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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Dec. 16

Xinhua, December 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

As the Burundi crisis continues to worsen, the British minister for Africa currently on a tour in the Great Lakes region has said a military option is possible if the crisis deteriorates further.

James Duddridge, minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, told reporters on Tuesday that the military option would take the shape of peace enforcers similar to those under the auspices of the African Union Mission in Somalia. (Burundi-Britain-Crisis)

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PARIS -- France used for the first time long-range missiles to strike Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq as it pledged to step up military offensive against the terrorist cell after Paris attacks, the country's defence ministry said.

Based on the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, 10 French Rafale and Mirage 200 war planes bombed and launched cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. (France-IS)

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PYONGYANG -- A South Korea-born Canadian pastor was sentenced to lifetime labor for subversion, the supreme court of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced Wednesday.

The 60-year-old Hyeon Soo Lim, who was born in Seoul, was accused of trying to overthrow the DPRK government and undermining its social system through conducting religious activities over the past 18 years. (DPRK-South Korea)

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NEW DELHI -- India Wednesday launched six Singaporean satellites into space from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota, a senior official said.

"The six satellites, weighing over 600 kg, were launched by the state-owned space agency on board the indigenous Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle at 6 p.m. (local time)," he said, on condition of anonymity. (India-Satellites)

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RAMADI, Iraq -- A total of 17 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed Wednesday in armed clashes and air raids Iraq's largest province of Anbar, a provincial security source said.

Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, repelled an attack by dozens of IS militants from two directions on the town of Ameriyat al-Fallujah, some 40 km west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. (Iraq-IS) Endi