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In Notre Dame fire, embers of unity for a fractured France

In Paris' heart, a charred and gaping hole. But also a rallying cry.

The disfigurement of Notre Dame, the splendid cathedral that has watched over the French capital for centuries and is now a blackened wreck mourned around the globe, felt to Parisians like a body blow, as impossible to stomach as the eternal loss to New York of its Twin Towers, as unfathomable as the idea of Egypt shorn of its pyramids or London robbed of Buckingham Palace.

Which is why, even before the tears had dried and firefighters had extinguished the terrible flames, the immediate, visceral imperative was to rebuild. Here's money. Here's wood. Donations poured in, from billionaires pledging hundreds of millions of euros to the more modest offerings of those who gave what they could spare.

A nation that for months of violent yellow-vest protests has been more divided than at any time since World War II suddenly, almost miraculously, found a shared mission in the ashes of disaster: Restore, for future generations, the gift of Notre Dame that previous generations handed down to us.

Experience says the new-found unity won't last. It didn't even after gunmen massacred 130 people at the Bataclan concert hall and other Paris sites in 2015 and killed 17 in the attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket. Then, France shared a slogan, "Je suis Charlie," in a similar way that it now shares the pain of Notre Dame.

Because the iconic cathedral's suffering took precedence, immediately overpowering the political, social and economic splits that have consumed President Emmanuel Macron's popularity and much of his time since November.

He'd been due to address the nation in a broadcast Monday night. Macron quickly abandoned that plan as the inferno feeding on ancient, tinder-dry wooden beams brought down the cathedral's spire and cross-shaped roof. Whatever Macron had intended to say, the answers he'd prepared to respond to the unrest that has monopolized France's attention, would have been lost amid the distress and prayers for Notre Dame, shared live by TV networks that abandoned their regular Monday night programming.

The front-page headline of the Liberation newspaper on Tuesday neatly captured how the fire has re-ordered the nation's priorities.

"Notre Drame" — "Our Drama" — it read over a picture of the spire consumed by fire and smoke.

At his church in the west of Paris, the Rev. Guillaume de Menthiere felt the mood shift even as the cathedral was still spewing ash and smoke over the capital, as people filed in to pray at his church and to listen to its bells' mournful tolling in solidarity for its big sister, Notre Dame.

The priest later said he was reminded of the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, another tragedy when the world seemed to stop spinning and which drew French mourners back into churches that dot every town but which also seem to have lost much of their hold over France, with its fiercely guarded red line between church and the secular state.

In 2001, France wept for the United States and the attacks' victims from multiple countries. "We are all Americans," newspaper Le Monde famously said.

This time, thankfully, no one died in the fire that appears to have started somewhere in Notre Dame's roof, which had been getting a much-needed repair job. But the outpouring of emotion from across the globe was still huge: "We are all French," the world now appears to be saying.

Ordained in Notre Dame nearly three decades ago, de Menthiere was too overcome to sleep once he got home. At dawn, he rose and marshalled his thoughts into words. In the fire, he identified glowing embers of hope that France is coming together.

"During these hours of anguish, I seemed to sense that the old Gallic cockerel was awaking from its torpor," he wrote in an email to parishioners that fellow priests quickly shared.

"A mysterious communion seemed at last to be reigning over the people of France which the months gone by had so sadly shown to be in pieces and fractured," he added. "This unity that a presidential message, planned for that same night, would probably not have succeeded in rebuilding, was accomplished before our dumbfounded eyes by Notre Dame."

Parisians who went to bed fearful that the cathedral would be reduced to rubble were relieved when they awoke to learn that its two landmark bell towers are still standing, saved by hundreds of firefighters, and that not all of its treasures have been lost.

Like the proud, crowing and indomitable Gallic cockerel, long a symbol of France and featured on coins, flag poles, the presidential Elysee Palace and even the uniforms of the national soccer team, the French have been reminded that, in despair, they share deep wells of fortitude.

"That is the history of the French. We divide very often around things that we argue about but we then get together," said Bertrand de Feydeau, vice president of a conservation group that was among those collecting donations and within hours had already raised more than 11 million euros ($12 million) in gifts of all sizes.

