Jordan

The Dead Sea is drying out

The Dead Sea, a salt lake nestled by Israel, Jordan and the West Bank, is shrinking at an alarming rate -- about 3.3 feet per year, according to the environmentalist group EcoPeace Middle East. And human actions are largely to blame.

"It's not just like one country is punishing the Dead Sea; it's more like the whole region," said photographer Moritz Küstner, who visited the area in February to work on his series "The Dying Dead Sea."

US service members shot dead in Jordan

Two injured service members who had been transported to a hospital in Amman later died.

The official said the US government is working with the Jordanian government to try to learn more about what happened.

The US service members were shot as they approached the gate to a training facility, a US military official said.

One was killed at the time, while the wounded service members were transported to King Hussein Hospital in Amman.

Jordan king warns Israel over Jerusalem holy site violence

Several people were also injured 

The holy site is a frequent flashpoint and its fate is a core issue at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel, administers Muslim religious affairs at the site, sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The compound is known to Jews as the Temple Mount, site of the two biblical Jewish temples. Muslims revere it as the Noble Sanctuary, where they believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Jordan says Syria militants try to sneak in

In an interview with The Associated Press, Brig. Gen. Saber al-Mahayreh said Sunday that surveillance along Jordan's borders is tight and that his forces can "spot a rabbit" trying to cross. 

The surveillance system consists of radar and surveillance towers that help detect suspected infiltrators miles away.

The general says all infiltration attempts have been blocked so far. He says Jordan's security takes priority over humanitarian concerns when receiving refugees.

Jordan tries to stem IS-style extremism in schools, mosques

They portray "holy war" as a religious obligation if Islamic lands are attacked and suggest it is justified to kill captured enemies.

Christians, the country's largest minority, are largely absent from the texts.

The government says it's tackling the contradiction between official anti-extremist policy and what is taught in schools and mosques by rewriting school books and retraining thousands of teachers and preachers.

VIDEO: US Defense Secretary visits air base

However "We don't know how long it will take," he added, speaking at a coalition airbase in an undisclosed location as part of his Middle East trip.

His brief visit comes a week after Western powers and Iran reached a deal on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Carter said that while "friends can disagree," the US will continue to work with Israel to counter threats posed from Iran and Islamic State group militants.