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

DHAKA: At least 25 people have been killed and 107 injured in a fire at a hospital in Jizan, Saudi Arabia.The Saudi civil defence directorate said in a post on Facebook that the fire at the Jizan General Hospital started at about 2.30am local time, reports aljazeera.It is not yet known

DHAKA: The death toll caused by air pollution in Tehran has increased from 150 to 180 people per day.Mehdi Chamran, Tehran City Council chairman, said on Tuesday, Tehran Times publishes this report Wednesday.Chamran said that the shutdown of the schools and sand-producing factories to

DHAKA: Nigeria’s military killed and quickly buried the bodies of at least 300 Shia Muslims in an unjustified attack in the northern Zaria city.Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said, reports the BBC.The bodies were buried without family members’ permission, it added.The army denies

DHAKA: An explosion near a plane at Sabiha Gokcen airport in the Turkish city of Istanbul has killed a woman cleaner.The woman who died was reportedly working on a Pegasus airlines plane overnight when the blast took place.A colleague who was with her was wounded.The cause of the

DHAKA: At least 200 civilians have been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria, an Amnesty International report says, quoting witnesses and activists.The human rights group accused Russia of using cluster munitions and unguided bombs on civilian areas, and said such attacks could

DHAKA: A man buried in rubble for more than 60 hours after a landslide hit Shenzhen in China has been pulled out alive, state media says.The landslide, which struck early on Sunday, engulfed more than 30 buildings in an industrial district.At least one person is dead and more than 70

DHAKA: Russia will begin building two nuclear reactors in Iran next week, a top Iranian atomic energy official said Tuesday.The news comes a year after Tehran signed a contract with Moscow to construct a further two reactors at the existing Russian-built Bushehr power plant in southern

DHAKA: The Greek parliament voted in a resolution recognizing the state of Palestine on Tuesday making it the latest European legislative body to recognize Palestine statehood.The voting took place during a special parliamentary session attended by Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian

DHAKA: At least nine pupils have been killed by a mortar shell that hit a girls’ school in the Syrian northeastern city of Deir Ezzor, according to state media and a monitoring group.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the death of the female pupils and said 20 others were

DHAKA: Ten people were killed as a small plane of the Border Security Force (BSF) crashed near the Delhi airport this morning.All on board, including three BSF officers and seven technicians, were killed, reports NDTV.The plane, a Super King aircraft, was flying to Ranchi. The crash took

DHAKA: At least three people were killed after a small plane of the Border Security Force (BSF) crashed into a wall near the Delhi airport in India on Tuesday morning.Ten people, including three BSF officers, were on the plane, a Super King aircraft flying to Ranchi, reports NDTV.The

DHAKA: Guatemalan authorities reportedly detained 33 undocumented migrants from Nepal and Bangladesh who were found being transported in a bus on the outskirts of the capital and presumed to be trying to make it to the United States.The group, all men, was arrested on Sunday in the east

DHAKA: Rescuers have pulled out the first body from the Shenzhen landslide in China, as signs emerge that several survivors are trapped alive in the rubble.Quoting Xinhua the BBC said the body was dug out early on Tuesday.The massive landslide engulfed 33 buildings in an industrial