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Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Jan. 15

Xinhua, January 15, 2017 Adjust font size:

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived here Sunday to pay a state visit to Switzerland and attend the 2017 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

It is the first state visit to the Alpine country by a Chinese president in the 21st century. And meanwhile, Xi will become the first Chinese head of state to attend the Davos meeting. (China-Switzerland-Xi)

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DAMASCUS -- Intense battles raged on Sunday in a water-rich valley northwest of Damascus, a day after a truce was breached by rebels' killing of a government envoy, a military source said on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian army backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters reached the outskirts of Ain Fijeh spring in the Barada Valley near Damascus, as part of a wide-scale offensive to recapture the spring, the main water source feeding Damascus' over five million people, who have been struggling with the scarcity of water since the rebels shut off the spring on Dec. 22. (Syria-Water-Battles)

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan -- Militants loyal to the Islamic State (IS) outfit abducted 13 religious scholars from a religious school in Haski Mina district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on Sunday, said Attaullah Khogiani, spokesman for the provincial government.

"A group of Ulema (religious scholars) were busy in taking test from students of a Medresa (religious school) in Shapoli area of Haski Mina district today morning when IS rebels attacked and took 13 religious scholars to unknown location," Khogiani told reporters here. (Afghanistan-Abduction)

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KHARTOUM -- Sudanese politicians and economic analysts on Saturday expressed the belief that the U.S. decision to lift some economic sanctions on Sudan will improve Sudan's economy which has suffered from the U.S. embargo for 20 years.

"Lifting the U.S sanctions on Sudan was one of the great hopes upon which foreign and national investors build," Sudanese Investment Minister Mudathir Abdel-Ghani said here on Saturday. (Sudan-US-Sanction Relief) Endi