Latest news with #Hunan
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Chinese military robotics lab creates mosquito-sized microdrone for covert operations
A robotics laboratory at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT) in central China's Hunan province has developed a mosquito-sized drone for covert military operations. NUDT researchers showed their work on different types of robots – from humanoid machines to tiny drones barely visible to the eye – in a report aired on CCTV 7, China Central Television's military channel, on June 14. 'Here in my hand is a mosquito-like type of robot. Miniature bionic robots like this one are especially suited to information reconnaissance and special missions on the battlefield', Liang Hexiang, a student at NUDT, told CCTV while holding up the drone between his fingers. 08:18 Flying taxis, airships and drones: the rise of China's low-altitude economy Flying taxis, airships and drones: the rise of China's low-altitude economy In the video of the UAV, two tiny wings with a leaflike structure were attached to the sides of the stick-shaped drone body along with three hair-thin 'legs'. The report highlighting advances in robotics engineering also showed a prototype controlled via smartphone with four wings, two moving horizontally on each side of the body. Their tiny size makes manufacturing this new type of drone challenging: sensors, power devices, control circuits and other elements must fit into an extremely limited space. It requires collaboration between various disciplines, such as the engineering of microscopic devices, materials science and bionics. The micro UAV Black Hornet, a palm-sized, helicopter-shaped drone developed in Norway, is widely used by armed forces around the globe today.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
China warns of extensive flooding after heavy rains
BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese authorities have warned of flash floods and swift currents in mountainous areas in the eastern, central, southern and southwestern regions of the country after heavy rains there. The red alerts, the first for this year, were issued late on Thursday covering areas in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi region, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the water resources ministry and national weather forecaster China Meteorological Administration. China is experiencing heavy and sudden rain in many parts, which meteorologists have attributed to climate change, leaving its huge population vulnerable to related disasters. In southern Hunan, heavy rainfall triggered the largest floods since 1998 in the upper and lower reaches of the Lishui River after its water levels breached the safety mark by more than two metres on Thursday. In the hilly metropolis of southwestern Chongqing, apartment blocks were submerged in muddy waters and some vehicles were swept away in flood waters gushing down streets, according to state broadcaster CCTV's footage and images from Thursday. An image showed flood waters almost reaching the top of power cable lines. Water and power supply were also disrupted in some areas, CCTV said. Nearly 300 people were evacuated from towns and villages in Pengshui county, where cumulative daily rainfall had reached 304 mm (12 inches), and floods were made worse by precipitation from the mountains converging into the Ditang River which had swollen by 19 metres, according to CCTV. The water in several other rivers in Chongqing had also exceeded alert levels due to the extreme rainfall, Xinhua said. On Wednesday, power supply was disrupted in the city of Zhaoqing in southern Guangdong Province as flood waters rose more than five metres above warning levels, breaking historical records, local media reported.
CNA
11 hours ago
- Climate
- CNA
China warns of extensive flooding after heavy rains
BEIJING: Chinese authorities have warned of flash floods and swift currents in mountainous areas in the eastern, central, southern and southwestern regions of the country after heavy rains there. The red alerts, the first for this year, were issued late on Thursday (Jun 20) covering areas in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi region, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the water resources ministry and national weather forecaster China Meteorological Administration. China is experiencing heavy and sudden rain in many parts, which meteorologists have attributed to climate change, leaving its huge population vulnerable to related disasters. In southern Hunan, heavy rainfall triggered the largest floods since 1998 in the upper and lower reaches of the Lishui River after its water levels breached the safety mark by more than two metres on Thursday. In the hilly metropolis of southwestern Chongqing, apartment blocks were submerged in muddy waters and some vehicles were swept away in flood waters gushing down streets, according to state broadcaster CCTV's footage and images from Thursday. An image showed flood waters almost reaching the top of power cable lines. Water and power supply were also disrupted in some areas, CCTV said. Nearly 300 people were evacuated from towns and villages in Pengshui county, where cumulative daily rainfall had reached 304mm, and floods were made worse by precipitation from the mountains converging into the Ditang River which had swollen by 19m, according to CCTV. The water in several other rivers in Chongqing had also exceeded alert levels due to the extreme rainfall, Xinhua said. On Wednesday, power supply was disrupted in the city of Zhaoqing in southern Guangdong Province as flood waters rose more than five metres above warning levels, breaking historical records, local media reported.
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Climate
- Reuters
China warns of extensive flooding after heavy rains
BEIJING, June 20 (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have warned of flash floods and swift currents in mountainous areas in the eastern, central, southern and southwestern regions of the country after heavy rains there. The red alerts, the first for this year, were issued late on Thursday covering areas in the provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou and Guangxi region, state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the water resources ministry and national weather forecaster China Meteorological Administration. China is experiencing heavy and sudden rain in many parts, which meteorologists have attributed to climate change, leaving its huge population vulnerable to related disasters. In southern Hunan, heavy rainfall triggered the largest floods since 1998 in the upper and lower reaches of the Lishui River after its water levels breached the safety mark by more than two metres on Thursday. In the hilly metropolis of southwestern Chongqing, apartment blocks were submerged in muddy waters and some vehicles were swept away in flood waters gushing down streets, according to state broadcaster CCTV's footage and images from Thursday. An image showed flood waters almost reaching the top of power cable lines. Water and power supply were also disrupted in some areas, CCTV said. Nearly 300 people were evacuated from towns and villages in Pengshui county, where cumulative daily rainfall had reached 304 mm (12 inches), and floods were made worse by precipitation from the mountains converging into the Ditang River which had swollen by 19 metres, according to CCTV. The water in several other rivers in Chongqing had also exceeded alert levels due to the extreme rainfall, Xinhua said. On Wednesday, power supply was disrupted in the city of Zhaoqing in southern Guangdong Province as flood waters rose more than five metres above warning levels, breaking historical records, local media reported.
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Word is bonds: China's provinces use special-purpose funds to pay debts
Hunan has become the first province in China to use the proceeds of special-purpose bonds to guarantee government payments to enterprises, with 20 billion yuan (US$2.78 billion) allocated for this year. The inland province made the adjustment to its annual fiscal budget last month, marking the first time the bonds – typically earmarked for revenue-generating construction projects – will be used to cover government arrears. Proceeds will be distributed based on eligible outstanding debts from existing investment projects, according to a statement from the province's department of finance issued last week. The department said the disbursements will be prioritised to help cities and counties across Hunan complete ongoing construction, clear their obligations and reduce fiscal risk. David Wong, a lecturer at Hang Seng University in Hong Kong, called the move 'a step in the right direction,' but warned that the 20-billion-yuan sum could be 'a drop in the bucket' compared with the scale of local government debt 'It remains unclear which arrears will be prioritised or which firms will actually receive payments,' he said. 'The more complex issue is that this is not simply a matter of 'government owing enterprises' but a complex web of entangled triangular debts.' Criss-crossing chains of obligation make the repayment picture opaque for a number of localities, Wong said. 'In many cases, local governments have indirectly incurred debts through state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which in turn owe money to each other. Some SOEs are involved in circular guarantees and cross-debt relationships with both local governments and private companies.'
