Monday, July 14, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AFTER MEETING WITH GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIER IN VIENNA, AUSTRIA
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Palais Coburg
Vienna, Austria
July 13, 2014
FOREIGN MINISTER STEINMEIER: (In German.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Frank, thank you very much. We discussed a number of difficult issues. The most important part of our conversation was focused on the issue of Iran, the question that will be asked at this, in the current negotiations and the road forward, which we are totally in (inaudible) on, along with our other colleagues.
We also discussed Afghanistan, where I’ve just come from, as the minister mentioned, and we discussed the Middle East, where he is going. And so we had a lot of back and forth about the criticality of this moment in many parts of the world.
And in addition, we discussed Iraq and the very critical choices we need to make or help the Iraqis make in order to get a new government in place that has the ability to begin to deal with the crisis of Iraq, and particularly the terrorist ISIL. And so we had a very fulsome discussion.
Let me emphasize, the relationship between the United States and Germany is a strategic one. We have enormous political cooperation, and we are great friends. And we will continue to work together in the kind of spirit that we exhibited today in a very thorough discussion. It was my pleasure to say to the foreign minister tonight: (In German.) (Laughter.) All right. Thank you so much.
SECRETARY KERRY: Frank, thank you very much. We discussed a number of difficult issues. The most important part of our conversation was focused on the issue of Iran, the question that will be asked at this, in the current negotiations and the road forward, which we are totally in (inaudible) on, along with our other colleagues.
We also discussed Afghanistan, where I’ve just come from, as the minister mentioned, and we discussed the Middle East, where he is going. And so we had a lot of back and forth about the criticality of this moment in many parts of the world.
And in addition, we discussed Iraq and the very critical choices we need to make or help the Iraqis make in order to get a new government in place that has the ability to begin to deal with the crisis of Iraq, and particularly the terrorist ISIL. And so we had a very fulsome discussion.
Let me emphasize, the relationship between the United States and Germany is a strategic one. We have enormous political cooperation, and we are great friends. And we will continue to work together in the kind of spirit that we exhibited today in a very thorough discussion. It was my pleasure to say to the foreign minister tonight: (In German.) (Laughter.) All right. Thank you so much.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT PALAIS COBURG
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks to Press at Entrance of Palais Coburg
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Palais Coburg
Vienna, Austria
July 13, 2014
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good morning everybody. I am delighted to be here in Vienna and look forward to my to meeting with my colleagues in the 3+1 in order to discuss where we are in the negotiations, get caught up. And obviously, we have some very significant gaps still, so we need to see if we can make some progress, and I really look forward to a very substantive and important set of meetings and dialogues.
And we obviously… this is a very important subject. It is vital to make certain that Iran is not going to develop a nuclear weapon, that their program is peaceful. That’s what we’re here to try to achieve and I hope we can make some progress. Thank you all.
And we obviously… this is a very important subject. It is vital to make certain that Iran is not going to develop a nuclear weapon, that their program is peaceful. That’s what we’re here to try to achieve and I hope we can make some progress. Thank you all.
USS OSCAR AUSTIN PARTICIPATES IN ROYAL NAVY EXERCISE
FROM: U.S. NAVY
USS Oscar Austin Participates in Royal Navy Exercise
Story Number: NNS140712-08Release Date: 7/12/2014 7:12:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class DJ Revell, USS Oscar Austin Public Affairs
The exercise consisted of combat operations in all areas of warfare including anti-submarine warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, and surface warfare.
Naval units from the U.S., Germany and the United Kingdom included Royal Navy frigates HMS Richmond (F239), HMS Lancaster (F229), and HMS St Albans (F83); Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon (D35); and the German Navy's Braunschweig-class corvette FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein (F264).
"We dealt with a lot of scenarios," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class Gwendolyn Wadley, assigned to Oscar Austin, who participated in the exercise in the ship's combat information center. "Overall it was very busy and fast-paced, but it went pretty well."
The exercise also tested the various communications and defensives systems between the ships to help improve future training, tactical expertise and interoperability.
Following the exercise, Oscar Austin conducted a replenishment-at-sea (RAS) with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker RFA Gold Rover (A271), further advancing cooperation between the two navies.
Oscar Austin, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, is deployed in a multi-mission role to enhance regional maritime security with NATO and regional partners and allies in the Baltic region.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH AFGHANISTAN'S PRESIDENT KARZAI, UN OFFICIAL JAN KUBIS
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Head of UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Jan Kubis
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Kabul, Afghanistan
July 12, 2014
PRESIDENT KARZAI: (Via interpreter) In the name of God, (inaudible) media, welcome to today’s conference. You have been waiting since Iftar. I apologize for that. Today, we have His Excellency John Kerry, Secretary of State to the United States with us, as well as His Exellency Jan Kubis, Special Representative of the United Nations to Afghanistan. As you’re all aware that his visit to Afghanistan – John Kerry’s visit to Afghanistan was about elections, and His Excellency’s Jan Kubis’s effort and hard work about the elections of Afghanistan. He’s been involved in that.
Dear (inaudible) countrymen, the first round and second round of the election in Afghanistan has been held. Second round of the elections – voices of fraud have been heard, and in order to reach and address the issues and establish some sort of understanding between them has (inaudible) has started.
This effort’s been undertaken by the (inaudible) presidents as well as the commissions – election commissions, compliance commissions. After as well as (inaudible) the votes were counted, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah announced that in order to address the problems of election, mainly fraud, ask the United Nations to intervene and find a possible solution.
I and my deputies, in order to speed up these efforts and in order to avoid any kind of misunderstanding, we accepted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s request. After that, we had a discussion with Mr. Jan Kubis, who was ready to intervene and find a solution. And following that, I talked to my brother Abdullah Abdullah on the phone, and he agreed.
After that, I talked to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on the phone and asked him if he agrees to Dr. Abdullah’s request. He said whatever solution that can address this problem is welcomed by him, and he accepted our requests. As you are all aware that after two – election 2009, I always try to strengthen our Afghan national election institution, and it should – (inaudible) is to run under the leadership of the Afghans. Considering the current situation and to speed up the process, we accepted the intervention of United Nations. Mr. Jan Kubis started his efforts to address this.
His Excellency John Kerry, Secretary of State to the United States of America, has been in contact with candidates and he eventually traveled to Afghanistan so that he can find a possible solution along with the presidential candidates tonight. As you witnessed on – they had a press conference, both brothers – our candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai along with His Excellency John Kerry and Mr. Jan Kubis at the – they had some announcements which I welcome (inaudible) announcement and supporters’ announcements, and I hope that 100 percent audit of the votes will take place and start as soon as possible so that the nation of Afghanistan finally elect their next president.
We hope that the commissions – the commission IEC and – both commissions, the election commission and the compliance commission – will accept these suggestions and speed up the process in cooperation with United Nations and international observers. The people of Afghanistan all have been patient so far, and at the meantime, they all (inaudible) and they would like to hear soon about the result of the election and witness their next president of Afghanistan. And the work of the government’s been slowed down these days and their hope is that the audit that’s been announced today, that 100 percent audit will take place, will start as soon as possible, the best way possible, so that as soon as this process completed, the inauguration ceremony will take place for the next president of Afghanistan.
It was supposed to take place on August 2. We were prepared – all the preparation were made, but now I hope that the commissions will (inaudible) this and agree this – to this suggestion and finish and conclude this as soon as possible so that we can have the next president of Afghanistan – elect the next president of Afghanistan and the inauguration will take place.