"Because the French have a lot of heart."

___

John Leicester has reported from France for The Associated Press since 2002.

Source: Fox News World

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‘Historic’ blizzard may drop up to 2 feet of snow across Central US, cause ‘life-threatening’ travel conditions

It may be April but winter's icy grip remains firm across the central U.S., where a potential blockbuster storm is set to bring an onslaught of heavy snow and blizzard conditions through Friday.

Blizzard warnings are now in effect in 6 states, stretching from Colorado all the way up to Minnesota, according to Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean.

"This actually could be a historic storm for folks across these areas," Dean said Wednesday on "FOX & friends."

"We could see 6 to 12, to 24 inches of snow, winds in excess of 35, even 50 mph," Dean added. "Travel is going to be impossible in some of these areas."

'SIGNIFICANT' WINTER STORM THREATENS BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL US

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said the storm system will move over the Rockies and into the Northern Plains by Wednesday night, bringing heavy and wet snow to the region.

Up to 2 feet of snow is possible in some spots across the Central U.S. from the major storm system.

Up to 2 feet of snow is possible in some spots across the Central U.S. from the major storm system. (Fox News)

"A swath of 1 to 2 feet of snow is forecast for the Central/Northern Plains and into Western Minnesota through Thursday evening, with locally higher amounts," the NWS said.

Blizzard warning stretch across 6 states.

Blizzard warning stretch across 6 states. (Fox News)

The highest amount of snow is expected to fall across South Dakota, but the combination of snow and strong winds throughout the region will make traffic "difficult to impossible" as visibility drops to "near zero."

There is also the potential for sleet and freezing rain with accumulating ice near the border of Iowa and Minnesota, which may lead to power outages and dangerous travel.

2019 HURRICANE SEASON WILL BE 'SLIGHTLY BELOW-AVERAGE,' RESEARCHERS SAY

The storm could be similar to last month's "bomb cyclone" -- an unusual weather phenomenon in which air pressure plummets at least 24 millibars in 24 hours and a storm strengthens explosively -- that created devastating flooding across the Midwest.

While this latest storm may not intensify fast enough to that category, Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher told the Associated Press it "will be near record intensity for April for this area."

Besides heavy snow, there is the potential for severe thunderstorms in warmer areas across the Midwest, according to Dean.

Warm temperatures south of the massive blizzard may bring the threat of severe weather to the Midwest.

Warm temperatures south of the massive blizzard may bring the threat of severe weather to the Midwest. (Fox News)

The storm is also renewing fears of flooding to a part of the country where massive flooding over the past month has caused billions of dollars in damage.

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Nebraska is not expecting a repeat of the catastrophic flooding it experienced last month because the ground is no longer frozen and ice has melted from the rivers, though there might be localized flooding across the state, according to weather service meteorologist Van DeWald in Omaha. The biggest threat will remain along the already swollen Missouri River, he said.

The worst of the snow is expected late Wednesday into Thursday.

The worst of the snow is expected late Wednesday into Thursday. (Fox News)

"It's really just going to exacerbate that flooding and prolong it," he said. "We're probably looking at that surge hitting those Missouri River areas in Nebraska and Iowa three to five days after the storm."

In northwest Missouri's Holt County, where the raging Missouri River ravaged roads and highways, Emergency Management Director Tom Bullock is urging residents to be prepared to get out if another surge of water arrives after this week's storm.

"We don't have any protection," he told the AP. "Our levees are all broke."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Florida teen disarms, stabs gas station clerk who tried to sexually assault her at knifepoint: police

A 17-year-old Florida girl stabbed an armed gas station clerk who had allegedly cornered her inside a bathroom and attempted to rape her at knifepoint, officials said.

The victim told police she entered a Chevron gas station in Dania Beach at around 3 a.m. on April to purchase two microwaveable dinners.

She had gone to use the restroom at the back of the store when the store’s clerk locked the front door and followed her inside, WSVN reported.

FLORIDA WOMAN BREAKS BACK, FOOT AFTER JUMPING OFF PIER TO RESCUE BOY FROM RIPTIDE: REPORT

Inside, the clerk – identified as 67-year-old Mohammad Munshi – allegedly pulled out a pocket knife and then reached into her pants and grabbed her before she was able to push him off.

