Wednesday, February 22, 2012
U.S. SPECIAL REP. FOR N. KOREA POLICY MAKES REMARKS IN BEIJING
The following excerpt is from the U.S. State Department website:
“Remarks Upon Arrival in Beijing
Remarks Glyn Davies
Special Representative for North Korea Policy Westin Chaoyang Hotel
Beijing, China
February 22, 2012
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: It’s very good to see everybody. Thanks very much for coming out. My name is Glyn Davies. I just arrived in Beijing. This is my second visit in my new position. I was here in December just prior to the dramatic events in the second half of December in North Korea. I am here with a very strong interagency delegation of colleagues - in particular, with Special Envoy to the Six-Party Talks Clifford Hart, who is here with me, and we are, of course, here prepared to engage the North Koreans to try to pick up where we left off in our second exploratory talks in Geneva in late October of last year. I think you are all quite familiar with the issues that are on the table in this bilateral exploratory phase with the North Koreans - in particular, the denuclearization issue, but I also plan to raise nonproliferation, human rights and humanitarian affairs, and my hope is that we can find a way to move forward with the North because, of course, I think it’s in everyone’s interest to try to get on to the next phase here which will be Six-Party Talks and that will be up to North Korea. And I hope that they are coming in the cooperative spirit ready to discuss all of the issues that are of concern to us and that we will spend more time at our talks tomorrow discussing the future rather than dwelling on the past - and with that I’d be very happy to take any of your questions. Over to you.
QUESTION: Sir, over the last 12 months or so we’ve seen a little regime change in countries around the world. Do you think that the Arab Spring has at all affected the North Korean thinking in any way?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: I don’t know. I mean that’s a question that…I mean, I hate to say this to you, but you’d have to put that to the North Koreans. I can’t get inside their heads to try to do some psychoanalysis of how the Arab Spring might or might not have affected their thinking. My objective is to try to find a way forward that will lead to greater peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula which is important not just for the people of Korea, North and South, but also for the region of Northeast Asia and quite frankly for the world. And with this change that’s occurring or has occurred in the leadership in Pyongyang, we will be interested in seeing whether they’re interested in moving forward with us and then eventually – the much more important phase of this – aspect of this – moving forward with the other members of the Six-Party. Let me come down here – yes?
QUESTION: I’m from CCTV and my question is things now in North Korea with a new leader, what kind of particular information do you want to get at these meetings?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Yes, well, the purpose of my meeting here – I’m not really here quite so much to try to investigate the new leadership is in North Korea. I’m much more interested in trying to find out what the new leadership in North Korea is prepared to do – and I think that’s what’s important about this diplomatic process that we’re engaging in. Are they prepared to pick up where we left off from the New York meeting in July and the Geneva meeting in October? Can we move forward on that basis, and can we find a way forward on, in particular, the question of denuclearization, but also on these other issues that I've mentioned: nonproliferation, obviously humanitarian issues and human rights issues are important to us, regional stability. We think it's very important that North Korea quickly take up again its dialogue with its neighbors, in particular South Korea but also with Japan, that's important. And so, those are the kinds of things I'll be looking for when I meet with First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan tomorrow. And, as I say, I'm hopeful that we won't spend too much time going back over positions that we have already outlined to each other, and that we can start from that spot and move forward.
QUESTION: What do you think is the obstacle right now, the major obstacle...
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Let me come here and then come right back to you. Yes, please.
QUESTION: NHK, Japanese public TV, in terms of nutritional assistance, there is some differences between the U.S. and the DPRK. How is it influence on tomorrow's meeting?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, I don't know, I mean, I think we've all seen what the North Koreans said in their statement from KCNA some weeks ago, quoting their Foreign Ministry. They have laid out a position that you've all read about their desire for a certain quantity of food, a certain mix...they in particular want to get as much grain as they possibly can. Our position that we have outlined to them, actually in this city, in Beijing, just prior to the announcement of the death of Kim Jong-il is there. They know about it, they know what it's based on, that it's based on, number one, our deep concern for the welfare of the people of North Korea, number two, our technical assessment of the need that exists in North Korea, and then obviously we have to make these decisions based on competing needs around the word for our own nutritional assistance.