Afghanistan president will be a strong president, the people of Afghanistan will take (inaudible). The Afghan people are committed and united and they stand on each other and this land, this soil is (inaudible) service of the Afghan people, and it’s been always protected. But we (inaudible) by the people of Afghanistan. It will continue. The Afghan people are committed for democracy and they believe, beside all the (inaudible), beside all the instabilities and (inaudible) and uncertainties, all the people were encouraged and convinced to participate and elect the next president of Afghanistan as well as provincial council. The Afghan people votes is to be respected. We will respect and honor their votes, and the next president will take over (inaudible).
I would like to stop now and hand it – allow His Excellency John Kerry and which – His Excellency (inaudible) to deliver (inaudible), a mission that keep its destiny, its own hand, well determined future.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. President Karzai, thank you very, very much, sir. It is a pleasure to be with you again. And I want to thank you for your very generous hospitality, and again, I missed Iftar tonight because we were busy having conversations. But last night, you entertained us with great stories and a great sense of the unbelievable generosity of Afghanistan, and we’re very grateful to you.
I also am particularly grateful – I had a chance to speak a few minutes ago at the UN Headquarters with both of the candidates, Dr. Ghani and Dr. Abdullah. I think it is fair to say that both of them spoke with great eloquence about their vision for Afghanistan and about the choice that they are making to come together for the unity of the country. I want to thank President Karzai for his role in supporting this effort in these last days, and even before I came here, to make it clear that he knew that it was important that the democracy that is springing up here be given its opportunity to have full bloom. And that is something that he is deeply committed to, and in these next days, we will be able to achieve.
President Karzai and I have traveled an interesting journey in the last years. We’ve known each other on many different – in many different events and many different times, but none more so than in 2009 when I had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time with him talking about how to help grow this democracy. We took long walks here on the palace grounds, we spent meals together, we talked through a very difficult period. And I witnessed his political skill and his ability to be able to try to put the country first, ahead of any other interests. Again tonight, President Karzai is doing that, and he has done so in the last days by honoring the notion that the international community could play a constructive role, and by inviting us to be helpful in the effort to try to bring the candidates together in a thoughtful way.
This will be still a difficult road because there are important obligations of audit. There will be difficult choices that will be made. It will still require leadership and statesmanship from both of the candidates. But tonight, Afghanistan saw a moment of what unity can mean. Tonight, Afghanistan saw two opposing candidates with passionate supporters bring their supporters together in the interests of country, in the interests of something bigger than each of them individually. We hope that the promise of the next weeks will deliver the authenticity and credibility that the people of Afghanistan deserve in the presentation of the next president of this country.
And so I thank President Karzai for his willingness to move the inauguration in response to the request of both candidates and the United Nations. I know he had been planning to leave on the 2nd of August, but he is willing to obviously stay the course because he is invested in this democracy, as are the people of the country. So I thank him for that. I am grateful for, again, the willingness to work with us and the great hospitality that we’ve had.
And because of that, if this works, if people will stay the course and everybody works together, the people of Afghanistan, for the first time in the history of the country, will have the peaceful transition at the ballot box of one president to another. That’s worth the fight, and I’m proud to be here with America standing behind Afghanistan, and President Obama could not be more pleased and more prepared to help complete this journey. Thank you.
MR. KUBIS: Your Excellency, President Karzai, may I start by applauding your strong and dedicated leadership and your exceptional commitment to the political transition – indeed, a first process of this kind in the modern history of Afghanistan. That is twice as important because it’s happening at the same time as the country’s undergoing another difficult transition, security transition. As the country is taking its fate fully in her hands, there are questions about its political transition. There are questions about commitment, Mr. President. You proved all those skeptics wrong.
Secretary Kerry, if I may say, Afghanistan is blessed that it has such a strong strategic partner as the United States, and Afghanistan is blessed to have such a committed personal friend in yourself. Whenever there is a need, you are here, and you deliver miracles, because what we witnessed today, it was not just a top-notch diplomatic achievement; it was close to a miracle. As the third point, I applaud the commitment of both presidential candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, for their commitment to the unity, prosperity, stability, and peace here in Afghanistan. They showed it strongly today in spite, again, of perhaps setbacks, disappointments, and nevertheless, as they showed today, they can walk together to the better – to a better future, hand in hand.
We as the UN, as always, will accompany Afghanistan on this way forward. Thank you for your attention.
Dear (inaudible) countrymen, the first round and second round of the election in Afghanistan has been held. Second round of the elections – voices of fraud have been heard, and in order to reach and address the issues and establish some sort of understanding between them has (inaudible) has started.
This effort’s been undertaken by the (inaudible) presidents as well as the commissions – election commissions, compliance commissions. After as well as (inaudible) the votes were counted, His Excellency Dr. Abdullah Abdullah announced that in order to address the problems of election, mainly fraud, ask the United Nations to intervene and find a possible solution.
I and my deputies, in order to speed up these efforts and in order to avoid any kind of misunderstanding, we accepted Dr. Abdullah Abdullah’s request. After that, we had a discussion with Mr. Jan Kubis, who was ready to intervene and find a solution. And following that, I talked to my brother Abdullah Abdullah on the phone, and he agreed.
After that, I talked to Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on the phone and asked him if he agrees to Dr. Abdullah’s request. He said whatever solution that can address this problem is welcomed by him, and he accepted our requests. As you are all aware that after two – election 2009, I always try to strengthen our Afghan national election institution, and it should – (inaudible) is to run under the leadership of the Afghans. Considering the current situation and to speed up the process, we accepted the intervention of United Nations. Mr. Jan Kubis started his efforts to address this.
His Excellency John Kerry, Secretary of State to the United States of America, has been in contact with candidates and he eventually traveled to Afghanistan so that he can find a possible solution along with the presidential candidates tonight. As you witnessed on – they had a press conference, both brothers – our candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai along with His Excellency John Kerry and Mr. Jan Kubis at the – they had some announcements which I welcome (inaudible) announcement and supporters’ announcements, and I hope that 100 percent audit of the votes will take place and start as soon as possible so that the nation of Afghanistan finally elect their next president.
We hope that the commissions – the commission IEC and – both commissions, the election commission and the compliance commission – will accept these suggestions and speed up the process in cooperation with United Nations and international observers. The people of Afghanistan all have been patient so far, and at the meantime, they all (inaudible) and they would like to hear soon about the result of the election and witness their next president of Afghanistan. And the work of the government’s been slowed down these days and their hope is that the audit that’s been announced today, that 100 percent audit will take place, will start as soon as possible, the best way possible, so that as soon as this process completed, the inauguration ceremony will take place for the next president of Afghanistan.
It was supposed to take place on August 2. We were prepared – all the preparation were made, but now I hope that the commissions will (inaudible) this and agree this – to this suggestion and finish and conclude this as soon as possible so that we can have the next president of Afghanistan – elect the next president of Afghanistan and the inauguration will take place.
Afghanistan president will be a strong president, the people of Afghanistan will take (inaudible). The Afghan people are committed and united and they stand on each other and this land, this soil is (inaudible) service of the Afghan people, and it’s been always protected. But we (inaudible) by the people of Afghanistan. It will continue. The Afghan people are committed for democracy and they believe, beside all the (inaudible), beside all the instabilities and (inaudible) and uncertainties, all the people were encouraged and convinced to participate and elect the next president of Afghanistan as well as provincial council. The Afghan people votes is to be respected. We will respect and honor their votes, and the next president will take over (inaudible).
I would like to stop now and hand it – allow His Excellency John Kerry and which – His Excellency (inaudible) to deliver (inaudible), a mission that keep its destiny, its own hand, well determined future.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Mr. President Karzai, thank you very, very much, sir. It is a pleasure to be with you again. And I want to thank you for your very generous hospitality, and again, I missed Iftar tonight because we were busy having conversations. But last night, you entertained us with great stories and a great sense of the unbelievable generosity of Afghanistan, and we’re very grateful to you.
