U.S. ED. DEPT. INVITES DISTRICTS TO APPLY FOR $400 MILLION "RACE TO THE TOP" MONEY

Photo:  Sec. Of Education  Arne Duncan.  From:  Dept. Of Education.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Education Department Invites Districts to Apply for $400 Million Race to the Top Competition to Support Classroom-Level Reform Efforts

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that it has finalized the application for the 2012 Race to the Top-District competition, which will provide nearly $400 million to support school districts in implementing local reforms that will personalize learning, close achievement gaps and take full advantage of 21st century tools that prepare each student for college and their careers. The program sets a high bar to fund those districts that have a track record of success, clear vision for reform, and innovative plans to transform the learning environment and accelerate student achievement.

"Race to the Top helped bring about groundbreaking education reforms in states across the country. Building off that success, we're now going to help support reform at the local level with the new district competition," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We want to help schools become engines of innovation through personalized learning so that every child in America can receive the world-class public education they deserve. The Race to the Top-District competition will help us meet that goal."

Race to the Top, launched in 2009, has inspired dramatic education reform nationwide, leading 45 states and the District of Columbia to pursue higher college- and career-ready standards, data-driven decision making, greater support for teachers and leaders, and turnaround interventions in low performing schools. The next phase proposes to build on those principles at the classroom level to support bold, locally directed improvements in learning and teaching that will directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness.

The Race to the Top-District competition invites applicants to demonstrate how they can personalize education for all students and is aimed squarely at classrooms and the all-important relationship between teachers and students. The competition will encourage transformative change within schools, providing school leaders and teachers with key tools and support in order to best meet their students’ needs.

The Department received about 475 public comments on the draft notice it shared in May. The 2012 final program criteria invites applications from districts or groups of districts proposing to serve at least 2,000 students with 40 percent or more qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Districts will choose to apply for funding to support learning strategies that personalize education in all or a set of schools, within specific grade levels, or select subjects. In addition, a districts must demonstrate a commitment to Race to the Top’s four core reform areas and have signoff on their plan from the district superintendent or CEO, local school board president, and local teacher union or association president (where applicable) in order to be eligible.

Applicants from all districts are invited to apply. The Department plans to support high-quality proposals from applicants across a variety of districts, including rural and non-rural as well as those already participating in a Race to the Top state grant and districts not participating. These 4-year awards will range from $5 million to $40 million, depending on the population of students served through the plan. The Department is expecting to make 15-25 awards.

Grantees will be selected based on their vision and capacity for reform as well as a strong plan that provides educators with resources to accelerate student achievement and prepare students for college and their careers. Plans will focus on transforming the learning environment so that it meets all students’ learning abilities, making equity and access to high-quality education a priority. Teachers will receive real-time feedback that helps them adapt to their students’ needs, allowing them to create opportunities for students to pursue areas of personal academic interest – while ensuring that each student is ready for college and their career.

The program also offers competitive preference to applicants that form partnerships with public and private organizations to sustain their work and offer services that help meet students’ academic, social, and emotional needs, as well as enhance their ability to succeed.

SEC CHARGES BIG BANK FOR SELLING MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES WHILE UNINFORMED

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2012 – The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Wells Fargo’s brokerage firm and a former vice president for selling investments tied to mortgage-backed securities without fully understanding their complexity or disclosing the risks to investors.

The SEC found that Wells Fargo improperly sold asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP) structured with high-risk mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) to municipalities, non-profit institutions, and other customers. Wells Fargo did not obtain sufficient information about these investment vehicles and relied almost exclusively upon their credit ratings. The firm’s representatives failed to understand the true nature, risks, and volatility behind these products before recommending them to investors with generally conservative investment objectives.

Wells Fargo agreed to pay more than $6.5 million to settle the SEC’s charges. The money will be placed into a Fair Fund for the benefit of harmed investors.

"Broker-dealers must do their homework before recommending complex investments to their customers," said Elaine C. Greenberg, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit. "Municipalities and other non-profit institutions were harmed because Wells Fargo abdicated its fundamental responsibility as a broker to have a reasonable basis for its investment recommendations to customers."

According to the SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings against Minneapolis-based Wells Fargo Brokerage Services (now Wells Fargo Securities), the improper sales occurred from January 2007 to August 2007. Registered representatives in Wells Fargo’s Institutional Brokerage and Sales Division made recommendations to institutional customers to purchase ABCP issued by limited purpose companies called structured investment vehicles (SIVs) and SIV-Lites backed largely by mortgage-backed securities and CDOs. Wells Fargo and its registered representatives did not review the private placement memoranda (PPMs) for the investments and the extensive risk disclosures in those documents. Instead, they relied almost exclusively on the credit ratings of these products despite various warnings against such over-reliance in the PPM and elsewhere. Wells Fargo also failed to establish any procedures to ensure that its personnel adequately reviewed and understood the nature and risks of these commercial paper programs.

The SEC’s order finds that Wells Fargo and its registered representatives failed to have a reasonable basis for their recommendations. They also failed to disclose to their customers the risks associated with the complex SIV-issued ABCP investments, including the nature and volatility of the underlying assets. A number of customers purchased SIV-issued ABCP as a result of Wells Fargo’s recommendations, and many of them ultimately suffered substantial losses after three SIV-issued ABCP programs defaulted in 2007.

The SEC charged former vice president Shawn McMurtry for his improper sale of SIV issued ABCP. McMurtry exercised discretionary authority in violation of Wells Fargo’s internal policy and selected the particular issuer of ABCP for one longstanding municipal customer. McMurtry did not obtain sufficient information about the investment and relied almost entirely upon its credit rating.

Wells Fargo and McMurtry were, at a minimum, negligent in recommending the relevant ABCP programs without obtaining adequate information about them to form a reasonable basis for recommending these products and without disclosing the material risks of these products. As a result, they violated Sections 17(a)(2) and 17(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933.

The SEC’s order finds that Wells Fargo has taken a number of remedial measures since 2007 to ensure that its registered representatives have adequate information about the nature and risk of the securities they recommend to customers, and that relevant information about those securities will be fully disclosed to customers.

Wells Fargo and McMurtry consented to the SEC’s order without admitting or denying the findings. Wells Fargo agreed to pay a $6.5 million penalty, $65,000 in disgorgement, and $16,571.96 in prejudgment interest. McMurtry agreed to be suspended from the securities industry for six months and pay a $25,000 penalty.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Peter K.M. Chan, Rebecca Goldman, and Sally Hewitt of the Enforcement Division’s Municipal Securities and Public Pensions Unit and the Chicago Regional Office with assistance by Steven C. Seeger of the Chicago office’s trial unit, and Daniel R. Gregus, George Jacobus, and Christopher L. Caprio of the Chicago office’s broker-dealer examinations group.

The SEC has filed more than 50 enforcement actions related to the financial crisis, charging 33 entities and 79 individuals for monetary sanctions totaling more than $2.1 billion. Summaries of the cases are available at: http://www.sec.gov/spotlight/enf-actions-fc.shtml

PATIENT BROKER GOES TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN $200 MILLION MEDICARE FRAUD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, August 13, 2012
Miami-Area Patient Broker Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison for Role in $200 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

WASHINGTON – A Miami-area patient broker was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for recruiting Medicare beneficiaries as part of a $200 million Medicare fraud scheme, the Department of Justice, FBI and Department of Health and Human Services announced.

Jean-Luc Veraguas, 51, of Plantation, Fla., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Frederico A. Moreno in the Southern District of Florida. In addition to his prison term, Veraguas was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution, jointly and severally with other co-conspirators.