So all of that was laid out for them when Ambassador Bob King, who is our Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights, came out with Mr. Jon Brause, Deputy Administrator of AID. They got into a number of specific issues that relate to the modalities of the delivery of assistance. Exactly how long this might take, how we are hoping to reach certain populations -- children under five in particular, but also pregnant and breast-feeding women, and certain elderly who are living alone off of the North Korea public distribution system -- all of that was laid out to them, and those talks made very good progress but they didn't achieve a final result. I expect that that may well come up in our discussions with the North Koreans, and we are prepared for that - we're ready to talk about that - and to see if we can move that process forward as well. But right now, we've made no final decisions about the provision of nutritional assistance because we haven't reached agreement on all of the modalities that we've discussed in Beijing.
And now, over here there was a question...
QUESTION: What’s the prognosis out there for the possibility of restarting the Six-Party Talks, can you comment? (inaudible)
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, again that’s very much up to North Korea. We all, I think, all of us in the region have, and all of us involved in the process, have an interest in trying to get back to the Six-Party Talks. But we’re not interested in doing it at any costs and at all costs. So we’re not interested, as we’ve said many times, in talk for talk’s sake. We first need to see signs that North Korea is indeed prepared to take steps to reassure all of us, and particularly the United States - I represent the United States - that they are sincere in getting back to fulfilling the obligations that they themselves made, along with the other members of the Six-Party Talks, in the September 2005 statement, and in other Six-Party meetings and statements. And so, that’s really what I’m interested in, in this forum – is, are they ready to get back to that conversation, and to carry it forward into the future and not spend too much time re-fighting some of the battles of the past. I think that’s the most important thing. Other questions? Anyone else? One more. Yes, sir?
QUESTION: It’s me again. How much do you know about how Kim Jung Un and how much do you think his thinking will influence your job and the progress?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: You are now asking me an imponderable, quite frankly. I mean, North Korea has a new leader. This is obviously the backdrop to our having this conversation that begins tomorrow. What precisely his policies are, in what direction he wants to take his country, all of these are a bit unknown at this stage.
I find it a positive sign that relatively soon after the beginning of the transition in North Korea, the DPRK has chosen to get back to the table with us. I think that’s a good thing. But the proof will be in the results of these discussions that we have with the North Koreans. Which is why I’m so interested in having this conversation with the First Vice Foreign Minister and his team, and exploring just exactly where they are, maybe beginning to get some answers to these questions, such as you are asking here today.
In any event, I haven’t yet had a conversation with the North Koreans, so I don’t have all that much news to provide you. I’m sorry about that. But what I would like to do is find other occasions, perhaps at the beginning of every day and end of every day, to get back with you, and tell you what I can.
You have to remember that this is a diplomatic process. My first obligation is to our partners in the Six-Party process. I look forward very much to having a good conversation with Special Representative Wu Dawei here in Beijing. That will be excellent. And then from here, Saturday, we will go off to Seoul, where I will have a chance to talk to Lim Sung-nam, my counterpart in Seoul. And then to Director General Sugiyama in Tokyo on Sunday. And that’s an important part of this process. Making sure that we all stay, knitted up together, connected up together in the Six-Party process.
I was off to Moscow a few weeks ago, and I met with my new counterpart, Ambassador Morgulov. And I’ll call him sometime, to report to him. And with all due respect to you, I know you have jobs to do, and they’re important jobs, what I need to do is privileged as diplomatic conversations, and make sure I talk to them. And provide them details, perhaps so that they don’t hear it first from you. And I hope you understand that.
In any event, so if that’s okay, we’ll try to let you know when I’ll be leaving the hotel tomorrow morning. I’d be happy to say a couple of words. And then perhaps at the end of the day tomorrow we can all get back together again and have a conversation then. So again, thank you very much for coming here today and I look forward to working with you and talking with you over the coming days.