I also am particularly grateful – I had a chance to speak a few minutes ago at the UN Headquarters with both of the candidates, Dr. Ghani and Dr. Abdullah. I think it is fair to say that both of them spoke with great eloquence about their vision for Afghanistan and about the choice that they are making to come together for the unity of the country. I want to thank President Karzai for his role in supporting this effort in these last days, and even before I came here, to make it clear that he knew that it was important that the democracy that is springing up here be given its opportunity to have full bloom. And that is something that he is deeply committed to, and in these next days, we will be able to achieve.
President Karzai and I have traveled an interesting journey in the last years. We’ve known each other on many different – in many different events and many different times, but none more so than in 2009 when I had the privilege of spending a fair amount of time with him talking about how to help grow this democracy. We took long walks here on the palace grounds, we spent meals together, we talked through a very difficult period. And I witnessed his political skill and his ability to be able to try to put the country first, ahead of any other interests. Again tonight, President Karzai is doing that, and he has done so in the last days by honoring the notion that the international community could play a constructive role, and by inviting us to be helpful in the effort to try to bring the candidates together in a thoughtful way.
This will be still a difficult road because there are important obligations of audit. There will be difficult choices that will be made. It will still require leadership and statesmanship from both of the candidates. But tonight, Afghanistan saw a moment of what unity can mean. Tonight, Afghanistan saw two opposing candidates with passionate supporters bring their supporters together in the interests of country, in the interests of something bigger than each of them individually. We hope that the promise of the next weeks will deliver the authenticity and credibility that the people of Afghanistan deserve in the presentation of the next president of this country.
And so I thank President Karzai for his willingness to move the inauguration in response to the request of both candidates and the United Nations. I know he had been planning to leave on the 2nd of August, but he is willing to obviously stay the course because he is invested in this democracy, as are the people of the country. So I thank him for that. I am grateful for, again, the willingness to work with us and the great hospitality that we’ve had.
And because of that, if this works, if people will stay the course and everybody works together, the people of Afghanistan, for the first time in the history of the country, will have the peaceful transition at the ballot box of one president to another. That’s worth the fight, and I’m proud to be here with America standing behind Afghanistan, and President Obama could not be more pleased and more prepared to help complete this journey. Thank you.
MR. KUBIS: Your Excellency, President Karzai, may I start by applauding your strong and dedicated leadership and your exceptional commitment to the political transition – indeed, a first process of this kind in the modern history of Afghanistan. That is twice as important because it’s happening at the same time as the country’s undergoing another difficult transition, security transition. As the country is taking its fate fully in her hands, there are questions about its political transition. There are questions about commitment, Mr. President. You proved all those skeptics wrong.
Secretary Kerry, if I may say, Afghanistan is blessed that it has such a strong strategic partner as the United States, and Afghanistan is blessed to have such a committed personal friend in yourself. Whenever there is a need, you are here, and you deliver miracles, because what we witnessed today, it was not just a top-notch diplomatic achievement; it was close to a miracle. As the third point, I applaud the commitment of both presidential candidates, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah and Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, for their commitment to the unity, prosperity, stability, and peace here in Afghanistan. They showed it strongly today in spite, again, of perhaps setbacks, disappointments, and nevertheless, as they showed today, they can walk together to the better – to a better future, hand in hand.
We as the UN, as always, will accompany Afghanistan on this way forward. Thank you for your attention.
MICHAEL FUCHS MAKES REMARKS AT SOUTH CHINA SEA CONFERENCE
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Fourth Annual South China Sea Conference
Remarks
Michael Fuchs
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014
Good morning. I’d like to thank Ernie Bower and CSIS for organizing this conference.
This is a timely conversation, and I understand that the discussions yesterday were informative and productive. It’s essential to have a wide range of perspectives as we look for creative solutions to the challenges we face in the South China Sea.
In that spirit, today I’ll offer some practical suggestions for how the U.S. and the parties in the region can move forward to reduce tensions and set relations on a better path.
But first I’d like to take a step back and address the regional context surrounding this issue and U.S. policy in the region. We are all familiar with the dynamism of the Asia-Pacific. The trade numbers, the demographics, the transnational challenges – the statistics and the trends are clear and compelling. And they lead us to the inevitable conclusion that what happens there is increasingly important not only to the United States, but also to the world.
That is why President Obama decided to rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. That is why we are continuing to modernize our alliances, invest in strengthening regional institutions, expand our trade and investment, deepen engagement with new and emerging regional partners, and why we continue to expand people-to-people ties and promote our values and universal human rights.
And yet, despite our enhanced engagement and long-standing ties to the region, some are questioning and criticizing our policy. These criticisms come in all shapes and sizes.
Some call alliances outdated. But these critics ignore the fact that U.S. alliances have served as the foundation for regional peace and security, providing the environment for countries to prosper and resulting in some of the world’s most remarkable growth stories, from China to South Korea to countries across Southeast Asia. Today, our efforts to modernize these alliances – including new agreements like the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the Philippines and the U.S.-Australia Force Posture Agreement – will benefit the entire region.
Some call us “outsiders” and tell us not to intervene in regional issues. But they ignore that for decades the United States has been a Pacific power, integral to regional peace and stability, and that our interests are directly affected by what happens across the Asia-Pacific. They ignore an increased demand for enhanced U.S. engagement and presence from allies and partners across the Asia-Pacific who want us more deeply involved in the region’s future.
And some say that our attention has been diverted by crises elsewhere. But the best demonstration of our how the rebalance continues to move forward despite competing priorities is that the United States – our people, our businesses, and our security presence – is woven into the fabric of the Asia-Pacific. As the numbers show – from trade to travel to student exchanges to the time and attention of our senior leaders and the placement of our resources – U.S. engagement in the region is increasing, and our efforts are bearing fruit. Of course, while the U.S. has been essential to peace and prosperity for decades, we can’t rest on our laurels. We must continue adapting to seize new opportunities and meet new challenges.
We are working to seize new opportunities through trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which we are looking to conclude soon, and the bilateral investment treaty negotiations with China, which we agreed to begin again last year. But while dynamic economic growth and trade deals bring prospects for jobs and growth in the U.S. and across the region, threats to progress remain. Growing provocative actions, increased military spending, strident nationalism, and rehashing of painful history make up a combustible mix that threatens the region’s stability and its future prosperity.
These challenges highlight the need to strengthen the transparent, rules-based order and institutions that have helped the region thrive for decades. Everyone has benefited from this order, and everyone can continue to benefit, if we work together.
That’s why the U.S. is investing in the institutions that bring the region together to advance common interests and strengthen norms of behavior. Open and inclusive multilateral forums are critical to upholding and enforcing international law and standards that help manage relations between countries and ensure a fair playing field for all.
The Association of Southeast Asian nations is a key partner that sits at the heart of the Asia-Pacific's architecture. Especially since joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2009, we have adopted an increasingly proactive role in working with and promoting ASEAN and related institutions, including by joining the East Asia Summit and holding annual summits with ASEAN.
We believe strongly that ASEAN and other regional institutions such as APEC are the key forums where countries can have frank and open discussions about the region’s most concerning challenges, come together to forge solutions, and build habits of cooperation. The tensions arising from competing territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea are a key test of the region’s institutions and their ability to uphold international law and resolve disputes peacefully.
The situation in the South China Sea, no doubt, is complex. Six claimants, plentiful fisheries and potential hydrocarbon reserves, the growing presence of maritime law enforcement vessels, and hundreds of geographic features make for a dynamic situation. Moreover, many of these features are submerged and therefore not subject to sovereignty claims but are nonetheless a source of friction in the region.