Mohammad Munshi, 67, was arrested after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a 17-year-old girl at knifepoint in Florida.

Mohammad Munshi, 67, was arrested after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a 17-year-old girl at knifepoint in Florida. (Broward Sheriff's Office)

The victim said she got ahold of the pocket knife after a struggle and stabbed him in the stomach with it before running away from the gas station.

The girl ran out of the store but didn't contact authorities because of her immigration status, the affidavit said, according to Local 10.

Police said another customer entered the gas station about 20 minutes later and Munshi called for help, claiming he had been stabbed by a shoplifter.

Munshi was questioned at the hospital and was unable to keep his story straight, WSVN reported.

Additionally, surveillance footage reportedly showed the events unfold as the victim had stated.

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Munshi was arrested on April 10 and charged with one count of armed sexual battery. He spent six days in jail before posting a $75,000 bond and surrendering his Bangladesh-issued passport, the Sun-Sentinel reported.

Source: Fox News National

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District Attorney declines to prosecute Texas woman assaulted in viral video

Prosecutors will reportedly not be prosecuting a Texas woman who allegedly damaged the property of a man seen brutally assaulting her in a viral video.

The Dallas County District Attorney on Wednesday declined to prosecute a felony criminal mischief charge against L’Daijohnique Lee, 24, who was accused of breaking the back windshield of her attacker’s pickup truck.

Dallas police sought to arrest Lee on Tuesday after cops determined she'd caused more than $3,000 in damages after breaking the windshield of Austin Shuffield’s pickup truck with a jump box on the night of the attack.

TEXAS WOMAN SEEN ATTACKED IN VIRAL VIDEO CHARGED FOR DAMAGING VEHICLE OF ALLEGED ATTACKER

On Wednesday, prosecutors declined to prosecute the charges and police recalled the arrest warrant, FOX4 News reported.

“We’re grateful to John Creuzot and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office,” Lee’s attorney, Lee Merritt, said Wednesday from the steps of the Dallas County courthouse. “We think it was the right thing to do.”

The incident went viral last month after Shuffield was seen in a video punching Lee several times in the face during a confrontation in a parking lot.

Austin Shuffield, 30, was seen in a viral video attacking a woman in a Texas parking lot during a confrontation.

Austin Shuffield, 30, was seen in a viral video attacking a woman in a Texas parking lot during a confrontation. (Dallas County Jail)

Police said Shuffield had confronted Lee about blocking the parking lot exit with her car and the encounter became violent when he pulled out a gun as she called 911. Shuffield then knocked her cellphone from her hand and kicked it away.

PROSECUTORS DROP ALL CHARGES IN DEADLY WACO BIKER SHOOTOUT

In the video, Lee is seen landing one punch on Shuffield’s arm before he attacks her, delivering at least five punches that connect with the woman’s face.

Shuffield, 30, was initially arrested on misdemeanor charges, but police recommended to a grand jury the charges be upgraded a week later to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Dallas police said Tuesday they were merely following the letter of the law with the charge against Lee, saying it had been pending since the day of the incident. Police said Lee admitted to breaking the vehicle’s window.

Police Chief Renee Hall said Wednesday she stood by her decision to pursue the felony charge against Lee, which was based on the damage estimate to the window, FOX4 News reported.

“We have the responsibility as a police department to file that charge. And the district attorney in this case as in any other case has the ability to either accept that charge, reject it, try it and do what is necessary from their perspective,” Hall said.

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Shuffield is currently out on bail.

Source: Fox News National

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Doug Bandow: NATO Should Be ‘Pensioned Off, Replaced’

On NATO's 70th birthday, it is time for burden shedding to replace burden sharing, according to Doug Bandow, former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan.

In a commentary for Foreign Policy, Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, says the organization "should be pensioned off and replaced with security architecture developed to meet current challenges."

Bandow wrote that President Donald Trump has "spent years inveighing against NATO" — and now "finally has the power to do something about it."

"[H]e should insist that Europe take over responsibility for its own security," Bandow wrote.