On May 30, 2012, Veraguas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Veraguas admitted to serving as a patient broker for American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC) and other health care agencies. ATC operated purported partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) in seven different locations throughout South Florida and Orlando. A PHP is a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness.

According to court documents, Veraguas recruited patients to attend ATC’s PHP program, among others, in exchange for illegal kickbacks. Veraguas admitted that based on his recruiting efforts, he caused $3.8 million in fraudulent bills to Medicare. Veraguas admitted he knew many of the individuals he recruited did not need the treatment they purported to have received.

According to court filings, ATC’s owners and operators paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to owners and operators of assisted living facilities and halfway houses and to patient brokers in exchange for delivering ineligible patients to ATC. According to court filings, co-conspirators fabricated documents in patient files to hide the fact that the patients did not, in the first instance, qualify for treatment and did not ultimately receive the treatment for which Medicare was billed.

ATC, its management company, Medlink Professional Management Group Inc., and various owners, managers, doctors, therapists, patient brokers and marketers of ATC, were charged with various health care fraud, kickback, money laundering and other offenses in two indictments unsealed on Feb. 15, 2011. ATC, Medlink and more than 20 of the individual defendants charged in these cases have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial.

The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida; Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; and Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Dennis of the HHS Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami office.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Steven Kim, Robert Zink and Alan Medina of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. A related civil action is being handled by Vanessa I. Reed and Carolyn B. Tapie of the Civil Division. The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,330 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

PACIFIC COMMAND'S FOCUS ON NORTH KOREA

U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, launch artillery shells with South Korean counterparts during a bilateral artillery coordination exercise at Camp Rodriguez, South Korea, April 20, 2011. U.S. forces stand side by side with South Korean counterparts to maintain stability on the Korean peninsula. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Kentavist Brackin 　
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
North Korea Remains Key Focus for Pacific Command
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
 CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, Aug. 13, 2012 - Nearly six decades after an armistice agreement established a cease-fire that ended the Korean War, maintaining the fragile peace there and ensuring South Korean and U.S. troops are prepared to respond to aggression remains a top priority for U.S. Pacific Command.
  North Korea looms as the most pressing trouble spot in Pacom's vast area of responsibility that spans half the globe, Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, the Pacom commander, told American Forces Press Service.
  Locklear expressed concern about tenuous, unstable conditions stemming from North Korea's new, relatively untested leader, Kim Jong Un, and North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
  "If there is anything that keeps me awake at night, it's that particular situation," the admiral said. "We have to ensure that we maintain as much of a stable environment on the Korean peninsula as we can."
  Toward that end, Locklear relies heavily on the leadership of Army Gen. James D. Thurman, commander of Combined Forces Korea and U.S. Forces Korea, to ensure that South Korean and U.S. forces remain strong.
 Traveling to South Korea to meet with Thurman and South Korean leaders shortly after assuming the top U.S. military post in the Asia-Pacific region in March, Locklear emphasized the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance in deterring aggression and maintaining security and stability.
  Locklear offered assurance of the "unwaverable" U.S. commitment to the alliance.
 Although tensions on the peninsula have ebbed and flowed since the signing of the armistice, North Korean provocations, coupled with uncertainty as the new leader took power, have remained relatively high in recent years, noted William McKinney, director of Locklear's North Korea strategic focus group. The group of military and civilian experts, one of three "mini think tanks" within the Pacom staff, advises Locklear and his senior staff on the North Korean threat and plans for a U.S.-South Korean military response, if required.
 McKinney, a retired foreign area officer who spent 15 years of his military service in South Korea, plus three years as the civilian U.S. representative for the Korea Energy Development Organization, expressed disappointment about the difficult stalemate that continues to characterize the peninsula.
  "We've been [in] sort of [a] treading-water situation for quite some time with North Korea," he told American Forces Press Service at the Pacom headquarters here.
  There's a common saying within McKinney's strategic focus group. "We had to build a fence across the peninsula to fence out North Korea," he said. "But regrettably, that has also fenced us out from North Korea. It was never intended to be a lasting division."
 Ultimately, McKinney said, the United States would love a unified Korean peninsula -- but only, he emphasized, if it had "a democratically elected, free market-based government for all of the Korean people."

In a perfect world, that unified Korea would be an ally to the United States and a source of regional stability, he added.
  While acknowledging that it's still too soon to know the impact of Kim's leadership, McKinney admitted that some of the initial signs are worrisome.
  A missile test conducted just months after he came to power defied North Korea's agreement to a moratorium on missile testing in exchange for 240,000 tons of U.S. food aid. North Korea also has yet to return to the Six-Party Talks with the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
  A nuclear-free Korean peninsula is critical, McKinney explained, because a nuclear-armed North Korea would upset the balance of power in the region. Making it particularly troubling, he said, is concern that a weak, even rogue North Korean state is ill-prepared to handle the challenges and responsibilities of possessing nuclear weapons.
  The balance-of-power issue has dogged the Korean peninsula for the past 100 years as Japan, China and Russia all fought to control it, McKinney noted. And during that timeframe, the peninsula has been a primary battleground for four of the five wars in the Pacific: the Sino-Japanese War of 1894; the Russia-Japanese War of 1905; World War II; and the Korean War. At the signing of the Korean conflict's armistice agreement on July 27, 1953, the United States had lost 37,000 military lives and suffered 92,000 wounded. And what happens on the Korean peninsula today remains critically important to the United States, McKinney said.
  That's not only because of the U.S. alliance with South Korea, he said, but also because the destabilizing balance-of-power situation hasn't gone away and continues to affect the entire region.
  McKinney said he's been impressed by the growing professionalism of South Korea's military, which has been operating side by side with 28,500 U.S. troops there to maintain the peace.
  "Over the years, there is no question that the [South Korean] forces have strengthened themselves and become a more professional military -- a military that has modern weaponry, knows how to use it and that has operated for the last 25 years or more in a combined command with the United States," he said. "They have become, in all senses, a much more modern, professional military than they were 60 years ago."
  As South Korea prepares to assume wartime operational control of its forces from the United States in 2015 and the United States focuses on rebalancing its military to the Asia-Pacific region, McKinney said, he doesn't expect many force-posture changes on the Korean peninsula.
  "From the standpoint of balance, the United States has really never left the Korean peninsula," he said. "We have never lessened the importance of our forces on the Korean peninsula [or] our commitment ... to the alliance."
  But Locklear made clear while visiting South Korea that North Korea's government has important decisions to make.
  "Should the North Korean leadership choose to start abiding by its international obligations, to cease provocations, this would be a preferred path," he told reporters in the South Korean capital of Seoul.
  "But if further provocations is the path that they would continue to pursue," he continued, "then the challenge for us is to ensure that our alliance remains strong, that we work closely together to monitor and share information, and that we have the proper procedures in place ... [so] the security of the alliance is ensured."

Los restos de una explosión estelar

Los restos de una explosión estelar

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR "WORK SHARING" PROGRAMS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
US Labor Department announces nearly $100 million in grants available for states to implement, improve short-time compensation or 'work sharing'
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of nearly $100 million in grants for states to implement or improve existing short-term compensation, commonly referred to as "work sharing," programs. This funding has been made available through the bipartisan Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 signed by President Obama in February, which authorized states to set up programs to give employers an alternative to layoffs.

"Establishing or expanding work-sharing programs nationwide will help business owners better weather hard economic times by temporarily reducing their labor costs while still keeping their existing skilled employees," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This program is a win-win for businesses and employees alike."

Work sharing allows employees to keep their jobs and helps employers to avoid laying off their trained workforces during economic downturns by reducing the hours of work for an entire group of affected workers. Workers affected by reduced hours can have their wages compensated with a portion of their weekly unemployment compensation payments.

