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Scottish leader announces plans for new independence referendum in wake of Brexit chaos

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday announced plans for a second referendum on Scottish independence before 2021, less than five years after Scots rejected the vote on separating from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Sturgeon, leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party, cited the uncertainty around Britain’s departure from the European Union as a motivating factor for the push.

PELOSI UNDERMINES TRUMP ABROAD ON US-UK TRADE DEAL, SAYS 'NO CHANCE' IF BREXIT HURTS IRISH PEACE ACCORD

“If we are to safeguard Scotland’s interests, we cannot wait indefinitely. That is why I consider that a choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this Parliament,” she told Scottish lawmakers in Holyrood.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon issues a statement on Brexit and independence in the main chamber at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, Wednesday April 24, 2019.  (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon issues a statement on Brexit and independence in the main chamber at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, Wednesday April 24, 2019.  (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)

The next Scottish election is scheduled for May 2021.

“If Scotland is taken out of the E.U., the option of a referendum on independence within that timescale must be open to us. That would be our route to avoiding the worst of the damage Brexit will do,” she said

Scotland voted to remain within the United Kingdom in a 2014 referendum by a vote of 55-45 percent, but a majority of the country also voted to remain within the European Union in 2016 by a margin of 62-38 percent -- although the U.K. as a whole voted to leave.

It has led Sturgeon and others in favor of independence to argue that Scotland is being taken out of the E.U. without its permission -- giving them a reason for a second referendum.

That process has been dogged by complications and delays, with the U.K. Parliament voting down Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement multiple times, leading to a delay of Britain’s departure until as late as Oct. 31. That vote has also seen calls for a second referendum amid the lengthy delay.

Any push for Scottish independence would require approval by the British government. May’s government has consistently rebuffed calls for a second Brexit referendum, saying that such a move would be a betrayal of the British people’s vote. It would, therefore, be unlikely to also grant a second Scottish referendum, particularly as May’s Conservative Party has been consistently opposed to Scottish independence, although May's predecessor David Cameron's government agreed to the 2014 referendum.

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Scottish Secretary David Mundell said in a statement Wednesday that Scots "voted decisively in 2014 to remain part of the U.K., on a promise that the referendum would settle the issue for a generation."

"Instead of respecting that result, Nicola Sturgeon continues to press for divisive constitutional change when it is clear that most people in Scotland do not want another independence referendum," he said. "The UK government will stand up for them."

Source: Fox News World

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Prince Charles unveils Shakespeare statue, banters with Cubans

Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta and his wife Charlotte Acosta watch a dance performance at Acosta's dance studio in Havana
Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta and his wife Charlotte Acosta watch a dance performance at Acosta's dance studio in Havana, Cuba, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Fernando Medina

March 25, 2019

By Sarah Marsh

HAVANA (Reuters) – Prince Charles on Monday unveiled a statue of English playwright William Shakespeare in the heart of Havana’s restored colonial center, as part of the first official visit ever by a British royal to communist-run Cuba.

The Prince of Wales, who is a keen conservationist, and his wife Camilla were guided on their city tour by Eusebio Leal, an historian widely recognized for overseeing a facelift of the Cuban capital’s historic center.

Wearing sunglasses to protect himself from the fierce Caribbean sun, the 70-year old heir to the British throne stopped to banter with tourists and Cubans on his walk.

His three-day trip aims to strengthen British-Cuban relations as part of a broader normalization of the island’s relations with the West, even though the Trump administration has sought to unravel a detente between Cuba and the United States.

“He told me the best thing about my place was the air conditioning,” chuckled Josefina Hernandez, 58, who runs a private barbershop in Old Havana that Charles stopped to visit, sitting down in one of the antique swivel seats with red leather upholstery.

“I would never have thought a prince were so down-to-earth, and that he would choose such a humble place to sit and talk. He said he had just had his hair cut so he didn’t need another.”

The Prince of Wales stopped to talk with the owners of several such private businesses that have flourished over the last decade since Cuba started opening more of its beleaguered state-dominated economy to free enterprise.

“He said it looked delicious, but he’d had a good breakfast,” said Carlos Leiva, 34, who runs a churros stand on a cobbled pedestrian street.

Charles also visited a workshop which trains hundreds of young people in restoration techniques, necessary for the upkeep of Havana, that was founded in 1519. Much of the city has crumbled due to neglect and lack of funds for restoration.

