Israel alive to dangers after water shortage speeds Dead Sea decrease

JERUSALEM - The decreasing water level of the Dead Sea is raising concerns, Israel's Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a status report of the country's environment.

Germany has 'no-go areas', says Merkel

German officials at the local level are understood to have been left stunned by claims from Chancellor Angela Merkel, which were made during a television interview, that the country had "no-go areas" where the police could not go.

Japan lashed over 'comfort women'

SEOUL - South Korean President Moon Jae-in described Japan's wartime use of comfort women as a "crime against humanity" on Thursday in some of his strongest comments yet, sparking an immediate protest from Tokyo.

Putin boasts of new nuke weapons

MOSCOW - Russia has tested an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, President Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday, marking a technological breakthrough that would dramatically increase Russia's military capability.

UN frustrated over Syria truce

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council has expressed frustration over the failure to implement a resolution calling for a cease-fire throughout Syria.

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Lavrov says Syrian rebels blocking aid

GENEVA - Russia said on Wednesday that militants in Syria's besieged enclave of eastern Ghouta were blocking aid and the evacuation of people who want to leave, despite Moscow's announcement of a humanitarian corridor.

Japan missile move could fray fragile China ties

Japan is mulling a new military buildup in its southernmost region with an eye on China, Japanese media has reported.

Kushner loses top security clearance

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, has been downgraded, significantly reducing his access to classified information, two US officials familiar with the matter have said.

Cheers, protests as German court lets cities ban diesel cars

BERLIN - Handing environmentalists a landmark victory, a German court ruled on Tuesday that cities can ban diesel cars and trucks to combat air pollution, a decision with far-reaching and costly implications in the country where the diesel engine was invented in the 1890s.

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Merkel wins party nod for coalition

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party has approved a coalition deal with the Social Democrats, or SPD, bringing closer a fourth term for her as well as an end to political limbo in Europe's pre-eminent power.