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Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, Oct.24

Xinhua, October 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Somali pirates on Saturday released 26 people who had been held hostage for nearly five years, an organization involved in mediation efforts said.

An Omani-flagged fishing vessel FV Naham 3 was hijacked south of the Seychelles in March 2012, according to John Steed, a regional coordinator of the organization, Oceans Beyond Piracy.

"Of the original 29-member crew, sadly one died during the hijacking and two more succumbed to illness during their captivity. The remaining 26 crew members spent much of their captivity on land in Somalia," Steed said in a statement. (Somalia-Pirate-Hostage)

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VILNIUS -- Lithuania's Peasant and Greens Union (LVZS) took the lead in the runoff of parliamentary elections on Sunday, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) data shows early Monday morning local time.

Based on the data after counting all ballots in the 1,922 polling stations, the agrarian party is set to form the new Lithuania's government for the next four years term with 54 mandates in the Seimas, Lithuanian parliament. (Lithuania-Elections)

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LOS ANGELES -- At least 13 people were killed and 31 injured after a tour bus and big rig collided in Southern California on Sunday morning, local authorities said.

The tour bus had crashed into the big rig's trailer near Palm Springs, about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. Photos from the scene showed the front end of the bus had been demolished.

The tour bus was identified as a USA Holiday bus. The Los Angeles-based firm typically runs from L.A. to Southern California. (US-Bus Accident)

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ANKARA -- Turkish artillery in Bashiqa military camp are shelling the Islamic State (IS) militants in northern Iraq, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Sunday.

The move in Mosul province came at the request of Peshmerga forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, he told reporters in the province of Afyonkarahisar.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, the Bashiqa town's capture, if confirmed, would mark the removal of one more obstacle on the road to the northern Iraqi city. (Turkey-IS) Endi