Rescue, relief efforts underway in flood-hit south, southwest China

Rescue and relief efforts were in full swing over the weekend in south and southwest China's provincial-level regions, following widespread flooding triggered by heavy downpours in the past few days.

After the water level receded below the warning level in the Sanjiang section of the Duliu River in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Sunday, the sludge cleanup work began and was proceeding in an orderly manner. Due to rainfall, the peak water level once reached 150.67 meters, 4.57 meters above the warning level at 17:40 on that day.

A total of 46 ferry crossings in Liuzhou City in Guangxi were closed due to the flood peak in the Duliu River. The Liuzhou Maritime Affairs Department dispatched several teams of law enforcement personnel to conduct inspections and give flood prevention warnings in key waters and key ferry crossings.

The Duliu River originates Guizhou Province, flows through its Sandu, Rongjiang and Congjiang counties, and finally enters Sanjiang County in Guangxi and merges into the Liujiang River.

In Kaili City of southwest China's Guizhou Province, multiple locations were waterlogged Saturday. Firefighters have been sent to pull out cars, evacuate the trapped people, drain water and clear silt.

Rongjiang County in Guizhou raised its flood emergency response to the highest level after it was hit by another flood on Saturday. Over 40,000 residents had been evacuated.

A local school that has been turned into a temporary shelter is big enough to hold about 4,000 people. It is well-stocked with supplies and essential medications, and medical personnel are on duty around the clock.

Since June 24, Rongjiang has been hit by severe flooding due to rainstorms.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Sichuan, the provincial meteorological observatory issued a yellow rainstorm warning on Sunday afternoon. It is expected that 16 cities in the province will have heavy to torrential rains accompanied by thunder and lightning and gusty winds, with the maximum hourly rainfall reaching 70 to 90 millimeters. Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated in advance.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

Rescue, relief efforts underway in flood-hit south, southwest China

Rescue, relief efforts underway in flood-hit south, southwest China

Rescue, relief efforts underway in flood-hit south, southwest China

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.

In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.

"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.

Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.

Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.

"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.

Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.

Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.

"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.

Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela