BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red alert for flash floods at 6 p.m. on Saturday, warning of heightened disaster risks across multiple regions of the country.From 8 p.m. on July 11 to 8 p.m. on July 12, a high risk of flash floods is forecast in parts of eastern Beijing, northern Tianjin, northeastern Hebei, eastern Inner Mongolia, western Liaoning, northeastern Jilin, southern Heilongjiang, central and southern Zhejiang, southern Anhui, northern Fujian, northeastern Jiangxi, and central Sichuan, according to the alert.Some areas in eastern Beijing, northeastern Hebei, central and southern Zhejiang, and southern Anhui face a very high risk of flash floods under the red alert, while short-duration torrential rainfall could also trigger flash floods in other areas.Also at 6 p.m. on Saturday, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Meteorological Administration jointly issued a red meteorological risk alert for geological disasters, urging local authorities to activate emergency response plans and strengthen disaster prevention efforts.The alert forecasts elevated risks of geological disasters in parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang, Shaanxi and Gansu between 8 p.m. on July 11 and 8 p.m. on July 12.The two ministries urged governments at all levels and relevant authorities to implement emergency response measures.

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Nine districts in Beijing activated a Level-I emergency response for flood control on Saturday afternoon after a red alert for torrential rain was issued for these regions.Downpours are forecast to batter the districts of Fangshan, Pinggu, Miyun, Huairou, Mentougou, Fengtai, Daxing, Tongzhou and Shunyi, mostly in the suburbs, from 7 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, according to the Beijing Meteorological Observatory. Some areas are expected to receive more than 150 mm of rain within six hours or over 200 mm within 24 hours.The municipal emergency management office warned of a high risk of flooding in medium and small rivers, flash floods and geological hazards in mountainous and hilly areas, as well as waterlogging in low-lying areas.As authorities intensified flood control efforts, around 104,000 people across the city had been relocated as of 4 p.m. Saturday. In addition, 73 elderly care facilities were temporarily closed, with 1,902 elderly people evacuated, according to the office of the Beijing municipal flood control and drought relief headquarters.As a precaution, 188 scenic areas and 167 tent campsites have been closed, 4,376 rural homestays have been suspended and construction work at 3,318 sites has been halted.A total of 27,418 rescue workers have been placed on standby across the city to respond to potential emergencies.China has a four-tier emergency response system, with Level I being the most severe.

2026 FIFA World Cup: China's New Consumption Economy

China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group (CR5) Ghana Limited and the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana (CIUG) have donated educational materials to a school in the Ghanaian capital of Accra to support teaching and learning.

COLOMBO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Thambuttegama water supply project, co-developed by China Geo-Engineering Corporation and China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corporation, was inaugurated in Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura on Friday.The ceremony was attended by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.The project includes a water treatment plant with a daily processing capacity of 18,000 cubic meters, a water intake system with a daily intake capacity of 42,000 cubic meters, three high-level water towers, and a water supply network with a total pipe length of 204 kilometers. Following its launch, the whole project is expected to benefit more than 25,000 local households.Speaking to journalists, Susil Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka's minister of housing, construction and water supply, expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for the project's successful completion, noting that the project will undoubtedly benefit the lives of local households.According to Wang Bin, manager of the project, the area where the project is located has long faced safety and quality issues of drinking water, which elevated the risk of chronic diseases in some areas. He said the project's completion will significantly improve the local water supply conditions and the safety of drinking water.Launched in 2018, the water supply project represents a key collaborative effort between China and Sri Lanka.

After the completion of the 12-day follow-up physical protection advisory mission to China conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the review team unanimously concluded that China's national nuclear security regime has achieved comprehensive and systematic improvements, while

HANGZHOU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Zhejiang Province in east China raised its typhoon emergency response to the highest level on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi, the 9th typhoon of 2026, barrels toward the country's eastern coast, triggering widespread disaster prevention efforts across multiple provincial-level regions.According to Zhejiang Meteorological Observatory, the severe typhoon was located some 489 km off the coast of the province's city of Wenzhou as of 9 a.m. on Saturday, packing strong-typhoon-level winds near its center. It is forecast to move northwest at a speed of 30 to 35 km per hour and make landfall in Zhejiang around midnight.As of 8 a.m. on Saturday, Zhejiang had evacuated nearly 1.72 million residents to safe locations, local authorities said. A total of 12,154 primary and secondary schools, kindergartens and off-campus tutoring institutions have suspended classes, while 830 construction sites have halted work. All 163 local passenger ferry routes are suspended, 38 trains and 461 flights have been canceled, and 444 A-level tourist attractions are temporarily closed to avoid safety risks.The province has fully activated its emergency command system, with 10 task groups stationed at the command headquarters, five working groups dispatched to guide local response work, a total of 46,000 flood control personnel on duty, and 308,000 grassroots staff deployed to frontline positions.In Zhejiang's provincial capital Hangzhou, the iconic West Lake scenic area has been fully closed as of Saturday as a precaution. All parks, museums, mountain hiking trails, cruise services and sightseeing buses around the lake have been shut down temporarily, according to the scenic area management committee.The neighboring Shanghai Municipality, also in east China, has launched full-scale flood and typhoon control efforts, as the typhoon is set to bring gales and rainfall to this megacity from Saturday to Monday.As of Saturday noon, 34,000 residents in high-risk areas had been evac...