DOJ: Houston Home Health Agency Owner Sentenced to 480 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Defraud Medicare and Medicaid of More Than $17 Million
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
WASHINGTON – The owner and operator of five Houston-area home health agencies was sentenced on Thursday to 480 months in prison for conspiring to defraud Medicare and the State of Texas’ Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Service (HCBS) and Primary Home Care (PHC) Programs of more than $17 million and launder the money that he stole from Medicare and Medicaid. The HCBS and PHC Programs provided qualified individuals with in-home attendant and community-based services that are known commonly as “provider attendant services” (PAS). This case marks the largest PAS fraud case charged in Texas history.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas, Special Agent in Charge Perrye K. Turner of the FBI’s Houston Field Office, Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Dallas Regional Office, Special Agent in Charge D. Richard Goss of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Houston Field Office and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) made the announcement.
Godwin Oriakhi, 61, of Houston, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas. In March 2017, Oriakhi pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
According to admissions made as part of Oriakhi’s plea, he, his co-defendant daughter and other members of his family owned and operated Aabraham Blessings LLC, Baptist Home Care Providers Inc., Community Wide Home Health Inc., Four Seasons Home Healthcare Inc. and Kis Med Concepts Inc., all of which were home health agencies in the Houston area. Oriakhi admitted that he, along with his daughter and other co-conspirators, obtained patients for his home health agencies by paying illegal kickback payments to patient recruiters and his office employees for hundreds of patient referrals. In his plea, Oriakhi also admitted that he, along with his daughter and co-conspirators, paid Medicare and Medicaid patients by cash, check, Western Union and Moneygram for receiving services from his family’s home health agencies in exchange for the ability to use the patients’ Medicare and Medicaid numbers to bill the programs for home healthcare and PAS services. Oriakhi admitted that he, his daughter and their co-conspirators also directly paid some of these patients for recruiting and referring other Medicare and Medicaid patients to his agencies. Additionally, Oriakhi admitted that he, his daughter and other co-conspirators paid physicians illegal kickbacks payments, which Oriakhi and his co-conspirators called “copayments,” for referring and certifying Medicare and Medicaid patients for home health and PAS services.
Oriakhi further admitted that each time he submitted a claim predicated on an illegal kickback payment he knew he was submitting a fraudulent claim to Medicare or Medicaid based on his false representations that the claim and the underlying transaction complied with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and other state and federal laws. Oriakhi further admitted that he knew that Medicare and Medicaid would not otherwise pay for the fraudulent claims, according to his plea. In addition to the home health care and PAS services fraud scheme, Oriakhi admitted that he and his co-conspirators used the money fraudulently obtained from Medicare and Medicaid to make illegal kickback payments to patient recruiters, employees, physicians and patients to promote the Medicare home health and Medicaid PAS fraud conspiracies, and ensure their successful continuation.
In total, Oriakhi that he and his co-conspirators submitted approximately $17,819,456 in fraudulent home healthcare and PAS claims to Medicare and Medicaid and received approximately $16,198,600 on those claims.
To date, three others have pleaded guilty based on their roles in the fraudulent scheme at Oriakhi’s home healthcare agencies. Oriakhi’s daughter, Idia Oriakhi, and Charles Esechie, a registered nurse who was Baptist’s primary admissions nurse, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring with Oriakhi and others to commit health care fraud. Jermaine Doleman, a patient recruiter, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Oriakhi and others to commit health care fraud and launder money. Doleman was also charged in two other healthcare fraud cases. Esechie was also sentenced on August 17, to 60 months in prison. Idia Oriakhi and Jermaine Doleman are awaiting sentencing.
The case was investigated by the IRS-CI, FBI, HHS-OIG and MFCU under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Jonathan T. Baum and Trial Attorneys Aleza S. Remis and William S.W. Chang of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which is part of a joint initiative between the Department of Justice and HHS to focus their efforts to prevent and deter fraud and enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force operates in nine locations nationwide. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged over 3,500 defendants who collectively have falsely billed the Medicare program for over $12.5 billion.
DOJ: Former CEO of Arthrocare Corporation Convicted for Orchestrating $750 Million Securities Fraud Scheme
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
A federal jury today convicted the former chief executive officer of ArthroCare Corporation, a publicly traded medical device company based in Austin, Texas, for his role in orchestrating a fraud scheme that resulted in shareholder losses of over $750 million.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr. of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs of the FBI’s San Antonio Field office made the announcement.
After a two-week trial, a jury in the Western District of Texas found the former CEO, Michael Baker, 58, of Austin, Texas, guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and securities fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of securities fraud and two counts of making false statements. Baker was charged in a superseding indictment unsealed on July 17, 2013.
Evidence at trial demonstrated that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, masterminded and executed a scheme to artificially inflate sales and revenue through a series of end-of-quarter transactions involving several of ArthroCare’s distributors beginning in 2005 and continuing until 2009. Co-conspirators David Applegate and John Raffle, both former senior vice presidents of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in 2013 in connection with their participation in the scheme. Co-conspirator Michael Gluk, former chief financial officer of ArthroCare, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and securities fraud on June 14, in connection with his participation in the scheme.
The trial evidence showed that Baker, along with his co-conspirators, determined the type and amount of product to be shipped to distributors based on ArthroCare’s need to meet Wall Street analyst forecasts, rather than distributors’ actual orders. Baker and others then caused ArthroCare to “park” millions of dollars’ worth of ArthroCare’s medical devices at its distributors at the end of each relevant quarter. ArthroCare then reported these shipments as sales in its quarterly and annual filings at the time of the shipment, enabling the company to meet or exceed internal and external earnings forecasts.
Evidence at trial further showed that ArthroCare’s distributors agreed to accept shipment of millions of dollars of products in exchange for special conditions, including substantial, upfront cash commissions, extended payment terms and the ability to return products, allowing ArthroCare to falsely inflate revenue by tens of millions of dollars. Baker and others used DiscoCare, a privately owned Delaware corporation, as one of the distributors to cover shortfalls in ArthroCare’s revenue. At Baker’s direction, ArthroCare shipped product to DiscoCare that far exceeded DiscoCare’s needs.
Baker and others lied to investors and analysts about ArthroCare’s relationships with its distributors, including DiscoCare; Baker caused ArthroCare to acquire DiscoCare specifically to conceal from the investing public, the nature and financial significance of ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare, the evidence showed.
Evidence at trial also established that Baker lied when he was deposed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2009 about ArthroCare’s relationship with DiscoCare.
Following today’s verdict, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of the Western District of Texas, who presided over the trial, remanded Baker into custody. A sentencing date for Baker has not yet been scheduled.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud Section’s Securities and Financial Fraud Unit Chief Benjamin D. Singer, Assistant Chief Henry P. Van Dyck and Trial Attorney Caitlin
DOJ: Florida Salesman Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion
Diverted Income to Pay for Girlfriend’s Cosmetic Surgery, Jewelry, and International Travel
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
A Fort Lauderdale, Florida, resident was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for tax evasion, announced Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
According to documents filed with the court, Thomas Daly, 53, evaded paying taxes on more than $1.5 million in income that he earned from 2002 to 2015. Except for the 2007 tax year, Daly has not filed an income tax return since 2002. He worked for a Fort Lauderdale company selling hurricane-resistant windows to residential homeowners in South Florida. In August 2009, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified Daly of its intent to levy his wages because of his failure to pay taxes. To obstruct the IRS’s collection efforts, Daly established his own business, South Florida Home Marketing Inc. (SFHM), and changed his employment status from an employee to an independent contractor. Daly listed himself as the director of SFHM and opened a business bank account in its name. Due to Daly’s change in employment status, his employer paid SFHM directly and the IRS’s attempts to levy Daly’s wages were thwarted.
From approximately August 2009 through April 2017, Daly used SFHM’s bank account to pay for personal expenses, including rent, cigars, international travel, entertainment, his girlfriend’s cosmetic surgery, jewelry, and a boat. He also falsely classified numerous personal expenses as business expenses on the memo line of the checks drawn on the SFHM bank account. Daly admitted that he made these false entries with the intent to claim false business expense deductions and evade the assessment of his income taxes. Daly admitted that his actions caused a tax loss of more than $351,241.
