Colombia earthquake death toll rises above 130 as rescuers search rubble Trump demands Iranian reparations as Hormuz stays shut Ukrainian drones kill 13 in Tatarstan as Russia strikes Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv Nvidia and Wall Street line up $500bn for AI data centres Netanyahu holds out against US-backed Gaza roadmap England under amber heat alerts as drought spreads across Europe Oil holds gains as Hormuz stays shut Meta releases open AI model as Zuckerberg sets out superintelligence vision Turkish parliament clears path for PKK dissolution, Ocalan's status open Record rain floods Shanghai after Typhoon Dolphin landfall WHO dates Congo's Ebola outbreak to February, months before it was declared Russia's Supreme Court bars antiwar Yabloko from Duma ballot Trump cuts childhood vaccine recommendations and splits MMR shot Rhine low water threatens to split Germany's main waterway US intelligence points to Russia over Leipzig airport drone bomb Sixteen Bangladeshi workers killed in Riyadh factory fire China ships 97 percent of the world's humanoid robots Chinese EVs set new sales records in western Europe despite EU duties US appeals court lets social media addiction suits proceed US yields at crisis-era highs as Fed's Hammack floats rate rises IAEA to remove nuclear material from secret Syrian site under US-brokered deal Ceuta mayor demands internment centre as border checks stay US judge dismisses fraud and bribery case against Adani Intel to raise $15 billion in stock sale as AI strains chip supply Zelensky asks Seoul for air defence, warning of North Korean troops in Russia Pope Leo calls for immediate ceasefire after Sudan's army vows to fight on Oil slick nears Oman after blasts on Russia-linked tanker US troops prepare to leave Iraqi Kurdistan by end of September Moldova recalls ambassador from Moscow after drone crash Attackers kill Libya's military intelligence chief in Benghazi Colombia recognises Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights US ammunition shortage weighs on allies US-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks set for Rome Venezuela's government and opposition begin election talks Japanese bond yields rise on bets for faster BOJ rate hikes Long March 7A rocket fails, destroying communications satellite Iran welcomes Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish defence pact as shift away from Washington Houthis plan escalation in Yemen in support of Iran Three confederations press Infantino to resign as Fifa president China opens new trade fronts against Washington Kosovo and Albania call Vucic's Ibar remarks destabilising US visa revocations pass 175,000 Russia's share of India's oil imports climbs to record 48 percent Taiwan tests public resilience with simulated disruption Europe moves toward drafting women for military service Chinese shipping company opens Arctic route around the Strait of Hormuz Component in British naval drones sent signals to China Russia's central bank tells lenders to ease terms for firms hit by drone strikes British man shot dead by Pakistani security forces in Kashmir US pledges $2 billion for battery and materials producers Wildfires spread across Indonesia Enterprise AI costs hit 2026 low as Chinese open models spread Indian police fire teargas at job-exam protesters in Jharkhand Kurdish film-maker describes months of force-feeding in ICE detention Sanders urges Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to pause AI development Gunman shoots Thai provincial official days after teenager's killing spree Backlash grows against Flock's licence-plate camera network Arab states warn of eroding status quo at Al-Aqsa Airbus and Boeing plan record production ramp-up Hanwha makes $1bn push into US naval shipbuilding FDA orders ingredient disclosure but delays ultraprocessed food curbs Violence mars return of displaced Kurds to Syrian border town US records hottest month in 132 years Colombia earthquake death toll rises above 130 as rescuers search rubble Trump demands Iranian reparations as Hormuz stays shut Ukrainian drones kill 13 in Tatarstan as Russia strikes Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv Nvidia and Wall Street line up $500bn for AI data centres Netanyahu holds out against US-backed Gaza roadmap England under amber heat alerts as drought spreads across Europe Oil holds gains as Hormuz stays shut Meta releases open AI model as Zuckerberg sets out superintelligence vision Turkish parliament clears path for PKK dissolution, Ocalan's status open Record rain floods Shanghai after Typhoon Dolphin landfall WHO dates Congo's Ebola outbreak to February, months before it was declared Russia's Supreme Court bars antiwar Yabloko from Duma ballot Trump cuts childhood vaccine recommendations and splits MMR shot Rhine low water threatens to split Germany's main waterway US intelligence points to Russia over Leipzig airport drone bomb Sixteen Bangladeshi workers killed in Riyadh factory fire China ships 97 percent of the world's humanoid robots Chinese EVs set new sales records in western Europe despite EU duties US appeals court lets social media addiction suits proceed US yields at crisis-era highs as Fed's Hammack floats rate rises IAEA to remove nuclear material from secret Syrian site under US-brokered deal Ceuta mayor demands internment centre as border checks stay US judge dismisses fraud and bribery case against Adani Intel to raise $15 billion in stock sale as AI strains chip supply Zelensky asks Seoul for air defence, warning of North Korean troops in Russia Pope Leo calls for immediate ceasefire after Sudan's army vows to fight on Oil slick nears Oman after blasts on Russia-linked tanker US troops prepare to leave Iraqi Kurdistan by end of September Moldova recalls ambassador from Moscow after drone crash Attackers kill Libya's military intelligence chief in Benghazi Colombia recognises Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights US ammunition shortage weighs on allies US-brokered Israel-Lebanon talks set for Rome Venezuela's government and opposition begin election talks Japanese bond yields rise on bets for faster BOJ rate hikes Long March 7A rocket fails, destroying communications satellite Iran welcomes Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish defence pact as shift away from Washington Houthis plan escalation in Yemen in support of Iran Three confederations press Infantino to resign as Fifa president China opens new trade fronts against Washington Kosovo and Albania call Vucic's Ibar remarks destabilising US visa revocations pass 175,000 Russia's share of India's oil imports climbs to record 48 percent Taiwan tests public resilience with simulated disruption Europe moves toward drafting women for military service Chinese shipping company opens Arctic route around the Strait of Hormuz Component in British naval drones sent signals to China Russia's central bank tells lenders to ease terms for firms hit by drone strikes British man shot dead by Pakistani security forces in Kashmir US pledges $2 billion for battery and materials producers Wildfires spread across Indonesia Enterprise AI costs hit 2026 low as Chinese open models spread Indian police fire teargas at job-exam protesters in Jharkhand Kurdish film-maker describes months of force-feeding in ICE detention Sanders urges Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to pause AI development Gunman shoots Thai provincial official days after teenager's killing spree Backlash grows against Flock's licence-plate camera network Arab states warn of eroding status quo at Al-Aqsa Airbus and Boeing plan record production ramp-up Hanwha makes $1bn push into US naval shipbuilding FDA orders ingredient disclosure but delays ultraprocessed food curbs Violence mars return of displaced Kurds to Syrian border town US records hottest month in 132 years

