Latest news with #Hu
Daily Tribune
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Pentagon chief warns China is 'preparing' to use military force in Asia
AFP | Singapore US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. China's representatives at the conference blasted the speech, calling it "groundless accusations fabricated out of thin air". Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, has sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. "The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent," Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world. Beijing is "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific", he said. Hegseth warned that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and "rehearsing for the real deal". China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion. The United States was "reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China", Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats. - 'Stirring up trouble' – Hegseth described China's conduct as a "wake-up call", accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber attacks, harassing its neighbours, and "illegally seizing and militarising lands" in the disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit. It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore forum, according to US officials. As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China's military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine "combat readiness patrols" around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines. Beijing did not send any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching instead a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University led by Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng. Without referring to Hegseth by name, Hu said of his speech that "these actions are essentially about stirring up trouble, creating division, inciting confrontation, and destabilising the Asia-Pacific". "They run counter to the prevailing trend, are unpopular -- and are bound to fail," Hu told a panel discussion. Hegseth's hard-hitting address also drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference. Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, told reporters the speech was "very unfriendly" and "very confrontational", accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbours while bullying its own -- including Canada and Greenland. Hegseth's comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had "violated" a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations. The world's two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days. - 'Cannot dominate' - Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Asia-Pacific region was "America's priority theatre", pledging to ensure "China cannot dominate us -- or our allies and partners". He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump's vow that "China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch". However, he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and "quickly upgrade their own defences". "Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example," Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move towards Trump's defence spending target of five percent of GDP. "Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap."
Borneo Post
a day ago
- Business
- Borneo Post
Chinese hybrid rice boosts food security in Madagascar
Song (back, third right) poses with local residents in Anosiarivo, Madagascar, on March 25, 2025. – Xinhua photo ANTANANARIVO (May 31): 'Before, our land barely produced enough to feed us. Now, with hybrid rice, we not only eat our fill, but sell the surplus and even save to buy more land,' a farmer called Femosoa Rakatondratsara told me, smiling beside his blossoming rice field. Mahitsy, a town some 35km north-west of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, is home to the Chinese Hybrid Rice High-Yield Demonstration Base. In the village of Anosiarivo, another hybrid rice site, vibrant paddies stretched to the horizon under blue skies and fluffy clouds. Ramboasalama Anolalaina Ratsina, an expert from the Ministry of Agriculture, was leading local farmers in pest control. Having twice received planting training in central China's Hunan Province, he is now a key figure in local hybrid rice promotion. 'All my planting skills came from Chinese experts,' he said. Over the years, Chinese experts in Madagascar have not only promoted quality seeds but also passed on knowledge, from hands-on fieldwork to theoretical training. Now, technicians like Ratsina are sharing that expertise with farmers across Madagascar. After Irene Nonenjanahary's first hybrid rice harvest brought in a bumper yield last year, she is more confident than ever. 'We used to rely on the weather,' she said. 'Now we rely on technology.' In 2007, China launched the hybrid rice demonstration center project in Madagascar, led by the Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Yuan's Hi-Tech Seed. It was one of the 10 agricultural technology demonstration centers pledged at the first Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. 'Farmers here relied entirely on the mercy of nature. Poor seeds, limited knowledge, and weak infrastructure meant many couldn't even grow enough to eat,' said Hu Yuefang, a Chinese agronomist. Hu (right) inspects hybrid rice growth with local farmers in Mahitsy, Madagascar, on March 25, 2025. – Xinhua photo 'The first challenge to promote hybrid rice was choosing the right seed,' said Hu. To identify varieties suited to Madagascar's climate and soil, he and his team carried dozens of seed samples across almost every major rice-growing region of the island, eventually developing five locally adapted varieties with high yields, drought tolerance and flood resistance. 