In addition to the term of prison imposed, U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra ordered Daly has been ordered to serve two years of supervised release and to pay $459,481.03 in restitution to the IRS.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Goldberg commended special agents of IRS Criminal Investigation, who conducted the investigation, and Trial Attorneys Charles M. Edgar, Jr. and Michael C. Boteler of the Tax Division, who prosecuted the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
DOJ: California Man Sentenced to Prison for Perpetrating Trademark Scam
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
A California man was sentenced to prison today for his role as the mastermind of a $1.66 million mass mailing scam aimed at trademark holders. The former manager of a Wells Fargo branch in Glendale, California, and his associate were also sentenced to prison today for their roles in laundering the scam’s proceeds.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Brown of the Central District of California, Inspector in Charge Nichole Cooper of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s (USPIS) Los Angeles Division and Special Agent in Charge Damon Rowe of IRS Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement. The sentences were issued by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen V. Wilson.
Artashes Darbinyan, 37, of Glendale, was sentenced to 96 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,557,979 in restitution. Orbel Hakobyan, 42, of Glendale, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,218,024 in restitution. Albert Yagubyan, 37, of Burbank, California, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1,048,069 in restitution. In December 2016, Darbinyan pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and Hakobyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Following a jury trial in March 2017, Yagubyan was convicted of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, four counts of concealment money laundering and one count of false bank entries.
As part of his guilty plea, Darbinyan admitted that from September 2013 to September 2015 he ran a mass mailing scam under the names Trademark Compliance Center (TCC) and Trademark Compliance Office (TCO), which targeted small businesses that had recently applied for trademark protection with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. The scam involved fraudulent offers of a service in which TCC and TCO promised to monitor an applicant’s trademark for infringing marks and to register the trademark with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which offers a real service that screens imports for possibly infringing trademarks. The offers were made via mail solicitations and claimed the services would be provided for $385. Darbinyan never monitored or registered, nor ever intended to monitor or register, any of the trademarks with CBP for the customers who paid the fee, he admitted.
Darbinyan also admitted to concealing his control over the scam through elaborate measures in which he illegally used the identities of other people to open accounts at virtual office centers in the Washington, D.C., area, which received and then forwarded victims’ payments to other virtual office centers in the Los Angeles area. Using those same illicit identities, Darbinyan then, with co-conspirators’ assistance, opened bank accounts at Wells Fargo through which he laundered the proceeds of the scam. To further avoid detection, Darbinyan paid virtual office fees with money orders; used bogus email accounts, which he would only log into using prepaid wireless modems; and regularly changed cell phone numbers.
As part of his guilty plea, Hakobyan admitted to helping launder the proceeds of the trademark scam. Specifically, Hakobyan deposited victims’ checks into bank accounts at Wells Fargo that had been opened under false names. Hakobyan misrepresented his identity to withdraw funds from the accounts at Wells Fargo in the form of cash and cashier’s checks, which he then used to purchase gold, he admitted. In total, he admitted to helping launder approximately $1.29 million of the scam’s proceeds.
According to evidence presented at Yagubyan’s trial, from June 27, 2014 to Sept. 18, 2015, Yagubyan, in his role as manager of a large Wells Fargo branch in Glendale, helped launder victims checks paid to the TCC and TCO. Yagubyan laundered the illegal funds by instructing subordinates at the bank to open bogus bank accounts, into which the illicit proceeds of the TCC and TCO scam were deposited, and to process fraudulent withdrawals, wire transfers and cashier’s checks for co-conspirators Darbinyan and Hakobyan, the evidence showed. The cashier’s checks and wire transfers were made out to gold dealers, turning the victims’ checks into cash and gold that the co-conspirators could spend without being traced back to their fraud scheme. The bank accounts were opened using the identities of individuals from Eastern Europe who were not in the U.S. at the time the accounts were opened. The evidence at trial further showed that Darbinyan paid Yagubyan a percentage of the laundered proceeds and that Yagubyan, in turn, made payments and promises of promotion to subordinates to induce them to conduct the fraudulent transactions.
In total, according to Darbinyan’s guilty plea and the evidence presented at trial, the trademark scam defrauded approximately 4,446 victims of $1.66 million.
USPIS and IRS-CI investigated the case. Trial Attorneys William E. Johnston and Alison L. Anderson of the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case
CONGRESSIONAL WATCH
CONGRESSMAN KILMER, share a quote from the Seattle Times,
A fitting tribute’: Olympic Wilderness renamed for longtime outdoors advocate, former Gov. Dan Evans
“When it came to protecting our most precious outdoor spaces, it wasn’t about Democrats or Republicans,” said Congressman Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor. “But about Washingtonians.” For many, Evans is that rare thing — a beloved politician whose stature transcends party or generation. Naming the wilderness for Evans “puts an iconic name next to an iconic place,” said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
RELATED SEATTLE TIMES STORY: Washington’s former governor and U.S. senator was honored Friday for a lifetime of bipartisan accomplishment with the renaming of one of his favorite places, now called the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness at Olympic National Park.
Alexander, Murray: 5 Governors to Testify at Sept. 7 Hearing on Stabilizing Premiums in the Individual Market
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 23/ 17
WASHINGTON, August 23 — Senate health committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) today announced the Senate health committee will hear September 7 from governors representing the states of Massachusetts, Montana, Tennessee, Utah and Colorado.
Charlie Baker, Governor, State of Massachusetts
Steve Bullock, Governor, State of Montana
Bill Haslam, Governor, State of Tennessee
Gary Herbert, Governor, State of Utah
John W. Hickenlooper, Governor, State of Colorado
The hearing on Thursday, September 7th, “Stabilizing Premiums and Helping Individuals in the Individual Insurance Market for 2018: Governors,” will take place in Dirksen 430 at 9 a.m.
Alexander and Murray announced earlier this month that the committee would hold hearings on stabilizing premiums in the individual insurance market so that the 18 million Americans in the individual market will be able to buy insurance at affordable prices in the year 2018.
Senator Cantwell Works with Makah Tribe, CenturyLink to Bring Broadband to Neah Bay
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Makah Tribe, and CenturyLink, cut ribbon on new high speed broadband internet in Neah Bay, Washington. The new broadband services will help spur economic development in and around Neah Bay, and will increase access to educational and healthcare services for local residents.
Senator Cantwell has been working with the Makah and CenturyLink to see the project to completion, including federal agency permitting. The announcement was celebrated in Neah Bay with a traditional Makah salmon bake, a ceremonial ribbon cutting, and a service demonstration.
“Broadband is a necessity. Without it, rural communities can’t take advantage of the opportunities presented by our increasingly connected economy,” said Cantwell. “Before there was broadband access at Neah Bay, kids didn’t have high-speed internet to do their homework and entrepreneurs were unable to start online businesses or even develop a basic web-presence. Thanks to the work between CenturyLink and the Makah Tribe, Neah Bay has access to broadband that will support local families and the economy.”
CenturyLink will provide internet speeds between 25 and 40 mbps.
“Gaining community access to Centurylink is a milestone a long time in the making. Our members are happy to hear that we may have faster internet speeds but this is bigger than that,” said Nate Tyler, Chairman of the Makah Tribe. “Broadband access will open the door to providing better services faster. In order to protect our way of life at Makah, security and safety are paramount. Broadband puts new possibilities in reach that can change the way we may operate in health care, law enforcement, oil spill response, and education. We'd like to thank Senator Cantwell for the dedicated and invaluable guidance that she has provided us on these issues.”
40 percent of Americans in rural areas and 68 percent of Americans on tribal lands do not have access to high-speed internet. Over 200,000 Washingtonians lack access to FCC standard broadband. More than 400,000 people in Washington have access to only one provider, leaving them no options to switch.
“We’re excited to help bridge the urban-rural digital divide by building out our broadband services in Neah Bay,” said Sue Anderson, CenturyLink vice president of operations for Washington. “We understand how important it is for our Neah Bay customers, including the Makah Tribe, to have fast, affordable access to the internet, so CenturyLink made this expansion of our high-speed internet service a priority.”
For years, Senator Cantwell has supported the expansion of broadband access to unserved and underserved communities. In 2010, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) — which provided $40 million in federal grants for expanding access to high-speed, affordable broadband to underserved rural areas — the senator helped secure funding for broadband projects for over 35,000 people and 1,400 businesses in Washington state. Later that year, she contributed to the dedication of $84.3 million in federal stimulus funds for the Northwest Open Access Network to build more fiber optic networks in rural Washington state.
More recently, Cantwell has called on the FCC and the White House to carry out broadband reforms and invest in improving internet access in tribal and rural communities. In early 2017, she also joined Senate Democrats in announcing an infrastructure blueprint that would dedicate $20 billion to improving broadband quality and access in rural and underserved communities.