Thanks a lot, talk to you soon. Bye-bye."
MAN IN TEXAS TO PAY $31 MILLION IN FRAUDULENT FOREIGN CURRENCY TRADING SCHEME
The following excerpt is from the CFTC website:
“Federal Court Orders Texas Resident Robert D. Watson to Pay $31 Million for Defrauding Customers, Misappropriating Millions of Dollars, and Providing Fictitious Records in Forex Scheme
Watson’s business entities ordered to pay disgorgement of $21 million, and Texas resident Daniel J. Petroski ordered to pay more than $550,000 for his role in the scheme
In a related criminal matter, Watson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on February 10, 2012
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that it obtained federal court consent orders resolving its remaining claims against defendants Robert D. Watson and Daniel J. Petroski, both of Houston, Texas, PrivateFX Global One Ltd., SA, and 36 Holdings Ltd. Global One, a corporation formed in Panama, and 36 Holdings are under the control of a court-appointed receiver, Thomas L. Taylor III.
The consent orders, both entered on February 2, 2012, by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, stem from a CFTC complaint filed in the same court on May 21, 2009, charging the defendants with operating a multi-million dollar fraudulent off-exchange foreign currency (forex) scheme (see CFTC Press Release 5661-09, May 26, 2009).
One consent order requires Watson, Global One, and 36 Holdings jointly and severally to pay $21 million in disgorgement and orders Watson to pay a $10 million civil monetary penalty. The other consent order requires Petroski to pay $414,723 in disgorgement and a $140,000 civil monetary penalty. The consent orders also require the defendants to give up their rights to funds and other assets held by the receiver.
The court previously entered a consent order of permanent injunction on February 24, 2010, that resolved liability against all defendants and permanently barred the defendants from engaging in any commodity-related activity and from registering with the CFTC. This earlier order found that on or about July 1, 2006, defendants began soliciting investors to purchase shares of Global One, whose purported objective was to speculate in the forex markets. Global One’s offering raised approximately $21 million from at least 80 investors by touting Global One’s purportedly successful forex trading performance, according to the order. From April 2006 through April 2009, the defendants reported monthly returns, purportedly generated through forex trading, to Global One investors of approximately 1.5 percent to nearly 3 percent and claimed to never have had a losing month trading forex, the court found. However, also according to the order, the defendants’ representations to Global One investors regarding Global One’s extraordinary forex trading profits and related returns to investors were false.
The earlier consent order also found that, prior to the filing of the CFTC’s complaint, the defendants provided the CFTC with fictitious third-party bank and forex trading records prepared by Watson to conceal the fraud.
In a related criminal matter, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas as part of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, Watson pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud. On February 10, 2012, the court sentenced Watson to the statutory maximum of 20 years in prison."
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LEON PANETTA APOLOGIZES FOR QURAN BURNING IN AFGHANISTAN
The following excerpt is from the Department of Defense American Forces Press Service:
"WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today joined the commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan in apologizing to the Afghan people for the reported inappropriate treatment of religious materials, including copies of the Quran, at Bagram Airfield.
In a written statement, Panetta said Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen had notified him of "the deeply unfortunate incident."
"He and I apologize to the Afghan people and disapprove of such conduct in the strongest possible terms," Panetta said. "These actions do not represent the views of the United States military. We honor and respect the religious practices of the Afghan people, without exception."
The secretary added that he supports Allen's "swift and decisive action" to investigate the matter jointly with the Afghan government. "I will carefully review the final results of the investigation to ensure that we take all steps necessary and appropriate so that this never happens again," he said.
In a statement issued this morning, Allen said he'd received a report overnight on the improper disposal of Islamic religious materials at Bagram and launched a formal investigation.
"When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them," he said. "The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities."
International Security Assistance Force officials are taking steps "to ensure this does not ever happen again," Allen said. "I assure you -- I promise you -- this was NOT intentional in any way," he added.
Allen offered his personal apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Afghan government, "and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan."
