EUROPE'S DROUGHT THE WORST IN 500 YEARS - REPORT

Two-thirds of Europe is under some sort of drought warning, in what is likely the worst such event in 500 years.

The latest report from the Global Drought Observatory says 47% of the continent is in "warning" conditions, meaning soil has dried up.

Another 17% is on alert - meaning vegetation "shows signs of stress".

The report warns that the dry spell will hit crop yields, spark wildfires, and may last several months more in some of Europe's southern regions.

Compared with the average of the previous five years, EU forecasts for harvest are down 16% for grain maize, 15% for soybeans and 12% for sunflowers.

The drought observatory is part of the European Commission's research wing. Responding to it, the Commission warned that preliminary data suggests "the current drought still appears to be the worst since at least 500 years".

The ongoing heatwave and water shortages have "created an unprecedented stress on water levels in the entire EU", Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said.

"We are currently noticing a wildfire season sensibly above the average and an important impact on crops production. Climate change is undoubtedly more noticeable every year," she added.

The report warned that nearly all of Europe's rivers have dried up to some extent.

Apart from the obvious impact on boats, dry rivers are also hitting the energy sector, which is already in crisis. Hydroelectric power has dropped by a significant 20%, according to the report.

A "severe drought" has been present in many places all year, but "has been further expanding and worsening as of early August" it says. The conditions are likely to last until at least November this year along the European Mediterranean.

The report warns that the situation is worsening in countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary, northern Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova, Ireland and the UK.

The researchers' stark warning follows rapidly-sinking river levels across Europe which have exposed relics of the past - including so-called "hunger stones" warning of potential famine and the sunken remains of World War Two Nazi ships.

And in the UK, which had an official drought declared in several regions, some trees have turned an autumnal shade of auburn - in what's considered a "false autumn" due to the heat.

HIGH COURT SUMMONS IMRAN FOR ‘CONTEMPT’ OF JUDGE

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday took up contempt of court proceedings against Imran Khan and issued a show-cause notice to the former Pakistan Prime Minister for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry during a public rally.

The issue could snowball into a conviction disqualifying him from standing for election, GeoTV quoted legal experts as saying.

The bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Babar Sattar and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb summoned Khan in personal capacity on August 31.

It forwarded the case to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, seeking inclusion of more judges and enlarging the bench.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman had staged a rally in the federal capital on August 20 to express solidarity with his chief of staff Shahbaz Gill after claims of torture in custody.

He warned the Islamabad inspector-general and deputy inspector-general that he would “not spare” them, vowing to file cases against them for subjecting Gill to alleged inhuman torture.

Turning his guns towards the additional sessions judge, who sent Gill into physical remand on the police’s request, Khan had then said she should brace herself for consequences.

WHISTLEBLOWER ACCUSES TWITTER OF HIDING MAJOR FLAWS

WASHINGTON, United States — Twitter misled users and US regulators about "extreme, egregious" gaps in its online protections, the platform's ex-security chief claimed in whistleblower testimony that could impact the court fight over Elon Musk's buyout bid.

Peiter Zatko's complaint, which was published Tuesday by US media, also accused Twitter of significantly underestimating the number of fake and spam accounts -- a crucial point in Musk's argument for trying to cancel his $44 billion deal to own the platform.

Zatko's filing to authorities including market watchdog Securities and Exchange Commission accuses Twitter of "negligence, willful ignorance, and threats to national security and democracy."

The ex-worker, who Twitter says was fired for poor performance, warns of obsolete servers, software vulnerable to computer attacks and executives seeking to hide the number of hacking attempts, both from US authorities and from the company's board of directors.

The hacker-turned-executive, who goes by the nickname "Mudge," also claims that Twitter prioritizes growing its user base over fighting spam and bots, the filing says.

In particular, Zatko accuses the platform and its CEO Parag Agrawal of issuing untrue statements on account numbers because "if accurate measurements ever became public, it would harm the image and valuation of the company."

