DHAKA: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the secretive leader of the Islamic State group, called for an uprising in Saudi Arabia and pledged to attack Israel, in an audio recording released Saturday and attributed to him.The 24-minute recording would be Baghdadi's first in seven months, during which

DHAKA: At least 24 people are now known to have died after nearly a week of tornadoes, heavy rains and flooding in several US south-central states.Six people died in Texas after a new tornado touched down near Dallas late on Saturday.Earlier, the bodies of a man and a woman - who were

DHAKA: It’s been nearly a week since news broke about secret talks between Turkish and Israeli officials in a bid to accomplish the normalization process by sealing a long-negotiated deal.Having already secured a formal apology, Turkey has long been waiting for Israel to fulfill the

DHAKA: The commander of one of the most effective rebel forces battling Syria's government has been killed in an air strike, a monitoring group and Syrian state media reported Friday.Zahran Alloush, general commander of Jaysh al-Islam, was killed in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus,

DHAKA: The birthplace of former U.S. President Bill Clinton in Hope, Arkansas, was slightly damaged in a suspected arson fire early on Friday, police said.The fire to the rear of the house, designated a National Historic Site, was reported shortly after 3 a.m. CST, Hope Police Chief J.R.

DHAKA: As many as 50 people are feared dead after another landslide at gold and jade mines in northern Myanmar, a local official said on Saturday.The latest spill of waste rock accumulated during the mining process occurred near jade mines in Kachin state, 350 kilometres north of

DHAKA: More than 150,000 people in South American countries --Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil -- have been driven from their homes by some of the worst flooding in years.Heavy summer rains have caused rivers to swell across a vast area.In Paraguay, the most affected country,

DHAKA: At least 30 people were injured in a magnitude-6.3 earthquake Friday that shook northeast Afghanistan where it borders Pakistan and Tajikistan, officials said.The injuries occurred in various localities of Peshawar, Pakistan, about 200 miles from the quake epicenter, according to

DHAKA: Pope Francis tackled war, terrorism and the migrant crisis in a wide-ranging Christmas message, calling for peace and reconciliation around the world.The pontiff said he prayed for the success of recent UN resolutions for peace in Syria and Libya, reports the BBC.The Pope also

DHAKA: India Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent over an hour at his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif’s ancestral home near Lahore on Friday evening after springing a massive surprise in a tweet announcing that he would ‘drop by’ on his way back to Delhi from Kabul.Sharif, who is

DHAKA: Indian premier Narendra Modi landed at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport Friday (December 25) on a surprise visit, where Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif were present to receive him.Television footage showed Modi exit his jet

DHAKA: Scores of people are reported killed in an explosion at an industrial gas plant in south-eastern Nigeria.A truck is said to have exploded as it was off-loading butane cooking gas in the town of Nnewi in Anambra State.Reports of fatalities vary from 35 to more than 100 people

DHAKA: A clear-up has begun after a violent storm left at least 14 people dead and destroyed homes in several US South and Midwest states on Christmas Eve.Mississippi was worst hit, with seven people dead, while six others were killed in Tennessee, reports the BBC.A seven-year-old boy,

DHAKA: Pope Francis has warned the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics not to be ‘intoxicated’ by possessions in his annual Christmas homily.He called for more sobriety in a world obsessed by ‘consumerism and hedonism, wealth and extravagance’.The Pope was celebrating a

DHAKA: Israeli forces have killed four Palestinians in in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, taking the total Palestinian death toll since the start of October to 134.Thursday’s killings come on the heels of months of escalated violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank, including

DHAKA: Japan says it is investigating reports that a Japanese freelance journalist is being held captive in Syria and is being threatened with death.Rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says Jumpei Yasuda has been held by an armed group in Syria since July, reports the BBC.His

DHAKA: A local Taliban commander and 50 fighters have been killed in overnight fighting in Sangin in Helmand province.The Afghan interior ministry said, reports the BBC.Afghan forces have been trying to recapture the area from the Taliban, who claim to control the district.Afghan

DHAKA: Syria is ready to participate in peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending its civil war.The country’s foreign minister Walid Muallem said during an official visit to China, reports Al Jazeera.‘Syria is ready to participate in the Syrian-Syrian dialogue in Geneva without any

DHAKA: Japan’s cabinet has approved a record 5.1 trillion yen ($42.1bn) military budget for the next financial year, its fourth annual increase.The spending boost is part of a 96.72 trillion yen overall budget that also sets a record high, reports the BBC.The defense boost comes after a

DHAKA: Hazardous smog blanketing China’s north-east has sparked more red alerts, with authorities advising residents in 10 cities to stay indoors.The announcement follows last week's warning that a vast area of China would be badly hit by pollution.Beijing saw its second red alert over