Chris set to become hurricane, Beryl poses flood threat to Puerto Rico

(Reuters) - Tropical Storm Chris strengthened in the mid-Atlantic and was expected to become a hurricane on Monday evening or Tuesday, while the former Hurricane Beryl dwindled into a heavy rainstorm threatening to bring flooding to Puerto Rico, forecasters said.

Chris, which formed off the North Carolina coast early on Sunday, was packing maximum sustained winds near 70 miles per hour (110 kph) on Monday afternoon, causing swells that will batter the coasts of the Carolinas for the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said.

“These swells could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” it said. KUALA LUMPUR, (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday the “unfairness” of contracts for Beijing-backed projects were a key issue he would raise during a visit to China next month.

Mahathir, who came to power in May following a stunning election defeat for then prime minister Najib Razak, is reviewing major projects signed by the former government, saying many of them do not make financial sense for Malaysia.

His government suspended more than $20 billion in China-funded projects earlier this week.

“There are several issues to be brought up, among which is the unfairness of the terms of the contract and also the loan,” Mahathir said at a news briefing.

“And the interest also is of concern to us, because the interest is much higher than when governments borrow.”