According to Bandow, Europeans expect the United States to "ride to the rescue in any crisis," so they see little reason to spend much on their own militaries.

"Yet the same U.S. officials who complain about lagging European defense efforts routinely reassure those allies of America's enduring commitment," he lamented.

Bandow decries a process that "endlessly repeats, teaching each generation of European leaders that no matter how little they do, Washington will defend the continent."

He also argued NATO's survival was in doubt after the collapse of the Soviet Union but "decided to stay relevant in two ways" — by expanding membership and by opting "to undertake activities in nonmember nations."

The first move riled Russia, and the second "transformed NATO into an offensive force," he wrote.

"Expansion grows ever more far-fetched, with the alliance most recently adding Montenegro and North Macedonia, small states that face no obvious threat and can make no serious contribution to Europe's defense," he wrote. 

"Against significant European opposition, moreover, the United States even supports bringing Georgia and Ukraine into the body."

But as NATO becomes a "global alliance," Washington remains responsible for "the vast majority of its combat capabilities in Europe and beyond," Bandow wrote.

Source: NewsMax America

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Devils win No. 1 pick in NHL draft

NHL: New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
FILE PHOTO: Apr 4, 2019; Raleigh, NC, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Andy Greene (6) celebrates his first period goal with center Pavel Zacha (37) and center Michael McLeod (41) against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

April 10, 2019

The New Jersey Devils won the NHL draft lottery on Tuesday night for the second time in three years.

New Jersey had an 11.5 percent chance to win the top pick. The franchise also picked first in 1979, as the Colorado Rockies, when the initial selection was Rob Ramage, and in 2017, when the choice was Nico Hischier.

The New York Rangers drew the second pick in this year’s draft, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Rangers were most likely to pick No. 6 before the lottery, which turned in their favor. The same could be said for the Blackhawks, who were in the No. 12 spot before their improbable jump into the top three picks of the lottery.

The third pick has altered the course of the Blackhawks in the past as they have selected players such as Jonathan Toews (2006), Ed Olczyk (1984) and Denis Savard (1980) at that spot.

The draft will take place June 21-22 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. The NHL Combine is slated for May 27-June 1 in Buffalo.

The order of selection for the first 15 picks:

1. New Jersey Devils

2. New York Rangers

3. Chicago Blackhawks

4. Colorado Avalanche (from Ottawa Senators)

5. Los Angeles Kings

6. Detroit Red Wings

7. Buffalo Sabres

8. Edmonton Oilers

9. Anaheim Ducks

10. Vancouver Canucks

11. Philadelphia Flyers

12. Minnesota Wild

13. Florida Panthers

14. Arizona Coyotes

15. Montreal Canadiens

The remaining positions in the first round will be determined by the playoffs.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Trump owes restitution for using foundation for campaign purposes, NY AG claims

New York Attorney General Letitia James, in a court filing Thursday, claimed there's evidence that President Trump turned the Trump Foundation into a branch of his 2016 campaign -- and that he should pay $2.8 million in restitution.

She detailed her case in a 37-page court filing, part of a lawsuit that also seeks to ban Trump and his three eldest children from running any New York charities for 10 years. Bloomberg News reported that the recommendation also includes a $5.6 million penalty.

The foundation's lawyers have argued that the lawsuit is politically motivated.

NY AG PROMISES TO 'USE EVERY AREA OF THE LAW' TO PROBE TRUMP, FAMILY

"In this vacuum of oversight and diligence, Mr. Trump caused the foundation to enter repeatedly into self-dealing transactions and to coordinate unlawfully with his presidential campaign," James said, according to Bloomberg.

The foundation agreed to dissolve “under judicial supervision” in December, and to distribute remaining charitable assets "to reputable organizations approved” by the AG’s office.

But this does not resolve the matter.

The AG office claims that Trump used the foundation’s charitable assets to pay off his legal obligations, promote Trump-branded hotels and business interests and purchase personal items.

The suit also claims that the foundation “illegally provided extensive support to his 2016 presidential campaign by using the Trump Foundation’s name and funds it raised from the public to promote his campaign" for the White House.