“He’s a sensitive person who clearly has knowledge of restoration, said workshop director Juan Carlos Botello, 55. “He was very interested in the plaster pieces for the Capitol and signed a piece that will be placed there. We won’t paint over that piece.”

“It is always good for there to be a cultural exchange.”

The royal couple stopped at several points to listen to bands playing traditional Cuban music including Guantanamera.

“I wish all countries would be friendly like this,” said Havana resident Alberto Gutierrez, surprised to see the royals walking through the leafy Plaza de Armas. “Then there would be peace.”

Later on Monday, the royal couple is set to meet and dine with Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who succeeded Raul Castro a year ago. Charles first met Diaz-Canel last year when he visited London during a tour of several countries.

The royals added Cuba onto their nearly two-week Caribbean tour of former and current British territories at the request of the British government.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Paul Simao)

Source: OANN

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California track's alarming spate of horse deaths prompts criminal probe

The alarming number of horse deaths at a California racetrack has drawn the attention of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, which has announced it was conducting a criminal investigation with state regulators.

The DA investigation has been prompted by the deaths of 22 thoroughbreds at Santa Anita Park since Dec. 26 and is being conducted jointly with the California Horse Racing Board, according to a Reuters report Friday.

The deaths of the horses due to catastrophic injuries suffered in training and during races over the short period of time have alarmed horsemen and racing fans and led to a renewed focus on the racing industry’s long-standing problem with drugs--both legal and illegal. These substances can mask injuries a horse may have suffered due to the stress of running on spindly legs.

ANOTHER HORSE DIES TWO DAYS AFTER CALIFORNIA TRACK RESUMES RACING; DEATHS NOW NUMBER 22

“We are cooperating fully with the District Attorney’s Office. We will not be providing any additional details about the ongoing, confidential investigation,” Shawn Loehr, CHRB chief of enforcement, said, according to KABC-TV.

Santa Anita spokesman Mike Willman said in a statement that the track welcomes the district attorney's "sincere interest in solving these very serious issues that we've experienced over the past two months."

Santa Anita in Arcadia has canceled racing in response to the breakdown deaths.

SANTA ANITA PARK SUSPENDS RACING INDEFINITELY AFTER 21ST HORSE DIES

Some trainers have blamed the deaths on heavy rains which has affected maintenance of Santa Anita's dirt track.

On Thursday, 3-year-old filly Princess Lili B snapped both front legs during a workout, forcing her to be put down.

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After the breakdown, the Stronach Group, which owns Santa Anita, announced that two prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs will be banned the day of a race and that jockeys will not be allowed to use a whip on a horse as they compete.

Source: Fox News National

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Martial democracy? Some Thais prefer coup-maker for PM

A picture of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is seen next to a candidate of Palang Pracharat party on an election campaign poster in Bangkok
A picture of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha is seen next to a candidate of Palang Pracharat party on an election campaign poster in Bangkok, Thailand, March 9, 2019. Picture taken March 9, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

March 13, 2019

By Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) – When Thai voters go to polls on March 24 in the first elections since a military coup, there will be at least three parties on the ballot openly campaigning to keep the military in power through democracy.

At a recent rally of the pro-army Palang Pracharat party, a speaker laid out the case for electing junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power from an elected government when he was army chief in 2014 in the second coup in a decade.

“Throughout his time in power, the country has been at peace and he has worked for the people,” party co-founder Suriya Juangroongruangkit told thousands of supporters in Samut Prakan, a province south of Bangkok

“This kind of dictatorship, the kind that benefits the people, do you all want him? Do you want him to stay in power?” Suriya asked.

The crowd enthusiastically shouted approval. And they could get their way in the general election.

After two coups and years of military rule, it might seem counterintuitive that a significant segment of Thai voters would want to enshrine military rule with a democratic stamp of approval, a sort of hybrid, martial democracy.

But pro-military parties have a built-in advantage under new electoral rules written by the junta.

They have also made powerful campaign appeals invoking traditional Thai values of loyalty to the monarchy and seeking harmony instead of conflict.

Thai politics has been anything but harmonious in the past 15 years, with both opponents and supporters of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra taking to the streets and at times paralyzing government and commerce.

Polarization between the largely rural-based “red shirt” supporters of Thaksin and mainly urban-based “yellow shirts”, who support the royalist military establishment, has resulted in outbreaks of violent protests, judicial intervention to oust governments and the two coups.

