China fights brush fires, extends power rationing in drought

Brush fires have forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people in southwest China and power rationing for factories has reportedly been extended as weeks of record heat and drought batter the region. Some shopping malls in the megacity of Chongqing have been ordered closed for most of the day to reduce electricity…

China to generate artificial rain to protect grain crop from drought

China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from record-setting drought by using chemicals to generate rain, while factories in the southwest waited Sunday to see whether they would be shut down for another week due to shortages of water to generate hydropower. The hottest, driest summer since the government…