The legislation requires each state to submit a complete application to the Labor Department in order to receive a grant. Any state that currently has an active short-time compensation program is eligible to apply if the state's law on work sharing conforms to Section 3306(v) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act and its program is not subject to discontinuation.

Each state has a designated allotment from the total grant funds available. One-third of the allotted grant money for each state will be used to implement or improve a short-time compensation program, and two-thirds will be available to promote and enroll employers in the program.

The department will provide technical assistance through webinars and other methods to help states achieve the purposes of the grants. The department also will collect and disseminate successful practices based on program implementation as well as outreach tools developed as a result of these grants.

PENTAGON OFFICIALS HOPE FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN MILITARY/ GOVERNMENT IN EGYPT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S. Hopes Egyptian Civilian, Military Leaders Work TogetherBy Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2012 - U.S. defense officials were expecting Egypt's new president to name his own defense team and hope civilian and military leaders can work together to address the country's problems, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi announced yesterday that the head of military intelligence, Gen. Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, would replace Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi as defense minister and leader of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The council effectively led Egypt after last year's fall of President Hosni Mubarak until Morsi took office in June.

Morsi is the first democratically elected leader in Egypt's history.

The president also replaced army chief of staff Gen. Sami Hafez Anan and the leaders of the navy, air force and air defense branch.

"It's important for both the military and civilians leaders in Egypt to work together to address the economic and security challenges facing that country," Little said. "We had expected President Morsi to coordinate changes in the military leadership. The United States and the Department of Defense, in particular, look forward to continuing a very close relationship with the [Supreme Council of the Armed Forces]."

U.S. officials know General Sisi, Little said. "He comes from within the ranks of the SCAF, and we believe we will be able to continue the strong partnership that we have with Egypt," he added.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has not spoken to the new defense minister, "but looks forward to doing so at the earliest possible moment," Little said.

Egyptian officials said the 76-year old Tantawi retired, but would continue to serve as a presidential advisor.

U.S SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON SENDS BEST WISHES ON PAKISTAN'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Pakistan Independence Day
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 13, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the government and people of Pakistan as you celebrate the anniversary of your independence this August 14. Since 1947, Pakistan has persevered in the face of immense challenges to build upon the democratic ideals of your country’s founders. Today, we take time to honor your sacrifices and renew our support for a stable and secure Pakistan for generations to come.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah dreamt of a vibrant, self-reliant Pakistan – a goal we all share. As Muslims around the world reflect upon the meaning of community and sacrifice during this holy month of Ramadan, the United States celebrates the hardworking Pakistanis who strive to fulfill Jinnah’s vision of a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan.

JAPANESE OWNED OIL TANKER AND U.S. NAVAL SHIP COLLIDE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ

120812-N-XO436-025 ARABIAN GULF (Aug. 12, 2012) Guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) is damaged in a collision with the Japanese owned bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan in the Strait of Hormuz, Aug., 12. No personnel on either vessel were reported injured. Porter is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Sunderman/Released)
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Update: No Injuries in Strait of Hormuz Collision

From U.S. Nava
l Forces Central Command Public Affairs
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain (NNS) -- No one was hurt when a U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer and a large Japanese owned merchant vessel collided near the Strait of Hormuz Aug. 12.


The collision between USS Porter (DDG 78) and the Panamanian-flagged bulk oil tanker M/V Otowasan occurred at approximately 1:00 a.m. local time.

Porter transited under its own power to Jebel Ali, UAE and is now pierside for assessment and repair.


The incident is under investigation.

USS Porter is on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.

FOREST SERVICE ASKS FOR HELP

Photo:  C-130.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forest Service Requests More Aircraft for Firefighting Operations
American Forces Press Service
CHEYENNE, Wyo., Aug. 13, 2012 - More forest fires in the western United States have prompted the U.S. Forest Service to call in two additional C-130s equipped with the Mobile Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS.

Those aircraft, expected to be operating by tomorrow, will come from the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing here, officials said.

"This has been an interesting fire season for us. Our operations have waxed and waned since we were activated June 25," said Air Force Col. Jerry Champlin, 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander. "Our aircraft are heavily engaged, and having two additional MAFFS will definitely help."

Under the modified request for assistance received Aug. 11, the 153rd Airlift Wing's two C-130s will join Air Force Reserve Command C-130s from the 302nd Airlift Wing operating from Boise Air Terminal in Idaho. A C-130 from the California Air National Guard's 146th Airlift Wing and another from the North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing will operate from McClellan Air Tanker Base in Sacramento, Calif.

This year's MAFFS operations have dropped more gallons of fire retardant than during the last nine fire seasons, officials said.

MAFFS is a joint Defense Department and U.S. Forest Service program designed to provide additional aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private air tankers are no longer able to meet the Forest Service's needs. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, the system can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

Virginia Teen's 'Operation Hawkeye' Pays Tribute to 30 Fallen Troops

Virginia Teen's 'Operation Hawkeye' Pays Tribute to 30 Fallen Troops

BELGIUM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE FACT SHEET

Map From U.S. State Department.
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
PROFILE OF BELGIUM
Geography
Area: 32,547 square kilometers (12,566 sq. mi.), about the size of Maryland.
Cities: Capital--Brussels (pop. 1,089,538). Other cities--Antwerp (483,505); Ghent (243,336); Charleroi (202,598); Liege (192, 504); Bruges (116,741); and Namur (108,950).


People
Population (July 2011): 10,431,477.
Annual population growth rate (2011): -0.04%.
Density: 830.1 per sq. mi.
Religions: Predominantly Roman Catholic, with Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Anglican, Greek and Russian Orthodox, as well as secularism, "recognized" religions receiving government subsidies.
Languages: Dutch, French, German. Linguistic regions--(Dutch-speaking) Flanders 57.7%; (French-speaking) Wallonia 31.6%; (legally bilingual) Brussels Capital Region 10%; German-speaking 0.7%.
Education: Literacy--99%.


Government
Type: Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarch.
Independence: 1830.
Constitution: 1994 (revised).
Branches: Executive--King (head of state), Prime Minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--bicameral parliament (Senate and House of Representatives).
Major political parties: Christian Democratic, Liberal, Socialist, Green, Flemish nationalists (New Flemish Alliance), Flemish far right (Vlaams Belang).
Suffrage: Over 18, compulsory.
Political subdivisions: Ten provinces, three regions, three communities, 589 municipalities.


Economy
GDP (purchasing power parity, 2011 est.): €352 billion (approx. $467 billion).
Annual real growth rate (2011 est.): 2.5%.
Per capita income (PPP, 2010 est.): €35,238 (approx. $48,535).
Natural resource: Coal.
Agriculture: (1% of GDP) Products--livestock, including dairy cattle, grain, sugarbeets, milk, tobacco, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables.
Industry: (24.3% of GDP) Types--engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum.
Trade: Exports (2011 est.)--$263.7 billion: transportation equipment, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs, chemicals. Export partners--Germany 19.6%, France 17.7%, Netherlands 11.8%, U.K. 7.2%, U.S. 5.4%, Italy 4.7%. Imports (2010 est.)--$261 billion: machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, transportation equipment, oil products. Import partners (2010 est.)--Netherlands 17.9%, Germany 17.1%, France 11.7%, Ireland 6.3%, U.S. 5.7%, U.K. 5.1%, China 4.1%.


GEOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE
Belgium is located in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. Although generally flat, the terrain becomes increasingly hilly and forested in the southeast (Ardennes) region. Climate is cool, temperate, and rainy; summer temperatures average 77°F, winters average 45°F. Annual extremes (rarely attained) are 10°F and 100°F.


