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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Jan. 20

Xinhua, January 20, 2017 Adjust font size:

At least two persons were killed Friday evening after a bomb struck the ground of Buzkashi, a national game, in the Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh, provincial police spokesman said.

"The initial information found two persons were killed and two others wounded after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated at a Buzkashi ground in Khulm District. The number of the casualties is likely to rise," spokesman Shir Jan Durrani told Xinhua. (Afghanistan-Police-Bomb)

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ANKARA -- Five Turkish soldiers were killed and nine others wounded in attack by IS militants in al-Bab area of northern Syria on Friday, according to the Turkish General Staff.

The attack was staged with a bomb-laden vehicle by IS militants at 1:40 p.m. local time. (Turkey-IS-Soldiers)

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MOSCOW -- Russia's State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, approved a "Turkish Stream" pipeline deal Friday to deliver its natural gas to Turkey and European markets through the Black Sea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated the Turkish Stream project in 2014, and sealed the agreement with his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul in October 2016 envisioning the construction of two underwater legs of the gas pipeline. (Russia-Turkey-Pipeline)

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DAVOS, Switzerland -- Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), warned against negative competition in policies at the World Economic Forum happening here.

"If we end up in a race to the bottom on tax, financial regulation and trade, that would have devastating consequences," she warned during a panel session on the 2017 global economic outlook, saying, "for me that would be a really big black swan." (Switzerland-Davos-IMF Chief)

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Up to 16 police were killed as militants stormed police checkpoints in Miwand district of the southern Kandahar province on Friday, a local official said.

"A group of Taliban rebels attacked some security checkpoints in Sarabaghal area of Miwand district at around 03:00 a.m. local time today triggering gun battle which lasted for a while during which 16 police personnel including commander of checkpoints Sardar Wali were martyred," the official told Xinhua but declined to be identified. (Afghanistan-Militants-Police)

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DAMASCUS -- At least 100 militants with the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and allied rebels were killed Friday, by U.S.-led airstrikes on their positions in countryside of the northern province of Aleppo, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported.

The rebels with the Nusra Front and the Nour Addien Zunki were killed when the airstrikes by the U.S.-led anti-terror coalition targeted a training camp in the town of Dar Izzeh in the western countryside of Aleppo, said the report. (Syria-U.S.-Airstrikes)

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DAMASCUS -- The Islamic State (IS) group has destroyed the facade of the ancient Roman theatre as well as the Tetrapylon in the ancient oasis city of Palmyra in central Syria, state TV reported on Friday.

The interface of the second-century CE theatre was completely demolished after being booby-trapped with explosions, as well as the famous Tetrapylon, a type of ancient Roman monument of a cubic shape, in that millennia-old city, according to the report. (Syria-IS-Roman Theatre)

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