'But the real challenge was getting farmers to accept these 'foreign' seeds,' said Chinese agricultural expert Song Chunfang. To prove the benefits, they planted side-by-side demonstration plots – one with local rice, the other with hybrid. Using the same planting methods, the yield of hybrid rice was two to three times that of local varieties. Impressed by the yield, farmers dubbed it 'Tsarabe' – 'the best thing' in Malagasy. Hu recalled living in leaky thatched huts, collecting rainwater to drink, and trekking kilometres for firewood. 'Once, while transforming a swampland, a tree branch pierced my foot. It was the villagers who carried me out,' he said. Farmers walk along the ridges of hybrid rice paddies in Mahitsy, Madagascar, on March 26, 2025. – Xiinhua photo Today, hybrid rice cultivation in Madagascar has reached a cumulative 90,000 hectares, with average yields of 7.5 tons per hectare – two to three times that of local varieties – making it Africa's largest hybrid rice producer by area. 'I hope one day hybrid rice will be planted across Madagascar,' said Eric Laperozy, my Malagasy colleague. 'That way, more families can eat well, earn more, and my country can achieve food self-sufficiency.' – Xinhua China hybrid rice Madagascar Xinhua
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bestiality, child sexual abuse material allegedly found on man's phone in Cumberland County
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were allegedly found on a Maryland man's phone in Cumberland County, investigators say. Investigators allegedly found the CSAM files on 57-year-old Shibiao Hu's phone while looking through it in April, the criminal complaint filed by an investigator with the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office shows. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now The complaint shows that at least 10 videos depicting CSAM were found on Hu's phone after investigators searched it in April. Multiple videos depicting bestiality were also allegedly found during the search of Hu's phone. Business owner paying back Pennsylvania families he stole $200k from in casket, gravestone orders The DA's Office says they still have to look at more than 400,000 images and 10,000 videos on Hu's phone for CSAM. If more are found, the DA's Office says it will update the charges. Currently, Hu faces 10 felony charges of child sexual abuse material and 10 felony charges of criminal use of a communication facility. He was placed on $50,000 unsecured bail by Magisterial District Judge Jonathan Birbeck and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 11. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
S. Jack Hu, University of Georgia provost, named UC Riverside chancellor amid steep challenges
S. Jack Hu, a senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia with deep experience in leading research enterprises and guiding outreach to students from rural and low-income communities, has been named the new chancellor of UC Riverside. Hu's appointment, announced Wednesday afternoon by the UC Board of Regents, takes place at a crucial moment for the UC system and higher education, which has come under fierce critique by President Trump, who has revoked billions in medical and scientific research funding and derides diversity efforts while his administration threatens to take away the ability of colleges to enroll international students. Hu starts July 15 and will replace Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2013. Under Wilcox, the Inland Empire campus grew dramatically in enrollment and footprint and joined the American Assn. of Universities, a prestigious group of the top 71 American and Canadian research campuses. During his time, UC Riverside increased in size by more than 5,000 students and 200 faculty, opened a $87-million business school building, and ushered in a new medical school that will graduate its ninth class next month. Read more: James B. Milliken, University of Texas chancellor, named UC president "Over his distinguished career at leading public research institutions, Dr. Hu has championed innovation and academic initiatives that have increased opportunities for students and faculty and have positively impacted their lives and the communities they serve,' said UC President Michael V. Drake in a statement. "UC Riverside has established itself as a global leader in providing world-class scholarship. Dr. Hu has the academic acumen and collaborative mindset to move the campus forward with integrity and purpose." In a statement, Hu said he was "honored" and "deeply grateful" to join UC Riverside. Born in Hunan province, China, Hu was an undergraduate at Tianjin University, and will be the first Asian American chancellor of UC Riverside. His annual salary will be $824,000, a slight increase over Wilcox's salary of $810,000. Speaking at the regents meeting in Sacramento, he shared his personal story as an immigrant from China and the first in his family to go to college as "a testament to the transformative power of education." "More than 40 years ago, I came to America to pursue a dream, arriving at the University of Michigan with a small suitcase and a thirst for learning. But never in my wildest dreams I'd imagine that I would became the chancellor of the University of California Riverside," Hu said. Hu, 61, oversaw instruction, research, public service, outreach and information technology spread across 19 colleges and schools at the University of Georgia. He began his Georgia post in 2019. During his tenure, the university's graduation rate increased by 20%, and the