WORLD AND NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
From the UN NEWS CENTER
Australian Jane Connors appointed first UN rights advocate for victims of sexual exploitation
23 August 2017 – Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Jane Connors, Australian law professional and long-time human rights advocate, as the first United Nations advocate for the rights of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.
UN releases $2.5 million from pooled fund to tackle energy crisis in Gaza
24 August 2017 – With Gaza entering its fourth month of a serious energy crisis, the United Nations today released a further $2.5 million from a pooled humanitarian fund to cover urgent needs in the Palestinian enclave.
NATIONAL
WP: Escalating feud, Trump blames McConnell and Ryan for upcoming ‘mess’ on debt ceiling
President Trump on Thursday sought to pin blame on his party’s congressional leaders for what the president predicts will be “a mess” to raise the federal governments debt limit.
NYT: Though No Longer Sheriff, Joe Arpaio Is Still a Polarizing Figure
PHOENIX — Noemà Romero still shudders when she hears the name Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff responsible for the workplace raid in 2013 when she was arrested and spent two months in jail.
Daily Bible Verse: [ Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death ] I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2 NKJV
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https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
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http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/
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Thursday, August 24, 2017
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
WORLD NEWS & EVENTS SPOTLIGHT
United Nations Group of Experts, Conference on Geographical Names Conclude Meetings at Headquarters with Model for New Organization
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
NEW YORK, 18 August (United Nations Statistics Division) — The eleventh United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the thirtieth session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names concluded on 17 and 18 August, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
A total of 278 delegates from 67 Member States and observer organizations came together over a total of 10 days and discussed and decided on national and international geographical names standardization, a new organization structure and working methods, and a strengthened substantive relationship with the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.
Central to the eleventh Conference was the draft resolution to be presented to the Economic and Social Council on a new organizational structure of the Group of Experts and the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, merging and streamlining the two bodies into a new body with biennial five-day meetings. The progress made regarding this work will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Group of Experts, scheduled for 29 April to 3 May 2019 at United Nations Headquarters. The President of the eleventh Conference, F.J. Ormeling, stated: “It makes me especially proud that this conference has achieved notable results, such as defining a new structure for the future, a structure in which all Member State delegations have confidence, a structure with more efficient procedures and better adapted to future requirements.”
Geographical names are so central to person-to-person narration that effective communication cannot be achieved without them. In addition, standardized geographical names are also central to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, as the monitoring of them cannot be fulfilled sufficiently without solid and reliable geospatial geographical names data. This task calls for closer coordination with the United Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management. Mr. Ormeling underscored this when he said in his closing remarks: “This conference has been able to define a fruitful relationship between UNGEGN [United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names] and UN-GGIM [United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management], that answers the expectations of the United Nations Statistical Division and has started to implement this relationship through reciprocal presentations on mandates and operation modes.”
Another major result was the passing of a resolution with a United Nations-endorsed conversion system from the Arabic to the Latin alphabet. The Member States that supported the resolution can now continue the implementation with a clear United Nations mandate.
The Conference celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with an exhibition, considered some 180 working papers and conference reports and held six panel discussions and 13 special presentations that stimulated insightful questions and comments leading to new and strengthened synergies among represented organizations.
The session ended with the Group of Experts adopting decisions which are to be brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council. The decisions ranged from resolutions passed at the eleventh Conference and the establishment of a new task team for oral languages.
United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Programme Opens 2017 Session in Geneva
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
GENEVA, 21 August — The 2017 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament begins today at the United Nations Office at Geneva with the participation of young diplomats and other Government officials from 25 United Nations Member States.
Officials from the following States will be taking part in the 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme: Angola, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Timor-Leste and Uganda.
The 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme will last for 10 weeks and will feature exchanges with representatives of Member States, senior officials of international organizations and members of the academic community. Discussions will focus on a wide range of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation issues. The Fellows will be introduced to various aspects of multilateral negotiations and the global disarmament machinery, including the work of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), as well as the operation of different treaty regimes, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction; the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction; the Convention on Cluster Munitions; or the Arms Trade Treaty.
Fellows will also explore the role and functioning of several international organizations and structures, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna and others. Additionally, the Fellowship Programme will include study visits to Berne, Switzerland, organized by that State’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as country-specific study visits hosted by the Governments of China, Germany, Japan (including Hiroshima and Nagasaki), Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea.
The Programme will conclude at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 27 October, when the Fellows will be awarded certificates of participation by Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
The United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament was launched by the General Assembly at its first special session devoted to disarmament in 1978 with the aim of promoting disarmament expertise, particularly in the world’s developing countries. Implemented by the Office for Disarmament Affairs 38 years ago, the Programme has trained over 950 public officials from 165 States, a large number of whom are now in positions of responsibility in the field of disarmament within their own Governments or international organizations.
US MISSION TO THE UN: Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of the Assad Regime’s Chemical Weapons Attack in Ghouta, Syria
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
Four years ago today, the Assad regime murdered more than 1,400 Syrians using the chemical agent sarin in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. In response to Assad’s brutality, the international community undertook considerable steps to dismantle the regime’s chemical weapons program with the determination to prevent Assad from ever using such atrocious weapons again.
Despite these efforts, Assad has not relented his reign of terror and has continued to use chemical weapons in his attacks against his own people. The world was horrified when, on April 4, Syrian aircraft dropped sarin gas on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing as many as 100 people and injuring hundreds more, many of them children.
Through our previous actions and warnings to Assad, the United States has conveyed the grave seriousness with which we view chemical weapons use. We will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons, and those responsible for their use must be held accountable.
The international community must work together to ensure that chemical weapons use does not continue and that the victims of chemical weapons attacks will not be forgotten.
US MISSION TO THE UN: Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Arria-Formula Meeting on Yemen Humanitarian Issues
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
Thank you very much, Fode, for convening this important Arria meeting on the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Thank you to Stephen for giving us the latest information about the situation on the ground. And a special thanks to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeea for joining us once again to speak about Yemen and for sharing his perspectives. We appreciate your willingness, Dr. Al-Rabeea, to engage this Council on how to respond to Yemen’s humanitarian needs.
There should be no doubt that all parties in Yemen need to take immediate steps to address Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. By numbers of people affected, Yemen has the potential to be the worst humanitarian crisis of all the countries on this Security Council’s agenda. Nearly 21 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. According to UN statistics, Yemen has the largest number of people on the brink of famine anywhere in the world. At the same time, Yemen has been hit with the world’s largest outbreak of cholera, with over 500,000 suspected cases and counting.
In the year 2017, these crises are preventable. Food can be delivered to the hungry. Treatments for cholera can be administered to help the sick. But, humanitarian organizations need two things to succeed: funding and access.
Even as the scale of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis gets worse, funding has not kept pace. The nearly $2.43 billion 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen is just 41 percent funded. International donors must step up to deliver. In particular, the United States urges all countries that pledged funds at the Geneva conference in April to follow through with their funding as quickly as possible.
For our part, the United States is the largest donor to the UN’s Yemen appeal. Since last fall, we have contributed $467 million in aid. Dr. Al-Rabeea, the United States appreciates Saudi Arabia’s generous pledges of humanitarian aid, and we look to Saudi Arabia to help lead on this front.
But all the funding in the world will not be enough if life-saving goods cannot reach Yemenis in need. At the most basic level, all parties need to respect the need for unfettered humanitarian access. That means ships carrying essential imports and humanitarian aid must be able to reach Yemen’s ports and offload their cargo. When a ship is cleared by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, that ship should be allowed to proceed to port.
Inside Yemen, humanitarian agencies must be able to deliver goods without interference, and without fear that their goods will be looted. The United States deplores recent reports of looting and diversion of aid in areas controlled by the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Salih. Houthi/Salih forces must not tamper with deliveries of aid or try to keep these convoys from reaching their destinations. Members of this Security Council need to hold the parties accountable for preserving access, and use our connections to the parties to preserve humanitarian space in Yemen.
There are other tangible steps we can take to improve access. The United States welcomes Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement of funding for cranes at the Aden, Mukalla, and Mokha ports. This is an important step forward. But, we also need to see additional cranes installed at Hudaydah urgently to expand that port’s capacity. As the UN has stressed, the most people in need are in northern Yemen, and the UN sees no alternative to serving these people except for Hudaydah.