Now some may ask why, given the many areas of tension across this part of the world, small features in the middle of the sea are generating so much concern and so much attention. It’s because the way in which countries pursue their claims speaks to whether future disputes will be handled by the threat and use of force on the one hand or the rule of law on the other. It speaks to whether the same rules will apply to all claimants – big and small alike. And it’s because everyone inside and outside the region stands to lose if rules are devalued, dialogue breaks down, misreadings and misinterpretations multiply, and tensions spiral.
Recent events in particular are of great concern. Incidents involving the coercion and the threat of force contribute to an increasingly tenuous situation that could affect not only the claimants, but the entire region and beyond.
No claimant is solely responsible for the state of tensions. However, a pattern of provocative and unilateral behavior by China has raised serious concerns about China’s intentions and willingness to adhere to international law and standards.
Provocative actions include efforts to assert claims in the South China Sea – such as its restrictions on access to Scarborough Reef, pressure on the long-standing Philippine presence at Second Thomas Shoal, and, most recently, the commencement of drilling operations in disputed waters near the Paracel Islands.
While the United States does not take a position on the sovereignty over land features in the South China Sea, we have a strong interest in the manner in which countries address their disputes and whether countries’ maritime claims comport with the international law of the sea.
International law, not power or an ambiguous sense of historical entitlement, should be the basis for making and enforcing maritime claims in the South China Sea.
The ambiguity of some claims, such as China’s nine-dash line, and recent actions in disputed areas heighten regional tensions and inhibit the emergence of cooperative arrangements to jointly manage resources. They undermine possible resolutions to the overlapping disputes.
As a Pacific power with a clear national interest in how these disputes are addressed, the United States is working to lower tensions and help peacefully manage these disputes. First, we have communicated our growing concerns – from the President down – to the Chinese very clearly, both in public and in private – most recently in the Strategic Security Dialogue and the Strategic and Economic Dialogue that were held in Beijing earlier this week. U.S. concerns are also regularly expressed at the highest levels to other claimants, and we consistently encourage all claimants to clarify their claims and base their claims on land features in the manner set out under the international law of the sea, as reflected in the Law of the Sea Convention. Others have also raised their concerns, as evidenced by recent statements from ASEAN and the G-7.
Second, we are working with ASEAN and the international community to help put in place diplomatic and other structures to lower tensions and manage these disputes peacefully. We are reinforcing the importance of exercising restraint, lowering rhetoric, behaving safely and responsibly in the sky and at sea, and resolving the disputes in accordance with international law. This includes building habits of cooperation through mechanisms like the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum, where we are promoting concrete multilateral cooperation on everything from ensuring the safety of seafarers to working together to respond to oil spills.
Third, the administration has invested considerably in the capabilities of our partners in the maritime domain. For instance, last December Secretary Kerry announced an initial commitment of $32.5 million in new regional and bilateral assistance to advance maritime capacity building in Southeast Asia. Including this new funding, our planned region-wide support for maritime capacity building exceeds $156 million for the next two years.
Fourth, enhanced U.S. presence and posture in the Asia-Pacific as a result of the rebalance continues to help ensure regional stability and deter conflict.
And fifth, we continue to urge all parties to use diplomatic means, including arbitration or other dispute resolution mechanisms, to address these issues. This includes encouraging ASEAN and China to quickly complete a meaningful Code of Conduct. An effective Code of Conduct would help reduce tensions by creating crisis management tools to address contentious issues as they arise.
In the meantime, China and ASEAN already committed under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea to avoid activities that “would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability.”
However, based on the rhetoric we’ve seen from claimant states, there isn’t a consensus or definition of what kinds of activities complicate or escalate disputes.
Recent incidents highlight the need for claimants to be transparent about their respective activities in disputed areas and to reach a shared understanding on appropriate behavior in these areas. As such, we are urging China and ASEAN to have a real and substantive discussion to flesh out elements of the Declaration on Conduct that call for self-restraint.
We have called for claimant states to clarify and agree to voluntarily freeze certain actions and activities that escalate the disputes and cause instability, as described in the DoC. Such commitments would help to lower tensions and expand space for peaceful solutions to emerge. They would be a strong confidence-building measure as more difficult details are worked out in the Code of Conduct negotiations.
Deciding on what elements would be included in a freeze would ultimately be up to the claimants, but there are a number of different types of commitments that could be included in such an agreement and would be relatively easy for the claimants to agree to.
To start, claimants could recommit not to establish new outposts. This is already in the DoC and is an easy first step. More important, claimants could commit not to seize features that another claimant has occupied since before the November 2002 Declaration on Conduct was signed.
Construction and land reclamation by claimants have been another constant source of tension. Claimants could clarify what types of alterations are provocative and what are merely efforts to maintain a long-existing presence in accordance with the 2002 status quo. For example, alterations that fundamentally change the nature, size, or capabilities of the presence could fall under the “freeze,” whereas routine maintenance operations would be permissible. Finally, claimants could agree to refrain from unilateral enforcement measures against other claimants’ long-standing economic activities that have been taking place in disputed areas.
All of these measures that I have listed would more clearly define the type of activities already suggested by the DoC, to which the parties have already committed. And the agreement would not affect any party until all claimants had agreed to abide by its terms. Moreover, if adopted, the freeze would not be prejudicial to the resolution of competing claims. The freeze would simply halt efforts to reinforce claims, pending their resolution.
Exercising self-restraint via this type of voluntary freeze would create a conducive and positive environment for negotiations on a China-ASEAN Code of Conduct and dramatically lower the risk of a dangerous incident. This would benefit all concerned parties. We make this suggestion as an idea to spark serious discussions about ways to reduce tensions and address the disputes; the claimants themselves should get together to decide the parameters of a freeze.
To conclude, the United States is a Pacific power and plays a central role in ensuring regional peace and prosperity. And while we are not a claimant in the South China Sea, the actions of the claimants in the South China Sea are affecting everyone in the region and beyond, and therefore we all have roles to play in tackling this challenge.
I hope that the next month leading up to the ASEAN Regional Forum will see real progress on regional efforts to promote the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, and I have outlined some specific steps to that end. It’s high time for the region to have a robust discussion on tangible ways to de-escalate the current dispute, and hopefully some of these ideas can help begin that discussion.
Thank you and I’ll be happy to take a few of your questions.
GOLFING BUDDIES CHARGED BY SEC IN INSIDER TRADING CASE
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
In a complaint filed in federal court in Boston, the SEC alleges that Eric McPhail repeatedly provided non-public information about American Superconductor to six others, most fellow competitive amateur golfers. McPhail’s source was an American Superconductor executive who belonged to the same country club as McPhail and was a close friend. According to the complaint, from July 2009 through April 2011, the executive told McPhail about American Superconducter’s expected earnings, contracts, and other major pending corporate developments, trusting that McPhail would keep the information confidential.
Instead, McPhail, of Waltham, Massachusetts, misappropriated the inside information about the energy technology company and fed it to his friends, often via email. The insider-trading ring included a handful of golfing buddies, four of whom live in Massachusetts: Douglas A. Parigian of Lowell, John J. Gilmartin of Andover, Douglas Clapp of Walpole, and James A. “Andy” Drohen of Granville. The fifth, Drohen’s brother, John C. Drohen, is a resident of Cranston, Rhode Island. In addition to the group of golfers, McPhail tipped a sixth man, his longtime friend Jamie A. Meadows, of Springfield, Massachusetts. Each of the six traded and profited on the inside information McPhail supplied to them.
“Whether the tips are passed on the golf course, in a bar, or elsewhere, the SEC will continue to track down those who seek an unfair advantage trading stocks,” said Paul G. Levenson, director of the SEC’s Boston Regional Office. “Working with our partners in law enforcement, we are sending a message to all investors that insider trading does not pay.”
