Xinhua world news summary at 0830 GMT, Feb. 4

BEIJING -- China is willing to work with Sri Lanka for the better development of their strategic cooperative partnership featuring sincere mutual help and everlasting friendship, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday.

Xi made the remarks in a message sent to his Sri Lanka counterpart, Maithripala Sirisena, to extend congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the independence of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.(China-Sri Lanka-Ties)

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CARACAS -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's Latin America tour aims to "conspire" against Venezuela's socialist government, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said here Saturday.

"The secretary of state, Tillerson, goes on a tour of five countries. What for? To conspire against President Maduro, against the Bolivarian revolution, against the people of Venezuela," Maduro told a gathering of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela. (Venezuela-US-Tillerson)

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MOSCOW -- Massive Russian air strikes have killed at least 30 militants in northwest Syria, where a Russian fighter jet was shot down, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement Saturday.

A series of high-precision weapon strikes has been delivered in the area controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group, which brought down the Russian Su-25 jet by using a portable anti-aircraft missile system in the Syrian province Idlib, said the statement. (Russia-Airstrike)

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FAIZABAD, Afghanistan -- At least eight insurgents were confirmed dead as warplanes struck Taliban bastion in Wardoj district of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province on Sunday, a local official said.

"The warplanes for the first time over the past two years targeted Taliban main stronghold in Chakaran area of Wardoj district today morning killing eight rebels on the spot and destroying two military vehicles of the group," the official told Xinhua but refused to be identified.(Afghanistan-Airstrikes) Enditem