washingtontimes--2020-11-15--Britain's Prince Charles attends German remembrance ceremony

BERLIN ( AP ) - Prince Charles is attending ceremonies on Germany ’ s traditional day of remembrance Sunday , seen as part of Britain ’ s diplomatic outreach to Europe ’ s biggest economy days before a deadline to strike a post-Brexit deal with the European Union .
Wearing masks and the customary remembrance poppy , Charles arrived in Berlin with his Camilla , the Duchess of Cornwall , late Saturday , where they were welcomed by Britain ’ s new ambassador , Jill Gallard , who tweeted that the prince was a “ true friend of Germany.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wars I and II , but have since forged close diplomatic , economic and military ties .
The royal couple were received Sunday by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife , Elke Buedenbender , at Bellevue Palace .
The palace was built in the late 18th century by Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia , to whom Charles is distantly related through his family ’ s German line .
Charles and Camilla will observe the traditional wreath laying ceremony at Berlin ’ s Neue Wache .
Originally designed as a site to commemorate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is now Germany ’ s Central Memorial for the Victims of War and Tyranny .
Queen Elizabeth II ’ s eldest son is scheduled to later deliver a speech at a memorial event in the Bundestag , Germany ’ s parliament .
The heir apparent has visited Germany more than 30 times since 1962 , both in an official and private capacity , according to British officials , most recently in 2019 .
Charles ‘ latest trip comes as Britain and the EU remain locked in difficult talks over a post-Brexit trade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain may find itself without favorable access to its biggest trading partner when a transition agreement with the EU expires at the end of the year .
Steinmeier , who was Germany ’ s foreign minister when Britain held a referendum on Brexit in 2016 before assuming the largely ceremonial role as head of state a year later , has in the past dismissed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ’ s efforts to renegotiate existing agreements with the EU .
Charles , 72 , is exempt due to the diplomatic nature of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him to go into quarantine on arrival from Britain .
The prince has himself recovered from a coronavirus infection in March .

BERLIN (AP) - Prince Charles called Sunday for Britain and Germany to remember their long and close ties, reaffirmed by the nations’ reconciliation after two world wars, as the U.K. tries to find its place outside - but also alongside - the European Union.
Charles’ appeal during a visit to Berlin to attend Germany’s traditional day of remembrance was part of Britain’s diplomatic outreach to Europe’s biggest economy, days before a deadline to strike a post-Brexit deal with the EU.
There is growing anxiety in London that Britain may find itself without favorable access to its biggest trading partner when a transition agreement with the EU expires at the end of the year.
“As our countries begin this new chapter in our long history let us reaffirm reaffirm our bond for the years ahead,” Charles said during a speech at the German parliament. “And let us reflect on all that we have been through together and all that we have learned.”
Wearing masks and the customary remembrance poppy, Charles arrived in Berlin late Saturday on a freshly rebranded U.K. government plane with his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. They were welcomed on their first foreign trip since the start of the pandemic by Britain’s new ambassador to Berlin, Jill Gallard, who tweeted that the prince was a “true friend of Germany.”
On Sunday, the royal couple were received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Buedenbender, at Bellevue Palace. The palace was built in the late 18th century by Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia, to whom Charles is distantly related through his family’s German line.
In his speech to the Bundestag, Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son noted such personal bonds, as well as the close diplomatic, cultural and economic links between the two countries going back centuries, and which were revived after the enmity of World Wars I and II.
“Our people have prospered from one another through commerce since the Hanseatic League established a trading relationship which continues to drive our shared prosperity,” Charles said.
“However, the relationship between us has always been so much more than a transaction,” he added, citing Germans’ love for Shakespeare and English gardens, and the fixture of German-born composer George Frideric Handel’s music being played at British royal coronations.
“We are heavily invested in each other’s futures, such that our national interests, whilst distinct, will always be entwined,” Charles said in German, before switching to English and stating that “Our countries are instinctive problem solvers working together to find innovative and practical solutions to the challenges we see in the world around us.”
Describing the two countries as having a “natural position of allies and friends,” Charles drew on English poet John Donne’s words that “no man is an island” to argue that “one might equally submit that no country is really an island either, other than in the wholly literal sense” - a clear reference to Britain’s insular geography.
“Our histories bind us tightly together and our destinies, although each our own to forge, are interdependent to a considerable degree,” he said.
The heir apparent, who has visited Germany more than 30 times since 1962, said that while Britain “has chosen a future outside the European Union and the relationship between our countries is evolving, once again,” he believed the two countries “will always be friends, partners and allies.”
The ceremony in parliament included a rendition of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the “Ode to Joy,” which is the official anthem of the EU and also the 47-nation Council of Europe that Britain remains a member of.
Earlier Sunday, Charles and Camilla observed the traditional wreath laying ceremony at Berlin’s Neue Wache. Originally designed as a site to commemorate those who died in the Napoleonic Wars, it is now Germany’s Central Memorial for the Victims of War and Tyranny.
Steinmeier, who was Germany’s foreign minister when Britain held a referendum on Brexit in 2016 before assuming the largely ceremonial role as head of state a year later, has in the past dismissed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s efforts to renegotiate existing agreements with the EU.
Charles, 72, was exempt due to the diplomatic nature of his trip from Germany’s rules requiring him to go into quarantine on arrival from Britain. The prince has himself recovered from a coronavirus infection in March.


washingtontimes--2020-11-15--Trump's monument reduction could be reversed under Biden

SALT LAKE CITY ( AP ) - With Joe Biden ’ s capture of the White House comes the likelihood that Utah ’ s two big national monuments will be restored to their original boundaries , reopening yet another front in the West ’ s public lands wars .
Just as President Donald Trump invoked the Antiquities Act to cut 2 million acres from the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments , Biden - assuming last week ’ s election results survive recounts and legal challenges - will hold the power to restore the monuments designated by two Democratic predecessors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Utah ’ s Republican leaders had hailed Trump ’ s move in 2017 to slash the monuments .
Absent a repeal of the Antiquities Act , however , that victory may prove to be little more than a mirage since that landmark 1906 conservation law authorizes any future president to put those large monuments back on the map .
Several American Indian tribes are asking the courts to reverse the order that reduced Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County by 85 % .
During the 2020 campaign , Biden signaled he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prioritizing landscape conservation more broadly .
“ On Day 1 , Biden will also begin building on the Obama-Biden Administration ’ s historic conservation efforts by issuing an executive order to conserve 30 % of America ’ s lands and waters by 2030 , focusing on the most ecologically important lands and waters , ” states the Biden campaign ’ s website .
“ His administration will work with tribal governments and Congress to protect sacred sites and public lands and waters with high conservation and cultural values.
” This suggests even more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ horizon for Utah and other Western states .
Against the wishes of Utah ’ s GOP political leaders , then-President Bill Clinton designated the Grand Staircase monument in 1996 .
Twenty years later , President Barack Obama designated the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears at the request of five American Indian tribes with ancestral ties to the lands surrounding the monument ’ s namesake twin buttes rising above Cedar Mesa .
In what was seen as a favor to then-Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch , Trump reduced these monuments to 1 million acres and 202,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Bears Ears , Utah Gov .
Gary Herbert urged the incoming administration to not act unilaterally .
“ We hope that in lieu of an executive order changing the status of the monument , a Biden administration would work with Utah and Congress to pursue a legislative resolution to Bears Ears that would give all stakeholders certainty about the size of the monument and provide actual law enforcement funding to protect the fragile antiquities it contains , ” he said through spokeswoman Anna Lehnardt .
The outgoing governor , whose tenure overlapped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stressed he hopes to see such an approach with both Utah monuments .
“ We always prefer monuments come from Congress , particularly large ones , ” Lehnardt said , highlighting the 200-acre Jurassic National Monument , designated by Congress last year in Emery County , as an example of how monuments can be created with public input .
The reenlargement of the Grand Staircase monument would upset commissioners in Garfield and Kane counties , but plenty of area businesses and residents would celebrate the move .
“ What we ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the earliest possible moment the 1996 Clinton version of the monument , ” said Scott Berry , board vice president for Grand Staircase Escalante Partners .
“ We think it ’ d be wonderful , and we ’ d be saying thank you to the new administration.
” But Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock , one of the loudest proponents of monument reduction , said reverting to the old Staircase boundaries would invite trouble and upset what he believes is now a working balance .
“ What they really honestly need to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks from either side ; talk to the middle , ” said Pollock , who believes the monument is run better now even though it still covers a vast area .
“ Trump could have put ( the Staircase ) down to what they did to Bears Ears , but it was a compromise to leave the scenic areas in that need to be managed more on a monumental level , ” Pollock said .
“ What they ’ re doing now is really , really good .
There ’ s still a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they want to tweak the plan , I ’ m sure they can do that or whatever.
” Regardless of who occupies the White House , no decision on the management of public lands can be final without the involvement of Congress , according to Rep. Chris Stewart , a Republican whose Utah district includes Grand Staircase .
“ Without congressional action , we run the risk of the boundaries being constantly changed , the management plans being incessantly rewritten , and perpetual uncertainty for everyone who cares about the management of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who lobbied hard for the Staircase ’ s reduction .
“ That ’ s why I introduced the Grand Staircase Escalante Enhancement Act , to make the current boundaries of the monuments permanent and , most importantly , to give Utahns a voice on how it will be managed.
” This sentiment was echoed by Utah Rep. John Curtis , whose district includes Bears Ears , arguing that Biden would violate his promise to be a president to everyone if he enlarges that monument through executive action .
“ It ’ s also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back and forth with boundaries that is a symptom of misused presidential authority , ” Curtis said .
“ For the last three years , I ’ ve worked hard to establish the trust needed with Native American tribes and local residents to bring long-term certainty to San Juan County through federal legislation.
” Soon after taking office in 2017 , Trump ordered a broad review of all big national monuments designated since 1996 , but in the end he shrunk only the two in Utah .
Several environmental , science and tribal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed lawsuits asking a federal judge to reverse the two orders , arguing the Antiquities Act does not authorize presidents to remove protections designated by a prior administration .
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan , based in Washington , D.C. , has yet to rule in the consolidated monument lawsuits , where both sides have briefed their arguments .
Even if the issue becomes moot with the Utah monuments ’ restoration , Berry and others would like to see the court rule to settle the questions raised in the suits .
“ There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power of the executive under the Antiquities Act , ” he said , “ and if we ’ re not just going to have a situation in the future of flip-flopping monuments … we ’ re going to need to get that question answered.
” Should the monuments be restored , Berry insisted the Bureau of Land Management should scrap its recently adopted management plans for the Grand Staircase and the 900,000 acres pulled out of the monument .
And the new Bears Ears management plan should be replaced as soon as practical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of Friends of Cedar Mesa .
Whatever Biden decides to do with the monuments , both sides agree there needs to be finality .
Even today , three years after Trump shrunk Bears Ears , the signs the BLM commissioned to mark the road entrances to the monument remain in storage .
“ Bears Ears is an internationally significant cultural landscape and it deserves better than to be turned into a political football every election season , ” Ewing said .
Visitors are flooding Cedar Mesa , Valley of the Gods and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but the BLM lacks the resources to adequately manage that traffic .
“ I certainly would hope that there are enough statesmen and women in the room to find a permanent solution that would bring some certainty for the land and for tribes and for local people , ” Ewing said .
“ If we don ’ t do that , I fear that the land ’ s going to continue to be the collateral damage of the ongoing controversy and political battles .
”

