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Italian parliament saves Salvini from migrant kidnapping probe

Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini reacts in the upper house of the Italian parliament, in Rome
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini reacts in the upper house of the Italian parliament, in Rome, Italy March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

March 20, 2019

By Gavin Jones

ROME (Reuters) – The Italian parliament on Wednesday blocked prosecutors from pursuing an investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini for abuse of power and kidnapping migrants.

Salvini, who is interior minister and leader of the right-wing League party, has declared Italy’s ports closed to illegal migrants and asylum seekers since he formed a ruling coalition last year with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.

In August, he blocked an Italian coastguard ship with 150 migrants aboard for almost a week off the coast of Sicily before finally letting it dock after Albania, Ireland and Italy’s Catholic Church agreed to house them.

Magistrates subsequently put him under investigation and asked parliament to strip him of his immunity from prosecution, but on Wednesday the upper house, the Senate, threw out the request and said he had been acting in the national interest.

“I hope no one in this chamber … has any difficulty in understanding the concept of nation and national sovereignty,” Salvini told lawmakers ahead of the vote.

“This is why Italians pay my salary: to defend our borders and to maintain the security of our country.”

With voting still under way, Senator Maurizio Gasparri, who heads the panel charged with considering Salvini’s case, said it was already clear that a large majority had voted in his favor.

The issue has sown division within the government and particularly within 5-Star, which has in the past criticized parliamentary maneuvering to halt judicial proceedings against lawmakers.

5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio held an online ballot last month among members, who voted 59-41 percent to protect Salvini.

However, two 5-Star senators said they would ignore that ballot and vote against their coalition ally. These are expected to be expelled from the movement, which would reduce the government’s already slim Senate majority.

An Italian-led push to disrupt smuggling networks and boost Libyan coastguard interceptions helped to reduce the number of migrants who successfully crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Italy by around 80 percent last year, to about 23,000, according to the International Organization for Migration. Some 1,300 died in the attempt.

In the latest of a series of stand-offs involving charity rescue ships, an Italian vessel carrying 49 African migrants was escorted into the port of Lampedusa by police on Tuesday, with Salvini calling for the crew to be arrested.

Prosecutors on Wednesday ordered the ship to be seized and opened an investigation into the captain on suspicion of aiding and abetting human trafficking.

(Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Source: OANN

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Iran arrests militants linked to attack on Revolutionary Guards

Members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, gather around the coffins of their fellow guards, who were killed by a suicide car bomb, during the funerals in Isfahan
Members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, gather around the coffins of their fellow guards, who were killed by a suicide car bomb, during the funerals in Isfahan, Iran February 16, 2019. Morteza Salehi/Tasnim News Agency/via REUTERS

February 18, 2019

DUBAI (Reuters) – Revolutionary Guards have broken up a group of militants in southeast Iran who were linked to a suicide bombing that killed 27 guards near the border with Pakistan last week, the Corps said on Monday.

“Last night, a terrorist cell was identified and destroyed in an operation,” the Corps said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Three militants were arrested and explosive material was seized from houses in the cities of Saravan and Khash, it said.

“They were linked to the suicide bombing attack last week. The Corps will continue its efforts to take revenge over the deadly terrorist attack,” it said.

The Sunni group Jaish al Adl (Army of Justice), which says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for the ethnic minority Baluchis, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Shi’ite Muslim Iran says militant groups operate from safe havens in Pakistan and have repeatedly called on the neighboring country to crack down on them.

Iranian authorities also accuse regional rival Sunni Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of financially supporting militant Sunni groups that attack Iranian forces. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE deny backing such militants.

Iran summoned the Pakistani ambassador to protest the attack.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: OANN

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L’Oreal shares rise after French group’s first-quarter sales beat forecasts

FILE PHOTO: A cosmetic display of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen at a duty free shop at the Nice International Airport, in Nice
FILE PHOTO: A cosmetic display of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen at a duty free shop at the Nice International Airport, in Nice, France, October 10, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

April 17, 2019

PARIS (Reuters) – L’Oreal’s shares rose on Wednesday after the French cosmetics group beat first-quarter sales forecasts.