TRUMP FOUNDATION AGREES TO DISSOLVE AFTER LAWSUIT ALLEGED 'ILLEGAL CONDUCT'

In particular, it is pointing to a rally Trump held during the run-up to the Iowa caucuses -- during which he called for people to donate to veterans' charities, with the foundation acting as a pass-through. That, James has contended, broke rules barring charities from being part of political campaigns.

The lawsuit also alleges Trump directed that $100,000 of foundation money be used to settle a lawsuit over an 80-foot flagpole he built at his Palm Beach resort.

Trump lashed out at the AG’s office in December after the foundation shuttered, saying there's been a “long-running civil war” started by former AG Eric Schneidermann.

“The Trump Foundation has done great work and given away lots of money, both mine and others, to great charities over the years -- with me taking NO fees, rent, salaries etc.” he said.

That tweet echoed a statement by Trump Organization attorney Alan Futerfas, who said the foundation had been looking to shut down since Trump was elected president.

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“Contrary to the NYAG’s misleading statement issued earlier today, the Foundation has been seeking to dissolve and distribute its remaining assets to worthwhile charitable causes since Donald J. Trump’s victory in the 2016 Presidential election," Futerfas said in a statement to Fox News.

"Unfortunately, the NYAG sought to prevent dissolution for almost two years, thereby depriving those most in need of nearly $1.7 million. Over the past decade, the foundation is proud to have distributed approximately $19 million, including $8.25 million of the president’s personal money, to over 700 different charitable organizations with virtually zero expenses,” he said.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Cambodian authorities have ordered a one-hour reduction in the length of school days because of concerns that students and teachers may fall ill from a prolonged heat wave.

Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said in an announcement seen Friday that the shortened hours will remain in effect until the rainy season starts, which usually occurs in May. The current heat wave, in which temperatures are regularly reaching as high as 41 Celsius (106 Fahrenheit), is one of the longest in memory.

Most schools in Cambodia lack air conditioning, prompting concern that temperatures inside classrooms could rise to unhealthy levels.

School authorities were instructed to watch for symptoms of heat stroke and urge pupils to drink more water.

The new hours cut 30 minutes off the beginning of the school day and 30 minutes off the end.

School authorities instituted a similar measure in 2016.

Source: Fox News World

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Explosions have rocked Britain’s largest steel plant, injuring two people and shaking nearby homes.

South Wales Police say the incident at the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot was reported at about 3:35 a.m. Friday (22:35 EDT Thursday). The explosions touched off small fires, which are under control. Two workers suffered minor injuries and all staff members have been accounted for.

Police say early indications are that the explosions were caused by a train used to carry molten metal into the plant. Tata Steel says its personnel are working with emergency services at the scene.

Local lawmaker Stephen Kinnock says the incident raises concerns about safety.

He tweeted: “It could have been a lot worse … @TataSteelEurope must conduct a full review, to improve safety.”

Source: Fox News World

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The Wider Image: China's start-ups go small in age of 'shoebox' satellites
LinkSpace’s reusable rocket RLV-T5, also known as NewLine Baby, is carried to a vacant plot of land for a test launch in Longkou, Shandong province, China, April 19, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee

April 26, 2019

By Ryan Woo

LONGKOU, China (Reuters) – During initial tests of their 8.1-metre (27-foot) tall reusable rocket, Chinese engineers from LinkSpace, a start-up led by China’s youngest space entrepreneur, used a Kevlar tether to ensure its safe return. Just in case.

But when the Beijing-based company’s prototype, called NewLine Baby, successfully took off and landed last week for the second time in two months, no tether was needed.

The 1.5-tonne rocket hovered 40 meters above the ground before descending back to its concrete launch pad after 30 seconds, to the relief of 26-year-old chief executive Hu Zhenyu and his engineers – one of whom cartwheeled his way to the launch pad in delight.

LinkSpace, one of China’s 15-plus private rocket manufacturers, sees these short hops as the first steps towards a new business model: sending tiny, inexpensive satellites into orbit at affordable prices.

Demand for these so-called nanosatellites – which weigh less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and are in some cases as small as a shoebox – is expected to explode in the next few years. And China’s rocket entrepreneurs reckon there is no better place to develop inexpensive launch vehicles than their home country.