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - With Joe Biden’s capture of the White House comes the likelihood that Utah’s two big national monuments will be restored to their original boundaries, reopening yet another front in the West’s public lands wars.
Just as President Donald Trump invoked the Antiquities Act to cut 2 million acres from the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase monuments, Biden - assuming last week’s election results survive recounts and legal challenges - will hold the power to restore the monuments designated by two Democratic predecessors, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Utah’s Republican leaders had hailed Trump’s move in 2017 to slash the monuments. Absent a repeal of the Antiquities Act, however, that victory may prove to be little more than a mirage since that landmark 1906 conservation law authorizes any future president to put those large monuments back on the map.
Several American Indian tribes are asking the courts to reverse the order that reduced Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County by 85%.
During the 2020 campaign, Biden signaled he would do just that, while also prioritizing landscape conservation more broadly.
“On Day 1, Biden will also begin building on the Obama-Biden Administration’s historic conservation efforts by issuing an executive order to conserve 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030, focusing on the most ecologically important lands and waters,” states the Biden campaign’s website. “His administration will work with tribal governments and Congress to protect sacred sites and public lands and waters with high conservation and cultural values.”
This suggests even more Antiquities Act designations could be on the horizon for Utah and other Western states.
Against the wishes of Utah’s GOP political leaders, then-President Bill Clinton designated the Grand Staircase monument in 1996. Twenty years later, President Barack Obama designated the 1.35 million-acre Bears Ears at the request of five American Indian tribes with ancestral ties to the lands surrounding the monument’s namesake twin buttes rising above Cedar Mesa.
In what was seen as a favor to then-Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, Trump reduced these monuments to 1 million acres and 202,000 acres, respectively. Regarding the future of Bears Ears, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert urged the incoming administration to not act unilaterally.
“We hope that in lieu of an executive order changing the status of the monument, a Biden administration would work with Utah and Congress to pursue a legislative resolution to Bears Ears that would give all stakeholders certainty about the size of the monument and provide actual law enforcement funding to protect the fragile antiquities it contains,” he said through spokeswoman Anna Lehnardt. The outgoing governor, whose tenure overlapped the entire Bears Ears political saga, stressed he hopes to see such an approach with both Utah monuments.
“We always prefer monuments come from Congress, particularly large ones,” Lehnardt said, highlighting the 200-acre Jurassic National Monument, designated by Congress last year in Emery County, as an example of how monuments can be created with public input.
The reenlargement of the Grand Staircase monument would upset commissioners in Garfield and Kane counties, but plenty of area businesses and residents would celebrate the move.
“What we’ve been encouraging all along is to restore at the earliest possible moment the 1996 Clinton version of the monument,” said Scott Berry, board vice president for Grand Staircase Escalante Partners. “We think it’d be wonderful, and we’d be saying thank you to the new administration.”
But Garfield County Commissioner Leland Pollock, one of the loudest proponents of monument reduction, said reverting to the old Staircase boundaries would invite trouble and upset what he believes is now a working balance.
“What they really honestly need to do is not just talk to the radical folks from either side; talk to the middle,” said Pollock, who believes the monument is run better now even though it still covers a vast area.
“Trump could have put (the Staircase) down to what they did to Bears Ears, but it was a compromise to leave the scenic areas in that need to be managed more on a monumental level,” Pollock said. “What they’re doing now is really, really good. There’s still a million acres protected under this monument and if they want to tweak the plan, I’m sure they can do that or whatever.”
Regardless of who occupies the White House, no decision on the management of public lands can be final without the involvement of Congress, according to Rep. Chris Stewart, a Republican whose Utah district includes Grand Staircase.
“Without congressional action, we run the risk of the boundaries being constantly changed, the management plans being incessantly rewritten, and perpetual uncertainty for everyone who cares about the management of the land,” said Stewart, who lobbied hard for the Staircase’s reduction. “That’s why I introduced the Grand Staircase Escalante Enhancement Act, to make the current boundaries of the monuments permanent and, most importantly, to give Utahns a voice on how it will be managed.”
This sentiment was echoed by Utah Rep. John Curtis, whose district includes Bears Ears, arguing that Biden would violate his promise to be a president to everyone if he enlarges that monument through executive action.
“It’s also a continuation of the ‘pingponging’ back and forth with boundaries that is a symptom of misused presidential authority,” Curtis said. “For the last three years, I’ve worked hard to establish the trust needed with Native American tribes and local residents to bring long-term certainty to San Juan County through federal legislation.”
Soon after taking office in 2017, Trump ordered a broad review of all big national monuments designated since 1996, but in the end he shrunk only the two in Utah. Several environmental, science and tribal groups, including Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners, filed lawsuits asking a federal judge to reverse the two orders, arguing the Antiquities Act does not authorize presidents to remove protections designated by a prior administration.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, based in Washington, D.C., has yet to rule in the consolidated monument lawsuits, where both sides have briefed their arguments. Even if the issue becomes moot with the Utah monuments’ restoration, Berry and others would like to see the court rule to settle the questions raised in the suits.
“There’s a fundamental issue about the power of the executive under the Antiquities Act,” he said, “and if we’re not just going to have a situation in the future of flip-flopping monuments … we’re going to need to get that question answered.”
Should the monuments be restored, Berry insisted the Bureau of Land Management should scrap its recently adopted management plans for the Grand Staircase and the 900,000 acres pulled out of the monument. And the new Bears Ears management plan should be replaced as soon as practical, according to Josh Ewing, executive director of Friends of Cedar Mesa.
Whatever Biden decides to do with the monuments, both sides agree there needs to be finality. Even today, three years after Trump shrunk Bears Ears, the signs the BLM commissioned to mark the road entrances to the monument remain in storage.
“Bears Ears is an internationally significant cultural landscape and it deserves better than to be turned into a political football every election season,” Ewing said. Visitors are flooding Cedar Mesa, Valley of the Gods and other fragile lands stripped from Bears Ears, but the BLM lacks the resources to adequately manage that traffic.
“I certainly would hope that there are enough statesmen and women in the room to find a permanent solution that would bring some certainty for the land and for tribes and for local people,” Ewing said. “If we don’t do that, I fear that the land’s going to continue to be the collateral damage of the ongoing controversy and political battles.”