His filing argues that because Twitter tallies users based on the number who can be reached by advertising -- not the actual number of accounts -- the true magnitude of spam bots is effectively unknown.

Twitter fired back at its former worker, saying Zatko was fired in January for "ineffective leadership and poor performance."

"What we've seen so far is a false narrative about Twitter and our privacy and data security practices that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lacks important context," the firm said in a statement.

The "opportunistic timing" of the allegations appears "designed to capture attention and inflict harm on Twitter, its customers and its shareholders," the statement continued.

IRAN DROPS SOME OF ITS KEY DEMANDS FOR NUCLEAR PACT

Iran has dropped some of its main demands on resurrecting a deal to rein in Tehran’s nuclear programme, including its insistence that international inspectors close some probes of its atomic programme, bringing the possibility of an agreement closer, a senior U.S. official said on Monday.

The U.S. aims to respond soon to a draft agreement proposed by the European Union that would bring back the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that former President Donald Trump abandoned and current President Joe Biden has sought to revive.

“They came back last week and basically dropped the main hang-ups to a deal,” the official said.

“We think they have finally crossed the Rubicon and moved toward possibly getting back into the deal on terms that President Biden can accept,” the official added. “If we are closer today, it’s because Iran has moved. They conceded on issues that they have been holding onto from the beginning.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

TAIWANESE RESOLVE TO DEFEND ISLAND CAN’T BE SHAKEN: TSAI

President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday that Taiwanese people remained resolved to defend the island following China’s huge military drills.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait have risen to their highest in years since Beijing staged unprecedented drills in retaliation for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei earlier this month.

Ms. Tsai made the remarks when meeting a visiting delegation of U.S. scholars on the 64th anniversary of a Chinese artillery attack known as the “823 bombardment”. “That battle to protect our homeland showed the world that no threat of any kind could shake the Taiwanese people’s resolve to defend their nation — not in the past, not now, and not in the future,” Ms. Tsai said.

China’s Army fired 4,70,000 shells at Kinmen Islands and nearby islets in 1958, killing 618 people in an attack that lasted 44 days.

Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the self-ruled democracy as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary.

Beijing lashes out at any diplomatic action that might lend Taiwan legitimacy and has responded with anger to visits by Western officials.

EURO FALLS BELOW DOLLAR PARITY TO HIT NEW 20-YEAR LOW ON RECESSION FEARS

The euro continued to trade below parity with the US dollar on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level in 20 years overnight after fluctuating yesterday amid growing fears over a recession.

The single currency, which came into physical circulation in 2002, fell to $0.9910 Tuesday morning, but pared some losses and was trading at 0.9987 by 5.51pm UAE time.

“Increasing risks to the supply of natural gas from Russia to Europe are darkening the economic outlook,” said Emirates NBD economists Edward Bell and Daniel Richards.

The euro previously fell to below parity with the greenback in early July and has dropped about 12.8 per cent against the dollar this year as households and businesses are squeezed by record inflation.

In the euro area, annual inflation was 8.9 per cent in July 2022, up from 8.6 per cent in June 2022 and 8.1 per cent in May 2022, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.

“Europe’s recession is a foregone conclusion, especially as the risks of disruptions for energy supplies remain elevated,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst for the Americas at Oanda.

“Maintenance [of] Nord Stream 1 is a big risk for Europe as no one knows when and how much supplies will come back online.”

The key pipeline is expected to be suspended for a few days between August 31 and September 2.

MALAYSIA EX-PM NAJIB SENT TO JAIL FOR 12 YRS IN $4.5BN 1MDB GRAFT CASE AFTER LAST APPEAL FAILS

Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia’s top court ordered former PM Najib Razak to begin a 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday after upholding a guilty conviction on charges related to a multi-billion dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad(1MDB).