Geographically and culturally, Belgium is at a crossroads of Europe, and during the past 2,000 years has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of different races and cultures. Consequently, Belgium is one of Europe's true melting pots with Celtic, Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish, and Austrian cultures having made an imprint.


Belgium is divided ethnically into the Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons, the 75,000 residents of the eastern German cantons, and the bilingual capital of Brussels. The population density is the second highest in Europe, after the Netherlands.


HISTORY
Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a Celtic tribe. The Belgae were forced to yield to Roman legions during the first century B.C. For some 300 years thereafter, what is now Belgium flourished as a province of Rome. But Rome's power gradually lessened. In about A.D. 300, Attila the Hun invaded what is now Germany and pushed Germanic tribes into northern Belgium. About 100 years later, the Germanic tribe of the Franks invaded and took possession of Belgium. The northern part of present-day Belgium became an overwhelmingly Germanized and Germanic-Frankish-speaking area, whereas in the southern part people continued to be Roman and spoke derivatives of Latin. After coming under the rule of the Dukes of Burgundy and, through marriage, passing into the possession of the Hapsburgs, Belgium was occupied by the Spanish (1519-1713) and the Austrians (1713-1794).


Under these various rulers, and especially during the 500 years from the 12th to the 17th century, the great cities of Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp took turns at being major European centers for commerce, industry (especially textiles), and art. Flemish painting--from Van Eyck and Breugel to Rubens and Van Dyck--became the most prized in Europe. Flemish tapestries hung on castle walls throughout Europe.


Following the French Revolution, Belgium was invaded and annexed by Napoleonic France in 1795. Following the defeat of Napoleon's army at the Battle of Waterloo, fought just a few miles south of Brussels, Belgium was separated from France and made part of the Netherlands by the Congress of Vienna in 1815.


In 1830, Belgium won its independence from the Dutch as a result of an uprising of the Belgian people. A constitutional monarchy was established in 1831, with a monarch invited in from the House of Saxe-Coburg Gotha in Germany.


Belgium was invaded by Germany in 1914 and again in 1940. Those invasions, plus disillusionment over postwar Soviet behavior, made Belgium one of the foremost advocates of collective security within the framework of European integration and the Atlantic partnership.


Since 1944, when British, Canadian, and American armies liberated Belgium, the country has lived in security and at a level of increased well-being.


Language, economic, and political differences between Dutch-speaking Flanders and Francophone Wallonia have led to increased divisions in Belgian society. The Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and the 19th century accentuated the linguistic North-South division. Francophone Wallonia became an early industrial boom area, affluent and politically dominant. Dutch-speaking Flanders remained agricultural and was economically and politically outdistanced by Brussels and Wallonia. The last 50 years have marked the rapid economic development of Flanders while the coal and steel industries of Wallonia went into sharp decline, resulting in a corresponding shift of political and economic power to the Flemish, who now constitute an absolute majority (58%) of the population.


Demonstrations in the early 1960s led to the establishment of a formal linguistic border in 1962, and elaborate rules made to protect minorities in linguistically mixed border areas. In 1970, Flemish and Francophone cultural councils were established with authority in matters of language and culture for the two-language groups. Each of the three economic regions--Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels--was granted a significant measure of political autonomy.


Since 1984, the German language community of Belgium (in the eastern part of Liege Province) has had its own legislative assembly and executive, which have authority in cultural, language, and subsequently educational affairs.


In 1988-89, the Constitution was again amended to give additional responsibilities to the regions and communities. The most sweeping change was the devolution of educational responsibilities to the community level. As a result, the regions and communities were provided additional revenue, and Brussels was given its own legislative assembly and executive.


Another important constitutional reform occurred in the summer of 1993, changing Belgium from a unitary to a federal state. It also reformed the bicameral parliamentary system and provided for the direct election of the members of community and regional legislative councils. The bilingual Brabant province, which contained the Brussels region, was split into separate Flemish and Walloon Brabant provinces. The revised Constitution came into force in 1994.


As a parliamentary democracy, Belgium has been governed by successive coalitions of two or more political parties. The centrist Christian Democratic Party often provided the Prime Minister. In the 1999 general election, Belgian voters rejected Jean Luc Dehaene's longstanding coalition government of Christian Democrats and Socialists and voted into power a coalition led by Flemish Liberal Leader Guy Verhofstadt. The first Verhofstadt government (1999-2003) was a six-party coalition between the Flemish and Francophone Liberals, Socialists, and Greens. It was the first Liberal-led coalition in generations and the first six-party coalition in 20 years. It also was the first time the Greens had participated in Belgium's federal government. In the general election of 2003, the Greens suffered significant losses, while the Socialists posted strong gains and the Liberals also had modest growth in electoral support. Liberal Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt reconstituted the coalition as a four-party government in July 2003, with only the Liberals and Socialists in power.


In the 2007 general elections, the Flemish Christian Democratic CD&V recouped the lost ground, becoming the country's largest party. The two Socialist parties and Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's Open VLD lost support. The Francophone Liberal MR became the largest party of Wallonia and Brussels. Following the election, the King tasked CD&V leader Yves Leterme with forming a new government. The ruling coalition was composed of Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V), Francophone Christian Democrats (CDH), Flemish Liberals (Open VLD), Francophone Liberals (MR), and the Francophone Socialists (PS). However, it took over 9 months to form a government, which remained subject to intense strains. Leterme stepped down in December 2008 and was replaced as Prime Minister and head of the same coalition by the CD&V's Herman Van Rompuy.


Van Rompuy’s appointment as President of the European Council under the Treaty of Lisbon paved the way for Leterme to regain his position as Prime Minister in November 2009. However, an electoral dispute between the Francophone and Flemish parties continually plagued his government coalition, which finally collapsed in April 2010.


The Francophone Socialist (PS) and Flemish nationalist (New Flemish Alliance--N-VA) parties won the largest proportion of seats during parliamentary elections in June 2010. The N-VA became the largest party in the House of Representatives, winning 27 seats compared to 4 in 2007, indicating growing support for regional autonomy in Flanders. Throughout 2011, no governing coalition was formed due to continued inability of the Francophone and Flemish parties to reach a compromise over state reforms. Prime Minister Leterme and his cabinet remained in office in a caretaker capacity. In September 2011, the six negotiating parties achieved a breakthrough agreement on local government of an electoral district with a Francophone majority comprising both Brussels and parts of the surrounding Flemish region. The agreement was finalized in October, with only the remaining hurdle of budget allocation among Belgium’s local regions. However, in early November the government announced that due to slowed economic growth, further austerity measures would be necessary, which would delay government formation. As of November 2011, a new government was expected by the end of the calendar year.


GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL CONDITIONS

National Government
Belgium is a hereditary constitutional monarchy. The current monarch is King Albert II, who took the oath of office on August 9, 1993.


As titular head of state, the King plays a largely ceremonial and symbolic role in the nation. His primary political function is to designate a political leader to attempt to form a new cabinet following either an election, the resignation of a government, or a parliamentary vote of no confidence. The King is seen as playing a symbolic unifying role, representing a common national Belgian identity.


The Belgian Parliament consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The House of Representatives has 150 directly elected members. The Senate has 71 members. The executive branch of the government consists of ministers and secretaries of state (junior ministers) drawn from the political parties that form the government coalition. The number of ministers is limited to 15, and they have no seat in Parliament. The Council of Ministers is chaired by the Prime Minister and consists of the ministerial heads of the executive departments.