washingtontimes--2020-11-15--Azerbaijan vows to protect Christian churches as many flee

MOSCOW ( AP ) - The president of Azerbaijan is promising that Christian churches will be protected when the strongly Muslim country takes possession of areas formerly controlled by Armenians , as residents burned down their homes and fled in cars and trucks ahead of Sunday ’ s expected takeover .
President Ilham Aliyev ’ s office said he made the promise in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin , who is deploying peacekeeping forces in the areas under an agreement that ended six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region .
Ethnic Armenian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ territories since 1994 , after the end of a separatist war .
Fighting resumed in late September and ended with an agreement that calls for Azerbaijan to regain control of the outlying territories as well as allowing it to keep parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that it seized during the recent fighting .
The first of the territories , Kalbajar , was to be turned over on Sunday .
But Azerbaijan agreed at the last minute to give Armenian forces and civilians until Nov. 25 to withdraw .
Kalbajar is home to the well-known Dadivank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On Saturday , a day before the territory ’ s expected handover , workers removed many of the monastery ’ s sacred objects .
Azerbaijani presidential spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev said Sunday that the delay was requested by Armenia and granted “ taking into account the worsening weather conditions and the difficult mountainous terrain.
” Civilians fleeing the region caused huge traffic jams on the single road leading to Armenia .
Ethnic Armenian Garo Dadevusyan wrenched off his home ’ s metal roof in Kalbajar in the last few days , trying to figure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In the end , we will blow it up or set it on fire , in order not to leave anything to Muslims , ” Dadevusyan said .
He piled the roof and family goods onto an old flatbed truck but their final destination was unclear .
“ We are homeless now .
We do not know where to go and where to live … It is very hard , ” his wife , Lusine , said , choking back tears as the couple gave their house a final look .
Azerbaijan is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that churches would be damaged or closed when it takes control of the territories .
“ President Aliyev said that Christian churches in Azerbaijani territories , which are returned to Azerbaijan in accordance with the trilateral statement , will also be properly protected by the state .
Christians of Azerbaijan will have access to these churches , ” said the statement from his office .
Hundreds , if not thousands , of combatants and civilians have been killed since fighting flared anew in late September .

MOSCOW (AP) - Azerbaijan on Sunday postponed taking control of a territory ceded by Armenian forces in a cease-fire agreement, but denounced civilians leaving the area for burning houses and committing what it called “ecological terror.”
The cease-fire ended six weeks of intense fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region and territories outside its formal borders that had been under the control of Armenian forces since 1994. The agreement calls for Azerbaijan to take control of the outlying territories. The first, Kelbajar, was to be turned over on Sunday.
But Azerbaijan agreed to delay the takeover until Nov. 25 after a request from Armenia. Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said worsening weather conditions made the withdrawal of Armenian forces and civilians difficult along the single road through mountainous territory that connects Kelbajar with Armenia.
After the agreement was announced early Tuesday, many distraught residents preparing to evacuate set their houses ablaze to make them unusable to Azerbaijanis who would move in.
“Armenians are damaging the environment and civilian objects. Environmental damage, ecological terror must be prevented,” Hajiyev said.
Prior to a separatist war that ended in 1994, Kelbajar was populated almost exclusively by Azerbaijanis. But the territory then came under Armenian control and Armenians moved in. Azerbaijan deemed their presence illegal.
“The placement and settlement of the Armenian population in the occupied territory of the Kelbajar region was illegal … All illegal settlements there must be evicted,” Hajiyev said.
The imminent renewal of Azerbaijani control raised wide concerns about the fate of Armenian cultural and religious sites, particularly Dadivank, a noted Armenian Apostolic Church monastery that dates back to the ninth century.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev assured Russian President Vladimir Putin, who negotiated the cease-fire and is sending about 2,000 peacekeeping troops, that Christian churches would be protected.
“Christians of Azerbaijan will have access to these churches,” Aliyev’s office said in statement Sunday.
Azerbaijan is about 95% Muslim and Armenia is overwhelmingly Christian. Azerbaijan accuses Armenians of desecrating Muslim sites during their decades of control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories, including housing livestock in mosques.
Nagorno-Karabakh was an autonomous republic of Azerbaijan during the Soviet period. A movement to join with Armenia arose in the late Soviet years and after the Soviet Union collapsed, a war erupted in which an estimated 30,000 died and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced.
Sporadic clashes erupted after the war ended in 1994 and international mediators unsuccessfully sought for a resolution of the dispute. Full-scale fighting flared anew on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan made significant advances and a week ago announced that it had seized the strategically critical city of Shusha. The cease-fire agreement came two days later.
Armenia says 1,434 servicemen died in this year’s fighting, but civilian casualties are unclear. Azerbaijan hasn’t stated its losses.
The cease-fire agreement and cession of territories was a strong blow to Armenia and prompted protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. On Saturday, the leader of a small center-right party who formerly headed the national security service was arrested on suspicion of plotting to assassinate Pashinian.
The agreement also dismayed many Armenians who had hoped for Russian support in the conflict. Russia and Armenia are part of a defense alliance and Russia has a large military base in Armenia.
“Our nation has lost everything, our heritage, everything. We have nothing left. I can’t say anything. I’m only begging Russian people to help us, so that at least others can have a better life in our own land,” said Seda Gabrilyan, a weeping mourner at the Sunday burial of a Nagorno-Karabakh soldier in Stepanakert, the regional capital.
___
Aida Sultanova in London, Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Armenia, and Kostya Manenkov in Stepanakert contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-11-15--'No doubt' China is upgrading its nuclear power to be on par with U.S., Russia

China is rapidly building up its nuclear forces , including the expansion of plutonium and uranium plants as part of a secretive , crash program to add warheads to its growing missile and bomber forces , according to declassified U.S. briefing slides obtained by The Washington Times .
The four slides were part of a recent briefing for NATO allies in the past month on Chinese nuclear forces and show three facilities that appear to have sharply increased in size since 2010 .
One plutonium production area , the Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex , doubled in size at a nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alone and added another reactor in the past year .
U.S. officials view the significant construction at Jiuquan as part of what the Pentagon said recently is a plan by Beijing to double the size of its warhead stockpile in the next decade .
China has more than 200 warheads and is building more for its growing force of multiwarhead missiles .
Intelligence from the briefing challenges widely reported studies on Chinese fissile material production .
As recently as 2017 , international experts concluded that China ended plutonium production for weapons in 1991 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The world deserves to know what China is up to .
They have never admitted how many nuclear weapons they have and how many they plan on building , ” said Marshall Billingslea , the State Department ’ s lead envoy for arms control .
“ But it is clear from imagery that China is engaged in a secretive crash buildup of its infrastructure .
There is no doubt that China wants to be on par with the United States and Russia in terms of its military and nuclear capabilities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the slides is part of the Trump administration ’ s effort to persuade China to join New START nuclear arms talks with the United States and Russia .
Beijing so far has rebuffed U.S. appeals to join the arms talks .
A second satellite photo made public shows extensive expansion of the nuclear-weapons-related research complex at Mianyang , in south-central China .
Mianyang produces warheads and conducts research , development and testing of nuclear arms under the direction of the China Academy of Engineering and Physics , or CAEP .
The academy has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Energy Department ’ s Los Alamos National Laboratory , where nuclear weapons were designed , and the Pantex plant in Texas that assembles the warheads that can deliver nuclear weapons to targets .
The CAEP has been described as a brain trust and the leading institution in China engaged in nuclear work , both military and civilian .
It also conducts extensive financial transactions as part of its international business portfolio .
A third satellite photo made public reveals that China ’ s military reactor complex at Leshan over the past decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the original reactor in place in 2010 .
Leshan , in southern Sichuan province , is the site used for making nuclear-weapons-related materials and naval nuclear reactors .
In the past , a uranium enrichment plant was located in Leshan .
The Leshan complex appears to be part of China ’ s major buildup of nuclear-powered ballistic missile and attack submarines .
Mr. Billingslea said Beijing has a legal obligation under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to engage in arms talks .
“ For months now , we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come to the table and negotiate in good faith , ” he said .
“ This is not merely an ask that we have .
This is an obligation of theirs .
China is legally bound to honor it .
The NPT states plainly that all parties must pursue negotiations in good faith .
China is perilously close to standing in violation of the NPT due to their repeated refusals to meet.
” Earlier , the Trump administration declassified new briefing slides on Chinese excavation at the Lop Nur nuclear testing site @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the administration has suggested in official reports that China may have carried out nuclear tests there .
The briefing also included satellite photos of Chinese missiles paraded during the annual national day festivities .
A comparison of parades of missiles since 2009 showed that the latest parade in 2019 was 10 times longer than the first and displayed new missiles such as the DF-17 hypersonic missile , DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile , and DF-31 and DF-41 ICBMs , along with the JL-2 submarine-launched missile .
“ In the past , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched 225 ballistic missiles .
That is a huge number , more than the rest of the world combined , ” said Mr. Billingslea , the arms envoy .
“ The same was true in 2018 , ” he said .
“ As of October of this year , even with COVID-19 , China has shot off 180 ballistic missiles.
” Adm. Charles Richard , commander of the Strategic Command , told reporters in September that China ’ s nuclear buildup should not be measured by numbers of warheads , which are far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed warheads .
Adm. Richard said a nation ’ s stockpile is a relatively crude measure of capabilities .
“ You have to look at the totality of it : the delivery systems , what they ’ re capable of , what their readiness is , ” he said .
“ And China , in particular , is developing a stack of capabilities that , to my mind , is increasingly inconsistent with a stated no-first-use policy.
” China has claimed its nuclear arsenal is far smaller than those of the U.S. and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first to use nuclear arms in a conflict .
That claim is under scrutiny because of the nuclear forces buildup .
“ Given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenals of China and those of the U.S. and the Russian Federation , it is unfair , unreasonable and infeasible to expect China to join in any trilateral arms control negotiation , ” Geng Shuang , China ’ s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations , told the U.N. General Assembly last month .
He called the U.S. demand to join the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the focus of the international community.
” “ China now has the capability to directly threaten our homeland from a ballistic missile submarine , ” Adm. Richard said .
“ That ’ s a pretty watershed moment.
” The annual Pentagon report on the Chinese military stated that China ’ s nuclear forces will “ significantly evolve ” in 10 years with advanced weapons and larger numbers of a land- , sea- and air-based delivery system .
“ Over the next decade , China ’ s nuclear warhead stockpile — currently estimated to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to at least double in size as China expands and modernizes its nuclear forces , ” the report said .
It was the first time in decades that the Pentagon had revealed its estimate of warheads .
Some experts say the number is much larger and includes hidden stockpiles of warheads .
A Chinese Embassy spokesman did not return an email request for comment .

