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Trade panel says U.S. producers harmed by structural steel imports

Iron workers install steel beams during a hot summer day in New York
Iron workers install steel beams during a hot summer day in New York, July 17, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

March 20, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Wednesday that domestic producers were being harmed by imports of fabricated structural steel from Canada, China and Mexico, keeping alive an investigation that could lead to duties on the products.

The ITC’s preliminary determination ensures that an anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigation launched by the U.S. Commerce Department last month will move forward.

U.S. lawmakers, car companies and Canada and Mexico have strongly urged the Trump administration to drop U.S. national security tariffs on steel and aluminum imports after a deal announced last year to revise the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The fabricated structural steel under investigation is used in major building projects, including bridges, office and residential buildings, parking decks and ports.

If the Commerce Department determines the imports are being dumped in the U.S. market at less than fair value, unfairly subsidized, or both, and if the ITC affirms its finding of harm, the United States will impose duties for an initial five years.

The department launched the trade case after receiving a petition from an industry trade group.

The United States imported $658.3 million worth of fabricated structural steel from Canada in 2017, $841.7 million worth from China, and $406.6 million from Mexico.

The Commerce Department alleges there are 44 subsidy programs for Canadian fabricated structural steel, including tax programs, grant programs, loan programs, export insurance programs, and equity programs. There are also 26 subsidy programs for China and 19 subsidy programs for Mexico, according to the agency.

Last month, a Canadian steel industry group said it would strongly oppose anti-dumping duties on certain steel imports from Canada. The Canadian Institute of Steel Construction said allegations “that these products from Canada are unfairly traded and cause injury to U.S. producers of fabricated steel products are baseless.”

(Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by David Alexander and Susan Thomas)

Source: OANN

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Albania, N. Macedonia hope Europe launches accession talks

The leaders of both Albania and North Macedonia say they believe that the European Union will decide in June to open membership talks with them.

North Macedonia's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who on Wednesday was in Tirana to meet with his counterpart Edi Rama, said they expect "the EU to take a positive stand on our two countries ... so that we fulfil this strategic goal."

Brussels decided last June that membership talks with Albania and Macedonia — recently renamed North Macedonia — may open if the two nations continue with the progress of reform.

The two prime ministers said their Cabinets have complied with all requests, including reforms in their judiciaries and public administration.

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Source: Fox News World

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AP Interview: Slovenia leader says EU must counter populism

Slovenia's liberal prime minister, whose government has kept an anti-immigrant party at bay in the small nation, says the European Union needs a new, more efficient leadership to counter populist surge and the mounting influence of Russia and China.

Marjan Sarec said in an interview Tuesday that mainstream European officials and leaders have failed to deter right-wing groups which are slated to make strong gains at next month's European Parliament elections.

Prolonged Brexit talks, Sarec says, are as an example of "how things are done in the European Union." He urged for a more pro-active leadership to be formed after the May 23-26 vote warning that "If European Union falls apart then we are doomed."

He says that "it is very brutal, but it is like this."

Source: Fox News World

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Ex-mayor’s son, 18, arrested in violent attack on autistic man: reports

The 18-year-old son of a former Southern California mayor was arrested Thursday in connection with a violent attack on an autistic man that was captured on video last month, authorities said.

Declan Bell-Wilson, of Rolling Hills, the son of former Rolling Hills Mayor Patrick Wilson, was taken into custody on suspicion of, assault, robbery and conspiracy, KABC-TV of Los Angeles reported.

An alleged accomplice, identified as Korey Streeter, 18, of Palos Verdes Estates, also was arrested, the report said.

ATTORNEYS: DODGER STADIUM ATTACK SIMILAR TO 2011 ASSAULT

A video of the attack was shot March 22 inside a parking garage at the Promenade on the Peninsula shopping mall in Rolling Hills Estates. The footage shows two assailants beating a man as he lay on the ground before stealing items from his pockets.

One suspect is seen smiling at the camera after pummeling the victim. A voice on the video is heard repeatedly saying "Oh my God" as the victim is punched and kicked.

A second video later obtained by detectives shows the victim shirtless, being ordered to strip to his underwear, KCAL-TV of Los Angeles reported.

