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Trump on FBN: President reveals his 'dream' 2020 rival, says Dems becoming 'radicalized'

President Trump, in an extensive interview with Fox Business Network's Maria Bartiromo, accused Democrats embracing ideas like court-packing and the Green New Deal of becoming "radicalized" -- while voicing confidence as he sized up the ever-expanding field of potential 2020 opponents.

The president mocked the Democratic contenders for “saying a lot of weird things,” calling the Green New Deal “the most preposterous thing” and blasting Beto O’Rourke’s idea of taking down sections of border wall.

TRUMP AMASSING HUGE WAR CHEST FOR 2020

But asked which candidate in the massive field he'd truly like to run against in 2020, Trump threw out a few names:

"I mean, I’d love to have [Joe] Biden. I’d love to have Bernie [Sanders], I’d love to have Beto," he said, adding: "I mean, Beto seems to be the one the press has chosen. The press seems to have chosen Beto. ... When I watch Beto, I say we could dream about that."

The comments amount to an early read from the president on which candidates he'd delight in tarring on the campaign trail, with the field growing every week and increasingly running to the left on issues ranging from immigration to taxes.

In the same interview, Trump alleged "the Democrats actually are becoming a far left party, I mean, they’re becoming a radical party. You look at what they want to do with the Supreme Court. You look at what they want to do with the voting age. Where did that come all of the sudden? The voting age at 16 -- they're becoming radical. They are radicalized."

He was referring to calls by Democrats, including 2020 candidates, to stack more justices onto the Supreme Court and lower the voting age to 16.

Trump discussed a range of other hot-button issues, including the economy and his controversial criticism of the late Sen. John McCain that has led to rebukes from his own party.

Bartiromo began by pointing out that while the U.S. economy has grown under Trump’s administration, the rest of the world seems to be slowing. Asked how he would keep the momentum, Trump said trade deals made during his presidency will continue to be enforced and expressed high hopes for an impending trade deal with China. He added that that tariffs on Chinese imports have already brought in billions in additional revenue.

US, CHINA CLOSE IN ON TRADE DEAL THAT WOULD REMOVE SANCTIONS ON CHINESE PRODUCTS: REPORT

“[I]f you look at technology and the first $50 billion of goods, we want to keep that … because we need that.”

Trump also lavished praised on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) as a remedy to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) -- or as he frequently calls it: “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen.” He then blasted the European Union for what he regarded as a double standard. Countries like Germany, he said, are sending their cars virtually untaxed, while not accepting U.S.-made cars in return.

It’s hard to believe I won. If you think about it, I had Facebook, Google, Twitter, everybody against me ... the media is almost totally against me.

— President Donald Trump

“The numbers are just smaller by a lot -- but you know, we lost, over the course of the last five, six, seven years, $150 billion a year with European Union,” Trump said. “They don’t take our product. They tax us tremendously. They tariff us tremendously. Almost every country has taken advantage of the United States -- and we’re straightening it out.”

Trump appeared unconcerned that slapping tariffs on auto imports might disrupt the global economy, insisting that the “end game” is for companies to “build their plants in the United States” with no tariffs.

CNN PANEL MOCKS DEVIN NUNES, CONSERVATIVES' CLAIMS THAT TWITTER IS SHADOW-BANNING THEM AS 'CONSPIRATORIAL LIE'

The interview touched on social media’s alleged censorship of conservative voices, like Rep. Devin Nunes, who earlier this week opened a lawsuit against Twitter. Asked what regulation he would like to see imposed on social media companies, Trump said he hates “the concept of regulation on media,” but claimed apparent “collusion between Democrats.”

“It’s hard to believe I won,” he said. “If you think about it, I had Facebook, Google, Twitter, everybody against me.  I have -- the media is almost totally against me.  And yet I won. 306 to 223; people can’t even believe it. I won. Because I’m able to get the word out through my social media, because I have great social media -- but I’ll tell you, it’s much tougher than it should be.”

Though not having the same inclination as Sen. Elizabeth Warren to break up these tech companies, he criticized them for being stricter on conservatives than Democrats – who, he added, are becoming increasingly radicalized.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER CALLS DONALD TRUMP'S ATTACKS ON JOHN MCCAIN 'UNACCEPTABLE,' MOCKS PRESIDENT'S PHYSIQUE

Trump also addressed the heat he’s taken this week for criticizing McCain -- who died last August – during a speech to workers at an Army tank plant in Ohio, saying: “I never liked him much. I really probably never will."

