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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Aug. 20

Xinhua, August 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least three people were killed and four others injured when a gunman shot into a crowd outside a club in the U.S. state of New York Wednesday night, local media reported Thursday.

Shots were fired into a crowd outside the Boys and Girls Club after a basketball game in Rochester a few minutes before 11:30 p.m. local time (0330 GMT Thursday), local media NBC news quoted police as saying. (U.S.-Gunshot-Club)

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SKOPJE -- Macedonia declared on Thursday a "state of emergency" in its two border regions, under the tension caused by rising number of refugees, the internal affairs ministry said.

The regions concerned are two ends of a south-north track passing through Macedonia towards Europe by refugees coming from the Middle East via Greece, according to the ministry. (Macedonia-Emergency-State)

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WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Thursday that cancer had already spread to his brain.

Carter first announced his cancer diagnosis on Aug. 12, nine days after he had a surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. (U.S.-Carter-Cancer)

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ATHENS -- The first tranche of the new Greek bailout program, the third in five years, was disbursed on Thursday on time allowing Athens to repay its maturing debts to international creditors, the finance ministry announced.

The announcement came as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was holding a meeting with his close aides and advisors to examine the prospect of calling snap general elections this autumn, government sources said. (Greece-Bailout-Debts)

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BANGKOK -- Seven Chinese nationals have been confirmed killed in Monday's explosion in central Bangkok, while Thai police have offered a high bounty on a main suspect.

The confirmed Chinese fatalities include five from Chinese mainland and two from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Embassy in Thailand said Wednesday. (Bangkok-Explosion-Chinese)

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SEOUL -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) warned of a military action unless South Korea stops propaganda broadcasts in border areas within 48 hours, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.

The General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army of the DPRK delivered a message to the South Korean Defense Ministry through the west military hotline at about 5 p.m. (0800 GMT), according to the ministry. (DPRK-S.Korea-Conflicts)

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BRATISLAVA -- Two light aircraft collided Thursday in northwest Slovakia, killing seven people, local media reported.

According to Zuzana Farkasova from the Fire and Rescue Corps Presidium, two light aircraft collided when flying near Cerveny Kamen of Trencin region on Thursday morning. (Slovakia-Planes-Collision) Endi