Thaksin himself lives in self-imposed exile after being toppled in a 2006 coup and convicted of corruption. Parties loyal to his populist policies have kept on winning elections.

The upcoming election marks the first time that anti-Thaksin parties have so directly campaigned for an army-linked government.

“This election is in a way a referendum on the military government and the military coup over the four and a half years,” Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Chulalongkorn University told Reuters.

NATION, BUDDHISM, KING

As the junta leader, Prayuth has not officially campaigned for Palang Pracharat, but he has made references to staying on in his job.

“Could I have the love and unity back? Could there be no more conflicts? Promise me and the country. I will bring the country forward,” a smiling Prayuth told supporters in northeastern Khon Kaen province as he visited a new train station.

“Who is still with me?” he asked at another point, prompting applause. He later posed for selfies with supporters.

Palang Pracharat, which was formed last year, has been using nationalism, which is centered on the three pillars of nation, Buddhism and the monarchy, as a device to promote Prayuth as well as to tarnish their opponents.

Some party rallies have recently started playing not only the national anthem but also the anthem of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who is to be officially crowned just six weeks after the election after taking the throne upon the death of his revered father in 2016 after a 70-year reign.

Thailand ended absolute monarchy in 1932, but reverence for the king is deep-rooted and the military portrays itself as the guardian of the monarchy.

Palang Pracharat groups former cabinet ministers of the military government as well as veteran politicians from established parties. It argues that it can close the chapter on the Thaksin era and rid the nation of conflict.

In arguing for keeping Prayuth in power, it gives an alternate vision to anti-Thaksin voters who have previously supported the pro-establishment Democrat Party.

‘PARLIAMENTARY DICTATORSHIP’

Conservative Thais who filled the ranks of the yellow shirt protests abhor the confrontational-style and what they see as profligate policies of the former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin, who they accuse of buying election victories with handouts.

“Before the coup, there were lots of problems in parliament and also many protests,” Suporn Atthawong, 54, a former pro-Thaksin activist now running for a constituency seat for Palang Pracharat in northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima told Reuters.

“They called it democracy, but in reality it was a parliamentary dictatorship,” he said.

In questioning the efficacy and cultural value of democracy, Thailand’s pro-military parties hint at a throwback to old-style “strong man” government in a region that has seen a new authoritarianism, characterized by Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte and Cambodia’s Hun Sen.

Prayuth can count on the support of at least two other newly created parties – the People’s Reform Party and the Action Coalition for Thailand Party.

Perhaps most importantly, he stands to benefit from electoral rules that allow the junta to appoint the entire 250-seat upper house Senate, which would give him a big head start in the race to 376 votes in parliament – 50 percent of seats in both houses, plus one – needed to choose the prime minister.

But the pro-military parties are by no means guaranteed an election win.

The main pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai party, which was ousted from power in 2014 and in 2006, retains solid support.

Pheu Thai’s main prime ministerial candidate, Sudarat Keyuraphan, said her party was contesting despite the military dominance of the process because it thinks it can gain enough seats to form a coalition with other parties seeking to end military rule.

“There are many new parties. But in the end, there are only two choices – a choice extending Prayuth’s rule … and the other choice is those parties that want to end the dictatorship,” Sudarat said.

(Additional report Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok and Patpicha Tanakasempipat in Khon Kaen; Editing by Kay Johnson and Robert Birsel)

Source: OANN

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Empire actor Smollett due in court Thursday over Chicago ‘hate crime’

Actor Jussie Smollett arrives to attend a hearing the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago
Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court Building after attending a hearing on whether cameras will be allowed in future proceedings of his trial on felony charges, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski

March 14, 2019

CHICAGO (Reuters) – “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is due to appear in court in Chicago on Thursday to face charges in a 16-count indictment accusing him of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate-crime assault.

In an indictment returned by a grand jury last Thursday, Smollett, 36, who is black, openly gay and plays a gay musician on Fox’s hip-hop drama, was charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct alleging he gave false accounts of an attack on him to police investigators.

Each count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Smollett was previously charged last month with felony disorderly conduct for making a false report after he told police he was attacked in January by masked supporters of President Donald Trump who beat him, slung a noose round his neck and poured a liquid chemical on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs.