"I would like to thank the local Afghan people who helped us identify the error, and who worked with us to immediately take corrective action," Allen said."
"When we learned of these actions, we immediately intervened and stopped them," he said. "The materials recovered will be properly handled by appropriate religious authorities."
International Security Assistance Force officials are taking steps "to ensure this does not ever happen again," Allen said. "I assure you -- I promise you -- this was NOT intentional in any way," he added.
Allen offered his personal apology to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Afghan government, "and most importantly, to the noble people of Afghanistan."
"I would like to thank the local Afghan people who helped us identify the error, and who worked with us to immediately take corrective action," Allen said."
Monday, February 20, 2012
DOW CHEMICAL TO PURCHASE ABOUT 50 PROPERTIES DUE TO POSSIBLE DIOXIN CONTAMINATION
The following excerpt is from the Dow Chemical Company website:
"Midland, MI - February 16, 2012
Earlier today, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced a proposed plan to resolve the dioxin issue in the city of Midland.
In a related announcement, The Dow Chemical Company today is informing owners of approximately 50 properties in a commercial area near the Michigan Operations manufacturing site about a voluntary property purchase program.
Dow is offering this incentivized property purchase program to give property owners in the immediate area north and east of Michigan Operations (see map) the option to move out of an industrial/commercial area to a residential area, if they so choose. The program will also offer relocation support for those who rent their homes, if the property owner participates in the program.
"We see this as an opportunity to address land use near our manufacturing site and give people still living in this industrial/commercial area the choice to move elsewhere," said Rich A. Wells, vice president and site director for Dow's Michigan Operations.
Dow has retained Community Interaction Consulting Inc. (CIC), a real estate services company, to administer the voluntary property purchase program and help property owners and renters understand their options.
The 50 properties eligible for the program are located within the resolution area outlined in the proposed dioxin agreement announced today by the MDEQ. Property owners who choose not to relocate will be offered testing and remediation of their properties, if necessary.
Dow will donate acquired properties to Midland Tomorrow, the nonprofit economic development entity serving Midland County.
Dow has also established the Midland Resolution Center at 1008 Jefferson Avenue to serve as a resource for property owners. Beginning February 21, 2012, CIC representatives will be available at the Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Homeowners can also find more information online by visiting www.midlandpropertyprogram.com, or by calling (989) 638-7002.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com."
MEXICO AND U.S. HAVE TRANS-BOUNDARY HYDROCARBON AGREEMENT
The following excerpt is from the U.S. State Department website:
U.S.-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement
Fact SheetOffice of the SpokespersonWashington, DC
February 20, 2012
The United States and Mexico today signed an agreement concerning the development of oil and gas reservoirs that cross the international maritime boundary between the two countries in the Gulf of Mexico. The Agreement is designed to enhance energy security in North America and support our shared duty to exercise responsible stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico. It is built on a commitment to the safe, efficient, and equitable exploitation of transboundary reservoirs with the highest degree of safety and environmental standards.
Elements of the Agreement
· The United States and Mexico jointly announced their intention to negotiate a transboundary hydrocarbons agreement on June 23, 2010, following the Joint Statement adopted by Presidents Obama and Calderon at the conclusion of President Calderon’s State Visit to Washington on May 19, 2010.
Upon entry into force, the current moratorium on oil exploration and production in the Western Gap portion of the Gulf of Mexico will end.
The Agreement establishes a cooperative process for managing the maritime boundary region that promotes joint utilization of transboundary reservoirs.
The Agreement provides a legal framework for possible commercial activities at the maritime boundary and sets clear guidelines for transboundary developments. It establishes incentives for oil and gas companies to voluntarily enter into arrangements to jointly develop any transboundary reservoirs. In the event such an arrangement is not achieved, the Agreement establishes a process by which U.S. companies and PEMEX can individually develop the resources on each side of the border while protecting each nation’s interests and resources.
The legal certainty created by the Agreement will enable U.S. companies to explore new business opportunities and carry out collaborative projects with PEMEX.
