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Xinhua world news summary at 0130 GMT, Dec.16

Xinhua, December 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Rwanda released more than 800 inmates on Thursday, including 62 girls and women who were convicted of abortion but benefited from presidential pardon.

President Paul Kagame granted pardon to 62 girls and women who were convicted of abortion, at a cabinet meeting last week, under his presidential prerogative of mercy. (Rwanda-Free Prisoners)

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WASHINGTON -- The White House on Thursday clashed with President-elect Donald Trump's transition team over alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"It is just a fact that the Republican nominee for president was encouraging Russia to hack his opponent because he believed it would help his campaign," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said during the daily briefing. (US-Russia)

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DAMASCUS -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Thursday that the liberation of the northern city of Aleppo from the rebels changes time into a history being written now, according to state news agency SANA.

In a short video message posted online, Assad said that the word "congratulations" is not enough to describe his army's victory in the Aleppo city, which has seen the evacuation of the last remaining rebels inside on Thursday. (Syria-Assad-Aleppo)

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BRUSSELS -- Leaders of the European Union (EU) on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to an EU-Turkey deal to stem the influx of illegal migrants to the bloc.

Leaders of the 28-nation bloc gathered here for the last summit of 2016, which focused on issues such as migration, security, economy, and external relations. (EU-Turkey-Migration) Endi