The stock was up around 1.5 percent in early trading, among the biggest gains on Paris’ benchmark CAC-40 index.

L’Oreal reported late on Tuesday higher-than-expected first-quarter sales growth. Across the group, sales rose 11.4 percent to 7.6 billion euros ($8.6 billion), and were up 7.7 percent on a like-for-like basis.

“2019 like for like sales off to a strong start, boosted by Asia,” wrote brokerage Liberum, keeping a “hold” rating on L’Oreal shares.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Sarah White; Editing by Mark Potter)

Source: OANN

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Pope invites foreign press association to Vatican next month

Pope Francis, who travels with journalists aboard the papal plane, is expanding his reach when he meets with members of Italy's 400-strong foreign press association at the Vatican on May 18.

The Argentine-born Francis, the first pope from Latin America, occasionally gives interviews to foreign correspondents. But this will be the first time he will meet separately with such a large group of international journalists. The Vatican announced the move Wednesday.

Francis generally faces questions on issues ranging from the worldwide clerical sex-abuse scandal to efforts to restore diplomatic relations with communist China.

Pope John Paul II was the first pontiff in modern history to take questions from journalists, and in 1988 visited the offices of the Associazione della Stampa Estera, as the foreign press club is called in Italian.

Source: Fox News World

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MLB notebook: Braves reliever Vizcaino lost for season

FILE PHOTO: MLB: Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves
FILE PHOTO: Apr 7, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino (38) delivers a pitch to a Miami Marlins batter during the ninth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

April 18, 2019

Atlanta Braves right-hander Arodys Vizcaino will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery Wednesday on his right shoulder, the team announced.

Vizcaino, 28, went on the 10-day injured list on Sunday (retroactive to April 11) due to shoulder inflammation. He appeared in four games, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts in four innings.

Dr. David Altchek performed the procedure in New York, cleaning up the labrum and also removing scar tissue from the shoulder joint.

Vizcaino is in his sixth season in Atlanta and seventh in the major leagues, also having appeared for the Chicago Cubs in 2014. He is 13-11 with 50 saves and a 3.01 ERA in 206 appearances, striking out 218 batters in 194 1/3 innings.

–Detroit Tigers left-hander Matt Moore underwent season-ending surgery on his right knee, manager Ron Gardenhire told reporters.

Moore was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus, but more significant damage was discovered. The injury caused an abrupt ending to Moore’s first season in Detroit, which signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million deal during the offseason.

Moore pitched 10 shutout innings in his two starts with Detroit. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out nine.

–The St. Louis Cardinals placed outfielder Harrison Bader on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 14, due to a right hamstring strain.

In a corresponding move, the Cardinals recalled rookie outfielder Lane Thomas from Triple-A Memphis.

Bader has played in 13 games this season as has gotten off to a slow start, batting just .179 to go along with two home runs and five RBIs. In his rookie season in 2018, Bader batted .264 with 12 homers and 37 RBIs.

–Kansas City Royals right-hander Brad Keller and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson were ejected after the former hit the latter with a pitch, prompting both teams’ benches to clear.

Two innings earlier, Anderson deposited a 3-2 fastball from Keller over the wall in left field for a two-run homer. Anderson punctuated the blast by emphatically tossing his bat, a decision that may have led to fireworks in his next at-bat.

White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Royals bench coach Dale Sveum also were ejected during the incident.

–White Sox outfielder Daniel Palka recorded his first hit of the season and then was demoted shortly after the conclusion of a 10-inning loss to the Royals.

Palka, who is batting .029 with 15 strikeouts in 35 at-bats over 13 games, was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. The White Sox said they would make a corresponding move on Thursday.

Palka ended his slide of 32 hitless at-bats this season when he hit a soft pinch-hit single to left field off Kansas City right-hander Ian Kennedy in the seventh inning.

–Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Ji-Hwan Bae received a 30-game suspension without pay from Major League Baseball for violating the Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, the commissioner’s office announced.

The 19-year-old was found guilty last year in a South Korean court of physically assaulting his former girlfriend on New Year’s Eve in 2017, according to The Athletic.

The suspension goes into effect Thursday for Bae, who has appeared in five games this season at Class-A Greensboro. He is 4-for-21 at the plate with three RBIs.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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2-year-old Tennessee girl shot in head while playing in backyard: report

A two-year-old Tennessee girl is reportedly in critical condition after she was shot by a stray bullet while playing in her backyard on March 15.

Ariel Salaices was with her two older brothers on a slide when she was hit in the head, ABC News reported, citing the Johnson County Sherriff’s Department.

MOM WARNS AFTER TODDLER WHO CHOKED ON POPCORN HAS PIECES REMOVED FROM LUNGS DAYS LATER

Salaices’ mother, Christina, said one of her brothers screamed for their father after she was shot. The little girl, who lives in Mountain City, southeast of Knoxville, fell off her playground set, walked toward the house and collapsed in front of her father and brothers, she told ABC. “If it weren’t for him and my husband, she probably wouldn’t have had a chance.” She said when Salaices' father got her to the hospital “it didn’t look good.”

Salaices is now on life support after being flown to the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville.

The bullet severed an artery and caused extensive damage to the back of her brain, her family’s GoFundMe page said. “She ended up having a stroke, and that being said she has no function or blood flow to the trauma area,” the page added.

Salaices went through a 2 plus-hour surgery and as of Friday afternoon the girl “is doing a bit better,” an update from the GoFundMe page said.

Salaices’ family is watching over her while staying nearby at the Ronald McDonald House, ABC News said.

Police are still trying to figure out where the shot came from, and the girl’s mother told ABC News there is a gun range near their home.

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“She has already proved she's so strong and we have many plans for that little girl,” her family said on her GoFundMe page.

Source: Fox News National

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How the media's distorted judgment kept hyping the Mueller probe

The mainstream media were so heavily invested in the Robert Mueller investigation, and its potential to prematurely end the Trump presidency, that their news judgment was badly distorted.

There is simply no other conclusion after two years of saturation coverage, sometimes overhyped and overwrought, of a probe that wound up producing no criminal charges on the core issue of collusion with Russia, or on obstruction of justice by the president, his top aides, and his family.

Sure, there are plenty of caveats: We haven't seen the report, which finds no criminal act by the president but "also does not exonerate him," and the final decision was made by Trump's attorney general. It's also true that for all the attacks on Mueller and his team by the president and his advocates, the former FBI director did his job quietly and without grandstanding in declining to bring charges.

But the denouement is one hell of a black eye for the press.

ROBERT MUELLER'S RUSSIA INVESTIGATION BY THE NUMBERS

I have made the argument for two years, on the air and in my book, that the media have overhyped the investigation. And when you take that stance, some journalists rush to dismiss you as a Trump partisan, though I've been committed to covering both sides when it comes to this White House.

The fact that Mueller is bringing no further indictments does not mean the probe, which led to 37 indictments, was a witch hunt. Nor does it mean that many of the investigative stories about the process are now invalidated as some kind of fake news. Public officials can engage in questionable conduct that doesn't rise to the level of indictable offenses.

That doesn't excuse the fact that major news organizations made numerous high-profile mistakes in pursuing the case, sometimes resulting in the suspension or departure of the journalists involved.

The relentless nature of the coverage, its overwhelmingly negative tone, and nonstop analysis and commentary that Trump was in deep trouble, too often reflected wishful thinking and outright bias.

The RNC, a partisan source to be sure, says The New York Times, Washington Post and the CNN and MSNBC websites have published 8,507 articles mentioning the Mueller investigation.

All this should prompt some soul-searching and reevaluation by a profession that mainly botched the 2016 election and at times seemed determined to prove that voters made the wrong choice. But for the most part, given the defensive and insular nature of journalism, that’s unlikely.