The Agreement also provides for joint inspections teams to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Both governments will review all plans for the development of any transboundary reservoirs.
Further Growth in the Bilateral Energy Relationship
This Agreement has been a catalyst for increased engagement between our respective safety regulators for the oil and gas sector. That engagement is expected to deepen in the years ahead as we work together to exercise responsible stewardship of the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico is consistently one of the top three exporters of petroleum to the United States. It ranked second behind Canada in 2010 with exports to the United States of 1.3 million barrels per day.
The United States and Mexico launched the Bilateral Framework on Clean Energy and Climate Change in April 2009 to explore ways to further develop the potential of this important energy trading relationship. With its focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, adaptation, market mechanisms, forestry and land use, green jobs, low carbon energy technology development and capacity building, the Bilateral Framework has supported work on common emissions standards for heavy vehicles, closer integration of electricity grids and development of solar and wind energy generation plants in the border region“.
OLDEST KNOWN DOCUMENTED SUPERNOVA
N.Y. MAN PLEADS GUILTY FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING OF WASTE
The following excerpt is from the Department of Justice website:
Friday, February 17, 2012
“Man Pleads Guilty to Illegal Dumping in Upstate New YorkJulius DeSimone Defrauded the United States and Violated Clean Water Act
WASHINGTON – Julius DeSimone of Rome, N.Y., pleaded guilty today in federal court in Utica, N.Y., for conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act and to defraud the United States, and to making false statements to federal law enforcement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York and the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division announced today.
DeSimone pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Hurd for the Northern District of New York to two criminal felony counts for conspiring to violate the Clean Water Act’s prohibition on filling wetlands and then lying to federal agents in an attempt to conceal his crimes. According to the charges, DeSimone and other co-conspirators engaged in a multi-year scheme to illegally dump 8,100 tons of pulverized construction and demolition debris that was processed at New York and New Jersey solid waste management facilities and then transported to a farmer’s property in Frankfort, N.Y.
According to court documents, DeSimone and other conspirators concealed the illegal dumping by fabricating a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) permit and forging the name of a DEC official on the fraudulent permit. DeSimone admitted in the plea agreement that once DEC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) learned of the illegal dumping, he lied to federal agents in an effort to conceal the crimes.
DeSimone faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each felony count and may be ordered to pay for portions of the cleanup at the site.
Today’s plea is related to the pleas of Eagle Recycling and Jonathan Deck who pleaded guilty to similar conspiracy charges in 2009 and 2011.
This case was investigated by the New York State Environmental Conservation Police, Bureau of Environmental Crimes, EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the Internal Revenue Service, investigators from the New Jersey State Police Office of Business Integrity Unit, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Ohio Department of Environmental Protection. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig A. Benedict, of the Northern District of New York, and Todd W. Gleason of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.”
STATE DEPARTMENT WORKS AGAINST FEMALE MUTILATIONS
The following excerpt is from the U.S. Department of State website:
February 18, 2012
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a traditional practice that ranges from nicking to total removal of the external female genitalia. An estimated 100 to 145 million women have undergone this procedure and at least 3 million girls are at risk of being cut each year, about 8,000 girls a day.1 Though no religion mandates the procedure, FGM/C is practiced across cultures, religions, and continents. It is practiced in 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, northern Iraq, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and new evidence is showing prevalence in other Middle Eastern countries, including Yemen, Iran, Syria, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and parts of South Asia. The practice also can be found in Europe, the United States, Australia, and other countries in the West where immigrants bring their cultural traditions with them.