The allocation of powers between the Parliament and the Council of Ministers is somewhat similar to the United States--the Parliament enacts legislation and appropriates funds--but the Belgian Parliament does not have the same degree of independent power that the U.S. Congress has. Members of political parties represented in the government are expected to support all bills presented by the Cabinet. The House of Representatives is the "political" body that votes on motions of confidence and budgets. The Senate deals with long-term issues and votes on an equal footing with the Chamber on a limited range of matters, including constitutional reform bills and international treaties.


The parties in the current House are the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) 27 seats; Francophone Socialists (PS) 26 seats; Francophone Liberals (MR) 18 seats; Christian Democrats (CD&V) 17 seats; Flemish Liberals (Open VLD) 13 seats; Flemish Socialists (SP.A) 13 seats; Flemish Interest (VB) 12 seats; Francophone Democratic and Humanist Center (CDH) 9 seats; Francophone Greens (Ecolo) 8 seats; Flemish Greens (Groen!) 5 seats; List Dedecker 1 seat; Francophone People’s Party (PP) 1 seat.


The Prime Minister and his ministers administer the government and the various public services. Ministers must defend their policies and performance in person before the House.


The Council of Ministers
At the federal level, executive power is wielded by the Council of Ministers. The Prime Minister chairs the Council. Each minister heads a governmental department. No single party or party "family" across linguistic lines holds an absolute majority of seats in Parliament. Consequently, the Council of Ministers reflects the weight of political parties that constitute the governing coalition in the House.


The Electoral System
The number of seats in the House of Representatives is constitutionally set at 150, elected from 11 electoral districts. Each district is given a number of seats proportional to its total population (not number of eligible voters) ranging from 4 for the Luxembourg district to 24 for Antwerp. The districts are divided along linguistic lines: 5 Flemish, 5 Walloon, and the bilingual district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde.


The Senate consists of 71 seats. For electoral purposes, Senators are divided into three categories: 40 directly elected; 21 elected by the community parliaments; and 10 "co-opted" Senators. For the election of the 25 Flemish and 15 Francophone directly elected Senators, the country is divided into three electoral districts--Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels Capital Region. Of the 21 Senators representing the communities, 10 are elected by the Flemish Parliament, 10 by the French Community Parliament, and 1 by the German-language Parliament.


The remaining category, the 10 "co-opted" senators, are elected by the first two groups of senators. The princes and princesses of the royal line are also members of the Senate--currently Prince Philippe, Prince Laurent, and Princess Astrid.


In Belgium, there are no "national" parties operating on both sides of the linguistic border. Consequently, elections are a contest among Flemish parties in Dutch-speaking Flanders and Francophone parties in Wallonia. Only in officially bilingual Brussels can voters choose from either Flemish or Francophone parties. Several months before an election, the parties form a list of candidates for each district. Parties are allowed to place as many candidates on their "list" as there are seats available. The formation of the list is an internal process that varies with each party. The number of seats each party receives and where on a list a candidate is placed, or how many individual votes a candidate receives, determines whether a candidate is elected. Since no single party holds an absolute majority in Parliament, after each election the strongest party or "party family" will create a coalition with other parties to form the government. Voting is compulsory in Belgium; more than 90% of eligible voters participate.


Belgium has 22 seats in the European Parliament.


Belgium's Linguistic Divide
In August 1980, the Belgian Parliament passed a devolution bill and amended the Constitution, establishing "Community autonomy." As a result, in Flanders, the Flemish Parliament and government are competent for both regional and community affairs; in Wallonia, the Francophone Community Parliament and government are competent for community affairs, while the Walloon Regional Parliament and government are responsible for regional affairs. Subsequent constitutional reform established a community Parliament and government for the German-speaking cantons in 1983, and a regional Parliament and government for the Brussels Capital Region in 1989.


The regional and community governments have jurisdiction over transportation, public works, water policy, cultural matters, education, public health, environment, housing, zoning, economic and industrial policy, agriculture, foreign trade, and oversight of provincial and local governments. They rely on a system of revenue sharing with the federal government for most of their funds. They have the authority to levy taxes (mostly surcharges) and contract loans. Moreover, they have obtained treaty-making power for those issues coming under their respective jurisdictions.


Of total public spending--interest payments not considered--more than 40% is authorized by the regions and communities.


Provincial and Local Government
In addition to three regions and three cultural communities, Belgium also is divided into 10 provinces and 589 municipalities.


The provincial governments are primarily administrative units and are politically weak. A governor appointed by the King presides over each province. Each governor is supported by an elected Provincial Council of 47 to 84 members (depending on the size of the province), which sits only 4 weeks a year.


Municipal governments, on the other hand, are vigorous political entities with significant powers and a history of independence dating from medieval times. Many national politicians originate from municipal political bases; and many often double as mayor or alderman in their hometowns in addition to their federal and regional political positions.


Political Parties
From the creation of the Belgian state in 1830 and throughout most of the 19th century, two political parties dominated Belgian politics: the Catholic Party and the Liberal Party. In the late 19th century the Socialist Party arose, representing the emerging industrial working class. These three groups still dominate Belgian governments, but they have evolved substantially in character and face new electoral challengers.


The Christian Democratic Parties. After World War II, the Catholic (subsequently Christian Democratic) Party severed its formal ties with the Church. It became a mass party of the center (more like a political party in the United States). In 1968, the Christian Democratic Party responded to linguistic tensions in the country by dividing into two independent parties, now known as the Democratic and Humanist Center (CDH) in Francophone Wallonia and the Flemish Christian Democrats (CD&V) in Flanders. The two parties share similar policies, but not on institutional issues. The CD&V is the country's largest party, while the CDH is among the smaller parties.


The Socialist Parties. The modern Belgian Socialist parties are labor- and city-based parties. Despite the post-World War II dominance of the Christian Democrats, the Socialists headed several postwar governments. The Socialists also split along linguistic lines in 1978. The Francophone Socialists dominate the cities and towns of Wallonia's industrial basin. The Flemish Socialists' support is less concentrated.


The Liberal Parties. In modern times, the Liberal Parties in Belgium have chiefly appealed to business people, property owners, shopkeepers, and the self-employed. In American terms, the Liberals' positions could be considered to reflect a more conservative free market oriented economic ideology. This non-interventionist ideology is reflected also in the parties' strong support for gay marriage, homosexual adoption, and euthanasia. The two current Liberal parties were formed in 1971, after the original all-Belgium Liberal Party split along linguistic lines. They are the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD) in Flanders and the Reform Movement (MR) in Wallonia.


Greens. The Flemish (Groen!) and Francophone (ECOLO) ecologist parties made their parliamentary breakthrough in 1981. Following significant gains in the 1999 general elections, the two Green parties joined a federal coalition cabinet for the first time in their history in Prime Minister Verhofstadt's first six-party coalition government. The parties experienced significant losses in the May 2003 election, however, with ECOLO winning only four seats in the Chamber and AGALEV failing to win any seats. They were thus excluded from the new coalition formed by returning Liberal Prime Minister Verhofstadt in 2003. Following the election, AGALEV changed its name to "Groen!." The two parties made a slight recovery in the 2007 general elections and did even better in the 2010 general elections.


The Linguistic Parties. A postwar phenomenon in Belgium was the emergence of linguistic-based parties, which were formed to defend the cultural, political, and economic interests of one of the linguistic groups or regions of Belgian society.


The far-right Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) is the most militant Flemish regional party, with a separatist, anti-immigration, law and order platform. The Vlaams Belang was formerly called the Vlaams Blok, until a 2004 high court ruling confirmed a lower court verdict that the Blok was a "racist" party. Faced with further legal problems, the Blok disbanded and resurrected itself as the Vlaams Belang, with the same party leaders and basically the same radical party policy. The Vlaams Belang was the second most popular party in the 2007 general elections, with 19% of the Flemish vote. The party’s support fell to 7.76% in 2010, as voters in Flanders turned to the more moderate and pragmatic New Flemish Alliance.