China is rapidly building up its nuclear forces, including the expansion of plutonium and uranium plants as part of a secretive, crash program to add warheads to its growing missile and bomber forces, according to declassified U.S. briefing slides obtained by The Washington Times.
The four slides were part of a recent briefing for NATO allies in the past month on Chinese nuclear forces and show three facilities that appear to have sharply increased in size since 2010.
One plutonium production area, the Jiuquan Atomic Energy Complex, doubled in size at a nuclear reprocessing zone in the past two years alone and added another reactor in the past year.
U.S. officials view the significant construction at Jiuquan as part of what the Pentagon said recently is a plan by Beijing to double the size of its warhead stockpile in the next decade. China has more than 200 warheads and is building more for its growing force of multiwarhead missiles.
Intelligence from the briefing challenges widely reported studies on Chinese fissile material production. As recently as 2017, international experts concluded that China ended plutonium production for weapons in 1991 and uranium production for arms in 1987.
“The world deserves to know what China is up to. They have never admitted how many nuclear weapons they have and how many they plan on building,” said Marshall Billingslea, the State Department’s lead envoy for arms control.
“But it is clear from imagery that China is engaged in a secretive crash buildup of its infrastructure. There is no doubt that China wants to be on par with the United States and Russia in terms of its military and nuclear capabilities,” he added.
The information from the slides is part of the Trump administration’s effort to persuade China to join New START nuclear arms talks with the United States and Russia. Beijing so far has rebuffed U.S. appeals to join the arms talks.
A second satellite photo made public shows extensive expansion of the nuclear-weapons-related research complex at Mianyang, in south-central China. Mianyang produces warheads and conducts research, development and testing of nuclear arms under the direction of the China Academy of Engineering and Physics, or CAEP.
The academy has been compared to a combination of the U.S. Energy Department’s Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons were designed, and the Pantex plant in Texas that assembles the warheads that can deliver nuclear weapons to targets.
The CAEP has been described as a brain trust and the leading institution in China engaged in nuclear work, both military and civilian. It also conducts extensive financial transactions as part of its international business portfolio.
A third satellite photo made public reveals that China’s military reactor complex at Leshan over the past decade grew by about 20 times the size of the original reactor in place in 2010.
Leshan, in southern Sichuan province, is the site used for making nuclear-weapons-related materials and naval nuclear reactors. In the past, a uranium enrichment plant was located in Leshan.
The Leshan complex appears to be part of China’s major buildup of nuclear-powered ballistic missile and attack submarines.
An obligation to negotiate
Mr. Billingslea said Beijing has a legal obligation under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to engage in arms talks.
“For months now, we have been calling on the Chinese Communist Party to come to the table and negotiate in good faith,” he said. “This is not merely an ask that we have. This is an obligation of theirs. China is legally bound to honor it. The NPT states plainly that all parties must pursue negotiations in good faith. China is perilously close to standing in violation of the NPT due to their repeated refusals to meet.”
Earlier, the Trump administration declassified new briefing slides on Chinese excavation at the Lop Nur nuclear testing site. Work at the facility recently increased, and the administration has suggested in official reports that China may have carried out nuclear tests there.
The briefing also included satellite photos of Chinese missiles paraded during the annual national day festivities.
A comparison of parades of missiles since 2009 showed that the latest parade in 2019 was 10 times longer than the first and displayed new missiles such as the DF-17 hypersonic missile, DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, and DF-31 and DF-41 ICBMs, along with the JL-2 submarine-launched missile.
“In the past, I’ve said that in 2019 China launched 225 ballistic missiles. That is a huge number, more than the rest of the world combined,” said Mr. Billingslea, the arms envoy.
“The same was true in 2018,” he said. “As of October of this year, even with COVID-19, China has shot off 180 ballistic missiles.”
Adm. Charles Richard, commander of the Strategic Command, told reporters in September that China’s nuclear buildup should not be measured by numbers of warheads, which are far fewer than the United States’ 1,550 deployed warheads.
Adm. Richard said a nation’s stockpile is a relatively crude measure of capabilities.
“You have to look at the totality of it: the delivery systems, what they’re capable of, what their readiness is,” he said. “And China, in particular, is developing a stack of capabilities that, to my mind, is increasingly inconsistent with a stated no-first-use policy.”
China has claimed its nuclear arsenal is far smaller than those of the U.S. and Russia and that it would not be the first to use nuclear arms in a conflict. That claim is under scrutiny because of the nuclear forces buildup.
“Given the huge gap between the nuclear arsenals of China and those of the U.S. and the Russian Federation, it is unfair, unreasonable and infeasible to expect China to join in any trilateral arms control negotiation,” Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the U.N. General Assembly last month. He called the U.S. demand to join the nuclear talks “a trick to shift the focus of the international community.”
China’s submarine missile capability is also a concern.
“China now has the capability to directly threaten our homeland from a ballistic missile submarine,” Adm. Richard said. “That’s a pretty watershed moment.”
The annual Pentagon report on the Chinese military stated that China’s nuclear forces will “significantly evolve” in 10 years with advanced weapons and larger numbers of a land-, sea- and air-based delivery system.
“Over the next decade, China’s nuclear warhead stockpile — currently estimated to be in the low-200s — is projected to at least double in size as China expands and modernizes its nuclear forces,” the report said.
It was the first time in decades that the Pentagon had revealed its estimate of warheads. Some experts say the number is much larger and includes hidden stockpiles of warheads.
A Chinese Embassy spokesman did not return an email request for comment.
• Bill Gertz can be reached at bgertz@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-11-15--Belgian racing pigeon fetches record price of $1.9 million