The Federal Court ruling caps the stunning downfall of Najib, who until four years ago governed Malaysia with an iron grip and suppressed local investigations of the 1MDB scandal that has implicated financial institutions and high-ranking officials worldwide. Investigators have said some $4. 5 billion was stolen from 1MDB — co-founded by Najib

during his first year as PM in 2009 — and that over $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib.

Najib, Malaysia’s first former leader to be imprisoned, was whisked away to Kajang jail on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Opposition, activists and many citizens hailed the court’s ruling. The British-educated son of Malay nobility held the premiership from 2009 to 2018, when public anger over the corruption scandal brought poll defeat, and dozens of graft charges were lodged in following months. Najib, 69, was found guilty by a lower court in July 2020 of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering for illegally receiving about $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. The former PM was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and a $46. 84 million fine.

Addressing the court moments before his final appeal was dismissed, Najib said he was the victim of injustice. Najib — who faces a total of 42 charges in five separate 1MDB trials — has denied wrongdoing. He could apply for a review of the Federal Court decision, though such applications are rarely successful. He can also seek a pardon from the king. But the conviction means he will lose his parliamentary seat and cannot contest elections.

SUNAK WANTS TO CHANGE UK-INDIA TIES, MAKE ACCESS EASIER FOR STUDENTS & COS

London : Britain’s prime ministerial candidate Rishi Sunak has said he wants to change the UK-India relationship to make it a more two-way exchange that opens up easy access to UK students and companies in India.

Addressing a gathering of British Indian Conservative Party members who are voting in the polls to choose between him and foreign secretary Liz Truss, the 42-year-old vowed to get the country through the “difficult times” of inflation and build a better, safer Britain. A majority in the cheering crowd said Sunak’s Indian heritage and minority background had no part to play in the contest to succeed Boris Johnson as the British PM.

During a campaign event hosted by the Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) diaspora organisation on Monday, Sunak greeted people wi-th traditional greetings such as “namaste, salaam, khem cho and kidda” and said Hindi: “aap sab mere parivar ho (you all are my family)”.

“We know the UK-India relationship is important,” he said, in response to a question

about bilateral ties from CFIN co-chair Reena Ranger. “We’re aware of the opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in India, but we need to look at that relationship differently because there’s an enormous amount that we here in the UK can learn from India.

“I want to make sure that it’s easy for our students to also travel to India and learn, that it’s also easy for our companies and Indian companies to work together because it’s not just a one-way relationship, it’s a two-way relationship, and that’s the type of change I want to bring to that relationship,” he said.

B’DESH CUTS SCHOOL, OFFICE HOURS TO SAVE ELECTRICITY

Dhaka : Schools in Bangladesh will close an additional day each week and government offices and banks will shorten their work days by an hour to reduce electricity usage amid concerns over rising fuel prices. The reduced hours take effect on Wednesday. In Bangladesh, most schools are closed on Fridays, but now will also close on Saturdays, cabinet secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said Monday. He said government offices and banks will cut their work days to seven hours from eight hours, but that private offices will be allowed to set their own schedules.

Bangladesh has been taking measures to ease pressure on its declining foreign currency reserves. Last month, fuel prices were raised by more than 50%. The government says it is exploring options to get cheaper fuel from Russia. The decision has drawn criticism, but the government said it is necessary to cut losses.

FACING FLAK OVER STUDENT ARRESTS, SL TO REPLACE DRACONIAN LAW

Colombo : Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced that it will soon replace the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act with a new security law, a day after the US and the EU raised concern over Colombo’s use of the draconian counter-terrorism law to detain student activists. “PTA has been there since 1979. The justice minister informed the cabinet that a new National Security Act would be drafted by deleting the undesirable parts of the PTA,” a cabinet spokesman said.

The three students of the Inter-University Students Federation have been detained since August 18 when it staged an anti-government demonstration. The police on Sunday began a probe into their possible links to an anti-government conspiracy and inciting violence. “Using laws that don’t conform with international human rights standards — like the PTA — erodes democracy,” US envoy Julie Chung tweeted. The EU too voiced similar concern.