In Brussels and Wallonia, the small far-right Front National (FN) managed to hold on to its only House seat in the 2007 general elections but lost it in the 2010 general elections.


Labor Unions
Belgium is a highly unionized country, and organized labor has been a powerful influence in politics, although less so in recent elections. About 53% of all private sector and public service employees are labor union members. Unlike many American unions, Belgian labor unions take positions on a wide range of political issues, including education, public finance, defense spending, environmental protection, women's rights, abortion, and other issues. They also provide a range of services, including the administration of unemployment benefits and health insurance programs.


Belgium's three principal trade union organizations are the Confederation of Catholic Labor Unions (CSC/ACV), the Belgian Socialist Confederation of Labor (FGTB/ABVV), and the Confederation of Liberal Labor Unions (CGSLB/ACLVB). Until the 1950s, the FGTB/ABVV was the largest confederation; since then, however, the CSC/ACV has become the leading trade union force.


The Confederation of Catholic Labor Unions (CSC/ACV). Organized in 1912, the CSC/ACV rejected the Marxist concept of "class struggle" and seeks to achieve a just social order based on Christian principles. The CSC/ACV is not formally linked to its party political counterparts, the Christian Democratic parties (CD&V and CDH) but exercises influence in their councils. The CSC/ACV is the leading union in all Flemish provinces and in Wallonia's Luxembourg province. It has almost equal strength with the socialist confederation in the Brussels area.


The Belgian Socialist Confederation of Labor (FGTB/ABVV). The FGTB/ABVV derives from the Socialist Trade Union Movement, established in the late 19th century in Walloon industrial areas, Brussels, and urban areas of Flanders. Today, the FGTB/ABVV is the leading union in the Hainaut, Namur, and Liege provinces and matches the CSC/ACV in Brussels.


The Confederation of Liberal Labor Unions (CGSLB/ACLVB). With 240,000 members, this is the smallest of the major union groups. Drawing primarily from management positions, the Brussels-based CGLB/ACVB is Belgium's most pro-business union.


Current Issues
Belgium is a member of the European Economic and Monetary Union. The financial crisis, budgetary issues, the aging population, and the low employment rate remain key concerns of the government.


Belgium's reaction to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States was strong and supportive. For example, Belgium played a key role in helping to obtain European Union (EU)-wide agreement on a European arrest warrant and in facilitating extradition of terrorist suspects. In support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Belgium contributed a navy frigate in the Mediterranean, AWAC crews for surveillance flights over the United States, as well as aircraft for humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. Belgium has contributed troops and fighter jets to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) since 2002 and provides humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to both Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2006, Belgium sent about 400 peacekeepers to Lebanon in support of the UN mission there.


Current issues before the government include responding to the financial crisis and its severe impact on the country's banking sector, minimizing linguistic tensions between Flanders and Wallonia, dealing with the impact of immigration, improving the climate for foreign investment, dealing with rising health care costs, and adjusting the federal social security system to a rapidly aging population.


Belgium continues to increase its counterterrorism capabilities by adding domestic legislative, judicial, intelligence, and law enforcement tools that increase its ability to prevent or respond to terrorism. The government also cooperates closely with other European states and the United States in investigating cases of international terrorism. Belgium operates within UN and EU frameworks concerning the freezing of terrorist assets, and in 2007 enacted a domestic legal framework to act independently.


ECONOMY
Belgium, a highly developed market economy, belongs to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of leading industrialized democracies. In 2011, GDP was estimated to be €352 billion (approx. $467 billion). With a geographic area about equal to that of Maryland, and a population of 10.4 million, Belgian per capita GDP ranks among the world's highest. The federal government ran large primary surpluses in recent years until 2009. Public debt remains high, at about 96.8% of GDP at the end of 2011. GDP growth in 2011 was estimated to be 2.5%.


Densely populated Belgium is located at the heart of one of the world's most highly industrialized regions. The first country to undergo an industrial revolution on the continent of Europe in the early 1800s, Belgium developed an excellent transportation infrastructure of ports, canals, railways, and highways to integrate its industry with that of its neighbors. One of the founding members of the European Community (EC), Belgium strongly supports deepening the powers of the present-day European Union to integrate European economies further.


With exports and imports approximately equal to GDP, Belgium depends heavily on world trade. Belgium's trade advantages are derived from its central geographic location and a highly skilled, multilingual, and productive work force.


The Belgian industrial sector can be compared to a complex processing machine: It imports raw materials and semi-finished goods that are further processed and re-exported. Except for its coal, which is no longer economical to exploit, Belgium has virtually no natural resources. Nonetheless, most traditional industrial sectors are represented in the economy, including steel, textiles, refining, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, electronics, and machinery fabrication. Despite the heavy industrial component, services account for 77.4% of GDP (2009). Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP.


Belgian Economy in the 20th Century
For 200 years through World War I, French-speaking Wallonia was a technically advanced, industrial region, while Dutch-speaking Flanders was predominantly agricultural. This disparity began to fade during the interwar period. As Belgium emerged from World War II with its industrial infrastructure relatively undamaged, the stage was set for a period of rapid development, particularly in Flanders. The postwar boom years contributed to the rapid expansion of light industry throughout most of Flanders, particularly along a corridor stretching between Brussels and Antwerp (now the second-largest port in Europe after Rotterdam), where a major concentration of petrochemical industries developed.


The older, traditional industries of Wallonia, particularly steelmaking, began to lose their competitive edge during this period, but the general growth of world prosperity masked this deterioration until the 1973 and 1979 oil price shocks sent the economy into a period of prolonged recession. In the 1980s and 1990s, the economic center of the country continued to shift northward to Flanders.

Foreign Investment
Foreign investment contributed significantly to Belgian economic growth in the 1960s. In particular, U.S. firms played a leading role in the expansion of light industrial and petrochemical industries in the 1960s and 1970s. The Belgian Government encourages new foreign investment as a means to promote employment. With regional devolution, Flanders, Brussels, and Wallonia now have substantial autonomy in courting potential foreign investors, as each deems appropriate.


Foreign direct investment (stock) totaled more than $705 billion (cumulative) in 2009. U.S. and other foreign companies in Belgium account for approximately 11% of the total work force, with the U.S. share at about 6%. U.S. companies are heavily represented in the chemical sector, automotive assembly, petroleum refining, and pharmaceutical sectors. A number of U.S. service industries followed in the wake of these investments--banks, law firms, public relations, accounting, and executive search firms. The resident American community in Belgium now exceeds 20,000. Attracted by the EU 1992 single-market program, many U.S. law firms and lawyers have settled in Brussels since 1989.


Monetary
On May 1, 1998, Belgium became a first-tier member of the European Monetary Union. Belgium switched from the Belgian franc (BF) to the Euro as its currency after January 1, 2002.


Trade
Most of Belgium's trade is with fellow EU member states. As a result, Belgium seeks to diversify and expand trade opportunities with non-EC countries. Through November 2011, Belgium ranked as the 14th-largest market for the export of U.S. goods.

Bilaterally, there are few points of friction with the U.S. in the trade and economic area. The Belgian authorities are, as a rule, anti-protectionist and try to maintain a hospitable and open trade and investment climate. As a result, the U.S. Government focuses its market-opening efforts on the EU Commission and larger member states. Moreover, the Commission negotiates on trade issues for all member states, which in turn lessens bilateral trade disputes with Belgium.