Several onlookers were present and were heard mocking the victim, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

"Despite the presence of witnesses around them, the suspects did not stop their attack; they mocked the victim and made light of the shocking incident," a department spokesperson told Patch. "A second recording of the incident depicted the victim standing shirtless, being ordered to strip down to his underwear in front of others."

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The man suffered several bruises and scrapes and had two cellphones stolen from him, the department said. Authorities became aware of the alleged attack days later after video of the beating was posted to social media.

The victim told investigators the beating was over a girl, the news station reported. He never reported the alleged attack or told his parents, sheriff's officials said.

Wilson and Streeter were being held on $80,000 bail. Several juveniles present at the time of the alleged assault were identified and detained. Mayor Wilson did not immediately respond Friday night to a Fox News request for comment.

Rolling Hills is a city of about 1,800 residents, about 27 miles south of Los Angeles.

Source: Fox News National

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Houston police sergeant charged in fatal shooting of wife

Investigators say a Houston police officer has been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of his librarian wife.

Pearland police said in a statement that the body of 52-year-old Belinda Hernandez was located Saturday by a relative at her home in the Houston suburb. Her husband, 56-year-old Sgt. Hilario Hernandez, was arrested later that day some 230 miles (370 kilometers) away in Kingsville, Texas.

Police say the victim was a librarian at Shadycrest Elementary School.

Pearland police Officer Jason Wells said Sunday that Hernandez is being returned to Brazoria County from Kleberg County, where he was arrested. Wells was unable to provide information on bond or an attorney representing Hernandez.

Kleberg County sheriff's officials didn't immediately return messages Sunday. Houston police also didn't immediately return a message for comment.

Source: Fox News National

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Golfer attacked by bobcat in Connecticut: authorities

A golfer in Connecticut was taken to the hospital on Thursday after enduring a bobcat attack on the course, officials said.

The episode happened around 8:30 a.m. at the Mohegan Sun Golf Course in Baltic, Conn., the state’s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) said in a news release.

“Another member of the golfer’s team was able to drive the bobcat off,” officials said.

TEENAGE HUNTER FINED ALMOST $20,000 FOR ILLEGAL MOOSE KILL

The injured individual, whose “condition is unknown,” was taken for medical treatment after sustaining lacerations, DEEP said.

A golfer in Connecticut was taken to the hospital on Thursday after enduring a bobcat attack at the course, officials said.

A golfer in Connecticut was taken to the hospital on Thursday after enduring a bobcat attack at the course, officials said. (iStock)

Following the incident, DEEP Environmental Conservation Police managed to locate the bobcat and humanely euthanized it, according to officials. The animal was taken to UConn Medical Lab for testing, they added.

The animal is also being eyed in an attack on a horse earlier in the morning, officials said. The horse is under the care of a veterinarian after it was cut on its neck and eye.

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“DEEP believes this bobcat is the one involved in both attacks this morning,” the news release said.

The department went on to describe the “shy secretive” nature of bobcats, adding that “attacks on humans are extremely rare.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Trump budget to set stage for new wall battle; Bernie mum on Green New Deal at rally

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Developing now, Monday, March 11, 2019

NEW CONGRESSIONAL BATTLE AHEAD OVER TRUMP BUDGET - AND WALL FUNDING: A new showdown is brewing in Congress as President Trump will request a total of $8.6 billion in new border wall funding as part of the White House's upcoming budget proposal for the next fiscal year, to be released on Monday ... Trump will look to secure $5 billion from Congress for the Department of Homeland Security, plus $3.6 billion from the military construction budget. The request comes on top of the $8.1 billion Trump already has access to, which includes money he's trying to shift from military accounts after declaring a national emergency. The request faces all-but-certain rejection in Congress amid a growing crisis at the southern border, since Democrats control the House and spending bills in the GOP-led Senate need bipartisan support.