HALLE , Belgium ( AP ) - New Kim is worth her weight in gold and then some - actually much , much more .
A wealthy Chinese pigeon racing fan put down a world record price of 1.6 million euros ( $ 1.9 million ) for the Belgian-bred bird , saying a lot more than merely what kind of money can be made in the once-quaint sport , which seemed destined to decline only a few years back .
During a frantic last half hour Sunday at the end of a two-week auction , two Chinese bidders operating under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drove up the price by 280,000 euros ( $ 325,000 ) , leaving the previous record that Belgian-bred Armando fetched last year well behind by 350,000 euros ( $ 406,000 ) .
Super Duper got the 3-year-old hen .
It was proof again that an age-old hobby in Western Europe identified with working-class men now has a new , elitist foreign lease on life .
Top breeders relying on generations of family experience can now sell their birds for prices unheard of merely a decade ago , and often China is their destination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gaston Van de Wouwer retired at 76 and his son had too busy a professional life to continue the famed pigeon coop .
All 445 birds were put on auction and the overall sale was closing in on 5 million euros ( $ 5.8 million ) .
A second part of the auction is ending on Monday , but did not include any bird that could match New Kim .
Belgians have long stood out as the best breeders , both because of their generations-long experience and the density of a network where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s not a short-term endeavor , however , since becoming expert at genetic breeding with the constant mixing and mating of birds takes years , if not decades .
Birds can live up to 15 years .
“ Everybody is interested in our pigeons , ” Pascal Bodengien , head of the Belgian pigeon federation , told The Associated Press .
Only a decade ago , the record price for a pigeon stood at one-tenth of New Kim ’ s price .
And the current price of gold stands about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pound .
As so often , globalization has made the difference .
With the rise of business wealth in China came also conspicuous consumption and a new venue for gambling .
Somehow , pigeons fit the bill .
China often features one-loft racing , where pigeons all get used to one coop for months and then are released many hundreds of miles away to make their way back with their unique sense of orientation and special speed training .
Prize pots can reach into the tens of millions of euros .
For breeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Belgium .
This is where , little more than a generation ago , the national weekend radio news was followed by announcements on whether pigeons were released in faraway places in France or even Spain and what weather conditions the birds were facing .
After World War II , Belgium had over 250,000 members in the pigeon fancier federation .
Now there are 18,000 , Bodengien says .
Pigeon breeding demands constant attention , every single day of the year .
Those demands had turned away many modern folk , once sending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To be the best , it has to be your life ’ s work .
For some , it may seem boring .
Day in , day out .
Winter and summer , always those pigeons.
” he said .
Once bitten though , many remain committed for life .
And the news that a pigeon can sell for $ 1.9 million could prompt new challengers to enter the sport .
Bodengien welcomed that development but urged patience and a reality check .
“ Anybody thinking about getting into our sport to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again and move to another sport , ” he said .

HALLE, Belgium (AP) - New Kim is worth her weight in gold and then some - actually much, much more.
A wealthy Chinese pigeon racing fan put down a record price of 1.6 million euros ($1.9 million) for the Belgian-bred bird, saying a lot more than merely what kind of money can be made in the once-quaint sport, which seemed destined to decline only a few years back.
During a frantic last half hour Sunday at the end of a two-week auction at the Pipa pigeon center, two Chinese bidders operating under the pseudonyms Super Duper and Hitman drove up the price by 280,000 euros ($325,000), leaving the previous record that Belgian-bred Armando fetched last year well behind by 350,000 euros ($406,000).
Super Duper got the hen, and behind the pseudonym is said to be the same wealthy Chinese industrialist who already had Armando, allowing for breeding with the two expensive birds.
It was proof again that an age-old hobby in Western Europe identified with working-class men now has a new, elitist foreign lease on life. Top breeders relying on generations of family experience can now sell their birds for prices unheard of merely a decade ago, and often China is their destination.
On this occasion, successful breeder Gaston Van de Wouwer retired at 76 and his son had too busy a professional life to continue the famed pigeon coop. All 445 birds were put on auction and the overall sale was already pushing past 6 million euros ($7 million). A second part of the auction is ending on Monday, but didn’t include any bird that could match New Kim. It still amounted to an amazing weekend for one pigeon breeder.
Belgians have long stood out as the best breeders, both because of their generations-long experience and the density of a network where many breeders can organize races close together. It’s not a short-term endeavor, however, since becoming expert at genetic breeding with the constant mixing and mating of birds takes years, if not decades. Birds can live up to 15 years.
“Everybody is interested in our pigeons,” Pascal Bodengien, head of the Belgian pigeon federation, told The Associated Press.
Only a decade ago, the record price for a pigeon stood at one-tenth of New Kim’s price. And the current price of gold stands about 26,000 euros ($30,350) per pound.
As so often, globalization has made the difference.
With the rise of business wealth in China came also conspicuous consumption and a new venue for gambling. Somehow, pigeons fit the bill. China often features one-loft racing, where pigeons all get used to one coop for months and then are released many hundreds of miles away to make their way back with their unique sense of orientation and special speed training. Prize pots can reach into the tens of millions of euros.
For breeding, though, there is no place like Belgium. This is where, little more than a generation ago, the national weekend radio news was followed by announcements on whether pigeons were released in faraway places in France or even Spain and what weather conditions the birds were facing.
After World War II, Belgium had over 250,000 members in the pigeon fancier federation. Now there are 18,000, Bodengien says.
Pigeon breeding demands constant attention, every single day of the year. Those demands had turned away many modern folk, once sending the sport into a decline.
“To be the best, it has to be your life’s work. For some, it may seem boring. Day in, day out. Winter and summer, always those pigeons.” he said.
Once bitten though, many remain committed for life. And the news that a pigeon can sell for $1.9 million could prompt new challengers to enter the sport. Bodengien welcomed that development but urged patience and a reality check.
“Anybody thinking about getting into our sport to get money out of it had better think again and move to another sport,” he said.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Buffett's firm trims Apple stake, invests in drugmakers

OMAHA , Neb .
( AP ) - Warren Buffett ’ s company has trimmed its huge stake in Apple and added new investments in several drugmakers while tweaking several other holdings in its stock portfolio .
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. filed an update on its stock portfolio with the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday .
Many investors follow the company ’ s holdings closely because of Buffett ’ s remarkably successful record .
Berkshire said Monday that it sold off 36.3 million Apple shares during the third quarter , but the iPhone maker remained Berkshire ’ s biggest single investment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed several new investments in pharmaceutical companies made during the quarter , including Merck , Bristol Myers Squibb , AbbVie and Pfizer .
The Merck , Bristol Myers and AbbVie stakes are all worth roughly $ 2 billion apiece , while the Pfizer investment was smaller at roughly $ 140 million .
Buffett ’ s company also picked up 2.4 million shares of T-Mobile stock .
Berkshire officials don ’ t typically comment on these quarterly stock filings .
And the document doesn ’ t make clear which investments Buffett made .
Buffett @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s portfolio , such as Coca-Cola , Apple and Bank of America .
He has said that investments of less than $ 1 billion are likely to be the work of Berkshire ’ s two other investment managers .
Berkshire added to its holdings in Bank of America , Kroger and General Motors during the quarter .
Bank of America remains Berkshire ’ s second-largest investment , worth nearly $ 28 billion after this latest investment .
Berkshire also detailed a new investment in Snowflake that it picked up during the cloud-based data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ held 6.1 million shares of Snowflake at the end of the third quarter .
On the selling side , Berkshire reduced its investments in financial firms Wells Fargo and JP Morgan and sold off some of its stakes in dialysis firm DaVita and mining company Barrick Gold .
In addition to investments , the Omaha , Nebraska-based Berkshire owns more than 90 companies outright , including Geico insurance , BNSF railroad and a number of major utilities .
The conglomerate also owns furniture , shoe , jewelry , chocolate , manufacturing , brick @ @ @ @

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Warren Buffett’s company has trimmed its huge stake in Apple and added new investments in several drugmakers while tweaking several other holdings in its stock portfolio.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. filed an update on its stock portfolio with the Securities and Exchange Commission Monday. Many investors follow the company’s holdings closely because of Buffett’s remarkably successful record.
Berkshire said Monday that it sold off 36.3 million Apple shares during the third quarter, but the iPhone maker remained Berkshire’s biggest single investment worth nearly $114 billion.
Berkshire revealed several new investments in pharmaceutical companies made during the quarter, including Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie and Pfizer. The Merck, Bristol Myers and AbbVie stakes are all worth roughly $2 billion apiece, while the Pfizer investment was smaller at roughly $140 million.
Buffett’s company also picked up 2.4 million shares of T-Mobile stock.
Berkshire officials don’t typically comment on these quarterly stock filings. And the document doesn’t make clear which investments Buffett made. Buffett handles the biggest investments in Berkshire’s portfolio, such as Coca-Cola, Apple and Bank of America. He has said that investments of less than $1 billion are likely to be the work of Berkshire’s two other investment managers.
Berkshire added to its holdings in Bank of America, Kroger and General Motors during the quarter. Bank of America remains Berkshire’s second-largest investment, worth nearly $28 billion after this latest investment.
Berkshire also detailed a new investment in Snowflake that it picked up during the cloud-based data provider’s initial-public offering. Berkshire held 6.1 million shares of Snowflake at the end of the third quarter.
On the selling side, Berkshire reduced its investments in financial firms Wells Fargo and JP Morgan and sold off some of its stakes in dialysis firm DaVita and mining company Barrick Gold.
In addition to investments, the Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire owns more than 90 companies outright, including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad and a number of major utilities. The conglomerate also owns furniture, shoe, jewelry, chocolate, manufacturing, brick and underwear companies.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Congresswoman self-isolates after positive COVID-19 test

MOLINE , Ill. ( AP ) - Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos announced Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19 , which has triggered mild symptoms .
The western Illinois Democrat said she is feeling well despite the diagnosis .
“ I have been in contact with my medical provider and , per CDC guidance , am self-isolating , ” Bustos said in a statement .
“ Consistent with medical advice , I will be working remotely from my home in ( Moline ) until cleared by my physician.
’ ’ According to Bustos , everyone she has been in contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bustos , 59 , was re-elected earlier this month to a fifth term in the U.S. House , defeating Republican challenger Esther Joy King for the 17th District seat .
Her win came after an eleventh-hour $ 1 million expenditure for her by the House Majority PAC , which is aligned with House Democratic leaders .
Bustos is the chairwoman of the House Democrats ’ campaign arm .
After the election she announced she won ’ t seek the post in the next Congress .
Democrats had an unexpected loss of seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ triggered intra-party recriminations .

