Brace for deluge, Xi tells nation

President calls for full preparations as heavy rain heightens risk of disaster from north to south

From the south to the north, with record-breaking downpours, flooding, landslides and loss of lives, China is coping with a seemingly endless string of extreme weather conditions and disasters this summer. And it is bracing for more.

President Xi Jinping has called for the nation to be fully prepared for the huge floods that are expected along some of the country's major rivers.