Austria's federal agency for geology, geophysics, climatology and meteorology said on the 17th the past 12 months were the driest since official meteorological records began in 1850. Precipitation deficits together with sustained high temperatures have intensified the drought. From Feb. 23 to Aug. 9 this year eastern Austria averaged 210.9 mm of precipitation versus a long-term average of 405 mm for the period, the lowest level for that span since at least 1961.

Trump said he is unhappy he long ago agreed to joint military exercises with South Korea and has instructed Defense Secretary Hegseth to sharply curtail them.

Thailand is planning a comprehensive revision of a key factory output indicator after US officials flagged a widening gap between a surge in Thai exports and a decline in domestic production, suggesting the discrepancy could indicate goods transshipped through Thailand to evade tariffs. Thailand’s manufacturing production index contracted 3.1% while exports rose 20.8% YoY in June, marking a fourth consecutive month of double-digit export growth. Thai officials denied the US allegation, saying the current production metric is outdated, overweights traditional industries and fails to capture rapid growth in semiconductors and other AI-related electronics. The secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti aims to complete the revision by September.