MOLINE, Ill. (AP) - Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos announced Monday she has tested positive for COVID-19, which has triggered mild symptoms.
The western Illinois Democrat said she is feeling well despite the diagnosis.
“I have been in contact with my medical provider and, per CDC guidance, am self-isolating,” Bustos said in a statement. “Consistent with medical advice, I will be working remotely from my home in (Moline) until cleared by my physician.’’
According to Bustos, everyone she has been in contact with have been notified of her status.
Bustos, 59, was re-elected earlier this month to a fifth term in the U.S. House, defeating Republican challenger Esther Joy King for the 17th District seat. Her win came after an eleventh-hour $1 million expenditure for her by the House Majority PAC, which is aligned with House Democratic leaders.
Bustos is the chairwoman of the House Democrats’ campaign arm. After the election she announced she won’t seek the post in the next Congress. Democrats had an unexpected loss of seats to Republicans in the election, which triggered intra-party recriminations.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Officials say fish farm holds promise for southwest Virginia

RICHMOND , Va. ( AP ) - Officials in southwest Virginia on Monday announced plans for a large indoor fish-farming operation that they said would be among the largest private capital investment projects in the economically distressed region ’ s history .
Pure Salmon will construct an aquaculture facility on the boundary of Tazewell and Russell counties that is expected to employ more than 200 people and process up to 20,000 tons ( 18,000 metric tons ) of salmon a year , according to a news release .
The company will invest about $ 228 million in the equipment and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be the “ world ’ s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility.
” The project purchased land this summer and applied for land-disturbing permits this fall .
Site preparation will begin “ in earnest ” this winter , and the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2023 , the news release said .
State Del .
Will Morefield , who has been advocating for the project since its inception , said the site will handle the whole process of raising salmon “ from hatchling to processing.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , appearing to languish at times , and has been been approved for at least $ 14.5 million in public incentives , according to Morefield and an accounting provided by AJ Robinson , the Tazewell County communications and tourism director .
Of that money , $ 1.5 million is from the Virginia tobacco commission , the economic development entity created more than two decades ago to spend the state ’ s portion of the national tobacco settlement .
Executive Director Evan Feinman said the commission ’ s confidence in the project has fluctuated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commission decided to “ err on the side of giving them a good shot , ” recognizing the significance the project could have .
Commission records show the grant , which can be clawed back if the project doesn ’ t meet certain terms , was first approved in 2014 .
“ If it comes to fruition , that ’ s great news for everybody , ” Feinman said .
The project is also approved for $ 1 million loans from Russell , Tazewell and Buchanan counties , as well as a $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Economic Development Authority , Morefield said .
The company , if it meets certain qualifications , could also be eligible for a substantial income tax break under legislation Morefield sponsored that ’ s intended to incentivize companies to locate to economically distressed areas .
Morefield said he was excited for the project itself but also hopeful that other companies will take a close look at the benefits of doing business in southwest Virginia .
Pure Salmon is owned by 8F Asset Management , a global asset management firm headquartered in Singapore .

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Officials in southwest Virginia on Monday announced plans for a large indoor fish-farming operation that they said would be among the largest private capital investment projects in the economically distressed region’s history.
Pure Salmon will construct an aquaculture facility on the boundary of Tazewell and Russell counties that is expected to employ more than 200 people and process up to 20,000 tons (18,000 metric tons) of salmon a year, according to a news release.
The company will invest about $228 million in the equipment and facility, which the news release said would be the “world’s largest vertically integrated indoor aquaculture facility.”
The project purchased land this summer and applied for land-disturbing permits this fall. Site preparation will begin “in earnest” this winter, and the project is expected to be complete by the end of 2023, the news release said.
State Del. Will Morefield, who has been advocating for the project since its inception, said the site will handle the whole process of raising salmon “from hatchling to processing.”
The project has been years in the making, appearing to languish at times, and has been been approved for at least $14.5 million in public incentives, according to Morefield and an accounting provided by AJ Robinson, the Tazewell County communications and tourism director.
Of that money, $1.5 million is from the Virginia tobacco commission, the economic development entity created more than two decades ago to spend the state’s portion of the national tobacco settlement.
Executive Director Evan Feinman said the commission’s confidence in the project has fluctuated over the years. He said the commission decided to “err on the side of giving them a good shot,” recognizing the significance the project could have.
Commission records show the grant, which can be clawed back if the project doesn’t meet certain terms, was first approved in 2014.
“If it comes to fruition, that’s great news for everybody,” Feinman said.
The project is also approved for $1 million loans from Russell, Tazewell and Buchanan counties, as well as a $10 million loan from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, Morefield said.
The company, if it meets certain qualifications, could also be eligible for a substantial income tax break under legislation Morefield sponsored that’s intended to incentivize companies to locate to economically distressed areas.
Morefield said he was excited for the project itself but also hopeful that other companies will take a close look at the benefits of doing business in southwest Virginia.
Pure Salmon is owned by 8F Asset Management, a global asset management firm headquartered in Singapore.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Toddler taken to hospital after apparent accidental shooting

COLUMBUS , Ohio ( AP ) - A toddler was taken to an Ohio hospital after an apparent accidental shooting @ @ @ @ @ police were called to a home on the city ’ s northeast side at about @ @ @ @ @ the 23-month-old child with a gunshot wound to the abdomen .
The child was rushed @ @ @ @ @ Hospital but was expected to survive , police said .
Sgt .
Jame Fuqua , @ @ @ @ @ , said the toddler is believed to have accidentally shot himself or herself .
Police @ @ @ @ @ owned the gun or how the toddler gained access to the weapon .
Several other @ @ @ @ @ the residence at the time of the shooting , police said .
No arrests were @ @ @

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A toddler was taken to an Ohio hospital after an apparent accidental shooting, authorities said.
Columbus police were called to a home on the city’s northeast side at about 11:30 a.m. Monday and found the 23-month-old child with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The child was rushed to Nationwide Children’s Hospital but was expected to survive, police said.
Sgt. Jame Fuqua, the police public information officer, said the toddler is believed to have accidentally shot himself or herself.
Police haven’t said who owned the gun or how the toddler gained access to the weapon.
Several other adults and children were in the residence at the time of the shooting, police said. No arrests were immediately reported.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Tesla will be added to the benchmark S&P 500 index Dec. 21

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Tesla will be added to the S & P ; 500 index on Dec. 21 .
Based on its market value Monday , the electric car maker would be one of the top 10 companies in the benchmark index upon entry .
S & P ; Dow Jones Indices made the announcement after the closing bell .
Tesla shares jumped nearly 14 % in after-hours trading .
Tesla became eligible to join the S & P ; 500 after posting its fourth consecutive profit in the second quarter of this year .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the index in September by the index committee at S & P ; Dow Jones Indices .
Tesla shares have soared 387.8 % this year as the company is finally making money on a consistent basis after years of losses and continues to hit milestones for deliveries of its vehicles .
Tesla earned $ 331 million in the third quarter on revenue of $ 8.77 billion .
The company , led by Elon Musk , has a market value of $ 386.83 billion as of Monday ’ s close .
That would make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the S & P ; 500 .
S & P ; Dow Jones Indices said Tesla will be one of the largest companies added to the S & P ; 500 in the past decade .
The company said it is considering adding Tesla in two stages on Dec. 14 and 21 .
The company Tesla is replacing in the S & P ; 500 will be announced at a later date , S & P ; Dow Jones Indices said .

