The Islamic State group has released what it says is a new audio recording of its top leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, indicating he may still be alive. The recording was released by the IS-run al-Furqan outlet Thursday and the voice sounded like previous recordings of the reclusive leader, who has… Read More

Saudi Arabia’s surprise decision to grant women the right to drive in the conservative kingdom marks a significant expansion in women’s rights, but activists said Wednesday it is also only the first step in a long list of demands for equality. Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world… Read More

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will meet Tuesday with Cuba’s top diplomat, U.S. officials said, as the United States is seeking answers about mysterious “attacks” on its diplomats in Havana. Tillerson’s meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez is believed to be the highest-level diplomatic contact between the two countries… Read More

Military analysts say North Korea doesn’t have either the capability or the intent to attack U.S. bombers and fighter jets, despite the country’s top diplomat saying it has every right do so. They view the remark by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and a recent propaganda video simulating… Read More

Russia’s communications watchdog has threatened to block the access to Facebook next year if the company does not store its data locally. Alexander Zharov, chief of the Federal Communications Agency, told Russian news agencies on Tuesday that they will work to “make Facebook comply with the law” on personal data,… Read More

Investigators in southern Russia are looking into a possible cannibalism case. The Investigative Committee said Monday that it detained a 35-year-old man in the city of Krasnodar who is suspected of killing a woman in an abandoned house earlier this month after a drunken brawl. Investigators said construction workers found… Read More

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday he will call an early election for parliament’s more powerful lower house for next month. Abe said at a news conference that he will dissolve the 475-seat chamber on Thursday when it convenes after a three-month summer recess. The election is to be… Read More

Adopting a less confrontational stance than key allies, South Korea’s president urged North Korea on Thursday to abandon its nuclear weapons and seek dialogue to prevent conflict breaking out on the divided peninsula. President Moon Jae-in voiced support for stronger sanctions in response to the North’s recent weapons tests, but… Read More