Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, April 14

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Treasury Department said Friday that no major trading partner, including China, manipulated their currencies.

"No trading partner was found to have met the legislative standards for currency manipulation during the current reporting period," said the Treasury Department in its Semi-Annual Report to Congress on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies. (US-Treasury Department-Currency Manipulation)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday warned of the danger of a full-blown military escalation in Syria.

"Increasing tensions and the inability to reach a compromise in the establishment of an accountability mechanism (for chemical weapons use in Syria) threaten to lead to a full-blown military escalation," Guterres told the Security Council. (UN-Syria-Antonio Guterres)

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QUITO -- President of Ecuador Lenin Moreno on Friday confirmed the deaths of three press workers who were kidnapped by dissident Colombian rebel group last month near the border.

"Tragically, we have information which confirms the murder of our countrymen," said the president at a press conference, after an emergency meeting of the national public security council. (Ecuador-Journalist Kidnapping)

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UNITED NATIONS -- At least 1,000 children have been abducted by the Boko Haram insurgent group in northeastern Nigeria since 2013 amid repeated attacks on schools, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)said Friday.

Since the conflict started in northeastern Nigeria nearly nine years ago, at least 2,295 teachers have been killed and more than 1,400 schools have been destroyed, UNICEF said, adding that most of these schools have not reopened "because of extensive damage or ongoing insecurity." (UN-UNICEF-Nigeria-Children Abduction) Enditem