announced here on Wednesday.

The bureau's chief Suryamin told a press conference that Indonesia witnessed lower trade surplus of 477 million U.S. dollars in June compared with a revised 1.08 billion U.S. dollars in May. Endi