Employment
The social security system, which expanded rapidly during the prosperous 1950s and 1960s, includes a medical system, unemployment insurance coverage, child allowances, invalid benefits, and other benefits and pensions. With the onset of a recession in the 1970s, this system became an increasing burden on the economy and accounted for much of the government budget deficits. The national unemployment figures mask considerable differences between Flanders and Wallonia. Unemployment in Wallonia is mainly structural, while in Flanders it is cyclical. Flanders' unemployment level equals only half that of Wallonia. The southern region continues a difficult transition out of sunset industries (mainly coal and steel), while sunrise industries (chemicals, high-tech, and services) dominate in Flanders.


Belgium's unemployment rate was 7.0% in November 2011. A total of 4.47 million people make up Belgium's labor force. The majority of these people (73%) work in the service sector. Belgian industry claims 25% of the labor force and agriculture only 2%. As in other industrialized nations, pension and other social entitlement programs have become a major concern as the "baby boom" generation approaches retirement.


Budget
Although Belgium is a wealthy country, public expenditures far exceeded income for many years, and taxes were not diligently pursued. The Belgian Government reacted with poor macroeconomic policies to the 1973 and 1979 oil price hikes by hiring the redundant work force into the public sector and subsidizing industries like coal, steel, textiles, glass, and shipbuilding, which had lost their international competitive edge. As a result, cumulative government debt reached 121% of GDP by the end of the 1980s. However, thanks to Belgium's high personal savings rate, the Belgian Government financed the deficit from mainly domestic savings, minimizing the deleterious effects on the overall economy.


The federal government ran a 7.1% budget deficit in 1992 at the time of the EU's Treaty of Maastricht, which established conditions for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) that led to adoption of the common Euro currency on January 1, 2002. Among other criteria spelled out under the Maastricht treaty, the Belgian Government had to attain a budget deficit of no greater than 3% of GDP by the end of 1997; Belgium achieved this, with a total budget deficit in 2001 (just prior to implementation of the Euro currency) that amounted to 0.2% of GDP.


The government had a positive primary balance between 1993 and 2007, during which time Belgium’s debt to GDP level fell from 133% to just over 84%. In 2009, due to the financial and economic crisis, Belgium’s deficit and debt levels increased to 6% and 96.2% of GDP respectively, with debt rising to close to 97% of GDP in 2010. Thanks to improving economic growth, Belgium’s budget deficit was 4.6% in 2010 and 3.0% in 2011. According to the country’s Stability Program, the deficit is planned to remain 3.0% in 2012.


FOREIGN RELATIONS
The Concert of Nations sanctioned the creation of Belgium in 1830 on the condition that the country would remain strictly neutral. During the two World Wars, Belgium tried but was unable to follow a policy of neutrality due to the German invasions. In 1948, Belgium signed the Treaty of Brussels with Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and a year later became one of the founding members of NATO.


Belgium remains a strong proponent of both NATO and European defense efforts. Belgium also is a strong advocate of strengthening economic and political integration within the EU. Having federalized their own country, many Belgians view themselves as the ultimate "European federalists."


Both NATO (since 1966) and the EU have their headquarters in Brussels; SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, NATO's military headquarters) is in the south of the country, near Mons.


Belgium supported the expansion of NATO and EU membership to the new democracies of central and eastern Europe and is actively engaged in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Belgium served as the Chair-in-Office of the OSCE in 2006. Belgium sat on the United Nations Security Council during 2007-2008 and served as President of the EU from July 1 to December 31, 2010.


U.S.-BELGIAN RELATIONS
The United States and Belgium are good friends and allies, despite occasional disagreements on a limited number of foreign policy issues. Good will and affection for Americans is widely held as a result of the U.S. role during and after the two World Wars, as was exhibited in 2004 during the 60th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Belgium. Annual celebrations of liberation are held in many Belgian communities today. The two nations' continuing cooperative relationship marked its 175th anniversary in 2007.


The U.S. appreciates Belgian activism in international affairs, including its participation in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; its humanitarian, reconstruction, and development assistance to Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan; its peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and Lebanon; its frequent provision of airlift in international crises; and its hosting of transatlantic dialogues between European foreign ministers and the Secretary of State.


As an outward-looking nation, Belgium works closely with the United States bilaterally and in international and regional organizations to encourage economic and political cooperation and assistance to developing countries. Belgium has welcomed hundreds of U.S. firms to its territory, many of which have their European headquarters there.

BOTSWANA AND MEDLITE 12

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Members of the Botswana Defense Force receive hands-on flight safety training from Airmen assigned to the 156th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron from the North Carolina Air National Guard, as part of MEDLITE 12, at Thebephatswa Air Base, Botswana, Aug. 11, 2012. MEDLITE is an annual exercise bringing together U.S. forces personnel with counterparts from militaries throughout Africa. The goal of the exercise is to enhance capabilities and work together by introducing the U.S. Aeromedical Evacuation system of patient movement to the BDF military personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lausanne Morgan)

　
　
Members of the Botswana Defense Force prepare to load litters on a BDF C-130 Hercules as part of a practical exercise during MEDLITE 12 at Thebephatswa Air Base, Botswana, Aug. 11, 2012. MEDLITE is an annual exercise bringing together U.S. forces personnel with counterparts from militaries throughout Africa. The goal of the exercise is to enhance capabilities and work together by introducing the U.S. Aeromedical Evacuation system of patient movement to the BDF military personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Lausanne Morgan)

NRC CITES SEABROOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FOR INSPECTION FINDING

FROM:  NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
LOW TO MODERATE SAFETY SIGNIFICANCE
August 7, 2012 The Seabrook nuclear power plant will receive additional oversight from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission following the finalization of a "White" (low to moderate safety significance) inspection finding for the facility, which is located in Seabrook, N.H., and operated by NextEra Energy Seabrook, LLC.

The inspection finding stems from an emergency exercise conducted at the plant in April. All U.S. nuclear power plants are required to undergo a graded full-scale emergency exercise once every two years. During these exercises, the NRC assesses the company’s on-site emergency response capabilities, including the ability to evaluate and respond to a significant event, and to communicate what is going on to state, county and local authorities. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency assesses off-site response.

　
During the most recent emergency exercise for the Seabrook plant, on April 17, NextEra personnel did not develop and make proper initial protective action recommendations to the states, based on radiological conditions at the time, although their recommendations did become correct as the exercise scenario progressed. While some deficiencies can be expected in a challenging exercise scenario, the NRC requires plant operators to identify the issues, critique them and take appropriate corrective actions.

The "White" inspection finding has to do with the fact that during the company’s critique of the exercise, conducted on April 17-19, plant personnel failed to identify the error regarding the incorrect protective action recommendations. As the NRC inspection report on the exercise states, this represents a "performance deficiency that was reasonably within NextEra's ability to foresee and prevent." The report also states that, "Specifically, the failure of NextEra personnel to effectively identify an exercise weakness associated with a risk-significant planning standard caused a missed opportunity to identify and correct an exercise-related performance deficiency."

Prior to the finalization of the inspection finding, the company was offered the opportunity to take part in a Regulatory Conference to present the NRC with additional information related to the finding, but it declined the opportunity. However, NextEra did submit a written response on June 21, 2012, in which it did not contest the finding but did provide the results of a root cause analysis of the issue.
The NRC will perform a supplemental inspection at Seabrook to evaluate the company’s root-cause evaluation of the problem identified during the emergency exercise and its corrective actions. NextEra will notify the agency once it is ready for that review.

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Další družice Galileo dorazily na kosmodrom ve Francouzské Guayaně

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Další družice Galileo dorazily na kosmodrom ve Francouzské Guayaně

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN AUGUST 13, 2012

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Senior Insurgent Leader
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a senior Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan terrorist group leader in the Chahar Darah district of Afghanistan's Kunduz province today, military officials reported.