“For suborbital clients, their focus will be on scientific research and some commercial uses. After entering orbit, the near-term focus (of clients) will certainly be on satellites,” Hu said.

In the near term, China envisions massive constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Universities conducting experiments and companies looking to offer remote-sensing and communication services are among the potential domestic customers for nanosatellites.

A handful of U.S. small-rocket companies are also developing launchers ahead of the expected boom. One of the biggest, Rocket Lab, has already put 25 satellites in orbit.

No private company in China has done that yet. Since October, two – LandSpace and OneSpace – have tried but failed, illustrating the difficulties facing space start-ups everywhere.

The Chinese companies are approaching inexpensive launches in different ways. Some, like OneSpace, are designing cheap, disposable boosters. LinkSpace’s Hu aspires to build reusable rockets that return to Earth after delivering their payload, much like the Falcon 9 rockets of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

“If you’re a small company and you can only build a very, very small rocket because that’s all you have money for, then your profit margins are going to be narrower,” said Macro Caceres, analyst at U.S. aerospace consultancy Teal Group.

“But if you can take that small rocket and make it reusable, and you can launch it once a week, four times a month, 50 times a year, then with more volume, your profit increases,” Caceres added.

Eventually LinkSpace hopes to charge no more than 30 million yuan ($4.48 million) per launch, Hu told Reuters.

That is a fraction of the $25 million to $30 million needed for a launch on a Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Pegasus, a commonly used small rocket. The Pegasus is launched from a high-flying aircraft and is not reusable.

(Click https://reut.rs/2UVBjKs to see a picture package of China’s rocket start-ups. Click https://tmsnrt.rs/2GIy9Bc for an interactive look at the nascent industry.)

NEED FOR CASH

LinkSpace plans to conduct suborbital launch tests using a bigger recoverable rocket in the first half of 2020, reaching altitudes of at least 100 kilometers, then an orbital launch in 2021, Hu told Reuters.

The company is in its third round of fundraising and wants to raise up to 100 million yuan, Hu said. It had secured tens of millions of yuan in previous rounds.

After a surge in fresh funding in 2018, firms like LinkSpace are pushing out prototypes, planning more tests and even proposing operational launches this year.

Last year, equity investment in China’s space start-ups reached 3.57 billion yuan ($533 million), a report by Beijing-based investor FutureAerospace shows, with a burst of financing in late 2018.

That accounted for about 18 percent of global space start-up investments in 2018, a historic high, according to Reuters calculations based on a global estimate by Space Angels. The New York-based venture capital firm said global space start-up investments totaled $2.97 billion last year.

“Costs for rocket companies are relatively high, but as to how much funding they need, be it in the hundreds of millions, or tens of millions, or even just a few million yuan, depends on the company’s stage of development,” said Niu Min, founder of FutureAerospace.

FutureAerospace has invested tens of millions of yuan in LandSpace, based in Beijing.

Like space-launch startups elsewhere in the world, the immediate challenge for Chinese entrepreneurs is developing a safe and reliable rocket.

Proven talent to develop such hardware can be found in China’s state research institutes or the military; the government directly supports private firms by allowing them to launch from military-controlled facilities.

But it’s still a high-risk business, and one unsuccessful launch might kill a company.

“The biggest problem facing all commercial space companies, especially early-stage entrepreneurs, is failure” of an attempted flight, Liang Jianjun, chief executive of rocket company Space Trek, told Reuters. That can affect financing, research, manufacturing and the team’s morale, he added.

Space Trek is planning its first suborbital launch by the end of June and an orbital launch next year, said Liang, who founded the company in late 2017 with three other former military technical officers.

Despite LandSpace’s failed Zhuque-1 orbital launch in October, the Beijing-based firm secured 300 million yuan in additional funding for the development of its Zhuque-2 rocket a month later.

In December, the company started operating China’s first private rocket production facility in Zhejiang province, in anticipation of large-scale manufacturing of its Zhuque-2, which it expects to unveil next year.

STATE COMPETITION

China’s state defense contractors are also trying to get into the low-cost market.