The reasons given for conducting FGM/C, which is generally carried out between infancy and the teen years, encompass beliefs about health, hygiene, women’s sexuality, rites of passage to adulthood, and community initiation rites. Research has shown that all forms of the practice harm women’s health, causing serious pain, trauma, and frequently severe physical complications, such as bleeding, infections, or even death. Long-term complications may include recurrent infections, infertility,2 and difficult or dangerous childbirth that can result in the death of the mother and infant.3
The U.S. Government has supported FGM/C abandonment efforts since the early 1990s, considering the practice not only a public health concern, but also a human rights issue that violates a woman’s right to bodily integrity. In September 2000, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officially incorporated elimination of FGM/C into its development agenda, issuing an official policy and strategy on FGM/C that underscored FGM/C as a serious health and human rights issue. The U.S. Department of State emphasizes the need to raise awareness amongst communities at the grassroots level and in humanitarian settings to reduce the practice of FGM/C.
The United States pursues regional, national, and local coordination among international donors, governments, and community leaders. U.S. Government agencies are actively engaged with internationally based working groups address FGM/C and are also active in the Donors Working Group (DWG) on FGM/C,4 which is composed of key international governmental and intergovernmental organizations and foundations committed to supporting the abandonment of the practice. USAID was a co-founder of the DWG and is dedicated to expanding and strengthening partnerships and increasing resources for abandonment of this harmful traditional practice. The group has collaboratively issued a Platform for Action that summarizes the collective programmatic approach that focuses on the community approach to social change.
On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM/C for 2012, the U.S. Government is supporting the launch of the Kenya Centre of Excellence, which will be based at Nairobi University, to create an Africa-based center for learning and developing innovative research approaches and training leaders and champions for working towards the abandonment of FGM/C and welcomes support from the international community and others to join in this effort.
U.S. Government Efforts
The Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) funds community-based approaches involving men, boys, and all members of society in public awareness and education campaigns emphasizing the detrimental consequences of FGM/C on the physical and mental health of girls, their families, and overall community in order to promote long-lasting solutions.
The Office of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) largely supports efforts in humanitarian settings and among refugees with programs designed to prevent and respond to gender-based violence (GBV), which includes FGM/C. These organizations rely on U.S. Government assistance to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees, conflict victims, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons worldwide. This encompasses a wide variety of assistance, including the provision of protection, shelter, health care, water, and sanitation, as well as the prevention of and assistance to survivors of GBV and FGM/C. PRM also supports targeted activities to prevent FGM/C in Somali and Sudanese refugee populations.
USAID supports implementing partners, both from Washington and at the country level, to provide community-based programs in key countries where the practice is prevalent. The agency’s projects have had targeted programs in Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Djibouti, and Burkina Faso, among others. The projects that are supported consider cultural sensitivities and are integrated with health, economic, social, or democracy and governance programs. USAID programs are community-based, involving community and religious leaders as well as women’s groups, men, and youth to advance the quality and effectiveness of abandonment efforts and to improve conditions that will lead to FGM/C abandonment.
Projects in Country
Egypt – S/GWI supports a project working in the community of Al Darb Al Ahmar in Cairo called Creating Attitudes Favorable to the Elimination of the Practice of FGM/C. Through the dissemination of appropriate and relevant information, coupled with education initiatives and public awareness campaigns, S/GWI supports the Aga Khan Foundation to address and prevent violence against women and girls, including FGM/C, in select Cairo communities. Additionally, the project provides training and capacity building in victim advocacy and mental health for health care providers, community leaders, and volunteers.
In 2008, USAID/Egypt incorporated FGM/C into an existing community-level health program, reinforced by select national-level messaging and educational messaging. The program furthered Egypt’s ongoing efforts to bring about abandonment of FGM/C, as it involved training staff at both the Ministry of Health and nongovernmental organizations to broaden the reach and to coordinate with the Government’s National Council of Childhood and Motherhood to create a coherent national strategy.
Iraq – In coordination with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, S/GWI is funding a multidimensional program in northern Iraq composed of integrated victim services and a successful educational campaign for village residents and political and religious leaders, leading to the first-of-its-kind declarations of villages being “Female Genital Mutilation Free.”
Kenya – PRM provides resources to nongovernmental organization partners to promote awareness and prevention of FGM/C through community-based institutions and civil society, including men’s groups, youth groups, women’s groups, and religious leaders. Other projects promote social and economic empowerment of women and girls to reduce the risk of exposure to GBV, including FGM/C, while educating participants on the impact of harmful traditional practices, including FGM/C.