Trump blasted McCain for voting against a bid to roll back ObamaCare, being involved in handing over the so-called Steele Dossier to the FBI, and supporting military intervention in Iraq.

“[W]hat he did to the Republican Party and to the nation and to sick people that could have had great health care, it’s not good. So I’m not a fan of John McCain, and that’s fine,” Trump said.

With the long-awaited Mueller report rumored to be wrapping up soon, Trump dismissed the notion that anything substantial would be revealed regarding supposed Russia collusion in the 2016 presidential election.

“If you look over the past two years, how many breaking news stories was there about me that turned out to be nonexistent?  So many of them,” he said.

Despite battling on multiple fronts, Trump was still optimistic that common ground could be reached with Democrats -- who he suggested appear more invested in infrastructure than Republicans.

“I like, frankly, owning our own roads, owning our bridges. I don’t like selling them to other countries,” he said, adding: “I think it’s very feasible because I think [Democrats] want to do it. I mean, Nancy Pelosi told me very strongly they want to do infrastructure.”

HUNDREDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US AMID OVERCROWDING AT DETENTION FACILITIES

He then shifted gears to immigration, which he derided as a “total disaster in this country.”

“We have laws that are so bad; people pouring in,” Trump said. He lavished praise on immigration officials but said that their working conditions would be remarkably improved with a wall – which he insisted he was committed to building.

“We’re building the wall and it’s going up fast, big, strong, looks good, not the horrible thing that they were building before I got here.  We’re building the wall now.  We’re going to have a lot of wall built pretty soon.  But if you don’t have that, you can’t have border security,” he said.

Source: Fox News Politics

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New York AG launches new anti-Trump lawsuit over changes to Michelle Obama-backed school lunch rules

New York state Attorney General Letitia James announced a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday claiming it illegally weakened federal nutritional standards for school lunches backed by former first lady Michelle Obama.

The lawsuit, which was brought by New York, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont and Washington D.C., was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

NEXT NEW YORK AG PROMISES TO 'USE EVERY AREA OF THE LAW' TO PROBE TRUMP AND FAMILY

The states argue that the Trump administration’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) rollback of sodium limits and whole-grain requirements for school meals “lacks legally-mandated scientific basis” and “was adopted without public notice and opportunity to comment.”

“Over a million children in New York – especially those in low-income communities and communities of color – depend on the meals served daily by their schools to be healthy, nutritious, and prepare them for learning,” James said in a statement. “The Trump Administration has undermined key health benefits for our children – standards for salt and whole grains in school meals – with deliberate disregard for science, expert opinion, and the law. My office will use every tool at our disposal to fight back against these shameful rollbacks and ensure our children our protected.”

The National School Lunch Program is a federally subsidized program that provides students with healthy balanced meals in schools at low – or no – cost, according to the New York attorney general’s office.

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

The lawsuit adds to a slew of investigations and legal actions against Trump by James. James, in December, vowed to continue investigations started by disgraced former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and successor Barbara Underwood into Trump and his organizations, including probing real estate deals and looking into “anyone” in his inner circle who could have violated the law.

Underwood previously brought a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation, alleging illegal conduct and “unlawful political coordination” to benefit Trump’s personal and business interests. That suit, in December, forced the Foundation to dissolve.

“We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well,” Letitia James told NBC News in an interview last year. “We want to investigate anyone in his orbit who has, in fact, violated the law."

In addition to investigations into Trump's personal business dealings, James vowed to investigate any government subsidies Trump may have received and whether he has violated the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Ilhan Omar Accuses Dan Crenshaw of “Incitement” For Criticizing Her Over 9/11 Comments

Muslim Congresswoman Ilhan Omar accused Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw of inciting violence against her after Crenshaw said her comments about 9/11 were “unbelievable”.

“CAIR was founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something, and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties,” said Omar during a Council on American-Islamic Relations fundraiser last month.

Crenshaw hit back, labeling her comments “unbelievable”.

Omar then absurdly claimed that Crenshaw was inciting violence against her.

“This is dangerous incitement, given the death threats I face. I hope leaders of both parties will join me in condemning it,” tweeted Omar.

Crenshaw responded by saying nothing he tweeted was an incitement to violence.