Symbolic image: Rhine low water threatens to split Germany's main waterway

Symbolic image

Rhine low water threatens to split Germany's main waterway

3 sources

Germany's inland shipping association expects the Rhine gauge at Kaub to fall to single digits this week, splitting the waterway. Chemical firms and retailers warn of bottlenecks.

BDB managing director Jens Schwanen told the Rheinische Post on Monday, 10 August, that at such levels neither freight nor cruise vessels could operate there. Traffic continues between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp and North Rhine-Westphalia as far as Cologne, and further south on the Neckar, Moselle and Main. Cologne measured its lowest gauge since records began on Saturday, 8 August, undercutting the 2018 record.

Chemical industry on dry land

BASF, whose main plant lies behind the Kaub bottleneck, moves 40 percent of its transports over the river and reports bottlenecks in individual cases; the 2018 blockage cost it a quarter of a billion euros in profit. Lanxess chief Matthias Zachert said its ships were only 20 to 30 percent full and warned of production stoppages.

No spare capacity on road and rail

The retail federation HDE warned on Sunday that diverting cargo to lorries and rail could create bottlenecks for shops, and urged the economics ministry to permanently allow long lorries; FAZ reports hauliers see no spare capacity.

Switzerland waives import duties

FAZ reports Switzerland has suspended import duties to ease supplies.

Other opinions

Global Times ran only Xinhua photographs of moored ships at Cologne, drought without the economic fallout German outlets report.