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Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, June 20

Xinhua, June 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Yemen's pro-government forces and Shiite Houthi rebels exchanged 224 prisoners in two days, the largest swap since the beginning of the civil war last year, officials from both sides said on Sunday.

The two sides exchanged 15 pro-government fighters and 15 Houthis in the northeast province of al-Jawf Sunday, according to tribal leader, Yahya al-Hasir, who performed the mediation efforts between the two sides.

(Yemen-Prisoner swap)

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ROME -- Exit polls gave Virginia Raggi, the female candidate from the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), at least 60 percent of the vote, which made her emerged as the favorite to become mayor in Rome, according to local news.

The 37-year-old lawyer, won 35 percent of the vote in the first round two weeks ago, pushing Roberto Giachetti of Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD) into second place. (Italy-Rome-Polls)

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ALGIERS -- Eight armed militants were killed on Sunday by Algerian counter-terrorism troops in Medea, 115 km southwest of Algiers, Algerian Defense Ministry said.

The source specified that the terrorists were killed during an ambush that is part of the ongoing wide scale operation launched earlier this month. (Algeria-Terrorists)

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LISBON -- An aircraft crashed in Beja, 180km south of Portuguese capital Lisbon on Sunday, killing the pilot and injuring seven parachutist passengers on board.

They were on board a Pilatus PC6 aircraft which was carrying eight people. Two of the passengers were severely injured, according to local media. (Portugal-Aircraft-Crash) Endi