Having been called out on an incredibly dumb and callous statement, Omar’s attempt to play the victim is beyond pathetic.

Respondents on Twitter weren’t having any of it.

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Source: InfoWars

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Florida thieves use sledgehammers to steal over $340G of jewelry: police

A group of four suspects smashed their way to a large, yet short term payday at the Florida Mall jewelry store in Orange County on Thursday by using sledgehammers to break the cases of 17 watches worth over $340,000.

The four suspects - Lorenzo Caldwell, 20, Torren Johnson, 21, Shameia Dorsey, 20, and a 17-year old who will not be identified - were arrested on charges of first-degree grand theft and felony criminal mischief. The teenager was taken to a juvenile facility, according to the affidavit.

GANGSTER WHO'S LAST SURVIVING INK TO MYSTERIOUS $500M ART HEIST NEARS PRISON RELEASE

The Orlando Sentinel reported that the robbery took place at Mayors Jewelry in broad daylight at 6:10 p.m. and store employees told officers some of 17 watches taken were embellished with diamonds that ranged from $6,500 to $39,000.

Employees feared for their lives during the physical heist, which netted the robbers $342,700.

The robbers reportedly fled the scene in a black Chrysler and a mall security guard was able to get three characters off their temporary license tag. Police later saw the car near Landstreet Road and South Orange Blossom Trail, according to court records.

ELDERLY FLORIDA JEWELRY STORE OWNER, WIFE PUMMEL WOULD-BE ROBBER ON VIDEO

Deputies and a Sheriff's Office helicopter were called to follow the car, which they tracked to a home near Old Winter Garden and Hiawassee roads. They found all four suspects inside who were immediately arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail, where they remained over the weekend.

Source: Fox News National

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Forget Impeachment, Focus on Trump's Vile Budget

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WASHINGTON -- Please, Tom Steyer, stop spending all that money on impeachment ads. If you want to run spots against President Trump, target his shameful 2020 budget.

In the meantime, the rest of us should quit pretending there is a big debate among Democrats about impeachment. There isn't. There is actually consensus, which is why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi won broad support when she pushed back against impeachment in an interview with The Washington Post.

True, there is an intellectually legitimate case that the House has a moral and constitutional responsibility to start the impeachment process now, given what we know about Trump's misdeeds and lies. Yoni Appelbaum, senior editor of The Atlantic, has advanced this argument forcefully and thoughtfully.

But the vast majority of Democrats recognize that they did not win control of the House last fall on a promise of impeachment. To the extent that Democrats who flipped House seats (and thus the majority) campaigned on holding Trump accountable, it was by endorsing the traditional inquiries being carried out now. Before you risk tearing the political system apart, you have to lay the groundwork with your constituents. This has not happened yet.

Moreover, it's foolish to say: "Let's impeach him. Now we will assemble the facts." It's far better to say, "Let's painstakingly investigate all the charges against Trump, let's see what special counsel Robert Mueller finds, and then -- and only then -- will we decide what to do."

Those eager for impeachment are entirely right to feel we should be further along than we are. The Mueller probe should have been accompanied by serious inquests by the House into the president's actions.

But far from investigating Trump's transgressions during his first two years in office, a Republican-controlled House focused on disrupting and discrediting those trying to learn the truth. Democrats now have to start from scratch. Unfortunate? Yes. But still no reason for rushing to impeach. This is what the leaders of the committees doing most of the probing believe, and it's why they backed Pelosi's restraint.

In the meantime, a premature debate over impeachment floods the media with distractions from all the damage Trump is doing through thoroughly normal uses of power that are not impeachable. This is why Trump eagerly brings up the I-word himself. Gathering shiny objects is his thing.

It's more fun to talk about impeachment than, God forbid, budgets. Yet the budget the president proposed this week is a statement of his values. And it's genuinely vile. He breaks a major campaign promise by proposing cuts in Medicare. He ignores the voters' verdict last fall by calling for yet another effort to repeal Obamacare with $777 billion in reductions to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies. He slashes programs for low-income people, including a 30 percent cuts in food stamps.

Good for you, Mr. Steyer, for tweeting against Trump's budget. Why not drop impeachment long enough to tell more people about what Trump is doing to them?

The larger point is that the Constitution doesn't create an obligation to impeach Trump. Maybe we'll get to the point where there is a moral and political responsibility to impeach. Pelosi said she'd act if faced with "something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan." I'd go further and say that "compelling and overwhelming" evidence might require the House vote for impeachment, even if Senate Republicans refuse to drive him from office. That would send a message to voters about the extent of Trump's wrongdoing and how spineless Republicans have become.