In addition, the parties should cooperate to re-open Sana’a Airport, which would allow Yemenis to access badly-needed medical treatment abroad. Re-opening the airport should also facilitate access for humanitarian staff, NGO workers, and journalists, each of whom plays an important role in shaping the international response to the Yemen conflict.
Finally, Yemen’s humanitarian response can only go so far when the country’s economy has collapsed. The United States calls on the parties to this conflict to explore ways to restore the functioning of Yemen’s Central Bank and essential public services. There should be an agreement on how the revenues of the Yemeni state can be used in a transparent fashion to restart public sector salaries.
Of course, absent a political solution to the conflict, all of these humanitarian steps are short-term fixes. The scale of Yemen’s suffering should inspire all of us on this Council to work harder to support UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts to reinvigorate political talks. As a first step, the UN Special Envoy has put forward a credible plan to address the management of Hudaydah port. This proposal could be a key confidence-building measure that paves the way for broader political talks and a ceasefire. We urge the parties to immediately engage the UN on this Hudaydah initiative. This is both a humanitarian and a political imperative, and there is no time to waste.
Let me conclude by taking a moment to pay tribute to the immense sacrifices that humanitarian workers on the ground have made in Yemen. The United States greatly appreciates the efforts of UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick and his team, along with the many other aid organizations on the ground in Yemen. These officials continue to find ways to deliver life-saving interventions despite a maze of bureaucratic obstructions and intense fighting along the frontlines. We as a Security Council must do what we can to give the UN and other humanitarian groups the space they need to get their jobs done. Thank you.
US STATE DEPT: Statement on the United States' Engagement in South Asia
PRESS RELEASE 8/ 21/ 17
This evening, President Trump announced the new integrated strategy for the U.S. approach to South Asia that will require diplomatically engaging Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to create the conditions for stability in the region.
This new strategy signals clear support for the Afghan people and government. We will continue to support the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against terrorists and prevent the reestablishment of safe havens in the country.
Our new strategy breaks from previous approaches that set artificial calendar-based deadlines. We are making clear to the Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield. The Taliban has a path to peace and political legitimacy through a negotiated political settlement to end the war.
We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process.
Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region. We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to U.S. interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries.
India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan’s political and economic modernization.
US DEFENSE DEPT: Mattis Arrives in Jordan to Discuss Security Issues
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Jordan today as part of a trip to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to strategic partnerships in the Middle East and Europe.
WH: Remarks by President Trump on the Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.
Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.
We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.
I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.
Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.
American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.
By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.
They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.
The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.
Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.
The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.
As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.
Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.
But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.
I share the American people’s frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.
That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.
My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America’s core interests in Afghanistan.
First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.
Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.
And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.
Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.
For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.
No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.
We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.
We need look no further than last week’s vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.
As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.
Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America’s interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.
But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:
A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I’ve said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.
Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.
Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.
Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.
Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.
The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.
In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.
But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country’s harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.
Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world’s largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.
I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.
That’s why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.
As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.
Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.
Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.
We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.
In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.
Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.
But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.
Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.
America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.
In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.
Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.
In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.
Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America’s greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.
Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.
Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.
Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.
We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.
Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
NEW YORK, 18 August (United Nations Statistics Division) — The eleventh United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the thirtieth session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names concluded on 17 and 18 August, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
A total of 278 delegates from 67 Member States and observer organizations came together over a total of 10 days and discussed and decided on national and international geographical names standardization, a new organization structure and working methods, and a strengthened substantive relationship with the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.
Central to the eleventh Conference was the draft resolution to be presented to the Economic and Social Council on a new organizational structure of the Group of Experts and the Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, merging and streamlining the two bodies into a new body with biennial five-day meetings. The progress made regarding this work will be reviewed at the next meeting of the Group of Experts, scheduled for 29 April to 3 May 2019 at United Nations Headquarters. The President of the eleventh Conference, F.J. Ormeling, stated: “It makes me especially proud that this conference has achieved notable results, such as defining a new structure for the future, a structure in which all Member State delegations have confidence, a structure with more efficient procedures and better adapted to future requirements.”
Geographical names are so central to person-to-person narration that effective communication cannot be achieved without them. In addition, standardized geographical names are also central to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals, as the monitoring of them cannot be fulfilled sufficiently without solid and reliable geospatial geographical names data. This task calls for closer coordination with the United Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management. Mr. Ormeling underscored this when he said in his closing remarks: “This conference has been able to define a fruitful relationship between UNGEGN [United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names] and UN-GGIM [United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management], that answers the expectations of the United Nations Statistical Division and has started to implement this relationship through reciprocal presentations on mandates and operation modes.”
Another major result was the passing of a resolution with a United Nations-endorsed conversion system from the Arabic to the Latin alphabet. The Member States that supported the resolution can now continue the implementation with a clear United Nations mandate.
The Conference celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with an exhibition, considered some 180 working papers and conference reports and held six panel discussions and 13 special presentations that stimulated insightful questions and comments leading to new and strengthened synergies among represented organizations.
The session ended with the Group of Experts adopting decisions which are to be brought to the attention of the Economic and Social Council. The decisions ranged from resolutions passed at the eleventh Conference and the establishment of a new task team for oral languages.
United Nations Disarmament Fellowship Programme Opens 2017 Session in Geneva
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
GENEVA, 21 August — The 2017 United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament begins today at the United Nations Office at Geneva with the participation of young diplomats and other Government officials from 25 United Nations Member States.
Officials from the following States will be taking part in the 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme: Angola, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Timor-Leste and Uganda.
The 2017 Disarmament Fellowship Programme will last for 10 weeks and will feature exchanges with representatives of Member States, senior officials of international organizations and members of the academic community. Discussions will focus on a wide range of disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation issues. The Fellows will be introduced to various aspects of multilateral negotiations and the global disarmament machinery, including the work of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and the General Assembly’s First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), as well as the operation of different treaty regimes, such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction; the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects; the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction; the Convention on Cluster Munitions; or the Arms Trade Treaty.
Fellows will also explore the role and functioning of several international organizations and structures, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna and others. Additionally, the Fellowship Programme will include study visits to Berne, Switzerland, organized by that State’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as country-specific study visits hosted by the Governments of China, Germany, Japan (including Hiroshima and Nagasaki), Kazakhstan and the Republic of Korea.
The Programme will conclude at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 27 October, when the Fellows will be awarded certificates of participation by Izumi Nakamitsu, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.
The United Nations Programme of Fellowships on Disarmament was launched by the General Assembly at its first special session devoted to disarmament in 1978 with the aim of promoting disarmament expertise, particularly in the world’s developing countries. Implemented by the Office for Disarmament Affairs 38 years ago, the Programme has trained over 950 public officials from 165 States, a large number of whom are now in positions of responsibility in the field of disarmament within their own Governments or international organizations.
US MISSION TO THE UN: Statement on the Fourth Anniversary of the Assad Regime’s Chemical Weapons Attack in Ghouta, Syria
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
Four years ago today, the Assad regime murdered more than 1,400 Syrians using the chemical agent sarin in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta. In response to Assad’s brutality, the international community undertook considerable steps to dismantle the regime’s chemical weapons program with the determination to prevent Assad from ever using such atrocious weapons again.
Despite these efforts, Assad has not relented his reign of terror and has continued to use chemical weapons in his attacks against his own people. The world was horrified when, on April 4, Syrian aircraft dropped sarin gas on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing as many as 100 people and injuring hundreds more, many of them children.
Through our previous actions and warnings to Assad, the United States has conveyed the grave seriousness with which we view chemical weapons use. We will not tolerate the use of chemical weapons, and those responsible for their use must be held accountable.
The international community must work together to ensure that chemical weapons use does not continue and that the victims of chemical weapons attacks will not be forgotten.
US MISSION TO THE UN: Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Arria-Formula Meeting on Yemen Humanitarian Issues
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
Thank you very much, Fode, for convening this important Arria meeting on the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Thank you to Stephen for giving us the latest information about the situation on the ground. And a special thanks to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeea for joining us once again to speak about Yemen and for sharing his perspectives. We appreciate your willingness, Dr. Al-Rabeea, to engage this Council on how to respond to Yemen’s humanitarian needs.
There should be no doubt that all parties in Yemen need to take immediate steps to address Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe. By numbers of people affected, Yemen has the potential to be the worst humanitarian crisis of all the countries on this Security Council’s agenda. Nearly 21 million people are in need of humanitarian aid. According to UN statistics, Yemen has the largest number of people on the brink of famine anywhere in the world. At the same time, Yemen has been hit with the world’s largest outbreak of cholera, with over 500,000 suspected cases and counting.
