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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Aug. 19

Xinhua, August 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

A Slovenian rock band Laibach gave a live performance Wednesday at Ponghwa Art Theater in Pyongyang, becoming the first Western band ever to play a concert in the Asian country.

Morten Traavik, artistic director of the band, said in his opening remarks that the Korean people should have every reason to be proud of their cultural heritage as he believes the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a prosperous nation in respect of music and songs. (DPRK-Slovenia-Rock Band)

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NICOSIA -- Cyprus officially declared its economy to be out of recession on Wednesday, less than two and a half years after it was bailed out by the Eurogroup and the International Monetary Fund.

"Under international practice, when an economy records a growth for two consecutive quarters it is considered to have come out of recession," government spokesman Victor Papadopoulos said after the Council of Ministers was briefed on the first six-monthly economic report. (Cyprus-Recession)

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RAMADI, Iraq -- A total of 20 people were killed and 31 wounded on Wednesday in a suicide car bomb attack and clashes with Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.

The security forces and allied paramilitary militias known as Hashd Shaabi, or popular mobilization, carried out an operation on IS positions in Albu-Eitha northeast of the IS-held provincial capital city of Ramadi, sparking heavy clashes with the extremist militants, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. (Iraq-IS-Attack)

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MANILA -- At least 15 Abu Sayyaf Group members were killed following a firefight with elite government forces in Indanan town in south Philippine province of Sulu on Wednesday afternoon.

Alan Arrojado, Joint Task Group Sulu commander, said troops from the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion were on a focused military operation when they clashed with at least 100 terrorists of Abu Sayyaf Group in Barangay Buanza around 5:25 p.m. local time. (Philippines-Abu Sayyaf-Fights)

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ANKARA -- The banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) killed eight soldiers in a bomb attack in Turkish southeastern province of Siirt, Dogan News Agency reported Wednesday.

PKK militants remotely detonated a bomb planted on the road linking the Sirvan and Pervari districts whilst a military convoy patrolled the area. The blast killed eight soldiers and wounded several others. (Turkey-Kurdistan-Conflicts) Endi