But there's an overriding obligation for those of us who oppose Trump because of the damage he is doing to our democracy: the imperative to check our passions. The Constitution is a framework for self-rule. We must demonstrate our respect for democratic procedures and the power of the people to speak through free elections.

South Bend Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg had it right during his boffo CNN town hall performance Sunday. While acknowledging that new information might yet leave Congress no choice but to "begin impeachment proceedings," he said plainly: "I would like to see this president and the style of politics that he represents sent off through the electoral process -- decisively defeated at the ballot box."

Politics should be about promoting durable, long-term reform. This requires affirmation from the voters. Congress should not lightly deprive the electorate the chance to kick Trump out of Washington, rebuke his party and set a better course for our country. The ideal date for Judgment Day is still Nov. 3, 2020.

(c) 2019, Washington Post Writers Group

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Wisconsin teen who gunned down grandparents had ‘plan to cause harm’ at high school, officials say

A Wisconsin teen who admitted he fatally shot his grandparents also had plans to "cause harm" at his high school, officials said.

Alexander M. Kraus, 17, was arrested Sunday at his grandparent's home in Grand Chute after police responded to a welfare check and found the bodies of 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus.

The Grand Chute Police Department said in a news release a 911 call had been placed from the home, but did not release details.

MARINE ACCUSED OF SHOOTING, KILLING ANOTHER MARINE IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Kraus, who lives in nearby Neenah, admitted to investigators he shot the couple, Officer Travis Waas told the Associated Press.

Alexander M. Kraus, 17, was arrested Sunday after the bodies of his grandparents, 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus, were found in their home in Wisconsin.

Alexander M. Kraus, 17, was arrested Sunday after the bodies of his grandparents, 74-year-old Dennis Kraus and 73-year-old Letha Kraus, were found in their home in Wisconsin. (Outagamie County Jail/Grand Chute Police Dept.)

After killing the couple, officials said the 17-year-old had additional plans for violence at Neenah High School, where he was a junior.

In a statement released to FOX11, the school district said that police informed school officials Kraus "had a plan to cause harm at Neenah High School."

"Police have indicated that there is no danger to students and staff at the high school and the school day on Monday will proceed as normal," the statement read. "Additional counselors are available to students and there is an extra police presence as an additional precaution."

SUSPECT WHO SHOT, KILLED WASHINGTON DEPUTY IS KILLED IN SHOOTOUT WITH POLICE

Grand Chute, a city of 22,000, lies about 110 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Neenah, home to 26,000, is about 15 miles south of Grand Chute.

Kraus also had a "plan to cause harm at Neenah High School," according to officials.

Kraus also had a "plan to cause harm at Neenah High School," according to officials. (Google Street View)

Wisconsin is one of six states that treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system.

Kraus was being held in the Outagamie County Jail and has not yet been charged. Police said in a news release that he could be charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide, with each charge carrying the possibility of life in prison.

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An initial court appearance was set for Tuesday afternoon, according to FOX11.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Fashion and champagne grace Nigeria polo party

2019 Lagos International Polo Tournament
Spectator Mawuli Gavor chats with Mimi Onaloja and Ini Okojie during the 2019 Lagos International Polo Tournament in Lagos, Nigeria March 17, 2019. Picture taken March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

March 25, 2019

LAGOS (Reuters) – When polo comes to Lagos, the champagne flows and exuberant fashion colors adorn the green fields.

While most Nigerians would never trade their love of soccer, the commercial capital still hosts the biggest polo tournament in West Africa, with trophies fiercely disputed against a backdrop of glitz and glamour for the upper class.

“Polo has shifted from just the sports to a fashion statement,” said Mudrakat Alabi-Macfoy, wearing an airy white kaftan with a multi-colored floral necklace and head wrap at the Lagos Polo Club.

“For me it is something fun, something playful, something whimsical, something comfortable … a bit of color, a bit of pop,” said Alabi-Macfoy, who works as a lawyer when not watching polo.

In a nation with the world’s highest number of people in extreme poverty, the often-dubbed “sport of kings” is prohibitively expensive for the majority.

First introduced by British colonial servicemen, polo has been played in Nigeria for over a hundred years and nearly all the teams are owned by local multi-millionaires.

