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Associated Press More than three-quarters of the land on Earth is permanently drying, primarily due to climate change, according to a report released Monday at a United Nations summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Nations at the conference on combating desertification — the process of once-fertile lands turning arid because of hotter temperatures, lack of water

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia has announced a multimillion-dollar agreement with Nauru that gives Australia a veto right over a range of pacts the tiny Pacific atoll might want to enter with third countries including China. Australia on Monday offered $89 million over five years to the remote nation’s population of 12,000 under

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to take to the witness stand Tuesday for the first time in his trial on corruption allegations, a pivotal point in the drawn-out proceedings that comes as he wages war in Gaza and faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes charges. Netanyahu

Associated Press SUKABUMI, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers have recovered 10 bodies that were swept away in flash floods or buried under tons of mud and rocks that hit hilly villages on the country’s main island of Java. Officials said Monday that two people are still missing. Torrential rains since last week have caused rivers

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Empress Masako says the Nobel Peace Prize for an organization of atomic bombing survivors was a key event that impressed her this year and reminded her of the importance of global peace efforts. Her remarks were in a palace statement for her 61st birthday Monday. They came a day

Associated Press People with substance use disorder are not getting a direct say on how most opioid settlement money is used. Some advocates say keeping them out of the process is a major reason money is going to law enforcement efforts instead of other programs more likely to prevent overdose deaths. Companies have agreed to

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A fishing boat capsized after colliding with a sand barge in waters off South Korea’s southeastern coast, leaving seven crew members dead and one missing, according to local coast guard and fire departments. The 29-ton fishing boat, which had eight passengers, three South Koreans and five Indonesian nationals, capsized after

The silent black-and-white surveillance camera video of the Russian missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro was brief but chilling: Six huge fireballs pierced the darkness and slammed into the ground at astonishing speed. Within hours of the Nov. 21 attack on the military facility, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the rare step of

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As California’s newest senator, Democrat Adam Schiff says he’s not going to shy away from familiar territory — opposing Donald Trump when he feels it is necessary. But he’s also hoping to be known for bipartisanship, as well, after campaigning in Republican areas of his state and working to learn

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The trial of two men charged with cutting down the majestic Sycamore Gap tree last year along Hadrian’s Wall in northern England has been postponed until next year. The case was postponed Monday until the week of Jan. 6 in Newcastle Crown Court after a defense lawyer said one defendant