The German government’s panel of independent economic advisers has cut its 2021 growth prediction for Europe’s biggest economy to 2.7%.

CAPE TOWN – South African officials are investigating an alarming rise in seal deaths along the west coast near Cape Town, with malnutrition one potential cause.

SINGAPORE – Indonesia’s giant palm oil industry, long a target of global green groups, is shoring up its defences closer to home as it tries to counter growing anti-palm oil sentiment among a more environmentally conscious generation of young Indonesians.

Taiwan says China is seeking to take control of the island by wearing down its military capabilities and influencing public opinion.

France will start building its first new nuclear reactors in decades as part of efforts to meet its promises to reduce planet-warming emissions.

KYIV – Thousands of migrants were massing near the Belarus border on Monday, Polish authorities said, as European Union member states called for more sanctions against Minsk and security forces braced for more attempts to force through the frontier.

European lawmakers have pioneered efforts to rein in big technology companies and are working to strengthen those rules, putting them ahead of the United States and other parts of world.

LUCKNOW – At least 89 people, including 17 children, have tested positive for the Zika virus in a surge of cases in the Indian city of Kanpur, its health department said on Monday.

As this year’s U.N. climate talks go into their second week, negotiations on key topics are inching forward.