In the year 2017, these crises are preventable. Food can be delivered to the hungry. Treatments for cholera can be administered to help the sick. But, humanitarian organizations need two things to succeed: funding and access.
Even as the scale of Yemen’s humanitarian crisis gets worse, funding has not kept pace. The nearly $2.43 billion 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for Yemen is just 41 percent funded. International donors must step up to deliver. In particular, the United States urges all countries that pledged funds at the Geneva conference in April to follow through with their funding as quickly as possible.
For our part, the United States is the largest donor to the UN’s Yemen appeal. Since last fall, we have contributed $467 million in aid. Dr. Al-Rabeea, the United States appreciates Saudi Arabia’s generous pledges of humanitarian aid, and we look to Saudi Arabia to help lead on this front.
But all the funding in the world will not be enough if life-saving goods cannot reach Yemenis in need. At the most basic level, all parties need to respect the need for unfettered humanitarian access. That means ships carrying essential imports and humanitarian aid must be able to reach Yemen’s ports and offload their cargo. When a ship is cleared by the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, that ship should be allowed to proceed to port.
Inside Yemen, humanitarian agencies must be able to deliver goods without interference, and without fear that their goods will be looted. The United States deplores recent reports of looting and diversion of aid in areas controlled by the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Salih. Houthi/Salih forces must not tamper with deliveries of aid or try to keep these convoys from reaching their destinations. Members of this Security Council need to hold the parties accountable for preserving access, and use our connections to the parties to preserve humanitarian space in Yemen.
There are other tangible steps we can take to improve access. The United States welcomes Saudi Arabia’s recent announcement of funding for cranes at the Aden, Mukalla, and Mokha ports. This is an important step forward. But, we also need to see additional cranes installed at Hudaydah urgently to expand that port’s capacity. As the UN has stressed, the most people in need are in northern Yemen, and the UN sees no alternative to serving these people except for Hudaydah.
In addition, the parties should cooperate to re-open Sana’a Airport, which would allow Yemenis to access badly-needed medical treatment abroad. Re-opening the airport should also facilitate access for humanitarian staff, NGO workers, and journalists, each of whom plays an important role in shaping the international response to the Yemen conflict.
Finally, Yemen’s humanitarian response can only go so far when the country’s economy has collapsed. The United States calls on the parties to this conflict to explore ways to restore the functioning of Yemen’s Central Bank and essential public services. There should be an agreement on how the revenues of the Yemeni state can be used in a transparent fashion to restart public sector salaries.
Of course, absent a political solution to the conflict, all of these humanitarian steps are short-term fixes. The scale of Yemen’s suffering should inspire all of us on this Council to work harder to support UN Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed’s efforts to reinvigorate political talks. As a first step, the UN Special Envoy has put forward a credible plan to address the management of Hudaydah port. This proposal could be a key confidence-building measure that paves the way for broader political talks and a ceasefire. We urge the parties to immediately engage the UN on this Hudaydah initiative. This is both a humanitarian and a political imperative, and there is no time to waste.
Let me conclude by taking a moment to pay tribute to the immense sacrifices that humanitarian workers on the ground have made in Yemen. The United States greatly appreciates the efforts of UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick and his team, along with the many other aid organizations on the ground in Yemen. These officials continue to find ways to deliver life-saving interventions despite a maze of bureaucratic obstructions and intense fighting along the frontlines. We as a Security Council must do what we can to give the UN and other humanitarian groups the space they need to get their jobs done. Thank you.
US STATE DEPT: Statement on the United States' Engagement in South Asia
PRESS RELEASE 8/ 21/ 17
This evening, President Trump announced the new integrated strategy for the U.S. approach to South Asia that will require diplomatically engaging Pakistan, Afghanistan and India to create the conditions for stability in the region.
This new strategy signals clear support for the Afghan people and government. We will continue to support the Afghan government and security forces in their fight against terrorists and prevent the reestablishment of safe havens in the country.
Our new strategy breaks from previous approaches that set artificial calendar-based deadlines. We are making clear to the Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield. The Taliban has a path to peace and political legitimacy through a negotiated political settlement to end the war.
We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions. We look to the international community, particularly Afghanistan’s neighbors, to join us in supporting an Afghan peace process.
Pakistan has suffered greatly from terrorism and can be an important partner in our shared goals of peace and stability in the region. We look to Pakistan to take decisive action against militant groups based in Pakistan that are a threat to the region. It is vital to U.S. interests that Afghanistan and Pakistan prevent terrorist sanctuaries.
India will be an important partner in the effort to ensure peace and stability in the region, and we welcome its role in supporting Afghanistan’s political and economic modernization.
US DEFENSE DEPT: Mattis Arrives in Jordan to Discuss Security Issues
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Jordan today as part of a trip to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to strategic partnerships in the Middle East and Europe.
WH: Remarks by President Trump on the Strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 21/ 17
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.
Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan. Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every member of the United States military at home and abroad.
We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.
I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.
Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is unmatched in human history.
American patriots from every generation have given their last breath on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their lives -- and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they achieved total immortality.
By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared sense of purpose.
They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to serve together -- and sacrifice together -- in absolutely perfect cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters. They're all part of the same family; it's called the American family. They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust, and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.
The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.
Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no tolerance for hate.
The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each other.
As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas -- and we will always win -- let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us together as one.
Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September 11th -- and nobody can ever forget that -- have not been repeated on our shores.
But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history -- 17 years.
I share the American people’s frustration. I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.
That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South Asia.
My original instinct was to pull out -- and, historically, I like following my instincts. But all my life I've heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other words, when you're President of the United States. So I studied Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America’s core interests in Afghanistan.
First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the trust they have earned, to fight and to win.
Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.
And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.
Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20 U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- the highest concentration in any region anywhere in the world.
For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos, violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into conflict. And that could happen.
No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way or another, these problems will be solved -- I'm a problem solver -- and, in the end, we will win.
We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now -- the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.
We need look no further than last week’s vile, vicious attack in Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it for yourself. Horrible.
As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of their evil ideology.
Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and predators, and -- that's right -- losers. Working alongside our allies, we will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat them handily.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America’s interests are clear: We must stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in the world for that matter.
But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:
A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based approach to one based on conditions. I’ve said it many times how counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.
Conditions on the ground -- not arbitrary timetables -- will guide our strategy from now on. America’s enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will.
Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of all instruments of American power -- diplomatic, economic, and military -- toward a successful outcome.
Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.
Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society. We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.
The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.
In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those contributions and those sacrifices.
But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country’s harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilization, order, and to peace.
Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India -- the world’s largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States. We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan, especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work quickly.
I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles. They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.
That’s why we will also expand authority for American armed forces to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerful.
As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS, including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.
Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming force.
Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America before they emerge.
We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our collective defense, and they have done so.
In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.
Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to succeed.
But we will no longer use American military might to construct democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will guide our decisions moving forward.
Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a lasting peace.
America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited, and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.
In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed: America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.
Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense.
In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.
Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of America’s greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.
Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.
Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many have paid.
Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of peace.
We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.
Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you.
RELATED STORIES
US DEFENSE DEPT: President Unveils New Afghanistan, South Asia Strategy
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2017 — President Donald J. Trump tonight unveiled an expansive new strategy for South Asia aimed at bolstering American security.
The new strategy encompasses Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, the Central Asian nations and extends into Southeast Asia. He stressed the strategy will not have artificial timelines built into it.
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UN NEWS CENTER
On Day of Remembrance, UN says history of slave trade can help combat social injustice
23 August 2017 – Remembering the universal demand for freedom that led to the 1791 insurrection by slaves in what is now Haiti, the head of the United Nations cultural and educational agency today marked the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition by underscoring the importance of teaching this history to young people.
Syria: UN relief officials condemn targeting of civilians, infrastructure as airstrikes hit Raqqa
22 August 2017 – Senior United Nations humanitarian officials for Syria today expressed deep concern over many civilians reportedly killed in airstrikes and other attacks in the last few days in Raqqa city, where coalition forces are fighting Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorists.
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THE HILL: White House has paperwork ready for Joe Arpaio pardon: report
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Daily Bible Verse: If I say, “My foot slips,” Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.
Psalm 94:18-19 NKJV
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Tuesday, August 22, 2017
MARCHING BACK TO SCHOOL....2017
US DEPT. OF EDUCATION: Secretaries DeVos and Shulkin Statement on the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/16/ 17
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretaries-devos-and-shulkin-statement-harry-w-colmery-veterans-educational-assistance-act-2017
Washington — Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin released the following statement after President Trump signed the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 into law.
