Heavy rains trigger floods, local government activates emergency response plans

China's Ministry of Water Resources has activated a Level-IV flood prevention emergency response for four provincial-level regions, including southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, where torrential rainfall caused rivers to overflow and inundate low-lying areas.

In Chongqing's Qijiang District, persistent heavy rainfall caused the Tonghui River and other waterways to rise rapidly and even flow backward, flooding streets and submerging vehicles.

According to local water conservancy authorities, the water level on the Tonghui River running through the city reached 259.37 meters at 09:30 on Saturday, exceeding the warning level by 1.37 meters.

"We've designated staff members to urgently evacuate residents and relocate more than 30 parked vehicles from the surrounding areas. Dedicated personnel have been assigned to stand guard. Moving forward, we will continue to monitor water flow conditions and carry out follow-up work including river channel dredging and street disinfection and cleaning," said Yang Yutao, Communist Party secretary at the Tonghui Residential Compound in Qijiang District.

By 23:00 on the same day, the water level on the Tonghui River had receded to 254.32 meters, falling below the alert threshold. Local authorities promptly organized emergency response efforts.

Meteorological departments forecast that sustained rainfall will continue in Chongqing through May 27, warning residents to remain vigilant against possible secondary disasters such as mountain torrents triggered by consecutive heavy precipitation.

At 09:00 on Sunday, the Ministry of Water Resources activated a Level IV flood prevention emergency response for the four provincial level regions -- Anhui in east China, Henan in central China, Chongqing in southwest China and Shaanxi in north China, requiring local water conservancy departments and basin management agencies to closely monitor the rainfall and flood developments, implement scientifically precise flood control scheduling of water projects, and strengthen safety measures for small and medium-sized reservoirs and projects under construction to ensure the protection of people's lives and property. The ministry is also maintaining an ongoing Level-IV emergency response for three other provincial level regions -- Jiangxi in east China and Hubei and Hunan in central China.

Heavy rains trigger floods, local government activates emergency response plans

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday warned that neither partisan changes in the United States nor concessions to Washington would end U.S. hostility toward the Iranian nation.

"If there are still individuals who pin even the slightest hope on a shift in the U.S. behavior, or partisan changes within the hegemonic system, or imagine that by granting concessions to the United States, they can dissuade it from its hostility toward the Iranian nation, they are gravely mistaken," Khamenei said in a message to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran.

He said the only way to achieve a state of "absolute deterrence" is to continue to make Iran stronger, noting that "on this path, (national) solidarity and unity, and social cohesion serve as the fundamental pillars of success."

The supreme leader said that should the "acts of aggression" be repeated, Iran's fight will expand to encompass a much broader scope.

In the U.S., Democrats are projected to flip control of the Senate after winning several key races in battleground states, securing control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, election forecasting agency Decision Desk HQ reported late Tuesday.

Reacting to the U.S. election's results in a post on social media platform X, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday, "Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message."

Iran's supreme leader warns against pinning hope on partisan changes in U.S.