NsNewsWire | Bangladesh's First Press News Agency

Xinjiang to spend heavily on new roads in 2017

URUMQI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region will spend more than 200 billion yuan (29.2 billion U.S. dollars) building or improving roads this year, according to local authorities. Constructions of the roads, with a total planned length of 82,300 km, will start in 2017 including nearly 7,300 km of expressways and […]

Rivaldo agrees to join Barcelona “Legends” project

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 18 (NsNewsWire) — Former FIFA World Player of the Year Rivaldo said on Tuesday that he has agreed to act as a global ambassador for his former club Barcelona. The 44-year-old Brazilian discussed his role with Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu during a visit to Camp Nou on Tuesday, reports Xinhua. […]

Duan Yingying to face Venus Williams in Australian Open 3rd round

MELBOURNE, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — If there ever was an underdog in a tennis match, it’s China’s Duan Yingying in her Australian Open round three clash against American Venus Williams. Duan will face Williams on Friday after a spirited 6-1, 3-6, 10-8 win against former top-20 player Vavara Lepchenko in their round two encounter on […]

Thousands protest against ban on Indian bullfighting

NEW DELHI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Thousands of people, mostly youth, gathered in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday demanding lifting of ban on Jallikattu, a bullfighting sport. The protesters have gathered on Marina beach in Chennai, capital city of Tamil Nadu, since Tuesday night. “Jallikattu has been a popular sport for centuries […]

Russia, China key in maintaining world stability: Russian FM

MOSCOW, Jan. 18 (NsNewsWire) — Russia and China, with their relationship at its best ever, have been one of the key factors in maintaining world stability, something the two countries will continue to uphold, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. “Bilateral strategic cooperation and a comprehensive partnership, as well as working together on regional […]

Russia extends asylum for Snowden

MOSCOW, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Russia has extended asylum for U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden for two years, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday. The decision was made in defiance of a recent statement by former CIA deputy director Michael Morell that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a great opportunity to extradite Snowden as […]

Iran rules out review of nuclear deal despite U.S. concerns

TEHRAN, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will not accept a review of its international nuclear deal, reported local media on Wednesday. The international nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), resolved Tehran’s decade-long controversial nuclear issue. “Renegotiation (of the deal) is totally meaningless, and a return […]

Bangladesh’s plan to allow some child marriages is ‘step backwards’

Bangladesh will be taking a step backwards in efforts to end child marriage if parliament approves changes to a law that would permit girls below 18 to be married in “special cases”, a global alliance of charities said last week, reports the guardian. The nation has one of the highest rates of child marriage in […]

IS group abducts 13 religious scholars in E. Afghan province: official

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) — 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 […]