Xinhua world news summary at GMT 0030, June 23
Xinhua, June 23, 2016 Adjust font size:
Visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, on Wednesday hailed the inauguration of the Qamchiq Tunnel in Uzbekistan, saying it is a major achievement of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The two leaders watched via video link the opening of the 19.2-km railway tunnel, which is part of the Angren-Pap railway line that connects Tashkent and Namangan. They also extended their congratulations. (Uzbekistan-China-Xi-Railway Tunnels)
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TASHKENT -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called for building a "green, healthy, intelligent and peaceful" Silk Road while addressing the Uzbek Parliament on Wednesday.
Speaking to the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis, the Uzbek parliament, Xi assessed the primary achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative and invited Uzbekistan and other countries to jointly carry forward the initiative in both breadth and depth. (Uzbekistan-China-Xi)
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PYONGYANG -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday announced that it has successfully test-launched a surface-to-surface medium- and long-range strategic ballistic missile Hwasong-10 and the top leader Kim Jong Un watched the launch on the site, according to state media KCNA.
The ballistic missile "took off a self-propelled launching ramp and accurately landed in the targeted waters forward 400 km after flying to the maximum height of 1413.6 km along the planned flight orbit," the KCNA said. (DPRK-Missile Launch)
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MADRID -- Five days ahead of fresh general elections in Spain, leaders of the country's major political parties called for the resignation of Spain's Acting Minister for the Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz.
The calls for Fernandez Diaz's resignation come 24 hours after the Spanish newspaper Publico published recordings of conversations the acting minister held in October 2014 with Daniel de Alfonso Laso, the chief of the Anti-Fraud Office in the Catalan Region. (Spain-Minister-Elections)
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ISTANBUL -- Turkey may go to a referendum over whether to continue the accession talks with the European Union (EU), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
Addressing the graduation ceremony of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University in Istanbul, Erdogan slammed the European countries for failing to meet their obligations under the EU-Turkey deal seeking to stem the illegal flow of migrants to Europe. (Turkey-EU) Endi