campus retained its status as one of nine public universities with a six-year graduation rate of more than 90%, a common measure of higher education success. UCLA and UC Berkeley are also in the group. Hu spent the bulk of his career at the University of Michigan, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and developed a specialty in researching the quality and productivity of manufacturing systems. He rose through faculty and administrative ranks in Michigan for more than 20 years before being appointed vice president for research in 2015, a role in which he oversaw a $1.5-billion research portfolio across campuses in Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint. "On behalf of the UC Board of Regents, we are proud to welcome Dr. Hu as UC Riverside's next chancellor,' said Janet Reilly, regents chair and search advisory committee member. "Dr. Hu's reputation as a results-oriented team player makes him the ideal partner to bolster UC Riverside's impact on students and the region through robust research, economic development, and community engagement.' Read more: With billions at stake, California joins suit to stop Trump cuts to university science research At Riverside, Hu will take the helm of a campus grappling with deep cuts to federal funding grants, including those from the National Institutes of Health, a UC-wide hiring freeze and a UC-wide Department of Justice investigation over allegations of antisemitic employment discrimination tied to pro-Palestinian protests. The Riverside campus has largely been spared from the targeted Trump administration investigations over admissions policies or antisemitism allegations that have hit UCs including those in Los Angeles and Berkeley. Last year, UC Riverside received more than $40 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health — one of the federal agencies that has made the deepest cuts to higher education funding — and is targeted in lawsuits by states and research groups to halt the reduction. In an interview, Hu acknowledged that "federal funding cuts are a tremendous challenge." "The key as a country is that we must invest in science, in talent, in innovation," he said. "The UC system is a leader in the country in terms of being a research university system. We need to work with federal government, with agencies, to sustain the partnership that universities in the country have built with the federal government. Without such investment, I think the U.S will not be able to complete globally." Read more: Trump lawyer says U.S. plans to sue UC over antisemitism allegations Hu told The Times that universities will "need to diversify the sources of funding: state support, federal funding for research, for students, industry support, foundation support, all of those are important." He added that his priorities will include "student success, social mobility, research and scholarship, expanding healthcare access for the region, and supporting communities in the Inland Empire region." Hu will lead one of UC's most diverse and unique campuses. UC Riverside traces its origins to agricultural research into citrus but has grown into a multifaceted research university with globally ranked programs in entomology — the study of insects — plant and animal sciences, air pollution and alternative fuels. The main Riverside campus is 1,900 acres and the university has more than 26,000 students and 4,700 faculty and staff. But it is often overshadowed by other UCs, such as the more selective UCLA and UC Berkeley. Still, Riverside consistently ranks on lists of the top U.S. public universities. The campus, which draws more than 14,000 commuter students, was the top UC last year in accepting first-year and transfer students, and ranked first in the system for accepting low-income individuals and those who were the first in their families to attend college. As it has grown in size and popularity, UC Riverside has also faced hurdles. While expanding its enrollment, adding new programs and building new centers, students have complained of crowded housing and dining areas, parking shortages and some offerings that are stretched thin, such as services for immigrant students. To address some of the shortages, the university is building a $156-million instructional facility as well as hundreds of new apartments. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
S. Jack Hu, University of Georgia provost, named UC Riverside chancellor amid steep challenges
S. Jack Hu, a senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia with deep experience in leading research enterprises and guiding outreach to students from rural and low-income communities, has been named the new chancellor of UC Riverside. Hu's appointment, announced Wednesday afternoon by the UC Board of Regents, takes place at crucial moment for the UC system and higher education, which has come under fierce critique by President Trump, who has revoked billions in medical and scientific research funding and derides diversity efforts while his administration threatens to take away the ability of colleges to enroll international students. Hu starts July 15 and will replace Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, who is retiring after serving in the role since 2013. Under Wilcox, the Inland Empire campus grew dramatically in enrollment and footprint and joined the American Association of Universities, a prestigious group of the top 71 American and Canadian research campuses. During her time, UC Riverside increased in size by more than 5,000 students and 200 faculty, opened a new $70-million business school building, and ushered in a new medical school that will graduate its ninth class next month. 