From Washington,this is VOA News.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he is using Saudi Arabia's Arab Peace Initiative as part of his framework for a deal between Israelis and Palestinians.

Secretary Kerry made a brief visit to Riyadh Sunday for talks with Saudi King Abdullah.

The king's 2002 Arab Peace Initiative includes normalized relations between Arab states and Israel, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from all territories seized since 1967.

Secretary Kerry did not specify which parts of the initiative he is incorporating into his framework.

Earlier Mr Kerry says Israelis and Palestinians are making some progress in peace talks

VOA's Scott Bobb reports from JERUSALEM.

Secretary of State Kerry arrived in Jordan following four days of intensive talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

He met three times with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. He told reporters afterwards the parties were discussing a framework to guide negotiations on a final settlement.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said this should include all the core issues.

“No one benefits more from the success of Secretary Kerry's efforts than the Palestinians. And no one stands to lose more of [from] failure than Palestinians,"

Kerry also met three times with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who praised Kerry’s efforts, but said at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting that serious concerns remain.

Scott Bobb VOA News Jerusalem.

More bombings broke out in Iraq. At least 19 people were killed Sunday in Baghdad in a new wave of bombings.

The deadliest attack occurred in northern Baghdad's mainly Shi'ite Shaab district where two car bombs exploded, killing at least nine people and wounding 25.

There was no claim of responsibility.

Elsewhere, Iraqi officials say government forces launched an air strike on Ramadi killing 25 militants.

South Sudan's warring factions have opened peace talks in Ethiopia, as violence continues in at least two regions of South Sudan.
 
The two sides were set to hold a face-to-face meeting in Addis Ababa Sunday, following days of delays. But disagreements over "protocol issues" prevented any substantive talks from taking place.
 
Representatives for President Salva Kiir and ex-vice president Riek Machar were expected to discuss details of a cease-fire and rebel demands for the release of political prisoners.

Fighting,however, continued across the South Sudan Sunday as government troops launched new attempts to reclaim the rebel-held city of Bor, capital of Jonglei state.

Indian rescue workers continue to look for survivors of the collapse of a multi-story building under construction in the southwestern state of Goa.

Officials say at least 15 people were killed when the building gave way Saturday in Canacona, about 70 kilometers from the state capital, Panaji. Authorities say another dozen or so may be trapped under the rubble.

Witnesses say up to 40 laborers were working when the building collapsed.

The cause is still unknown.

Bangladesh held a parliamentary election Sunday marred by violence and a low voter turnout. At least 18 people were killed. Opposition protesters firebombed polling stations and destroyed ballots.
 
Anjana Pasricha has more.

Scores of polling booths were attacked or set on fire by opposition activists hurling homemade explosives. One polling officer was reported beaten to death. Several other people were killed in clashes. Voting was suspended in some areas.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party boycotted the election and urged voters to shun the polls. 

Baidul Alam Majumdar of the Citizens of Good Governance in Dhaka is among those who did not need to vote because the candidate in his constituency had no challenger.

“The fact that the voter turnout is very, very low indicates that people have no interest and people do not think that this is an election they should go to vote for.”

The opposition boycott was triggered by the government’s refusal to heed demands that elections be held under a neutral caretaker government as has been past practice.

Anjana Pasricha VOA News NEW DELHI.

Thousands of opposition protesters in Thailand have again marched through Bangkok to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. That happened Sunday in a prelude to their planned shutdown of the capital next week.

The U.S. National Weather Service is warning that much of the United States this week will see the coldest temperatures in almost 20 years,much of it below minus 17 degrees Celsius.