"This important legislation will give countless veterans and their families greater access to the education and workforce training they deserve. It will provide them the opportunity to invest in their futures with fewer restrictions and time limitations. We thank House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Phil Roe and Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs Chairman Johnny Isakson for getting this bill passed so our nation's veterans can access lifelong learning that will help them succeed in our 21st Century economy."
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Dear Washington: Messages from Main Street on Developing an Educated Workforce, Part 2
https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/dear-washington-messages-main-street-developing-educated-workforce-part-2
As part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's #LetsGrow campaign, we are visiting entrepreneurs in their hometowns, sitting down with small business owners during their visits to Washington, and listening to America's job creators during roundtables and congressional hearings to hear what they need from Washington to grow their business.
Our objective is simple: we want to find out what barriers are holding back today’s small businesses from growth and what we can do to send Washington lawmakers a clear message. We've heard about an array of issues, but one core message keeps shining through: growing the economy must be our nation’s top priority.
US LABOR DEPT. BlOG: Building on a Proud History of Apprenticeship
DATE POSTED 8/ 16/ 17
https://blog.dol.gov/2017/08/16/building-proud-history-apprenticeship
For over 100 years, North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) and its signatory contractors have funded and operated a skilled craft apprenticeship system that is the envy of the world.
Our apprenticeship and workplace-based training is an “earn while you learn” system that offers young people the chance to learn from the best trained construction workers in North America.
When they complete their apprenticeship, these men and women have a portable, nationally recognized credential that they can take anywhere in the country, one that comes with good pay and benefits that will support them and their families.
As U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta noted during the Trump Administration’s Apprenticeship Week, “The Building Trades unions, working together with contractors, spend more than $1 billion per year funding a nationwide network of nearly 1,600 teaching centers. The industry understands the benefits of a skilled workforce and is willing to pay to teach its workers.”
An additional important feature is that most apprenticeship programs in the building trades have been assessed for college credit, which participants can apply toward an associate or bachelor’s degree. To be sure, apprenticeship in the building trades is the “other four-year degree.”
Apprenticeship programs have also proven to provide a greater return for employers. Economic return on investment has shown that employers gain a return for craft training of as much as $3 to every $1 that is invested, according to the Construction Industry Institute; this includes improved safety, elimination of rework, and increased productivity of the craft worker. Similarly, apprenticeship graduates earn substantially more over a career than their counterparts who did not complete an apprenticeship.
The joint administration of apprenticeship and training enables contractors and craft organizations to develop and modify training in real time, in order to better fit the needs of the industry. The rigorous training and education curricula are developed in a manner that is career-centered and allows for a readily available supply of skilled labor for the industry, rather than to a single employer’s immediate needs. This is a win for workers and businesses alike.
As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act this August, I believe it behooves us to remind ourselves of the original purpose of the Act, which was “to formulate and promote the furtherance of labor standards necessary to safeguard the welfare of apprentices and to cooperate with the States in the promotion of such standards.”
As apprenticeship programs are created or expanded, they should be tethered to the original intent of the Fitzgerald Act, which encompassed high labor standards, embraced the concept of collective bargaining, and ensured apprenticeship program rigor and quality. These are still important issues today as we equip workers with career skills. While we encourage and support robust apprenticeship programs to meet the needs of employers and industries, we also must safeguard the welfare of apprentices.
NABTU supported the passage of and today celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Act, and we are excited about working in partnership with the Administration and Secretary Acosta to expand successful apprenticeship programs across a range of industries. As the leading historical practitioners of apprenticeship training and education in America, we would urge others to learn from our history, and we look forward to offering our insights and expertise on a successful model that has served workers and the construction industry well for over a century.
US DEPT. OF LABOR BLOG: Inclusion and Innovation: Expanding the American Apprenticeship Model
BLOG POST 8/ 16/ 17
https://blog.dol.gov/2017/08/16/inclusion-and-innovation-expanding-american-apprenticeship-model
Post-World War II America saw a generation of workers who were unlikely to have gone to college, but rather learned their trades on the job. What they missed in the classroom, they made up for with experience and, in doing so, fueled the greatest period of social mobility and economic growth this country has ever seen.
Two generations later, with rising student debt and low-income students being left behind by the cost of college, we find ourselves looking again to a workforce-training approach that meets the needs of our changing economy and can ready the next generation of American talent.
That approach is apprenticeships. And while apprenticeships have been around for the better part of the last century, for most of this time, the apprenticeship model has been specific to skilled trades. However, the model has expanded to answer the needs of today's changing economy by including fields such as finance and professional services. At the same time we celebrate the 80th anniversary of apprenticeships in the United States, Aon and other professional services firms are forging new ground between education and employment via apprenticeship programs.
Apprenticeships involve training toward a specific professional role and a promise to achieve that role and a career path at the end. The Aon Apprenticeship Program is an innovative and proven model that demonstrates that apprenticeships are not only relevant, but can help create a more diverse, high-skilled, and motivated workforce in the areas of our economy that are growing most quickly − professional services and technology.
Aon has partnered with community colleges to link associate degrees to on-the-job experience. Launched in January 2017, the Aon Apprenticeship Program gives talented students from Chicago’s City Colleges the opportunity to gain experience in fields such as cyber security and risk mitigation. The apprentices − ages 18-24 and high school graduates − receive a competitive salary, full-time benefits, on-the-job training, college tuition, and an associate degree. Once they graduate, they are offered full-time employment and a set career path at Aon.
Aon benefits, too, getting access to a previously untapped talent pipeline. Employers often complain about a lack of skilled workers. At Aon, we have learned that the talent is out there. You just have to look for it in unaccustomed places. Crafting a training program in conjunction with a local community allows you to do it.
We don’t want our smart, capable young people to experience a slowly eroding pathway to success and stability. If we want to talk about creating jobs and a next-generation economy, then we need to commit seriously to bringing the next generation into the picture. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. At Aon, we’ve learned that, and we’re learning everyday through our apprentices that inclusion and innovation go hand in hand.
NASA Successfully Launches Latest Communications Satellite
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED: 8/ 18/ 17
NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-M (TDRS-M), which is the third and final in a series of next generation communications satellites, has successfully been placed into orbit following separation from an United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. TDRS-M launched Friday at 8:29 a.m. EDT from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
Ground controllers report the satellite is in good health at the start of a four-month checkout in space by its manufacturer, Boeing. NASA will conduct additional tests before putting TDRS-M into service early next year. When ready, TDRS-M will become part of NASA’s Space Network providing navigation and high-data-rate communications to the International Space Station, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, rockets and a host of other spacecraft.
“The TDRS fleet is a critical connection delivering science and human spaceflight data to those who can use it here on Earth,” said Dave Littmann, the TDRS project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “TDRS-M will expand the capabilities and extend the lifespan of the Space Network, allowing us to continue receiving and transmitting mission data well into the next decade.”
The mission of the TDRS project, established in 1973, is to develop, launch and deliver data communications relay spacecraft to support NASA's Space Network, which provides high-data-rate communications and accurate navigation. The TDRS-M spacecraft is effectively identical -- in both function and performance -- to the TDRS-K and -L spacecraft launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The TDRS fleet began operating during the space shuttle era with the launch of TDRS-1 in 1983. Of the TDRS spacecraft launched to date, only two have been retired and five of the nine operational satellites have exceeded their design life and continue to provide essential communications and navigation services.
Boeing conducted spacecraft integration and testing earlier this year at its satellite factory in El Segundo, California. After testing and confirming the spacecraft was ready for shipment, launch processing began following TDRS-M’s arrival in Florida June 23.
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program, known as SCaN, is part of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington, and is responsible for the Space Network. The TDRS project office at Goddard manages the TDRS development program. Management of the launch service for TDRS-M is the responsibility of NASA’s Launch Services Program based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. ULA provided the Atlas V rocket launch service.
WORLD & NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
UN NEWS CENTER:
UN aid workers urge safe passage for civilians fleeing northern Iraq ahead of battle
22 August 2017 – Warning of harassment, revenge attacks and abuse of civilians displaced from the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar, United Nations refugee and migration agencies today called for people trying to flee the city ahead of military operations to have safe passage.
UN labour agency launches global panel to address rapid transformations in the world of work
21 August 2017 – The United Nations labour agency has launched a high-level international body that will chart the course towards a future of decent and sustainable work opportunities for all, and to tackle the challenges of delivering social justice in today's rapidly transforming world of work.