The insurgent leader directed improvised explosive device attacks in Kunduz province. He also acquired IEDs, weapons and rockets and distributed them to insurgents throughout the region, officials said.

The security force also detained two additional suspected insurgents and seized IED-making components during the operation, officials said.

In other operations today:
-- In the Chimtal district of Balkh province, a combined force detained several suspects during an operation to arrest a Taliban weapons supplier. The weapons supplier provides machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and IEDs to insurgents in the district.

-- A combined force arrested a Taliban-affiliated insurgent who coordinated insurgent activity in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province. He also acquired IED-making components for Taliban fighters in the area. The security force also detained one suspect during the operation.

-- In the Nawah-e Barakzai district of Helmand province, a combined force detained several suspects during an operation to arrest a Taliban explosives expert. The insurgent explosives expert operates throughout central Helmand, acquiring, constructing and distributing IEDs to insurgents.

-- In the Khugyani district of Nangarhar province, an Afghan-led, coalition supported security force arrested a Taliban leader responsible for multiple attacks on Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force detained several suspects and seized multiple weapons.

In operations yesterday:
-- A precision airstrike killed multiple insurgents during a combined force operation against insurgents operating in combined force the Watahpur district of Kunar province. The airstrike caused no civilians injuries or property damage.

-- A combined force detained three suspects in the Gelan district of Ghazni province.

-- Also in the Gelan district of Ghazni province, another combined force detained multiple suspects and seized explosives during an operation to arrest a Taliban leader. The leader plans and directs attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The explosives were safely destroyed by the security force.

-- An Afghan-led, coalition-supported force arrested multiple insurgents during an operation in Kabul. The security force arrested the insurgents as they were finalizing plans for an attack in the Afghan capital. The security force also seized a large cache of explosives, suicide vest components, weapons and ammunition.

In an Aug. 11 operation, combined force discovered an insurgent bomb-making facility and seized more than 400 pounds of explosives, some IED-making components and detained one suspect in the Muqer district of Ghazni province.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION: WHAT IS ACID RAIN?

What is Acid Rain?

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

INFORMATION ON ACID RAIN
Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) – CASTNET provides atmospheric data on the dry deposition component of total acid deposition, ground-level ozone and other forms of atmospheric pollution.

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) – NADP is a network of over 100 federal, state and local government agencies, and private sector entities that collect data on acid deposition, as well as mercury deposition.

EPA Clean Air Markets Data and Maps – Provides access to a variety of data associated with emissions trading programs, including trends in emissions and heat input, environmental assessment maps, data sets and reports on acid deposition, facility attributes and contacts, and other file downloads ACID RAIN DEFINED
"Acid rain" is a broad term referring to a mixture of wet and dry deposition (deposited material) from the atmosphere containing higher than normal amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. The precursors, or chemical forerunners, of acid rain formation result from both natural sources, such as volcanoes and decaying vegetation, and man-made sources, primarily emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides resulting from fossil fuel combustion. In the United States, roughly 2/3 of all sulfer dioxide and 1/4 of all nitrogen oxides come from electric power generation that relies on burning fossil fuels, like coal. Acid rain occurs when these gases react in the atmosphere with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form various acidic compounds. The result is a mild solution of sulfuric acid and nitric acid. When sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are released from power plants and other sources, prevailing winds blow these compounds across state and national borders, sometimes over hundreds of miles.

Wet DepositionWet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow. If the acid chemicals in the air are blown into areas where the weather is wet, the acids can fall to the ground in the form of rain, snow, fog, or mist. As this acidic water flows over and through the ground, it affects a variety of plants and animals. The strength of the effects depends on several factors, including how acidic the water is; the chemistry and buffering capacity of the soils involved; and the types of fish, trees, and other living things that rely on the water.

Dry DepositionIn areas where the weather is dry, the acid chemicals may become incorporated into dust or smoke and fall to the ground through dry deposition, sticking to the ground, buildings, homes, cars, and trees. Dry deposited gases and particles can be washed from these surfaces by rainstorms, leading to increased runoff. This runoff water makes the resulting mixture more acidic. About half of the acidity in the atmosphere falls back to earth through dry deposition.

ADVANCING AFGHANISTAN'S AGRICULTURE USING AGRO-METEOROLOGY PROGRAM

Photo Credit: USGS
FROM: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Agro-Meteorology
Scientists with the USGS Agro-Meteorology (Agromet) Program are assisting the Afghan Government in collecting and analyzing agricultural and meteorological data as it relates to crop production, irrigation, water supply, energy, and aviation. Key aspects of the program have involved establishing a country-wide network of meteorological data-collecting stations and creating an extensive national database for the analysis of meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural information.

As part of the program, more than 100 agromet observation stations have been installed throughout Afghanistan. These stations make it possible to acquire current, valid agromet data that are essential for modeling and forecasting crop yields. Furthermore, continuous monitoring of key weather parameters can provide the earliest indications of potential crop failures and subsequent food shortages. Accurate agromet data are also important for assessing Afghanistan’s water supply and demand, estimating snow melt and water runoff, gauging the need for irrigation and hydropower, and validating satellite data.

Agromet program participants have helped establish an operational crop yield forecasting system (primarily for wheat) as well as a national monitoring and early warning system for droughts and floods. They have helped train nearly 200 people, including many individuals from the Afghan Meteorological Authority and various Afghan ministries, in agro- and hydrometeorological techniques and tools. With Afghan colleagues, USGS team members are also involved in publishing regular and timely agrometeorological reports, seasonal analyses, and special bulletins, and disseminating these documents among national and international agencies and NGOs.

EPA AWARDS GRANTS FOR REASEARCH TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY

FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Announces Funding for Research to Improve Air Quality, Protect Health

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded five grants totaling almost $2 million to academic institutions for research on innovative processes to further improve air quality in the U.S. and help track the effectiveness of pollution control measures. Pollutants such as ozone and fine particles are linked to a variety of serious health effects, including aggravation of asthma and other lung diseases, heart attacks, increased hospital admissions and medication use, and premature death.


The grants announced today are focused on generating better data and tools to enable regulatory authorities to more effectively ensure that the air we breathe is healthy. The information gathered through this new research will help inform policy decisions that affect air quality, including the way states and cities address short-term air quality challenges.


"These grants will encourage innovative solutions for incorporating new information, technology advances, and current scientific understanding into air quality management," says Bob Kavlock, deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. "This research will help improve our efforts to respond quickly to short-term air pollution issues such as heat waves or seasonal impacts on air quality."


The funding covers projects that will examine links between short-term air pollution drivers and existing management strategies, development of decision-making models, and air quality forecasting techniques. The five grantees include:


• University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, N.Y., will help incorporate short-term forecasts of emissions from electricity generation and traffic into modeling and air quality forecasts.


• University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, will include the design and testing of innovative methods to link electricity generation and emissions pricing for the prevention of air pollution episodes.


• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., will develop a system for estimating and minimizing the impacts of prescribed burning on air quality, particularly in Georgia.


• Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, will address the issues of multi-pollutant air quality management and develop integrated decision-making models for air quality policy making.


• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C., will develop new tools for linking air quality modeling and forecasting with forecasts of electricity demand.


These grants are part of EPA’s Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, which supports human health, ecology, economics, and engineering sciences through grants, centers, and fellowships. EPA provides air quality and environmental information to the public through websites including AIRNow, Window to My Environment, and Envirofacts. These tools help educate the public and increase their participation in decisions that affect air quality.