https://english.almayadeen.net/news/environment/wales-officially-declares-drought-emergency-hosepipe-ban-beg

Wales officially declares drought emergency, hosepipe ban begins

A drought was officially declared on Friday in parts of Wales, coming days after several regions in the UK reported a lengthy period of dry weather without rain and record temperatures as well.

The areas affected include North Ceredigion, Teifi, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen, Swansea, Llanelli, Neath Port Talbot, and Bridgend.

Water companies in most parts of Wales have already enforced restrictions on water usage, including a hosepipe ban.

River Thames endangered by climate crisis

Drought was officially declared across most of England last week following the driest July since 1935.

Natural Resources Wales said the move was taken due to "the pressures the high temperatures and lack of significant rainfall have had on the environment."

The body's sustainable water manager, Natalie Hall, commented that the extreme lack of water and heat "have put a huge strain on our rivers, reservoirs and groundwater level," as the River Thames has reached its lowest point since 2005.

John Armitt, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, argued that the UK has failed to mend water systems as they could not cope with climate change, and the current drought in England testifies to this, noting that more hot dry spells are being interspersed with heavier rainfall.

Thames Water, which supplies 15 million people in London and some surrounding areas, announced Wednesday that it was introducing a hosepipe ban effective from August 24, explaining that the demand for water has not been this high for 25 years.

The timeframe from March to June had only 61% of its usual expected rain in Wales, which is known for its lush and effervescent landscape.

>>17415082

Love this one.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/art-culture/spanish-stonehenge-reappears-as-drought-hits-spain

Spanish Stonehenge reappears as drought hits Spain

Severe droughts in Europe have caused alarm among its residents, but an unexpected side effect of the country's worst drought in decades has brought delight to archaeologists as the emergence of a prehistoric stone circle is discovered in a dam whose waterline has receded.

Known as the Dolmen of Guadalperal but dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge, the circle of dozens of megalithic stones is believed to date back to between 4,000 to 7,000 years ago.

No silver lining for farmers

The Dolmen structures were discovered by German archaeologist Hugo Obermaier in 1926, but the area was later flooded in 1963 in a rural development project under Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Dolmens are vertically erected stones usually supporting a flat boulder, but although there are many across Western Europe, little is known about who erected them or how.

It is suspected that they are tombs, as human remains found in or near, have led to an often-cited theory.

It currently sits in one corner of the Valdecanas reservoir, located in the central province of Caceres, where authorities recorded water levels dropping to 28% capacity.

Archaeologist Enrique Cedillo from Madrid's Complutense University, one of the experts racing to study the circle in fear of it getting submerged again, commented, "It's a surprise, it's a rare opportunity to be able to access it."

Boat tour businesses have also found delight in this moment, which proved good for tourism, but there is no silver lining for local farmers, as crops and livestock become threatened due to the drought and little rain in the region.

Climate change has left the Iberian peninsula at its driest record in 1,200 years, and even winter rains are expected to decrease further, according to a study published by the Nature Geoscience journal. Droughts have led to the enforcement of water restrictions in Spain and others like the UK, especially since temperatures in Spain are anticipated to reach 44.0°C.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/tax-fraud-scandal-lands-germanys-scholz-in-hot-water

Tax fraud scandal lands Germany's Scholz in hot water

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will testify on Friday before a committee as part of an investigation into a financial scandal that cost the government billions of euros, as the leader battles to dispel suspicions about his possible complicity in the massive tax fraud swindle.

Scholz will go before a parliamentary committee in Hamburg for the second time to testify on whether local politicians helped a bank avoid paying back falsely claimed tax refunds. He served as mayor of Hamburg from 2011 to 2018 when he was appointed Finance Minister in Angela Merkel's government.

The "cum-ex" scam, first disclosed in 2017, featured numerous players quickly trading company shares amongst themselves around dividend day in order to claim multiple tax rebates on a single payout. In Germany, dozens of persons have been charged in connection with the scam, including bankers, stock traders, attorneys, and financial advisors.

The Hamburg committee is looking into why local finance officials withdrew a bid to recoup 47 million euros ($48 million) in taxes from private bank M.M Warburg over cum-ex deals in 2016. Under pressure from Merkel's federal government, the bank was eventually forced to repay tens of millions of euros.

The bank was eventually obliged to return tens of millions of euros due to pressure from Merkel's federal government.

Rumors are swirling that the decision to let Warburg off the hook was taken shortly after a conversation between Scholz and Christian Olearius, then head of the bank.

'No findings of political influence'

Scholz is already facing low approval ratings after his first six months in office were marred by criticism over his perceived inadequate response to the war in Ukraine.

Recently, the Chancellor has tried to reassure Germans about potential energy shortages this winter, as well as the very real possibility of a recession in Europe's largest economy.

Scholz's Spokesperson, Steffen Hebestreit, promised journalists on Wednesday that Scholz would answer all of the committee's inquiries and had nothing to conceal.

Cash stash

Investigators have obtained emails from Scholz's former office manager Jeanette Schwamberger, according to various German media reports, which could reveal new evidence.