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VICTIMS ID'ED IN DEADLY ETHIOPIAN PLANE CRASH: Families from 35 countries are grieving as the victims in the deadly Ethiopian plane crash that left 157 dead are slowly being identified ... Three Austrian physicians. The co-founder of an international aid organization. A career ambassador. The wife and children of a Slovak legislator. A Nigerian-born Canadian college professor, author and satirist. They were all among the passengers who died Sunday morning when the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 jetliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya. The airline has said eight Americans were killed; their names have not yet been released.

Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019. A spokesman says Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a safety precaution, following the crash of one of its planes in which 157 people were killed. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines flight crash near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, south of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, March 11, 2019. A spokesman says Ethiopian Airlines has grounded all its Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft as a safety precaution, following the crash of one of its planes in which 157 people were killed. (AP Photo/Mulugeta Ayene)

NEW HAMPSHIRE FEELS THE BERN, DOESN'T GO GREEN: Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday returned to New Hampshire, the state that launched him into political orbit in 2016, and repeatedly targeted President Trump in a nearly hour-long speech ... The 2020 presidential candidate pushed his progressive proposals, such as criminal justice reform, the “Medicare-for-all” single-payer health care plan and universal affordable childcare, and once again vowed “to make public colleges and universities tuition free.” However, Sanders made no mention of the Green New Deal, the sweeping proposal beloved by progressives but ridiculed by many Republicans that aims to transform the country’s economy to fight climate change.

THE TALE OF THE R. KELLY TAPE? - R. Kelly could face new trouble as attorney Gloria Allred said Sunday that a client had turned a tape over to law enforcement that appears to feature embattled singer sexually abusing underage girls ... Allred's client, Gary Dennis, said in a press conference on Sunday that he doesn't know personally R. Kelly and doesn't know from where the tape originated. He said that he found the video while cleaning out a collection he'd had for years. Dennis alleged that a man who appeared to be Kelly was on the video performing sexual acts with young girls. Kelly's attorney denied all the allegations in a statement to TMZ. He already faces 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in connection to three girls and one woman.

THE SOUNDBITE

'FOX DERANGEMENT SYNDROME' -  "There is a disconnect here... There is a bit of Fox derangement syndrome with a section of the left. There are a lot of candidates and a lot of people in the Democratic Party who realize the power of the viewership and the power of the fairness of the news operation. But often they are drowned out by the loud voices on the left side of the party." – Bret Baier, on "Media Buzz," discussing the Democratic National Committee's decision to bar Fox News from hosting any of its primary presidential debates and hoping they will reconsider. WATCH

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Omar's comments threaten to divide district's Somali, Jewish residents: reports.
NYC Mayor de Blasio seen flapping to R. Kelly’s ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ amid child abuse claims.
2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg slams Pence, asks how he 'became a cheerleader for the porn star presidency.'
ICYMI: CNN to be sued for more than $250M over 'vicious' and 'direct attacks' on Covington Catholic student: lawyer

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Trish Regan: American capitalism is under attack.
Kudlow: No reason to 'obsess' about budget deficit.
Elizabeth Warren pushes Amazon breakup, backs away from socialism at SXSW.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

What Made America Great, Season 2
Brian Kilmeade travels to historic places and relives the biggest events that shaped our amazing country on "What Made America Great." Watch a preview of the show now.

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Fox Nation is a subscription streaming service offering daily shows and documentaries that you can’t watch anywhere else. Watch from your phone, computer and select TV devices.

On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., blasts Reagan, capitalism and political moderates; reaction from Peggy Grande, former executive assistant to President Reagan. Meet the Marine Corps veteran who's doing his part in the recovery from the deadly Alabama tornadoes by saving American flags, one home at a time. Trump supporters create their own "Yelp" for MAGA-friendly restaurants.

Hannity, 9 p.m. ET: Joe Lieberman, former U.S. senator from Connecticut and Democratic VP nominee.

Fox News @ Night, 11 p.m. ET: An interview with Angela Yee, DJ Envy and Charlamagne tha God, co-hosts of the syndicated radio show, "The Breakfast Club."

On Fox Business:

Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst; U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas; comedian Joe Piscopo; Gordon Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China."

Varney & Co., 9 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Nigel Farage, former leader of the UK Independence Party and member of the European Parliament.