According to the SEC’s complaint, in April 2011, McPhail tipped Parigian and Meadows a few days before American Superconductor announced that it expected fourth-quarter and fiscal year-end results to be weaker due to a deteriorating relationship with its primary customer, China-based Sinovel Wind Group Co., Ltd. Parigian and Meadows used the information to place bets, through option contracts, that the company’s stock price would decline. When American Superconductor made the announcement, its stock price fell 42 percent and as a result of this one tip alone, Parigian made profits and avoided losses of $278,289, while Meadows made profits of $191,521.
McPhail tipped the various defendants on other occasions, funneling them inside information about American Superconductor’s quarterly earnings announcements in July and September 2009, and again in January 2010. He also alerted them in the fall of 2009 to a contract worth $100 million, and in November 2010 to a likely drop in American Superconductor’s share’s price, which occurred a few days later when AMSC announced a secondary stock offering.
The complaint charges that McPhail, Parigian, Gilmartin, Clapp, the Drohens, and Meadows violated federal antifraud laws and the SEC’s antifraud rule, and seeks to have them be enjoined, return their allegedly ill-gotten gains with interest, and pay financial penalties of up to three times their gains. Gilmartin, Clapp, and the Drohens agreed to settle the SEC’s charges, without admitting or denying the allegations, by consenting to the entry of judgments permanently enjoining them from violating the relevant securities laws. The judgments also order:
Gilmartin to return $23,713 in trading profits plus prejudgment interest of $4,034 and a civil penalty of $23,713, for a total of $51,460
Clapp to return $11,848 in trading profits plus prejudgment interest of $1,767 and a civil penalty of $11,848, for a total of $25,463
Andy Drohen to return $22,543 in trading profits plus prejudgment interest of $3,845 and a civil penalty of $22,543, for a total of $48,931
John Drohen to return $8,972 in trading profits plus prejudgment interest of $1,511 and a civil penalty of $8,972, for a total of $19,455
The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Asita Obeyesekere and Kevin Kelcourse of its Boston Regional Office and by Mike Foster of its Chicago Regional Office, who will lead the SEC’s litigation of this matter.
The SEC appreciates the cooperation and assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts and the Boston Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in this matter. The SEC also thanks the Options Regulatory Surveillance Authority and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority for their assistance.
DOJ, HHS ANNOUNCE FRAME CALL FOR TAKING A STAND AGAINST ELDER ABUSE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
DOJ and HHS call for action to address abuse of older Americans
Elder Justice Roadmap outlines critical path to combating problem
Research suggests that 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 60 has experienced elder abuse or neglect, and that people with dementia are at higher risk for abuse.
Supported by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Elder Justice Roadmap was developed by harnessing the expertise of hundreds of public and private stakeholders from across the country and by gathering their input. The goal of these expert summits was to identify the most critical priorities and concrete opportunities for greater public and private investment and engagement in elder abuse issues. The Elder Justice Roadmap, being published today, reflects the knowledge and perspectives of these experts in the field and will be considered by the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and others in developing their own strategic plans to prevent and combat elder abuse.
“The Roadmap Project is an important milestone for elder justice,” said Associate Attorney General Tony West. “Elder abuse is a problem that has gone on too long, but the Roadmap Report released today can change this trajectory by offering comprehensive and concrete action items for all of the stakeholders dedicated to combating the multi-faceted dimensions of elder abuse and financial exploitation,” he explained. “While we have taken some important steps in the right direction, we must do more to prevent elder abuse from occurring in the first place and face it head on when it occurs.”
“From now until 2030, every day, about 10,000 baby boomers will celebrate their 65th birthday. And the fastest-growing population is people 85 years old, or older,” says Kathy Greenlee, HHS’ assistant secretary for aging and administrator of the Administration for Community Living. “Stemming the tide of abuse will require individuals, neighbors, communities, and public and private entities to take a hard look at how each of us encounters elder abuse—and commit to combat it.”
To support the mission of elder abuse prevention and prosecution, DOJ has developed an interactive, online curriculum to teach legal aid and other civil attorneys to identify and respond to elder abuse. The first three modules of the training cover what lawyers should know about elder abuse; practical and ethical strategies to use when facing challenges in this area; and a primer on domestic violence and sexual assault. This training will expand to include six one-hour modules covering issues relevant to attorneys who may encounter elder abuse victims in the course of their practice.
HHS is supporting the mission by developing a voluntary national adult protective services (APS) data system. Collecting national data on adult mistreatment will help to identify and address many gaps about the number and characteristics of adults who are the victims of maltreatment and the nature of services that are provided by APS agencies to protect these vulnerable adults. In addition, the data will better inform the development of improved, more targeted policy and programmatic interventions.
In addition to informing federal elder justice efforts, the Roadmap has already inspired private stakeholders to take action. For example, as a result of the Roadmap, the Archstone Foundation has funded a project at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California to develop a national training initiative, while other funders, such as the Weinberg Foundation, have begun to consider inquiries and projects outlined in the Roadmap. Likewise, the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, The Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, and the New York City Elder Abuse Center will be co-sponsoring a symposium in September 2014 focusing on innovations and challenges related to elder abuse multidisciplinary teams, a priority area identified in the Roadmap.
“While federal and state governments certainly have critical roles to play, the battle against elder abuse can only be won with grassroots action at the community and individual level,” said Greenlee. “Turning the tide against elder abuse requires much greater public commitment, so every American will recognize elder abuse when they see it and know what to do if they encounter it.”
Two steps local communities, families, and individuals can take are:
Learn the signs of elder abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse, a program of the Administration on Aging at ACL, has developed a helpful Red Flags of Abuse Factsheet (PDF) that lists the signs of and risk factors for abuse and neglect.
Report suspected abuse when you see it. Contact your local adult protective services agency. Phone numbers for state or local offices can be found at the National Center for Elder Abuse website, or call 1-800-677-1116.
“We must take a stand to ensure that older Americans are safe from harm and neglect. For their contributions to our nation, to our society, and to our lives, we owe them nothing less,” said Associate Attorney General West.
SUPERCOMPUTER USED FOR MATERIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Helping ideas gel
Cornell University researchers are using the Stampede supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to help explain a nanoscale mystery: How can a colloidal gel--a smart material with promise in biomedicine--maintain its stability?
Colloidal gels are comprised of microscopic particles suspended in a solvent. They form networks of chained-together particles that support their own weight under gravity. For this reason, the soft solids form an emerging class of smart materials such as injectable pharmaceuticals and artificial tissue scaffolds. However, they are also beset by stability problems.
Using Stampede, researchers conducted the largest and longest simulation of a colloidal gel ever recorded. Their simulations helped answer several questions, including: What are the concentration and structure of the network strands? How does the gel restructure itself over time? And how does its structure affect a gel's mechanical properties?
"We have been absolutely happy with our entire experience on Stampede," said Roseanna N. Zia, an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell. "The support of the review panel in granting such a large series of requests was just fantastic. In addition, the help desk has been consistently outstanding, and our XSEDE [Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment] Campus Champion was a huge help in getting started. There is no way this study could have taken place without XSEDE's computational support."
XSEDE is the most advanced and robust collection of integrated advanced digital resources and services in the world. Thousands of scientists use XSEDE each year to interactively share computing resources, data and expertise. The five-year, $121-million project is supported by the National Science Foundation.
Zia presented the results on her colloidal gel research at the Society of Rheology annual meeting in October 2013. Her work was featured on the cover of the January 2014 Rheology Bulletin, and she was asked to contribute to an invitation-only special issue of the Journal of Rheology in 2014.
-- Aaron Dubrow, NSF
Investigators
Roseanna Zia
Daniel Stanzione
GETTING INTO THE GUTS OF BEES
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Bees from the inside out
Researchers work to save bees by studying the diversity of microbes that live in their guts and the impacts on these microbes of exposure to antibiotics
It is 1,825 miles from New Haven, Conn., to Austin, Tex., which typically means 30 hours of driving and three nights in motels, not an easy trip for anyone. But for researchers moving from Yale University to a new lab at the University of Texas last August, it proved especially challenging. They made the journey in a minivan with a pet cat and 100,000 bees.