In December, the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) successfully launched a low-orbit communication satellite, the first of 156 that CASIC aims to deploy by 2022 to provide more stable broadband connectivity to rural China and eventually developing countries.

The satellite, Hongyun-1, was launched on a rocket supplied by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the nation’s main space contractor.

In early April, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), a subsidiary of CASC, completed engine tests for its Dragon, China’s first rocket meant solely for commercial use, clearing the path for a maiden flight before July.

The Dragon, much bigger than the rockets being developed by private firms, is designed to carry multiple commercial satellites.

At least 35 private Chinese companies are working to produce more satellites.

Spacety, a satellite maker based in southern Hunan province, plans to put 20 satellites in orbit this year, including its first for a foreign client, chief executive Yang Feng told Reuters.

The company has only launched 12 on state-produced rockets since the company started operating in early 2016.

“When it comes to rocket launches, what we care about would be cost, reliability and time,” Yang said.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Gerry Doyle)

Source: OANN

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At least one person is reported dead and homes have been destroyed by a powerful cyclone that struck northern Mozambique and continues to dump rain on the region, with the United Nations warning of “massive flooding.”

Cyclone Kenneth arrived just six weeks after Cyclone Idai tore into central Mozambique, killing more than 600 people and displacing scores of thousands. The U.N. says this is the first time in known history that the southern African nation has been hit by two cyclones in one season.

Forecasters say the new cyclone made landfall Thursday night in a part of Mozambique that has not seen such a storm in at least 60 years.

Mozambique’s local emergency operations center says a woman in the city of Pemba was killed by a falling tree.

Source: Fox News World

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German drug and crop chemical maker Bayer holds annual general meeting
Werner Baumann, CEO of German pharmaceutical and chemical maker Bayer AG, attends the annual general shareholders meeting in Bonn, Germany, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

April 26, 2019

By Patricia Weiss and Ludwig Burger

BONN (Reuters) – Bayer shareholders vented their anger over its stock price slump on Friday as litigation risks mount from the German drugmaker’s $63 billion takeover of seed maker Monsanto.

Several large investors said they will not support aspirin investor Bayer’s management in a key vote scheduled for the end of its annual general meeting.

Bayer’s management, led by chief executive Werner Baumann, could see an embarrassing plunge in approval ratings, down from 97 percent at last year’s AGM, which was held shortly before the Monsanto takeover closed in June.

A vote to ratify the board’s actions features prominently at every German AGM. Although it has no bearing on management’s liability, it is seen as a key gauge of shareholder sentiment.

“Due to the continued negative development at Bayer, high legal risks and a massive share price slump, we refuse to ratify the management board and supervisory board’s actions during the business year,” Janne Werning, representing Germany’s Union Investment, a top-20 shareholder, said in prepared remarks.

About 30 billion euros ($34 billion) have been wiped off Bayer’s market value since August, when a U.S. jury found the pesticide and drugs group liable because Monsanto had not warned of alleged cancer risks linked to its weedkiller Roundup.

Bayer suffered a similar defeat last month and more than 13,000 plaintiffs are claiming damages.

Bayer is appealing or plans to appeal the verdicts.

Deutsche Bank’s asset managing arm DWS said shareholders should have been consulted before the takeover, which was agreed in 2016 and closed in June last year.

“You are pointing out that the lawsuits have not been lost yet. We and our customers, however, have already lost something – money and trust,” Nicolas Huber, head of corporate governance at DWS, said in prepared remarks for the AGM.

He said DWS would abstain from the shareholder vote of confidence in the executive and non-executive boards.

Two people familiar with the situation told Reuters this week that Bayer’s largest shareholder, BlackRock, plans to either abstain from or vote against ratifying the management board’s actions.

Asset management firm Deka, among Bayer’s largest German investors, has also said it would cast a no vote.

Baumann said Bayer’s true value was not reflected in the current share price.

“There’s no way to make this look good. The lawsuits and the first verdicts weigh heavily on our company and it’s a concern for many people,” he said, adding it was the right decision to buy Monsanto and that Bayer was vigorously defending itself.

This month, shareholder advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis recommended investors not to give the executive board their seal of approval.

(Reporting by Patricia Weiss and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Alexander Smith)

Source: OANN

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