According to the reports, these emails are "potentially relevant to the evidence, as they suggest considerations around deleting data." The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung stated that the emails clearly "incriminate" Scholz.

Other recently obtained records allegedly show that Scholz, contrary to what he has maintained thus far, did discuss reimbursement directly with Olearius.

According to an opposition conservative MP, Matthias Hauer, the latest revelations indicate that Scholz and his team "tried to provide only limited information on certain meetings or telephone conversations."

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-media:-oman-refuses-to-open-its-airspace-to-israeli

Israeli media: Oman refuses to open its airspace to Israeli flights

Israeli media reported on Thursday that "the Sultanate of Oman refused to open its airspace to Israeli flights," saying that "Iranian pressure is doing its thing."

Israel Hayom said that "Oman refuses to open its airspace to Israeli travel planes amid intense Iranian pressure."

The newspaper added, "What this means so far is that it is not possible to benefit from opening the Saudi airspace to Israeli aircraft to shorten the flight time to the Far East."

It is worth noting that earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Omani counterpart Badr Al-Busaidi discussed in a phone call "bilateral relations, regional and world issues, and the Vienna nuclear negotiations. "

Last May, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the stances of Iran and the Sultanate of Oman were "noticeably consistent on many issues," noting that "good relations between Iran and Oman enhance regional cooperation."

Israel Hayom reported on Wednesday, that it "received internal assurances that the soldiers of the Israeli occupation forces will be allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia."

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia announced in July that Saudi Arabia was opening its airspace for all civil air carriers for overflying.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lebanon:-sabawi-al-hassan-accused-of-speicher-massacre-arres

Lebanon: Sabawi Al-Hassan accused of 'Speicher massacre' arrested

Major General Abbas Ibrahim announced Friday that "the General Directorate of Lebanese Public Security was able to arrest Abdullah Yasser Sabawi Al-Hassan (Sabawi's grandson, Saddam Hussein's brother), who is wanted by the Iraqi judiciary and is accused of the Speicher crime in Tikrit, and of carrying out criminal operations that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people."

Major General Ibrahim added in an interview with the Al-Iraqiya news channel that "the Lebanese security services have executed an Interpol warrant, and this is our duty towards our people in Iraq."

He continued, "We work under international law, the judiciary, and respect exchange and criminals' recovery warrants especially with a brotherly country like Iraq," stressing that his country "rejects any impunity and supports the application of the law without any interference and pressure."

The Tikrit Air Academy massacre (aka Speicher Massacre) was perpetrated by ISIS terrorists on June 12, 2014. Close to 2,000 students of The Tikrit Air Academy, north of Iraq, were killed in the massacre.

ISIS terrorists executed hundreds of unarmed Iraqi youths, and savagely mutilated the bodies of some. The massacre was recorded and published in order to spread fear among Iraqis.

An Iraqi court sentenced on June 27, 2021, nine people convicted of partaking in the massacre, noting that all the men in question confessed to having partaken in the crime and in the killing of a number of innocents as part of their terrorist agenda.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/erdogan-warns-of-another-chernobyl-after-talks-in-ukraine

Erdogan warns of 'another Chernobyl' after talks in Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of a nuclear tragedy in Ukraine during his first face-to-face talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war broke out, echoing calls from the UN Secretary-General.

Fighting surrounding Europe's largest nuclear reactor has prompted urgent warnings from world leaders, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying during talks with Erdogan that any damage to the plant would be "suicide".

"We are worried. We don't want another Chornobyl," Erdogan said during a press conference in the eastern city of Lvov, during which he also assured the Ukrainian leader that Ankara was a firm ally. "While continuing our efforts to find a solution, we remain on the side of our Ukraine friends," Erdogan said.

Guterres expressed "grave concern" about the situation at the plant, adding that it had been demilitarized, "We must tell it like it is – any potential damage to Zaporozhye is suicide".

Erdogan, who maintains a tight working relationship with President Vladimir Putin, met with the Russian leader less than two weeks ago at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Turkish President and Guterres were key brokers of a deal signed in Istanbul last month, allowing for the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine after the war broke out.

25th grain cargo ship sails

Ahead of Zelensky's press conference, Ukraine's port authorities stated that the 25th cargo ship under the agreement had left for Egypt, carrying 33,000 tons of grain.

Ukraine and Russia are two of the world's largest grain exporters, and the suspension of exports has caused grain prices to skyrocket and raised fears of a global food emergency.

During the press conference, Guterres stated that the parties planned to step up efforts to strengthen operations at three southern ports designated to handle exports under the agreement. "We will do our best to scale up our operations to face… the coming winter," he said.

He traveled to Odessa on Friday, one of the ports involved, and was scheduled to travel to Turkey to meet with the agency in charge of managing the exports agreement.

The success of the grain deal contrasts with failed peace talks early in the war, and Zelensky on Thursday ruled out peace with Russia unless it "withdrew its troops from Ukraine."

Zaporozhye NPP safety system boosted over threat of new attacks

The safety system of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (NPP) has been strengthened in response to the potential of further attacks on the facility, according to Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporozhye regional administration's main council.