'Over his distinguished career at leading public research institutions, Dr. Hu has championed innovation and academic initiatives that have increased opportunities for students and faculty and have positively impacted their lives and the communities they serve,' said UC President Michael V. Drake in a statement. 'UC Riverside has established itself as a global leader in providing world-class scholarship. Dr. Hu has the academic acumen and collaborative mindset to move the campus forward with integrity and purpose.' In a statement, Hu said he was 'honored' and 'deeply grateful' to join UC Riverside. Born in Hunan Province, China, Hu was an undergraduate at Tianjin University, and will be the first Asian American chancellor of the UC Riverside. His annual salary will be $824,000, a slight increase over Wilcox's salary of $810,000. Speaking at the regents meeting in Sacramento, he shared his personal story as an immigrant from China and the first in his family to go to college as 'a testament to the transformative power of education.' 'More than 40 years ago, I came to America to pursue a dream, arriving at the university of Michigan with a small suitcase and a thirst for learning. But never in my wildest dreams I'd imagine that I would became the chancellor of the university of California Riverside,' Hu said. Hu, 61, oversaw instruction, research, public service, outreach and information technology spread across 19 colleges and schools at the University of Georgia. He began his Georgia post in 2019. During his tenure, the university's graduation rate increased by 20%, and the campus retained its status as one of nine public universities with a six-year graduation rate of more than 90%, a common measure of higher education success. UCLA and UC Berkeley are also in the group. Hu spent the bulk of his career at the University of Michigan, where he earned masters and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering and developed a specialty in researching the quality and productivity of manufacturing systems. He rose through faculty and administrative ranks in Michigan for more than 20 years before being appointed vice president for research in 2015, a role in which he oversaw a $1.5 billion research portfolio across campuses in in Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint, Michigan. 'On behalf of the UC Board of Regents, we are proud to welcome Dr. Hu as UC Riverside's next chancellor,' said Janet Reilly, regents chair and search advisory committee member. 'Dr. Hu's reputation as a results-oriented team player makes him the ideal partner to bolster UC Riverside's impact on students and the region through robust research, economic development, and community engagement.' At Riverside, Hu will take the helm of a campus grappling with deep cuts to federal funding grants, including those from the National Institutes of Health, a UC-wide hiring freeze and a UC-wide Department of Justice investigation over allegations of antisemitic employment discrimination tied to pro-Palestinian protests. The Riverside campus has largely been spared from the targeted Trump administration investigations over admissions policies or antisemitism allegations that have hit UC's including those in Los Angeles and Berkeley. Last year, UC Riverside received more than $40 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health — one of the federal agencies that has made the deepest cuts to higher education funding — and is targeted in lawsuits by states and research groups to halt the reduction. In an interview, Hu acknowledged that 'federal funding cuts are a tremendous challenge.' 'The key as a country is that we must invest in science, in talent, in innovation,' he said. 'The UC system is a leader in the country in terms of being a research university system. We need to work with federal government, with agencies, to sustain the partnership that universities in the country have built with the federal government. Without such investment, I think the U.S will not be able to complete globally.' Hu told The Times that universities will 'need to diversify the sources of funding: state support, federal funding for research, for students, industry support, foundation support, all of those are important.' He added that his priorities will include 'student success, social mobility, research and scholarship, expanding healthcare access for the region, and supporting communities in the Inland Empire region.' Hu will lead one of UC's most diverse and unique campuses. UC Riverside traces its origins to agricultural research into citrus, but has grown into a multi-faceted research university with globally ranked in entomology — the study of insects — plant and animal sciences, air pollution and alternative fuels. The main Riverside campus is 1,900 acres and the university has of more than 26,000 students and 4,700 faculty and staff. But it is often overshadowed by other UCs, such as the more selective UCLA and UC Berkeley. Still, Riverside consistently ranks on lists of the top U.S. public universities. The campus, which draws more than 14,000 commuter students, was the top UC last year in accepting first-year and transfer students, and ranked first in the system for accepting low-income individuals and those who were the first in their families to attend college. As it has grown in size and popularity, UC Riverside has also faced hurdles. While expanding its enrollment, adding new programs and building new centers, students have complained of crowded housing and dining areas, parking shortages and some offerings that are stretched thin, such as services for immigrant students. To address some of the shortages, the university is building a new $156-million instructional facility as well as hundreds of new apartments.