"That was probably the most heroic event in our beekeeping saga to date," says evolutionary biologist Nancy Moran, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who studies symbiosis, particularly among multi-cellular hosts and microbes. "We didn't want to be without bees upon arrival in Texas, and it wasn't a good time of year to start new colonies."
The bees--chauffeured by graduate student Waldan Kwong and postdoctoral fellow Gordon Bennett--traveled in boxes nailed shut, with duct tape over the cracks between the boxes, so they couldn't fly around in the minivan, and wire mesh over the front, so they could cool themselves, but not escape. They also received wet sponges at regular intervals to keep them hydrated.
"They [Kwong and Bennett] just turned up the air conditioning all the way, and wore sweaters," Moran says. "Bees are less excitable when it's cooler. At night, they waited to park the minivan until after dark, and then opened the windows so the bees didn't overheat in the closed space. It seemed unlikely that anyone would try to steal something from a van full of bees."
The bees arrived in Austin with no problems, and now live on top of a building on campus, "where their main forage might be drops of soda on discarded cans around campus," says Moran, who for many years studied the maternally transmitted symbionts of aphids and other sap-feeding insects, but has expanded in recent years to bees. Symbionts are organisms that co-exist and depend on each other for survival.
"I've worked for many years on genomic evolution in bacteria, but also love insects and insect biology," she says. "So this is a system that has both."
Understanding the gut microbes in bees
Today, the broad aim of her research is to understand the diversity and function of the gut microbiota in honeybees and bumblebees, emphasizing genomic approaches, not unlike the current research interest in the human microbiome.
"It has a number of parallels with the gut microbiota of humans and other mammals, because it is a long co-evolved and specialized bacterial community, and because it impacts the health of the hosts," she says.
The gut microbiota is another dimension of animal biodiversity, particularly when the animals have distinctive and co-evolved bacterial species in their guts, Moran says.
"In insects, this doesn't always appear to be true--many seem to have a selected set of bacteria taken up from the environment, and the bacteria can live in a range of habitats outside the gut," she says. "But in honeybees and bumblebees, the gut is dominated by a small number of tightly related groups.
"Why? The primary reason seems to be that sociality--social interactions--gives a route for dependable transmission between individuals. Interactions within the bee colonies are the basis for transfer of the symbionts to newly emerged adult bees. This is where the system parallels that of humans and other mammals, all of which are social at least to the extent of having extended maternal care. Gut symbionts of mammals are specialized and transmitted via these social interactions."
Microbial gut symbionts are essential for the life of most animal species, but their diversity and functions in hosts and their responses to ecological disturbance are poorly understood, she says. Apis mellifera, the honeybee, has a distinctive set of about eight symbiotic bacterial species, some of which occur in other Apis species and in the related genus Bombus--bumblebees.
Bees, of course, are critically important ecologically and economically, particularly in agriculture, where honeybees pollinate an estimated $15 billion worth of agricultural products in the United States, including more than 130 fruits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In recent years, however, there has been increasing concern over rampant bee colony losses, dubbed "Colony Collapse Disorder," and the overall health of bees in general. [Colony Collapse Disorder ]
While Moran and her colleagues are primarily trying to gain a basic understanding of biodiversity and function in the bee gut microbial community system, "some bumblebees are becoming rare and have shrunken ranges. Are we also losing diversity of their gut microbiota, and will this be a factor in trying to conserve these species?" she asks. "Are problems with gut microbiota part of the problem of honeybee health, or could microbiota be preserved in a way that helps bees thrive?
"A big part of the problem with bee health is undoubtedly the decreasing availability of diverse floral resources, and possibly nesting sites in the case of bumblebees," she adds. "But exposure to toxins and to diseases also play a part, based on numerous studies. Gut microbes very plausibly play a role in host resistance to these things, and also in improving nutrition. So we hope that we find something useful for bees."
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding her work with $2,006,416 over five years, awarded in 2010.
Antibiotic resistance
Moran's research has revealed that bacteria in the guts of honeybees are highly resistant to the preventive antibiotic tetracycline--probably the result of decades of exposure to it because of its use by beekeepers to prevent bacterial diseases. Moran's team identified eight different tetracycline resistance genes among U.S. honeybees that were exposed to the antibiotic, but the genes were largely absent in bees from countries where such antibiotic use is banned.
"In the bee system, even though transmission is mostly within colonies, the symbionts are much more likely to undergo horizontal transmission," she says, meaning transmission among members of the same species that are not parent and child. "This has massive consequences for patterns of genome evolution in the symbionts. Because they are undergoing recombination, and have larger genetic population sizes, they retain normal genome sizes, and have far more dynamic genomes.
"The antibiotic resistance study was an early hint about the dynamic nature of these genomes," she adds. "It turns out that in the United States, antibiotics have been used widely in beekeeping since the 1950s, mostly tetracycline. And the gut microbiota of U.S. honeybees is a treasure trove of tetracycline resistance genes that have been horizontally transferred from other bacteria. Now we are finding that strains of the bee gut microbiota show a large set of 'accessory' genes and functions. A given strain can have hundreds of genes that are not present in another strain of the same species, and that affect functions such as sugar metabolism, or ability to break down components of pollen cell walls."
Until recently, none of these bacterial species had been cultured in the lab, "but now all of them can be," she says, crediting the work of Kwong, and Philipp Engel, a postdoctoral fellow now in Switzerland.
"In fact, we have given official names to the bacterial species that are our main focus: Snodgrassella alvi, Gilliamella apical, and Frischella perrara," named after three biologists who made major contributions in honeybee biology, Robert Snodgrass, Martha Gilliam and Karl von Frisch.
"These three live together in one part of the honeybee ileum (part of the digestive tract), and two of them also live in bumblebees," she says. "But we are finding that there are diverse strains within each species, and that different bee species and different colonies within a species seem to have different strains of symbionts."
Another postdoctoral fellow in her lab, Hauke Koch, was the first to find that gut symbionts of bumblebees protect against protozoan parasites, "so we are trying to see if the same is true in honeybees, and also to extend the findings in bumblebees," she says.
She and her collaborators also conducted a survey of gut symbionts in three bumblebee species to determine whether environmental factors--especially agricultural management or geographic location--affected symbiont communities.
"And it turns out that different bumblebee species all have some of the same symbionts, particularlySnodgrassella and Gilliamella, but one bumble bee species seemed to sometimes miss being inoculated," she says. "The 'right' symbionts are simply absent from some individuals. This is very different from honeybees, where every worker bee has the main symbionts, and we think it might relate to their different life cycles and social lives."
This work provides a baseline for understanding how the gut microbiota of honeybees and bumblebees varies among colonies, and how this variation might affect colony health.
"By establishing methods for culturing and type strains that can be studied by different laboratories, we can start to untangle the mechanistic basis for colonizing hosts," she says. "And we can start to understand how the normal microbiota interacts with disease agents that infect bees."
The temperament of bees
When it's time to start new colonies, Moran's lab orders bees from different places around the country, but favors northern California bees because of their "very sweet personalities," meaning they stay calm when the hive is opened, and don't line up in an aggressive manner, preparing to attack, she says. "One can approach the hives without alarming them," she says. "Feisty bees are touchy and prone to attack when someone just gets close to the hive. We had some Texas bees, but they were a bit feisty, perhaps they did not like being plopped down in New England," before she moved to Austin.
Lab technician Kim Hammond cares for the bees and has developed into a master beekeeper, Moran says. "In fact, maybe she's too good –we can't recover the disease organisms that most beekeepers complain about, even when we would like to sample them in our colonies. She keeps the bee colonies very healthy, and we sometimes cannot detect pathogens that are generally common.
