August 31, 2022

*) Russia halts gas supplies in new jitters for Europe Russian energy giant Gazprom has cut off its gas supplies to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for maintenance work, further raising tensions on an already taut electricity market. The three-day works at a compressor station are "necessary", Gazprom has said, adding that they had to be carried out after "every 1,000 hours of operation". But Germany's Federal Network Agency chief called it a "technically incomprehensible" decision, warning that it was likely just a pretext by Moscow to wield energy supplies as a threat. *) Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev dies aged 91 Mikhail Gorbachev has died at the age of 91 after a long illness. He was the last leader of the Soviet Union who waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War. UN chief Antonio Guterres said Gorbachev was "a one-of-a-kind statesman who changed the course of history. He did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War". *) Taliban celebrates 1st anniversary of US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan The Taliban has declared Wednesday a national holiday to celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan. The withdrawal of troops at midnight on August 31 began last year and ended America's longest war – a military invasion that began in the wake of 9/11 attacks in America. Some 66,000 Afghan troops and 48,000 civilians were killed in the conflict. But it was the deaths of more than 2,400 US servicemen that became too much for the American public to bear. *) Taiwan vows to 'counter-attack' if Chinese forces enter its territory Taiwan has said it would exercise its right to self-defence and "counter-attack" if Chinese armed forces entered its territory. Taiwanese defence officials said that China's "high intensity" military patrols near Taiwan continued. They warned that Beijing's intention of making the Taiwan Strait separating