Detectives investigated the incident as a hate crime but local news outlets cited police sources saying it was believed to be a hoax.

The Chicago Police Department is investigating how information about the alleged attack was anonymously leaked to journalists.

Fox cut Smollett’s character in “Empire” after he was arrested.

Smollett wrote a $3,500 check to two brothers and gave them $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red baseball caps used in the supposed Jan. 29 attack, according to prosecutors.

Police said Smollett hoped the incident would advance his career and secure him a higher salary.

Police initially arrested the brothers on Feb. 13, after they were recognized from surveillance footage from near the scene of the alleged attack. One had appeared with Smollett on “Empire,” police and their lawyer said. Prosecutors said one had supplied Smollett with “designer drugs” in the past.

The brothers confessed to the plot, police said. They became cooperating witnesses and were released without charges.

After the alleged attack, Smollett received support on social media, including from celebrities and Democratic presidential candidates. Others were skeptical of the incident, which Smollett said occurred at around 2 a.m. on a city street during one of the coldest weeks in recent history.

In a “Good Morning America” interview last month, Smollett said he was angry some people questioned his story and suggested racial bias may be behind the disbelief.

(Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Congo registers record 15 new Ebola cases in one day

A woman waits next to an ambulance carrying a suspected Ebola patient at an Ebola transit centre in town of Katwa near the Eastern Congolese town of Butembo
A woman waits next to an ambulance carrying a suspected Ebola patient at an Ebola transit centre in town of Katwa near the Eastern Congolese town of Butembo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, March 25, 2019. Picture taken March 25 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

March 29, 2019

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday recorded 15 new confirmed cases of Ebola, the biggest one-day rise since the current outbreak was declared last August, the health ministry said.

Coming a day after 14 new cases were confirmed, the number means the outbreak is on track to register one of its highest weekly case totals, despite health officials saying as recently as two weeks ago that it was largely contained and could be stopped by September.

Health workers have brought new tools to the fight against the latest epidemic of the hemorrhagic fever, including a vaccine and several treatments, but community mistrust of first responders and militia violence have set back the campaign.

Five Ebola centers have been attacked since last month, sometimes by armed assailants. The violence led French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to suspend its activities at the epicenter of the outbreak last month.

The current outbreak of the virus, which causes severe vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, is the second largest in history behind the 2013-16 West African epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people.

Congo’s health ministry said that as of Friday the outbreak was believed to have killed 660 people and infected 399 more.

(Reporting By Fiston Mahamba; Writing by Aaron Ross; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Source: OANN

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McConnell gets emotional on Senate floor saying farewell to longtime staffer

Sen. Mitch McConnel, R-Ky., generally is not known for getting emotional, but on Thursday the normally taciturn Senate majority leader choked up as he said farewell to his longtime spokesman.

Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell was praising his departing spokesman and former deputy chief of staff Don Stewart – who is leaving for a job as executive vice president of public affairs at the Association of Global Automakers – when he became weepy.

“For more than 12 years I entrusted Stew with my words and my goals and my reputation and he’s never let me down,” McConnell said as his voice began to quaver. “He never flagged, he never slowed.”

MCCONNELL: ENOUGH SENATE VOTES TO REJECT TRUMP'S WALL MOVE 

After a long pause to gather himself, McConnell continued, saying that “Stew” was “totally trustworthy, completely reliable, unbelievably competent.”

He added that Stewart was “the greatest luxury a leader could have.”

Stewart, who previously worked on the staffs of Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and former Sens. Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., and Phil Gramm, R-Texas, before joining McConnell’s team, will oversee the Association of Global Automakers’ government affairs and communications activities.

“I am excited to join such a vibrant, innovative, and globally competitive industry, particularly one focused on increasing jobs and opportunities across our country,” Stewart said in a statement. “I look forward to expanding and integrating Global Automakers engagement in Washington and across the country.”

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Despite his reputation for stoicism, this is not the first time McConnell has shown his emotions when saying goodbye to a longtime staffer.

In 2010, the Kentucky Republican broke down in tears on the Senate floor when speaking about his departing chief of staff Kyle Simmons.

“Now that he's leaving, I'm just as confident that our office will carry on just as it always has because he leaves a fantastic team behind,” McConnell said, according to the CNN.  “He's made the right decision, as he usually does," but he "leaves behind an office and a boss that will miss him terribly."

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.”

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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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