A drought in China is threatening food production, prompting the government to order local authorities to take all available measures to ensure crops survive the hottest summer on record.

Global investment banks Standard Chartered, Goldman Sachs and Nomura have all cut their 2022 economic growth forecasts for China. New coronavirus outbreaks and downward pressure on the real estate market are chief reasons China’s economic recovery is losing steam.

Longest river in Asia and China’s two biggest freshwater lakes at their lowest since records began, while other rivers are drying up.