"The safety of the NPP has been boosted, I cannot disclose all the details. We are well prepared as anything can be expected from the [Volodymyr] Zelensky regime," Rogov said.

Ukrainian shells fall near Zaporizhzhia thermal power plant, no damage caused: Official

Ukrainian shells hit the territory of the thermal power station of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP), which is also important for the plant's stable operation, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration, said on Friday.

"There were at least seven heavy hits tonight, heavy artillery was working … shells were in the area of the thermal power station," Rogov said, noting that the station is also significant for the stable operation of the nuclear power plant and "the absence of energy fluctuations."

Commenting on the possible demilitarization of the Zaporizhzhia NPP's zone, the official said it is not an option because Russian air defense means are the only ones to protect the plant from a catastrophe.

Recently, while world leaders pin the attacks on Russia, Ukrainian forces attacked the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant (ZNPP), cutting two electricity transmission lines, the Energodar administration told Sputnik.

"Today, around 3 p.m. [12:00 GMT], during the shift change of ZNPP employees, nationalist units shelled the territory of Zaporozhye NPP from the territory controlled by the Ukrainian criminal regime. As a result of this act of terrorism, two power lines supplying electricity to 750-kilovolt outdoor switchgear, necessary for power supply and safe operation of the Zaporozhye NPP's power units, were severed," an administration official said.

The shelling ignited a large fire in the vicinity of the plant, which is being controlled by personnel from a local fire department, according to the official.

>>17415366

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/miscellaneous/bodies-surfacing-as-water-recedes-at-gangsters-paradise-lake

Bodies surfacing as water recedes at gangsters 'paradise', Lake Mead

Multiple bodies have been discovered this year at the increasingly receding Lake Mead in Nevada, with US detectives revealing a body on Wednesday in a barrel that may be tied to a possible decades-old mob murder found on the disappearing Las Vegas lake bed.

Mafia-watchers are anticipating the body found was the work of gangsters, known to frequent the Lake in what is now becoming part of the gambling paradise's crime-ridden past.

According to local police, the victim discovered in May had been shot in the head and stuffed in a barrel before being thrown overboard, which was a stamp of the hitmen who shadowed Las Vegas in the 1970s and 1980s. A gun was also exposed near the body, discovered by a journalist, but it is still unclear if it is linked to the body as the weapon of murder or not.

The Las Vegas police tweet read, "A firearm has been recovered in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on August 17, 2022, in close proximity to where one of the human remains were found."

Just a few days after the body in the barrel emerged, another body was uncovered, and a third was discovered in July. An additional two more sets of skeletal remains were detected this month in the Swim Beach area of the lake.

Links to climate change

The discovery of bodies has been rising since the beginning of May in the country's largest man-made reservoir whose water comes from the Hoover Dam in the Colorado River. Also known as the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, it hosts about eight million visitors annually and operates four marinas for fishing and water sports activities.

Drought is gripping much of the western part of the US at a historic rate and is overexerting pressure on water sources, with reservoirs and lakes falling to record-low levels.

Lake Mead was once at a depth of 365 meters above sea level, but due to the drought that has been going on for two decades now, it is rapidly and alarmingly shrinking.

On Thursday it was recorded to be at only 317 meters - close to its lowest level since the reservoir was filled in the 1930s.

Scientists say the anthropogenic climate change, instigated by the unchecked burning of hydrocarbons for energy, is accelerating the natural drought cycle at dangerous speeds. The droughts are one of the disastrous outcomes of the rise in global temperatures, now at a high of 1.5°C.

According to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change, it is calculated that 42% of this megadrought can be attributed to the human-caused climate change crisis.

>> Surprise, surprise!

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/77-of-russians-trust-putin:-poll

77% of Russians trust Putin: Poll

Some 77% of Russian citizens have said they trusted Russian President Vladimir Putin, a poll conducted by the Moscow-based Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) said on Friday.

The overwhelming majority of respondents, all of which are Russian citizens, expressed their trust in Putin (77%), while only 12% said they distrusted the Russian leader.

The poll also found that the Russian president's performance is approved of by 81%, with only 10% perceiving his performance negatively and 9% saying they were unsure of where they stand regarding his work.

The poll was conducted between August 12-14 with a total of 1,500 adults in 104 Russian cities, towns, and villages through in-person interviews. The margin of error is reported to not have exceeded 2.5%.

Putin's approval rate has been fluctuating within a small margin since the start of the Ukraine war, with his approval rate not dipping below 76% at its lowest.

Meanwhile, a poll conducted last month found that around 64% of Democratic voters would prefer a new standard-bearer in the 2024 presidential campaign, as voters nationwide have soured on his leadership, giving him a meager 33% job-approval rating, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

Widespread concerns about the economy and inflation have contributed to a decidedly gloomy national mood, both on Biden and the nation's trajectory.

More than three-quarters of registered voters believe the United States is heading in the wrong direction, a pervasive sense of pessimism that extends across the country, every age range and racial group, cities, suburbs, and rural areas, and both political parties.

Only 13% of American voters said the country was on the right track, the lowest level in Times polling since the financial crisis a decade ago.