USAID conducted studies to better understand the practice of FGM/C among the Somalis in North Eastern Kenya to inform the design and implementation of interventions and to clarify the correct Islamic understanding of FGM/C. The research provided crucial evidence that FGM/C is neither a religious practice nor one sanctioned by Islam, which clearly stipulates provisions for the protection of basic human rights, upholds the sanctity of the human body, and prohibits any practice that violates these rights or causes harm to the body without justification. The conclusions called on religious scholars to collaborate with medical doctors to make verdicts based on scientific facts and to work with their communities to help delink FGM/C from Islam.
Ethiopia – In Northern Ethiopia, the U.S. Government supports an FGM/C awareness-raising program for women and girls living in Shimelba and My’Ayni refugee camps. Specific efforts include coffee discussions with girls, women, boys, and men on GBV-related topics and services and a Girls’ Wellness Week, which will promote adolescent girls’ health through a coming-of-age ceremony without FGM/C.
USAID supported collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the National Committee on Traditional Practices to educate communities on the harmful effects of FGM/C. The program worked on helping women and community leaders to understand the motives of “FGM/C demanders,” respond to their concerns, and provide them with information on the negative impact of the practice. More than 2,250 people participated in FGM/C abandonment activities; a national Anti-FGM/C Women’s Leaders Team was established, and a member of that team drafted a law against FGM/C that the Ethiopian parliament passed in July 2004.
Mali – USAID helped the Ministry of Health develop and pilot a national training curriculum for primary medical providers to increase their capacity to identify, treat, or refer FGM/C complications and educate and counsel clients and community members on the negative aspects of the practice. A network of trained providers was created consisting of extension workers from nongovernmental organizations and community and religious leaders. As a result of their work, the percentage of men and women who said they were in favor of abandoning FGM/C increased from 15 to 62 percent, and the percentage who intended to have FGM/C performed on their daughters decreased from 81 to 33 percent.
Senegal – The Grandmother’s Project (GMP) incorporates FGM/C into a broader girls’ and women’s health and family planning program to bring about positive changes in community traditions by involving grandmothers and elderly women, a once marginalized group, in social change. The project encourages learning and communal decision-making through open discussions about problems confronting the community. The aim for GMP is to have community members identify their problems and reach consensus on possible solutions that best suit their needs, leading to long-term and lasting change.
West Africa – USAID supports Tostan, a participatory education program that works village by village to incorporate democracy, problem solving, basic mathematics, literacy and essential health education, including information about FGM/C, into the learning experiences that ultimately empower the entire community. As a result of this multidimensional approach, thousands of villages in West Africa have publicly abandoned FGM/C and other harmful traditional practices upon completion of the Tostan program."
Sunday, February 19, 2012
$100 MILLION REVOLVING CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
The following excerpt is from an Export-Import Bank e-mail:
Ex-Im Bank Establishes $100 Million Revolving Credit Facility for Small Business Exporters
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama in Seattle for Announcement
Seattle, Wash. – More small business exporters throughout the United States will have access to revolving credit, thanks to a new product unveiled today by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank). Fred P. Hochberg, the chairman and president of Ex-Im Bank, joined President Obama in Seattle to outline details about the new product: Global Credit Express (GCE).
Ex-Im Bank Establishes $100 Million Revolving Credit Facility for Small Business Exporters
Ex-Im Bank Chairman Joins President Obama in Seattle for Announcement
“Global Credit Express is an innovative product that will help small business exporters obtain the financing they need to improve their bottom line and succeed in a highly competitive global economy,” said Chairman Hochberg. “This new product will provide additional liquidity for eligible American exporters and access to financing at a reasonable cost.”
Through GCE, small business exporters may be eligible for a revolving line of credit, up to $500,000 for 6 to 12 months. During the program’s pilot phase, an initial $100 million in financing will be made available through a select number of lenders nationwide. Following the pilot, the Bank will evaluate the results of this direct loan program and determine whether to increase the available amount. The product is specially designed to finance the business of exporting rather than specific export transactions.