Making Money with Charles Payne, 2 p.m. ET: Erin Gibbs, equity chief investment officer of S&P Investment Advisory Services.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: "Mueller Report Released Soon" - Rumors are swirling that the Mueller investigation is coming to its conclusion fairly soon. Fox News' Garrett Tenney gives an update on the status of the Russia probe. Fox News senior meteorologist Janice Dean has a newly released tell-all book about her life and career called “Mostly Sunny.” She shares a sneak peek. Plus, commentary by Fox News medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: The battle over Trump's proposed budget and funding for his border wall and the latest in the 2020 presidential race will be the top topics of discussion with guests Mercedes Schlapp, the White House director of strategic communications; U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio. Michael Goodwin, New York Post columnist, on whether Democrats have finally gone too far.

#TheFlashback
2014: In an extraordinary public accusation, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., declares the CIA interfered with and then tried to intimidate a congressional investigation into the agency's possible use of torture in terror probes during the Bush administration.
1959: The Lorraine Hansberry drama "A Raisin in the Sun" opens at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theater.
1954: The U.S. Army charges that Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., and his subcommittee's chief counsel, Roy Cohn, had exerted pressure to obtain favored treatment for Pvt. G. David Schine, a former consultant to the subcommittee. (The confrontation would culminate in the famous Senate Army-McCarthy hearings.)

Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.

Source: Fox News National

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Joe Biden’s brain surgeon said his former patient is “totally in the clear” as speculation over the candidate’s health — with Biden possibly becoming the oldest president in U.S. history — is likely to become a campaign issue.

The former vice president, who had been perceived by many as the strongest potential contender for the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nomination, formally announced his candidacy Thursday.

But Biden’s age – 76 – is expected to become a source of attacks from a younger generation of Democrats not because of obvious generational differences, but possibly for actual health concerns if Biden gets into office.

WHY THE MEDIA ARE CONVINCED JOE BIDEN WILL IMPLODE

Biden himself agreed last year that “it’s totally legitimate” for people to ask questions about his health if he decides to run for president, given his medical history — which has included brain surgery in 1988.

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality,” Biden told “CBS This Morning.” “Can I still run up the steps of Air Force Two? Am I still in good shape? Am I – do I have all my faculties? Am I energetic? I think it’s totally legitimate people ask those questions.”

“I think they’re gonna judge me on my vitality. …  I think it’s totally legitimate [that] people ask those questions.”

— Joe Biden

But Dr. Neal Kassell, the neurosurgeon who operated on Biden for an aneurysm three decades ago, told the Washington Examiner that Biden appears to be “totally in the clear” — and even joked that the operation made Biden “better than how he was.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it,” Kassell said. “That’s more than I can say about all the other candidates or the incumbents.”

“Joe Biden of all of the politicians in Washington is the only one that I’m certain has a brain, because I have seen it.”

— Dr. Neal Kassell

BIDEN’S CLAIM HE DIDN’T WANT OBAMA TO ENDORSE TRIGGERS MOCKERY

At the same time, however, Biden hasn’t been forthcoming about his health at least since 2008 when he released his medical records as a vice presidential candidate. The disclosure that time revealed some fairly minor issues such as an irregular heartbeat in addition to detailing previous operations, including removing a benign polyp during a colonoscopy in 1996, the outlet reported.

It remains unclear if Biden had more aneurysms. Some medical experts say that people who have had an aneurysm can have another one.

An aneurysm, or a weakening of an artery wall, can lead to a rupture and internal bleeding, potentially placing a patient’s life in jeopardy.

Biden won’t be the only Democrat grappling with old age. Sen. Bernie Sanders, another 2020 frontrunner, is currently 77 years old and agreed with Biden last year that their ages will be an issue in the race.

“It’s part of a discussion, but it has to be part of an overall view of what somebody is and what somebody has accomplished,” Sanders told Politico.

“Look, you’ve got people who are 50 years of age who are not well, right? You’ve got people who are 90 years of age who are going to work every day, doing excellent work. And obviously, age is a factor. But it depends on the overall health and wellbeing of the individual.”

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Sanders released his medical records in 2016, with a Senate physician saying in a letter that the senator was “in overall very good health.”

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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