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BOSTON GLOBE: Forgotten for 300 years, ‘The Dutch Lady’ rediscovered on Copley library shelf
“The Dutch Lady,” a play that appears to have been forgotten for centuries, has found a new life this summer on the London stage.
Big protests expected as Trump goes to Phoenix for rally
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Large protests could greet President Donald Trump on Tuesday when he travels to Arizona for his first campaign rally since he caused an uproar with his remarks about a white nationalist demonstration in Virginia.
Daily Bible Verse: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
Romans 8:32 NKJV
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Monday, August 21, 2017
MONDAY'S BUSINESS & FINANCE REPORT
US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Looking Toward the Future of Air Cargo
Blog posted on 8/ 21/ 17
Not many would refute that e-commerce is transforming global supply chains. Consumers are expecting more product choices and faster delivery and, therefore, air cargo is becoming more important for shippers to meet these evolving consumer demands. Global air traffic is expected to grow an average 4.2 % annually over the next 20 years.
While air cargo represents less than 1% of global trade in terms of volume, it accounts for 35% in value. Thus, when it comes to the future of air cargo, a lot is at stake. A variety of factors will determine the ability of air cargo providers to facilitate the global demand for fast, reliable shipping.
Cargo Network Services (CNS), a company of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is partnering with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other organizations to host the 2nd annual U.S. Air Cargo Industry Affairs (USACIA) Summit on September 6 in Washington, D.C. The Summit will cover air cargo security, regulations, infrastructure, and countless other issues. It is imperative that the government and private sector collaborate on issues impacting air cargo to find real-world solutions that ensure our national and economic security.
The timing of this summit could not be better. So much is happening around the globe in this industry. A recent IATA report found that a 1% increase in air cargo connectivity is associated with a 6.3% increase in total exports and imports. Air cargo is clearly an investment worth making. One example is the cargo hub Amazon is building in Northern Kentucky, which is expected to create over 2,000 jobs.
As market forces change, air cargo is changing too. We invite you to join us at the USACIA summit.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AWARDS $80M IN PRE-APPRENTICESHIP GRANTS
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced $80 million in grants will be awarded to YouthBuild, a pre-apprenticeship program for at-risk individuals ages 16-to-24.
“There are pathways to successful careers outside of traditional education models,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. “There are 6.2 million open jobs in the U.S., including 228,000 in construction, and 388,000 in manufacturing. By partnering with local community colleges and nonprofits, we can empower America’s young people with the skills to succeed in the good-paying jobs of today and of the future.”
YouthBuild is a recognized pre-apprenticeship program that helps at-risk youth complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, earn industry-recognized certifications for in-demand occupations, and undergo training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities.
The grants announced today range from approximately $650,000 to $1.1 million each, and will help fund 77 YouthBuild programs.
YouthBuild has a network of 260 urban and rural YouthBuild programs in 46 states. It partners with the Department of Labor and is sponsored and managed by local nonprofits, community colleges, and public agencies.
US TREASURY DEPT: Statement by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 19/ 17
Washington – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin issued the following statement today in response to comments he has received from his Yale Classmates and others.
“I am writing in response to my Yale Classmates and many other comments I have received urging me to “speak out”. I believe that your letter and these comments raise several important issues and misconceptions that I am prepared to address.
“First, I am proud to serve my country as the 77th Treasury Secretary at this critical time in our history, and I do so with a goal of taking actions to improve the economy for the benefit of all of our citizens. I believe that there is a great opportunity to simplify regulations, reform taxes, and generate millions of jobs through higher growth. Additionally I will use all the powers and resources of the Department of the Treasury’s Terrorism and Financial Intelligence units to combat and stop terrorist financing domestically and internationally. These are my most important priorities as Treasury Secretary. I was honored to travel to all parts of the country with the President during his campaign, be chosen by the President to be Treasury Secretary, and will continue to pursue his agenda.
“Second, with regard to the recent, horrible events in Charlottesville, I strongly condemn the actions of those filled with hate and with the intent to harm others. They have no defense from me nor do they have any defense from the President or this administration. As the President said in his very first comment on the events that were unfolding in Charlottesville, “[w]e all must be united and condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Let’s come together as one.”
“Third, as someone who is Jewish, I believe I understand the long history of violence and hatred against the Jews (and other minorities) and circumstances that give rise to these sentiments and actions. While I find it hard to believe I should have to defend myself on this, or the President, I feel compelled to let you know that the President in no way, shape or form, believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways.
“Finally, as a Yale graduate and a member of what used to be known as Calhoun College (prior to its name change), I am familiar with the culture wars being fought in our country and the impact it is having on many people, with different views of how history should be remembered. Some of these issues are far more complicated than we are led to believe by the mass media, and if it were so simple, such actions would have been taken by other presidents, governors, and mayors, long before President Trump was elected by the American people.
“Our President deserves the opportunity to propose his agenda and to do so without the attempts by those who opposed him in the primaries, in the general election and beyond to distract the administration and the American people from these most important policy issues – jobs, economic growth, and national security.
“I hope you have a better perspective on my feelings on these issues. I don’t believe the allegations against the President are accurate, and I believe that having highly talented men and women in our country surrounding the President in his administration should be reassuring to you and all the American people. As long as I am Treasury Secretary I will do the best job I can for the American people and provide the best advice I can to the President.”
IRS Seeks Applications for Advisory Committee for the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 19
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service is seeking applications for vacancies on the Advisory Committee on Tax Exempt and Government Entities (ACT). The committee provides a venue for public input on relevant areas of tax administration.
Vacancies exist in the following customer segments:
Employee Plans – two vacancies (with additional experience in federal, state and local governments preferred),
Exempt Organizations – one vacancy (with additional experience in tax-exempt bonds preferred),
Tax Exempt Bonds – one vacancy (with additional experience in exempt organizations preferred).
Members are appointed by the Department of the Treasury and serve three-year terms, beginning in June 2018. Applications will be accepted through September 18, 2017.
The ACT is an organized public forum for the IRS and representatives who deal with employee plans, exempt organizations, tax-exempt bonds, and federal, state, local and Indian tribal governments. The ACT allows the IRS to receive regular input on administrative policy and procedures of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division (TE/GE).
Applications can be made by completing the ACT Application Form (Form 12399-C). Applications should reflect the proposed member’s qualifications. Members of the ACT may not be federally registered lobbyists. A notice published in the Federal Register, dated August 17, 2017, contains more details about the ACT and the application process. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE FROM OLYMPIA
LABOR AND INDUSTRIES: Badly burned on the job? New Center of Excellence at Harborview and L&I join forces to offer expanded help with recovery
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 18/ 17
Tumwater – Burns are among the most painful on-the-job injuries. Each year, hundreds of workers in Washington are burned on the job so severely that they require specialized medical care. The care and support these injured workers receive are key to their recovery and return to work.
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Harborview Medical Center today announced a new Center of Excellence for medical care for burns. The new agreement expands workers’ access to a range of specialists who will collaborate throughout the worker’s recovery.
“Getting the right care at the right time is crucial for these catastrophically injured workers,” said Joel Sacks, director of L&I. “We hope to make their recovery better and a little easier by improving access to specialists.”
“The new Center of Excellence for Burns will help us streamline multi-disciplinary care to Washington’s workers who sustain devastating burns,” said Dr. Nicole Gibran, director of the Regional Burn Center at Harborview Medical Center, part of University of Washington (UW) Medicine. “By coordinating care with providers who understand burn injuries, we facilitate physical and psychological recovery.”
National data has shown that nearly 50 percent of adult burn patients do not return to work two years after injury and 28 percent never return to work. In contrast, a recent study in the Journal of Burn Care & Research showed that 93 percent of workers with work-related burns who were treated at the UW Medicine Regional Burn Center at Harborview returned to work on average 24 days after injury. The research attributes these dramatically improved outcomes to the broad support the worker receives from employers and workers’ compensation claims staff, and to the specialized and comprehensive burn care at Harborview.
To streamline care for burned workers insured by L&I, a group of highly-trained staff from the agency manages catastrophic claims. They will coordinate closely with UW Medicine and with staff wherever workers continue treatment.
The new center is part of an L&I project to improve care for catastrophically injured workers. This is the second center of excellence; the first, for amputations, was established in early 2016.
Governor Inslee: It’s time to pass the capital budget.