Here’s what some critics on the left and right are saying.

Glenn Greenwald, the uber-liberal reporter and commentator at the Intercept, says: "Check every MSNBC personality, CNN law 'expert,' liberal-centrist outlets and #Resistance scam artist and see if you see even an iota of self-reflection, humility or admission of massive error ...

"While standard liberal outlets obediently said whatever they were told by the CIA & FBI, many reporters at right-wing media outlets which are routinely mocked by super-smart liberals as primitive & propagandistic did relentlessly great digging & reporting."

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi, another liberal writer, says Russiagate is this generation’s WMD, calling the Mueller findings "a death-blow for the reputation of the American news media ... Nothing Trump is accused of from now on by the press will be believed by huge chunks of the population."

Liberal law professor Alan Dershowitz, who has often defended Trump in the investigation, said on Fox that it was "a good day for the president" and a "very, very bad day for CNN." He said "they should be hanging their head in shame when you think about how many people went out on a limb and predicted there would be indictments for obstruction, there would be indictments for collusion, there would be indictments for this and for that."

On the other side, Mollie Hemingway, senior editor at the Federalist, said in a heated "Media Buzz" debate with Philippe Reines that the media "rolled right into an absolutely deranged conspiracy territory that held the country hostage for two years ...  It is shocking how many people believed this crazy theory about Russia collusion, but many people lacked the courage to speak against it in the face of hysteria."

But New York Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet told The Washington Post: "I'm comfortable with our coverage. It is never our job to determine illegality, but to expose the actions of people in power. And that's what we and others have done and will continue to do."

Many media outlets, while noting that Trump still faces other probes in New York and on the Hill, played it straight in reporting the findings.

The Times: "For President Trump, it may have been the best day of his tenure so far. The darkest, most ominous cloud hanging over his presidency was all but lifted on Sunday with the release of the special counsel's conclusions, which undercut the threat of impeachment and provided him with a powerful boost for the final 22 months of his term."

A couple of fierce Trump critics did not try to spin or soften the findings.

Joe Scarborough said on "Morning Joe" that "if the appointment of Robert Mueller was the worst day of his presidency, the release of Robert Mueller's report was the best day of his presidency." He said it was good news for the country to know that Trump did not collude with Vladimir Putin.

And MSNBC host Ari Melber said, "Just as so many people called on Congressional Republicans to stand up on principles, this tonight and the days ahead are certainly a time for Congressional Democrats to stand up too and acknowledge Bob Mueller did not find a chargeable election conspiracy."

As for the president, he could have responded with a long-national-nightmare-is-over tone, but that's not him. Instead, while claiming total exoneration, he lashed out at "an illegal takedown that failed," and added, "hopefully, somebody is going to be looking at the other side."

But it wasn't illegal, despite the disputed circumstances that prompted the probe, in that Trump's own deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, appointed Mueller as special counsel. And for those who believe that William Barr, who previously served as attorney general for George H.W. Bush, is politically biased, it is Rosenstein, portrayed by the press as standing up to Trump, who joined in the decision not to prosecute on obstruction allegations. (Mueller would have made the call himself under the independent counsel law, but since both parties happily let it expire, he decided as part of DOJ to defer the decision to his bosses.)

On "Today," Savannah Guthrie asked if Trump owed Mueller an apology, since "the president has absolutely eviscerated Bob Mueller, a lifelong public servant, a former Marine, a registered Republican. He’s called him a national disgrace, discredited, a prosecutor gone rogue who oversaw a gang of thugs."

Sanders' response: "I think Democrats and the liberal media owe the president and they owe the American people an apology."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

And Kellyanne Conway said on Fox that Democratic congressman Adam Schiff should resign over statements he made throughout the investigation.

So rather than moving on from the Mueller investigation, Trump and his inner circle seem determined to run against it, and the press, as part of his reelection campaign. Whether that proves a successful tactic or not, the media's excesses over the last two years are providing him with a substantial target.

Source: Fox News Politics

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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.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

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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