"The main ones are Nosema species, which are eukaryotic pathogens related to fungi, and RNA viruses, such as `Deformed Wing Virus,"' she adds. "In some of our experiments we want to infect bees with pathogens, to see if the microbiota protects against pathogens. In those cases we have to go to other beekeepers to try and find the disease organisms."
New to bee research and wanting to learn the basics of beekeeping, Moran actually kept several colonies in her own yard for several years.
"But I have to admit I am afraid of stings," she says. "Yes I did get stung a few times. In working directly with the colonies, it is usual to occasionally be stung. Of course we wear bee suits. In the lab, we mostly work with young worker bees, which do not sting much, plus we have them contained. If a student researcher is worried about stings, we just have them work on aspects that have no risk. But we do keep an epinephrine kit around for possible cases of a sting of someone allergic who might not realize the risk. So far we haven't had anything at all serious."
And, of course, there is at least one sweet fringe benefit of the research. "We get honey, which is very helpful as gifts to make people worry less about being stung," she says.
Editor's Note: This Behind the Scenes article was first provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
-- Marlene Cimons
Investigators
Nancy Moran
Related Institutions/Organizations
University of Texas at Austin
Saturday, July 12, 2014
U.S. CONGRATULATES CITIZENS OF MONTENEGRO ON THEIR STATEHOOD DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Montenegro's Statehood Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 12, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the citizens of Montenegro as you celebrate your Statehood Day.
The United States deeply appreciates Montenegro’s commitment to advance global peace and security, including through the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
The United States also applauds Montenegro’s accelerating progress towards membership in NATO and the European Union. This is an honor that reflects your growing stature on the global stage. We will continue to support Montenegro’s efforts to meet the requirements for full Euro-Atlantic integration, including strengthening of democratic institutions, media freedom, the rule of law, and the rights of minorities.
Congratulations on this special day and best wishes for continued peace and prosperity in the years to come.
The United States deeply appreciates Montenegro’s commitment to advance global peace and security, including through the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.
The United States also applauds Montenegro’s accelerating progress towards membership in NATO and the European Union. This is an honor that reflects your growing stature on the global stage. We will continue to support Montenegro’s efforts to meet the requirements for full Euro-Atlantic integration, including strengthening of democratic institutions, media freedom, the rule of law, and the rights of minorities.
Congratulations on this special day and best wishes for continued peace and prosperity in the years to come.
PAYDAY LOAN BROKER SCHEMERS SETTLE FTC CHARGES
FROM: U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Phony Payday Loan Brokers Settle FTC Charges
Defendants Will Be Banned From Credit-Related Businesses and Surrender Rolls Royce, Ferrari, and Other Assets
The operators of a Tampa, Florida-based payday loan broker scheme have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they falsely promised to help consumers get loans, but instead used consumers’ personal financial data to take money from their bank accounts without their consent.
Claiming to be affiliated with a network of 120 potential payday lenders, defendants Sean C. Mulrooney and Odafe Stephen Ogaga, and five companies they controlled, misrepresented that 80 percent of all applicants got loans within an hour, according to the FTC’s complaint. In reality, the defendants did not lend money to consumers, and there is no evidence that they helped anyone in obtaining a loan.
According to the complaint, the defendants used consumers’ personal financial information it had collected through its websites to withdraw $30 from the bank accounts of tens of thousands of consumers, without authorization and without providing anything of value in return.
“These defendants deceived consumers to get their sensitive financial data and used it to take their money,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC will continue putting a stop to these kinds of illegal practices.”
The proposed settlement bans the defendants from:
marketing or providing any credit-related products or services, including loans, prepaid credit cards, debt-relief services, and credit repair services;
collecting, selling, or buying consumers’ personal and financial information, except in order to process a specifically authorized transaction; and
processing transactions using remotely created checks or remotely created payment orders.
The settlement imposes a $6.2 million judgment, which is equal to the defendants’ ill-gotten gains. The settlement requires Ogaga to surrender nearly all his assets: $50,000 in cash, and proceeds from the sale of his 2011 Rolls Royce Ghost, 2007 Lexus LS460, and 2006 Ferrari. Once he surrenders these assets, the remainder of the judgment against Ogaga will be suspended. The judgment against Mulrooney is entirely suspended, due to his inability to pay.
Also under the settlement, the defendants are prohibited from misrepresenting the terms and conditions of any service or product they market, and from charging consumers for anything without their consent. The settlement also requires the defendants to dispose of customer information that they have already collected and not to use, disclose, or benefit from, and it.
For more consumer information on this topic, see Online Payday Loans.
In addition to Mulrooney and Ogaga, the complaint named Caprice Marketing LLC; NuVue Partners LLC; Capital Advance LLC; Loan Assistance Company LLC; and ILife Funding, LLC, formerly known as Guaranteed Funding Partners LLC.
The Commission vote approving the proposed stipulated final order was 5-0. The FTC filed the order in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the court entered it on July 1, 2014.
U.S. SENDS BEST WISHES TO PEOPLE OF FRANCE ON BASTILLE DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
On the Occasion of France's National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I send best wishes to the people of France as you celebrate Bastille Day on July 14.
2014 is a significant year for French – American relations. We commemorate not just the 225thanniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, but the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the liberation of France, three dates that mark the enduring and personal bonds between our two countries. This is a special time to reflect on the strength of our alliance, which dates back to the founding of our republic, and on the unique way in which France and the United States have stood shoulder to shoulder in moments of greatest challenge not only to our nations but to the bedrock values we share.
I was privileged to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy, and to visit St. Briac-sur-Mer, where my grandfather rebuilt our family home out of the rubble of World War II. I was reminded that, as the Allies freed Normandy, young French men picked up guns and marched shoulder to shoulder with American GIs. French women wove American flags to hang from window sills and placed flowers on the bodies of fallen soldiers. And at my family home, the people of St. Briac returned to my family priceless keepsakes salvaged from Nazi plunder and peril.
The bond our two nations share was made strong by the same dream of uncompromising liberty. Our shared commitment to a more just, more free world is the lifeblood of the French-American alliance still today as we work to promote peace and security, battle extremism, and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Our extensive bilateral trade and investment make us natural economic and commercial partners. And together we continue to champion the cause of human freedom and to stand as beacons of liberty and equality to the world, as we have for more than two centuries.
2014 is a significant year for French – American relations. We commemorate not just the 225thanniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I, but the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and the liberation of France, three dates that mark the enduring and personal bonds between our two countries. This is a special time to reflect on the strength of our alliance, which dates back to the founding of our republic, and on the unique way in which France and the United States have stood shoulder to shoulder in moments of greatest challenge not only to our nations but to the bedrock values we share.
I was privileged to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day at Normandy, and to visit St. Briac-sur-Mer, where my grandfather rebuilt our family home out of the rubble of World War II. I was reminded that, as the Allies freed Normandy, young French men picked up guns and marched shoulder to shoulder with American GIs. French women wove American flags to hang from window sills and placed flowers on the bodies of fallen soldiers. And at my family home, the people of St. Briac returned to my family priceless keepsakes salvaged from Nazi plunder and peril.
The bond our two nations share was made strong by the same dream of uncompromising liberty. Our shared commitment to a more just, more free world is the lifeblood of the French-American alliance still today as we work to promote peace and security, battle extremism, and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Our extensive bilateral trade and investment make us natural economic and commercial partners. And together we continue to champion the cause of human freedom and to stand as beacons of liberty and equality to the world, as we have for more than two centuries.
U.S. SENDS BEST WISHES TO PEOPLE OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE ON THEIR NATIONAL DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Sao Tome and Principe National Day
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I send my best wishes to the people of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe on the 38th anniversary of their nation’s independence on July 12.
