Chinese cities brace for floods as heat scorches inland regions

By Ryan Woo and Liz Lee BEIJING (Reuters) - Several Chinese cities including Shanghai and Beijing braced for flooding on Friday while inland regions baked in heat threatening to shrink the country's biggest freshwater lake. Wild weather swings have gripped China since April, causing deaths, damaging infrastructure, wilting crops, and raising fears over its ability to cope with climate change. Historically, China enters its peak rainy season in late July, but storms have become more intense and unpredictable, exposing heavily built-up megacities with poor drainage. Heavy rain lashed financial h...