NEW YORK (AP) - Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 index on Dec. 21. Based on its market value Monday, the electric car maker would be one of the top 10 companies in the benchmark index upon entry.
S&P Dow Jones Indices made the announcement after the closing bell. Tesla shares jumped nearly 14% in after-hours trading.
Tesla became eligible to join the S&P 500 after posting its fourth consecutive profit in the second quarter of this year. However, it was not selected for inclusion in the index in September by the index committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Tesla shares have soared 387.8% this year as the company is finally making money on a consistent basis after years of losses and continues to hit milestones for deliveries of its vehicles. Tesla earned $331 million in the third quarter on revenue of $8.77 billion.
The company, led by Elon Musk, has a market value of $386.83 billion as of Monday’s close. That would make it the tenth most valueable company in the S&P 500.
S&P Dow Jones Indices said Tesla will be one of the largest companies added to the S&P 500 in the past decade. The company said it is considering adding Tesla in two stages on Dec. 14 and 21.
The company Tesla is replacing in the S&P 500 will be announced at a later date, S&P Dow Jones Indices said.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--After Trump march: Arrests, accusations and COVID-19 fines

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - After a weekend with dozens of arrests and scattered clashes between supporters and opponents of President Donald Trump , both sides took to social media to accuse the other of instigating violence .
Meanwhile , a long-standing D.C. bar stands in danger of losing its liquor license after becoming a haven for Trump supporters who refused to follow local COVID-19 restrictions .
All told , 21 people were arrested , including one juvenile , for charges that included disorderly conduct , inciting violence and assault .
The violence took place Saturday night after a largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump supporters rallied behind the president ’ s unfounded claims of massive irregularities and voting fraud .
Democrat Joe Biden won the election , but Trump has not conceded .
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election .
In fact , both Republican and Democratic election officials have said the election went well and international observers confirmed no serious irregularities .
Around sunset Saturday , a group of around 200 counterprotesters who had been marching through the city coalesced a block from Black Lives Matter Plaza , which police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which included Black Lives Matter members and people associated with antifa , sought to prevent Trump supporters from entering the area .
The few scattered groups of Trump supporters who did attempt to enter were harassed , doused with water and in some cases had their flags and red “ Make America Great Again ” hats snatched and burned .
Police , using bicycles to form walls , physically separated the groups multiple times .
Later , a larger , more organized group of Trump supporters , including members of the far-right fascist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the counterprotesters , leading to a series of brief but chaotic brawls that left several injured and one person with stab wounds .
Washington ’ s police chief praised the conduct of his department , saying it was “ quite remarkable ” that there wasn ’ t more violence , injuries or property damage .
“ I ’ m not sure another agency in the country could have handled that , ” Chief Peter Newsham said Monday .
“ I couldn ’ t be more proud.
” Newsham said eight firearms were confiscated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he called “ in between a rifle and a handgun .
It ’ s a very unique weapon.
” Meanwhile , both sides accused the Metropolitan Police Department of failing to protect them .
Trump has personally weighed in on the back-and-forth on social media , retweeting several video clips of his supporters being harassed and challenging the D.C. police to “ do your job and don ’ t hold back !
!
!
” One of Trump ’ s retweets showed a clip of a Trump supporter in a brown and orange @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the head and knocked out .
But the unedited video shows the man attacking and shoving several people , including two women , before he was punched .
The local Black Lives Matter chapter made a point of praising antifa for helping defend the Black Lives Matter Plaza area on Saturday .
“ Everyone hates Antifa ( short for anti-Fascist ) until they put their bodies between them and violent white supremacists , ” the group said on Twitter .
The Black Lives Matter group also criticized police for allowing small groups of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the weekend and remove the dozens of signs , paintings and shrines to victims of police violence from the fence surrounding Lafayette Square Park .
Multiple online videos show police standing by as several maskless women pull down the signs while others argued with them and attempted to physically intervene .
Newsham said the decision not to intervene is “ a hard call ” and said police could easily “ exacerbate the situation.
” by getting directly involved .
“ We have to leave that call to the officials on the scene , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enduring aftermath of the Trump march weekend may lie with Harry ’ s Bar .
The venerable pub in the Harrington Hotel just off Pennsylvania Avenue became a hotspot for Trump supporters over the weekend and is now in danger of losing its liquor license .
The bar received a pair of $ 1,000 fines on Saturday and Sunday for multiple violations of local COVID-19 restrictions - including overcrowding and patrons not wearing masks .
Harry ’ s had previously received a warning in October after Trump retweeted a video showing the bar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chanted “ Back the blue !
” when a group of police officers walked in .
A third formal mask violation fine would result in the Alcoholic Beverage control board reviewing the bar ’ s liquor license .
An employee of Harry ’ s Bar declined to comment Monday .

WASHINGTON (AP) - After a weekend with dozens of arrests and scattered clashes between supporters and opponents of President Donald Trump, both sides took to social media to accuse the other of instigating violence. Meanwhile, a long-standing D.C. bar stands in danger of losing its liquor license after becoming a haven for Trump supporters who refused to follow local COVID-19 restrictions.
All told, 21 people were arrested, including one juvenile, for charges that included disorderly conduct, inciting violence and assault.
The violence took place Saturday night after a largely peaceful day in which 10,000 to 15,000 Trump supporters rallied behind the president’s unfounded claims of massive irregularities and voting fraud. Democrat Joe Biden won the election, but Trump has not conceded.
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, both Republican and Democratic election officials have said the election went well and international observers confirmed no serious irregularities.
Around sunset Saturday, a group of around 200 counterprotesters who had been marching through the city coalesced a block from Black Lives Matter Plaza, which police had sealed off. This group, which included Black Lives Matter members and people associated with antifa, sought to prevent Trump supporters from entering the area.
The few scattered groups of Trump supporters who did attempt to enter were harassed, doused with water and in some cases had their flags and red “Make America Great Again” hats snatched and burned. Police, using bicycles to form walls, physically separated the groups multiple times. Later, a larger, more organized group of Trump supporters, including members of the far-right fascist group Proud Boys, attempted to confront the counterprotesters, leading to a series of brief but chaotic brawls that left several injured and one person with stab wounds.
Washington’s police chief praised the conduct of his department, saying it was “quite remarkable” that there wasn’t more violence, injuries or property damage.
“I’m not sure another agency in the country could have handled that,” Chief Peter Newsham said Monday. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Newsham said eight firearms were confiscated, mostly handguns but also including what he called “in between a rifle and a handgun. It’s a very unique weapon.”
Meanwhile, both sides accused the Metropolitan Police Department of failing to protect them.
Trump has personally weighed in on the back-and-forth on social media, retweeting several video clips of his supporters being harassed and challenging the D.C. police to “do your job and don’t hold back!!!”
One of Trump’s retweets showed a clip of a Trump supporter in a brown and orange jacket being punched in the back of the head and knocked out. But the unedited video shows the man attacking and shoving several people, including two women, before he was punched.
The local Black Lives Matter chapter made a point of praising antifa for helping defend the Black Lives Matter Plaza area on Saturday.
“Everyone hates Antifa (short for anti-Fascist) until they put their bodies between them and violent white supremacists,” the group said on Twitter.
The Black Lives Matter group also criticized police for allowing small groups of Trump supporters to come several times over the weekend and remove the dozens of signs, paintings and shrines to victims of police violence from the fence surrounding Lafayette Square Park. Multiple online videos show police standing by as several maskless women pull down the signs while others argued with them and attempted to physically intervene.
Newsham said the decision not to intervene is “a hard call” and said police could easily “exacerbate the situation.” by getting directly involved.
“We have to leave that call to the officials on the scene,” Newsham said.
Perhaps the most enduring aftermath of the Trump march weekend may lie with Harry’s Bar. The venerable pub in the Harrington Hotel just off Pennsylvania Avenue became a hotspot for Trump supporters over the weekend and is now in danger of losing its liquor license. The bar received a pair of $1,000 fines on Saturday and Sunday for multiple violations of local COVID-19 restrictions - including overcrowding and patrons not wearing masks.
Harry’s had previously received a warning in October after Trump retweeted a video showing the bar packed with maskless patrons who cheered and chanted “Back the blue!” when a group of police officers walked in. A third formal mask violation fine would result in the Alcoholic Beverage control board reviewing the bar’s liquor license.
An employee of Harry’s Bar declined to comment Monday.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--Officials: Portland homelessness approaching record numbers

PORTLAND , Maine ( AP ) - The number of homeless people in Portland is approaching record levels , again @ @ @ @ @ the 539 people using city-run shelters is the most since the summer of 2019 , @ @ @ @ @ sought shelter .
This time , the spike is being driven by single adults , @ @ @ @ @ hotels , the Portland Press Herald reported .
The city ’ s director of health @ @ @ @ @ Dow , says it is unclear what is driving the increase , because staffers do @ @ @ @ @ emergency housing .
The growing number comes amid the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout @ @ @ @ @ by the city , 35 families - 110 people - were staying at the city @ @ @ @ @ and an additional 32 families - 103 people - were staying in hotels .
There @ @ @ @ @ city shelters .