Small business exporters interested in applying for financing through GCE can contact the Bank by calling toll-free to 1-800-565-EXIM (3946) and selecting option 2.
About Ex-Im Bank:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.
Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.
SEC CHARGED TWO FOREIGN COMPANIES WITH SELLING UNREGISTERED PROMISSORY NOTES
The following excerpt is from the SEC website:
February 15, 2012
"SEC Charges Venulum with Registration Violations in Connection with Offerings of Wine Contracts and Promissory Notes
"The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two non-U.S. companies — Venulum Ltd. (a British Virgin Islands company) and Venulum Inc. (a Canadian company) — and their owner and chairman Giles Cadman (a resident of the United Kingdom), with registration violations in connection with unregistered offers and sales of promissory notes and interests in fine wines. The Commission’s suit, filed in Dallas federal court, alleges that, beginning in 2002, Venulum made unsolicited calls to American investors, primarily dentists, to solicit investments in interests in trading in fine wines to be managed by Venulum. Venulum’s solicitation highlighted its purported expertise in selecting, sourcing, storing and marketing fine wines for the benefit of investors. Then, starting in 2010, Venulum solicited 94 of its wine investors to purchase high-interest promissory notes. Neither of the offerings was registered with the Commission.
Without admitting or denying the Commission’s allegations, the defendants consented to permanent injunctions against violating Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933. The injunction is subject to court approval.
The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the Texas State Securities Board."
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK HELPS BOEING GET GIANT LOAN
The above picture is from the White House website. The following excerpt is from a U.S. Export-Import e-mail:
“EVERETT, WASH.: The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) announced today that The Boeing Company is participating in the Bank’s Supply-Chain Finance Guarantee program, which provides competitively priced working capital financing to suppliers of goods or services to U.S. exporters.
Ex-Im Bank approved the Boeing supplier program in September 2011 with an initial capacity of $740 million. Ex-Im Bank can guarantee up to 90 percent of that capacity. Citibank N.A. (Citi) will serve as the lender operating the program for Boeing’s suppliers. Boeing joins Caterpillar and Case New Holland (CNH) as exporters currently participating in Ex-Im’s program.
The announcement was made today at an event at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Everett, Wash., where President Barack Obama called for congressional reauthorization of Ex-Im Bank and announced executive branch initiatives to improve the competitive position of U.S. companies, particularly small businesses.
“Ex-Im is proud to have America's number-one exporter, Boeing, join with us in supporting the company's small-business suppliers in the use of our supply-chain financing product. Eligible companies will be able to more quickly turn their accounts receivable into cash, helping them power more sales and support more American jobs," Ex-Im Bank Chairman Fred. P. Hochberg said today.
“Increasingly Boeing has called on small business to help us in sustaining export-related jobs. The Supplier Financing Program is a great tool to encourage this key growth area to prosper,” said Tom Dillon, Boeing corporate finance director who led the program’s implementation. “Small business can truly join larger exporters in working together to grow much needed jobs supported by demand for American products the world wants.”
Ex-Im Bank’s Supply-Chain Finance Guarantee Program enables suppliers to receive early payment of their accounts receivable that are due from participating exporters, such as Boeing, in exchange for a small discount fee that is paid to the lender. Ex-Im Bank provides a 90 percent guarantee of the invoices while the lender (Citi for Boeing suppliers) bears 10 percent of the risk.
Under the Ex-Im program, approved lenders must have an existing supply-chain finance program. Ex-Im Bank has set a target that at least 50 percent of the credit be extended to suppliers that meet the definition of a small business as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration by the end of the 12-month term. The end products must be for export and must meet Ex-Im Bank’s requirements for U.S. content.
About Ex-Im Bank:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of its operations.
Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country.”
$145,000 RAISED AT U.S. MARSHALS VEHICLE AUCTION IN NEW MEXICO
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