“It is an expensive sport because, you know, your horses are like babies,” said Koyinsola Owoeye, who has been playing polo since 2007, seduced by his father’s love of the sport.

A horse can cost about $40,000 – then there is upkeep.

“Maintenance is not easy. Today they can be well, tomorrow they can have, you know, malaria, fever, colic, or even get injured on the field or on their way to the tournament,” Owoeye said.

The 2019 Lagos International Polo Tournament, which wound up on Sunday, fielded 33 teams from Nigeria, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya and the United Kingdom.

(Reporting by Afolabi Sotunde, Nneka Chile and Seun Sanni in Lagos; Writing by Paul Carsten; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Source: OANN

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

April 26, 2019

By Patricia Weiss and Ludwig Burger

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bayer is appealing or plans to appeal the verdicts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source: OANN

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Sudan’s military, which ousted President Omar al-Bashir after months of protests against his 30-year rule, says it intends to keep the upper hand during the country’s transitional period to civilian rule.

The announcement is expected to raise tensions with the protesters, who demand immediate handover of power.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, which is spearheading the protests, said Friday the crowds will stay in the streets until all their demands are met.

Shams al-Deen al-Kabashi, the spokesman for the military council, said late Thursday that the military will “maintain sovereign powers” while the Cabinet would be in the hands of civilians.

The protesters insist the country should be led by a “civilian sovereign” council with “limited military representation” during the transitional period.

The army toppled and arrested al-Bashir on April 11.

Source: Fox News World

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FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture
FILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of a displayed Huawei and 5G network logo in this illustration picture, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

April 26, 2019

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies said Britain’s decision to allow the firm a restricted role in building parts of its next-generation telecoms network was the kind of solution it was hoping for in New Zealand, where it has been blocked from 5G plans.

Britain will ban Huawei from all core parts of 5G network but give it some access to non-core parts, sources have told Reuters, as it seeks a middle way in a bitter U.S.-China dispute stemming from American allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used by Beijing for espionage.

Washington has also urged its allies to ban Huawei from building 5G networks, even as the Chinese company, the world’s top producer of telecoms equipment, has repeatedly said the spying concerns are unfounded.

In New Zealand, a member of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network that includes the United States, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) in November turned down an initial request from local telecommunication firm Spark to include Huawei equipment in its 5G network, but later gave the operator options to mitigate national security concerns.

“The proposed solution in the UK to restrict Huawei from bidding for the core is exactly the type of solution we have been looking at in New Zealand,” Andrew Bowater, deputy CEO of Huawei’s New Zealand arm, said in an emailed statement.

Spark said it has noted the developments in Britain and would raise it with the GCSB.

The reports “suggest the UK is following other European jurisdictions in taking a considered and balanced approach to managing supplier-related security risks in 5G”, Andrew Pirie, Spark’s corporate relations lead, said in an email.

“Our discussions with the GCSB are ongoing and we expect that the UK developments will be a further item of discussion between us,” Pirie added.

New Zealand’s minister for intelligence services, Andrew Little, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday that he would report to parliament the conclusions of a government review of the 5G supply chain once they had been taken.

He added that the disclosure of confidential discussions on the role of Huawei was “unacceptable” and that he could not rule out a criminal investigation into the leak.

The decisions by Britain and Germany to use Huawei gear in non-core parts of 5G network makes it harder to prove Huawei should be kept out of New Zealand telecommunication networks, said Syed Faraz Hasan, an expert in communication engineering and networks at New Zealand’s Massey University

He pointed out Huawei gear was already part of the non-core 4G networks that 5G infrastructure would be built on.

“Unless there is a convincing argument against the Huawei devices … it is difficult to keep them away,” Hasan said.

(Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

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FILE PHOTO: The logo commodities trader Glencore is pictured in Baar
FILE PHOTO: The logo of commodities trader Glencore is pictured in front of the company’s headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, July 18, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Glencore shares plunged the most in nearly four months on Friday after news overnight that U.S. regulators were investigating whether the miner broke some rules through “corrupt practices”.

Shares of the FTSE 100 company fell as much as 4.2 percent in early deals, and were down 3.5 percent at 310.25 pence by 0728 GMT.

On Thursday, Glencore said the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether the company and its units have violated some provisions of the Commodity ExchangeAct and/or CFTC Regulations.

(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru)

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