The United States commends Sao Tome and Principe’s commitment to democratic values and fundamental freedoms, as well as your emergence as an advocate for environmental and security issues in Africa. We are fortunate to have such a valuable partner in the Gulf of Guinea, a region important for both our ocean’s security and energy development.
The United States wishes the people of Sao Tome and Principe a year of prosperity and progress. We look forward to strengthening our mutually beneficial partnership in years to come.
The United States commends Sao Tome and Principe’s commitment to democratic values and fundamental freedoms, as well as your emergence as an advocate for environmental and security issues in Africa. We are fortunate to have such a valuable partner in the Gulf of Guinea, a region important for both our ocean’s security and energy development.
The United States wishes the people of Sao Tome and Principe a year of prosperity and progress. We look forward to strengthening our mutually beneficial partnership in years to come.
DOJ UPDATE ON GAMEOVER ZEUS AND CRYPTOLOCKER DISRUPTION
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Friday, July 11, 2014
Department of Justice Provides Update on Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker Disruption
The Justice Department today filed a status report with the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania updating the court on the progress in disrupting the Gameover Zeus botnet and the malicious software known as Cryptolocker. The disruption began in late May, when the Justice Department implemented a series of Court-authorized measures to neutralize Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker - two of the most sophisticated and destructive forms of malicious software in existence.
In the status report, the Justice Department informed the Court that the technical and legal measures undertaken to disrupt Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker have proven successful, and that significant progress has been made in remediating computers infected with Gameover Zeus.
The Justice Department reported that all or nearly all of the active computers infected with Gameover Zeus have been liberated from the criminals’ control and are now communicating exclusively with the substitute server established pursuant to court order. The Justice Department also reported that traffic data from the substitute server shows that remediation efforts by internet service providers and victims have reduced the number of computers infected with Gameover Zeus by 31 percent since the disruption commenced.
The Justice Department also reported that Cryptolocker has been neutralized by the disruption and cannot communicate with the infrastructure used to control the malicious software. As a result, Cryptolocker is effectively non-functional and unable to encrypt newly infected computers.
Computer users who believe they may be infected with Gameover Zeus are encouraged to visit the Department of Homeland Security’s dedicated Gameover Zeus webpage, which is located at www.us-cert.gov/gameoverzeus . Among other resources, the webpage includes links to tools from trusted vendors that can detect and remove the Gameover Zeus infection.
SECRETARY KERRY'S COMMENTS ON WORLD POPULATION DAY
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
World Population Day
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I join the world in marking World Population Day on July 11, and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
As a senator, I was part of the U.S. delegation that participated in the ICPD 20 years ago. I was honored to join the global community in Cairo where we set far-reaching goals linking global health, human rights, and development.
These goals are as relevant now as they were then. They form the foundation for our work to promote reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women and young people. We have made tremendous progress over the past 20 years, especially in education and reducing maternal and child mortality.
I’ve seen some of this progress during my travels. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I met young girls returned to health after difficult pregnancies with the help of local health workers. And in Afghanistan, I listened to women tell me about their experiences at school and starting businesses, both unimaginable only a few years before.
But progress has not been even. Many of the most vulnerable people have been left behind, including many of our young people.
World Population Day’s theme this year is “investing in youth.” All around the globe, young people face enormous challenges. A half a billion young people subsist on less than two dollars a day, carving out lives in urban slums and rural fields. More than two million adolescents live with the scourge of HIV/AIDS, many without access to lifesaving treatment. The practices of early and forced marriage persist, despite near-universal commitment to eliminate them. One out of every three girls in developing countries will be married before reaching 18 and more than 15 million girls will give birth each year, robbing them of a chance to finish school and pursue their dreams.
These young people will set the course of global health and population growth for many years to come. That’s why we must work together to remove barriers to health services, education, and employment. Only then can they realize their full potential and help drive social and economic development.
The United States remains committed to working with the international community to build on the progress we have made. Young people represent our hope for a brighter future. Empowering them will create a better world for us all.
As a senator, I was part of the U.S. delegation that participated in the ICPD 20 years ago. I was honored to join the global community in Cairo where we set far-reaching goals linking global health, human rights, and development.
These goals are as relevant now as they were then. They form the foundation for our work to promote reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and the empowerment of women and young people. We have made tremendous progress over the past 20 years, especially in education and reducing maternal and child mortality.
I’ve seen some of this progress during my travels. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I met young girls returned to health after difficult pregnancies with the help of local health workers. And in Afghanistan, I listened to women tell me about their experiences at school and starting businesses, both unimaginable only a few years before.
But progress has not been even. Many of the most vulnerable people have been left behind, including many of our young people.
World Population Day’s theme this year is “investing in youth.” All around the globe, young people face enormous challenges. A half a billion young people subsist on less than two dollars a day, carving out lives in urban slums and rural fields. More than two million adolescents live with the scourge of HIV/AIDS, many without access to lifesaving treatment. The practices of early and forced marriage persist, despite near-universal commitment to eliminate them. One out of every three girls in developing countries will be married before reaching 18 and more than 15 million girls will give birth each year, robbing them of a chance to finish school and pursue their dreams.
These young people will set the course of global health and population growth for many years to come. That’s why we must work together to remove barriers to health services, education, and employment. Only then can they realize their full potential and help drive social and economic development.
The United States remains committed to working with the international community to build on the progress we have made. Young people represent our hope for a brighter future. Empowering them will create a better world for us all.
SECRETARY KERRY'S STATEMENT ON ANNIVERSARY OF SREBRENICA GENOCIDE
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
19th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 11, 2014
This day is about more than keeping alive the memory of the 8,000 men and boys who were savagely murdered in Srebrenica on July 11, 1995. It is about recommitting ourselves to a cause of conscience and conviction – and to say loudly and clearly, “no more, never again.”
As a Senator, I remember watching with horror as news reports poured in describing cycle after cycle of tragic, bloody violence. I was on the Senate floor days later demanding that we not abandon the Bosnians in the wake of this tragedy. As someone who has seen the brutality of war firsthand, the lesson of Srebrenica cut especially deep: The western world could not help write the war-torn nation’s epitaph -- we needed to help it survive.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is over, but our cause for action now is the same: All of us have a responsibility to bear witness to atrocity. Working with the global community, the United States will steadfastly oppose policies of hate and discrimination anywhere and everywhere they rear their heads. We will work for the day when such policies never again lead to the bloodshed and human misery that shocked the conscience of the world in Srebrenica.
The United States is committed to ensuring justice for those who died. With each passing year, we are inspired by the family members of the victims as they find the courage to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild their communities.
Today of all days, we honor the victims. We draw strength from their courage, and we remember the responsibility that we all share to work for tolerance, peace, and understanding this day and every day the world over.
As a Senator, I remember watching with horror as news reports poured in describing cycle after cycle of tragic, bloody violence. I was on the Senate floor days later demanding that we not abandon the Bosnians in the wake of this tragedy. As someone who has seen the brutality of war firsthand, the lesson of Srebrenica cut especially deep: The western world could not help write the war-torn nation’s epitaph -- we needed to help it survive.
The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is over, but our cause for action now is the same: All of us have a responsibility to bear witness to atrocity. Working with the global community, the United States will steadfastly oppose policies of hate and discrimination anywhere and everywhere they rear their heads. We will work for the day when such policies never again lead to the bloodshed and human misery that shocked the conscience of the world in Srebrenica.
The United States is committed to ensuring justice for those who died. With each passing year, we are inspired by the family members of the victims as they find the courage to heal the wounds of the past and rebuild their communities.
Today of all days, we honor the victims. We draw strength from their courage, and we remember the responsibility that we all share to work for tolerance, peace, and understanding this day and every day the world over.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)