AnewZ Morning Brief - 15th August, 2025
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 15th of August, covering the latest developments you need to k...
Iran is grappling with a worsening water crisis, with more than 20 of its 31 provinces suffering from severe shortages that have left the capital Tehran facing the risk of running dry.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the situation in Tehran is so critical that relocating the city’s population of 15 million may be necessary if conditions do not improve.
The water crisis has deepened following years of drought and a 2°C rise in temperatures since the 1960s, combined with a 20% drop in rainfall over the past two decades. According to Iranian state media IRNA, one of the country’s largest reservoirs could be completely dry within weeks. Currently, seven reservoirs hold less than 10% of their capacity, with two dams in the southern provinces of Hormozgan and Fars already dry and 80% of reservoirs across the country nearly empty.
Pezeshkian has criticised previous government policies for neglecting the water issue, describing the current shortage as a crisis caused by both natural factors and mismanagement. As a result, government offices and schools will remain closed until at least Saturday, and many factories have shut down amid energy shortages, triggering fears of mass layoffs.
The water shortage has also prompted many Tehran residents to leave for northern provinces along the Caspian Sea, where water supplies remain more stable.
Experts warn that the water supply will remain critically low until the seasonal rains arrive later in the year, but the long-term effects of climate change and ongoing mismanagement make relief uncertain.
They said that Tehran’s future as the country’s capital could depend on urgent and effective action to address the deepening water crisis.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
China’s factory output and retail sales growth slowed sharply in July, adding pressure on Beijing to deploy further stimulus as the $19 trillion economy faces weakening domestic demand and external shocks.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan defended the U.S.-brokered peace accord, saying it's “not a zero-sum game” and a step toward regional cooperation benefiting all, including Russia and Iran.
In a Fox News interview, President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s transit deal with Armenia is “not against anyone” and marks the “final step toward peace,” while also addressing the 2024 downing of AZAL Flight 8243, demanding accountability and full compensation.
On 14 August, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov spoke by phone with his Kazakh counterpart, Murat Nurtleu.
Türkiye will provide Syria with weapons systems, logistics and military training under a new cooperation deal aimed at bolstering Syrian state forces and territorial integrity, a Turkish Defence Ministry source said on Thursday.
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