Months of drought have left water levels on Germany's Rhine river at a record low, exposing a World War II bomb and forcing ship operators to halt services to prevent vessels from running aground. The water level on the Rhine on Friday reached just 77 centimetres (30 inches), 4 cm below a previous record low of 81 cm recorded in 2003, Cologne's waterworks authorities said. Although rainfall is expected next week, forecasters said it would not suffice to bring up water levels in Germany's most important waterway and a key shipping route for the Netherlands and France.
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