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The number of homeless people in Portland is approaching record levels, again.
City officials say that the 539 people using city-run shelters is the most since the summer of 2019, when hundreds of migrants unexpectedly sought shelter.
This time, the spike is being driven by single adults, who are being placed in hotels, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The city’s director of health and human services, Kristen Dow, says it is unclear what is driving the increase, because staffers do not ask why people need emergency housing. The growing number comes amid the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout.
According to numbers provided by the city, 35 families - 110 people - were staying at the city’s family shelter, and an additional 32 families - 103 people - were staying in hotels. There were 326 single adults at city shelters.


washingtontimes--2020-11-16--University of California agrees to $73M sex abuse settlement

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - The prestigious University of California system has reached a proposed $ 73 million settlement with seven women who accused a former gynecologist of sexual abuse .
As part of the class-action lawsuit , more than 6,600 patients of Dr. James Heaps could receive part of the settlement - even if they have not accused the former University of California , Los Angeles , gynecologist of abuse .
A federal judge must approve the deal between the seven plaintiffs , representing thousands of Heaps ’ patients , and the University of California regents and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes several mandated reforms at UCLA , was filed Monday in federal court .
Patients have accused Heaps of sexual assault and sexual misconduct between 1983 and 2018 , when he worked at the UCLA student health center and UCLA Medical Center .
Accusations include making sexually inappropriate comments to patients , touching women sexually during exams without wearing gloves and simulating intercourse , often roughly , with an ultrasound probe .
The settlement is separate from criminal charges against Heaps , 63 , whose medical license has been suspended by court order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s has pleaded not guilty to the charges involving seven women and denied wrongdoing .
He is due back in state court on Dec. 7 .
Some of his former patients have come to his defense , saying he never acted improperly during their medical appointments .
The proposed settlement is the latest agreement to give payouts to thousands of patients of male doctors who are accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct .
A federal judge approved a $ 215 million settlement for 18,000 women who were patients of a former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the University of Southern California , a private university also in Los Angeles .
Heaps ’ attorney did not immediately return a request for comment .
UCLA has said its investigation into the gynecologist began in December 2017 , though officials did not alert the campus community of the allegations until Heaps was in court last year .
He retired in 2018 when UCLA declined to renew his contract .
“ The incidents described in the lawsuit reflect alleged conduct that is contrary to our values , ” UCLA Health said Monday in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals who came forward and hope that this settlement – which is still subject to court approval – is one small step forward for the patients involved.
” More than 200 women contacted UCLA after Heaps was arrested in June 2019 to report their experiences with the doctor , according to the settlement .
UCLA has identified about 5,000 patients who were previously under Heaps ’ care and estimate that an additional 1,600 women were treated by him but that their records no longer exist at the university .
They are all covered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not require Heaps to admit wrongdoing or contribute toward the $ 73 million , though he signed off on the settlement .
UCLA said it will implement a new process for investigating allegations of sexual assault , harassment and misconduct , as well as institute a formal chaperone policy .
Other reforms stipulated in the settlement include training on boundaries , advertising of patient reporting options , compliance monitoring and investigations into potential misconduct allegations as medical staff are credentialed .
The patients ’ payouts begin at a guaranteed minimum of $ 2,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Heaps of harassment or assault .
“ In our view , these women were still put in harm ’ s way and deserve compensation on those grounds , ” said Elizabeth Kramer , one of several attorneys representing the victims .
“ We don ’ t have a way of knowing every single woman who would allege sexual misconduct by Dr. Heaps.
” One of the lawsuit ’ s plaintiffs , known as E.F. in the lawsuit , had been seeing Heaps regularly for several years when she said his conduct changed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inappropriate comments in a 2014 appointment .
During a 2016 visit to his office , she said Heaps touched her sexually during a pelvic exam .
She shifted her body and looked at him in disgust , court documents say , and he smirked and left the room .
“ I knew in my gut that something was wrong , ” she told The Associated Press , which does not identify victims of sexual assault .
“ I was completely violated .
It was that simple.
” E.F. , now 49 , did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law enforcement .
She decided to come forward as a plaintiff in the lawsuit to set an example for her teenage daughters and be a part of pushing UCLA to enact reforms .
When it is time for her daughters to visit gynecologists , “ I want to know that they ’ re safe , ” she said .
Patients can seek amounts of $ 250,000 , or higher in certain cases .
A panel of experts will decide how much each patient is paid based on her experience .
The $ 73 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or litigation expenses .
UCLA will pay those separately .
More than 100 of Heaps ’ former patients have filed individual lawsuits .
University of California regents have settled at least two , while others are ongoing .
Last month , Gov .
Gavin Newsom approved a measure allowing a one-year window - all of 2021 - for victims to file legal claims against Heaps and UCLA that could otherwise have been too late under an existing statute of limitations .

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The prestigious University of California system has reached a proposed $73 million settlement with seven women who accused a former gynecologist of sexual abuse.
As part of the class-action lawsuit, more than 6,600 patients of Dr. James Heaps could receive part of the settlement - even if they have not accused the former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist of abuse.
A federal judge must approve the deal between the seven plaintiffs, representing thousands of Heaps’ patients, and the University of California regents and the doctor. The proposed agreement, which includes several mandated reforms at UCLA, was filed Monday in federal court.
Patients have accused Heaps of sexual assault and sexual misconduct between 1983 and 2018, when he worked at the UCLA student health center and UCLA Medical Center. Accusations include making sexually inappropriate comments to patients, touching women sexually during exams without wearing gloves and simulating intercourse, often roughly, with an ultrasound probe.
The settlement is separate from criminal charges against Heaps, 63, whose medical license has been suspended by court order as that case moves forward. He’s has pleaded not guilty to the charges involving seven women and denied wrongdoing. He is due back in state court on Dec. 7.
Some of his former patients have come to his defense, saying he never acted improperly during their medical appointments.
The proposed settlement is the latest agreement to give payouts to thousands of patients of male doctors who are accused of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. A federal judge approved a $215 million settlement for 18,000 women who were patients of a former gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall, at the University of Southern California, a private university also in Los Angeles.
Heaps’ attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
UCLA has said its investigation into the gynecologist began in December 2017, though officials did not alert the campus community of the allegations until Heaps was in court last year. He retired in 2018 when UCLA declined to renew his contract.
“The incidents described in the lawsuit reflect alleged conduct that is contrary to our values,” UCLA Health said Monday in a statement. “We thank the individuals who came forward and hope that this settlement – which is still subject to court approval – is one small step forward for the patients involved.”
More than 200 women contacted UCLA after Heaps was arrested in June 2019 to report their experiences with the doctor, according to the settlement. UCLA has identified about 5,000 patients who were previously under Heaps’ care and estimate that an additional 1,600 women were treated by him but that their records no longer exist at the university. They are all covered under the settlement.
The agreement does not require Heaps to admit wrongdoing or contribute toward the $73 million, though he signed off on the settlement.
UCLA said it will implement a new process for investigating allegations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct, as well as institute a formal chaperone policy. Other reforms stipulated in the settlement include training on boundaries, advertising of patient reporting options, compliance monitoring and investigations into potential misconduct allegations as medical staff are credentialed.
The patients’ payouts begin at a guaranteed minimum of $2,500, regardless of whether the women accused Heaps of harassment or assault.
“In our view, these women were still put in harm’s way and deserve compensation on those grounds,” said Elizabeth Kramer, one of several attorneys representing the victims. “We don’t have a way of knowing every single woman who would allege sexual misconduct by Dr. Heaps.”
One of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs, known as E.F. in the lawsuit, had been seeing Heaps regularly for several years when she said his conduct changed and he touched her breasts sexually and made inappropriate comments in a 2014 appointment.
During a 2016 visit to his office, she said Heaps touched her sexually during a pelvic exam. She shifted her body and looked at him in disgust, court documents say, and he smirked and left the room.
“I knew in my gut that something was wrong,” she told The Associated Press, which does not identify victims of sexual assault. “I was completely violated. It was that simple.”
E.F., now 49, did not report her allegations to UCLA or law enforcement. She decided to come forward as a plaintiff in the lawsuit to set an example for her teenage daughters and be a part of pushing UCLA to enact reforms.
When it is time for her daughters to visit gynecologists, “I want to know that they’re safe,” she said.
Patients can seek amounts of $250,000, or higher in certain cases. A panel of experts will decide how much each patient is paid based on her experience.
The $73 million does not include attorneys’ fees or litigation expenses. UCLA will pay those separately.
More than 100 of Heaps’ former patients have filed individual lawsuits. University of California regents have settled at least two, while others are ongoing.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a measure allowing a one-year window - all of 2021 - for victims to file legal claims against Heaps and UCLA that could otherwise have been too late under an existing statute of limitations.