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 16/ 18
While legislators successfully approved new operating and transportation budgets during their recent session, schools, cities and counties across the state of Washington are feeling the consequences of legislators’ failure to pass a capital budget. The capital budget funds hundreds of construction projects and supports more than 19,000 jobs.
Senate Republicans are openly leveraging the capital budget until legislators reach agreement on how to address an unrelated Supreme Court decision related to water rights. Gov. Jay Inslee has repeatedly called on the Senate to de-link the two issues to ensure much-needed construction projects aren’t unnecessarily delayed.
Failure to pass a capital budget affects a wide range of programs and all of the state’s 39 counties. The budget includes projects to build new schools, update water treatment systems, expand capacity at health clinics, preserve historic places, reduce pollution, improve state parks, protect against flooding and wildfires, modernize mental health facilities, and more.
The budget has over $1 billion in school construction funds, including $20 million to improve distressed schools in Seattle, $15 million to replace North Pines Middle School in Spokane Valley, and $620,000 for upgrades to the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver. In some cases, a delay in state funding is expected to result in increased construction costs.
Read more of story here
UTC: Washington electric companies on track to meet 2017 renewable targets (In cased you missed it)
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 17/ 17
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission found all three of the state’s investor-owned electric companies are in compliance with state renewable energy requirements.
The Energy Independence Act requires qualifying electric utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from eligible renewable resources, including wind, solar, and hydro power.
As part of the EIA requirements, Avista, Pacific Power, and Puget Sound Energy filed reports detailing their renewable portfolios and how each utility will supply at least 9 percent of its electric load for 2017 through renewable sources.
The three-member commission determined that all three utilities complied with the state renewable resource standard. Each company will file a final compliance report by 2019 showing exactly which resources were used to meet its target, and request a determination from the commission that the utility complied with its target.
The EIA, approved by Washington voters in 2006, also directs the companies obtain fifteen percent of their electricity from new renewable resources by 2020 and undertake cost-effective energy conservation
The UTC approves the targets and reviews the implementation plans for each investor-owned utility. The Washington State Department of Commerce oversees the targets and plans for the state’s consumer-owned utilities.
Avista is based in Spokane and provides electric service to about 246,000 customers in nine Eastern Washington counties: Adams, Asotin, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Lincoln, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman.
Pacific Power is a division of Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy of Des Moines, Iowa. The company provides electric service to about 130,000 customers in five Eastern Washington counties: Kittitas, Columbia, Garfield, Walla Walla and Yakima.
Bellevue-based PSE provides electricity service to more than 1.1 million electric customers in eight Washington counties: King, Pierce, Island, Kitsap, Kittitas, Skagit, Whatcom, and Thurston.
The UTC is the state agency that regulates private, investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities in Washington. It is the commission’s responsibility to ensure regulated companies provide safe and reliable service to customers at reasonable rates, while allowing them the opportunity to earn a fair profit.
WORLD AND NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS
UN NEWS CENTER:
Following El Salvador visit, UN right expert urges authorities to protect people from gangs
21 August 2017 – El Salvador is suffering a 'hidden tragedy' due to gang-related violence, an independent United Nations human rights expert today said, urging national authorities to intensify efforts to help and protect people affected by gangs.
'UN stands in solidarity with Finland in its fight against terrorism,' says Guterres
19 August 2017 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today condemned the terrorist attack in south-western Finland which killed at least two people.
NATIONAL
WASHINGTON TIMES: Speaker Ryan denounces ‘moral relativism’ on neo-NazisHouse Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Monday that the white supremacists who have gained such a high profile in recent weeks remain “only on the fringes” of American life, but said the country cannot tolerate any attempts to show moral relativism.
NYT: The Solar Eclipse: First Contact in Oregon
Closer to Oregon’s coast at Depoe Bay, a small town near where the total eclipse will first touch American soil, eclipse chasers woke to thick fog, which was beginning to clear. The National Weather Service in Portland, Ore., reported that some coastal areas “are looking perfect” for viewing.
Daily Bible Verse: The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 42:8 NKJV
Free bible studies (WBS)
Learn english using the bible as text (WEI)
Sunday, August 20, 2017
OUR HEALTH & WORLD POVERTY
FDA: FDA provides new tools for the development and proper evaluation of tests for detecting Zika virus infection
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 17/ 17
As an additional measure in the fight against Zika virus, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has made available a panel of human plasma samples to aid in the regulatory evaluation of serological tests to detect recent Zika virus infection.
“At the onset of the Zika virus outbreak, when little was known about the disease or how to diagnose it, the FDA worked quickly with manufacturers to encourage the development of diagnostic tests and ensure they were available using its Emergency Use Authorization authorities,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “By providing manufacturers of these tests with standardized patient samples to use in properly validating these diagnostics, we will be able to better assess how well their tests perform. This is part of our effort to ultimately bring these tests through the FDA’s formal review process to better ensure their reliability, and to enable broader access to Zika diagnostic testing.”
There are two primary blood diagnostic tests: nucleic acid tests that identify infection by confirming the presence of a virus’ genetic material (RNA) and serological tests that identify proteins (antibodies) produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful organisms, such as Zika virus, in the blood. Serological tests are especially important because there is often a small window when the virus’ genetic material is detectable. However, development of these types of tests has been particularly challenging because antibodies produced by the body to fight Zika virus are difficult to differentiate from antibodies produced to fight related viruses, such as dengue and West Nile viruses.
The FDA’s sample panel consists of plasma samples from anonymous individuals infected with Zika, West Nile, or dengue viruses. Although the panel is not for research purposes, diagnostic developers can use these samples to assess whether their tests can help distinguish recent Zika virus infection from infection with West Nile or dengue viruses. Using the same serological panel to evaluate different devices available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) will help public health professionals compare the performance of different Zika virus tests.
The FDA panel is available to developers who have interacted with the FDA through the pre-EUA process and have devices that are in the final stages of validation. To date, the FDA has granted EUAs to three serological tests for detection of recent Zika virus infection (in chronological order): Zika MAC-ELISA, ZIKV Detect IgM Capture ELISA, and LIAISON XL Zika Capture IgM Assay. Other developers interested in requesting a panel may contact the agency.
The panel was prepared using samples from Zika virus-infected individuals provided by Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI) from a study supported by Contract No. HHSN268201100001I from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content of this press release is solely the FDA’s responsibility and does not necessarily represent the official views of BSRI, the NHLBI, or the NIH. The samples from individuals infected with dengue and West Nile virus were obtained separately by the FDA.
FDA approves new treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 17/ 17
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Besponsa (inotuzumab ozogamicin) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
“For adult patients with B-cell ALL whose cancer has not responded to initial treatment or has returned after treatment, life expectancy is typically low,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and acting director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “These patients have few treatments available and today’s approval provides a new, targeted treatment option.”
B-cell precursor ALL is a rapidly progressing type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many B-cell lymphocytes, an immature type of white blood cell. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 5,970 people in the United States will be diagnosed with ALL this year and approximately 1,440 will die from the disease.
Besponsa is a targeted therapy that is thought to work by binding to B-cell ALL cancer cells that express the CD22 antigen, blocking the growth of cancerous cells.
The safety and efficacy of Besponsa were studied in a randomized trial of 326 patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL who had received one or two prior treatments. Patients were randomized to receive treatment with Besponsa or an alternative chemotherapy regimen. The trial measured the percentage of patients with no evidence of disease and full recovery of blood counts after treatment (complete remission or CR). Of the 218 evaluated patients, 35.8 percent who received Besponsa experienced CR for a median 8.0 months; of the patients who received alternative chemotherapy, 17.4 percent experienced CR for a median 4.9 months.
Common side effects of Besponsa include low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia), low levels of certain white blood cells (neutropenia, leukopenia), infection, low levels of red blood cells (anemia), fatigue, severe bleeding (hemorrhage), fever (pyrexia), nausea, headache, low levels of white blood cells with fever (febrile neutropenia), liver damage (transaminases and/or gamma-glutamyltransferase increased), abdominal pain and high levels of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia).
The prescribing information for Besponsa includes a boxed warning that severe liver damage (hepatotoxicity), including blockage of veins in the liver (veno-occlusive disease [VOD] or sinusoidal obstruction syndrome), occurred in some patients who took Besponsa. If hepatotoxicity occurs, doctors should pause treatment or reduce the dose of Besponsa. If VOD occurs, patients should stop taking Besponsa and be given standard VOD treatment, if severe.The boxed warning also includes an increased risk of death for patients who take Besponsa after receiving a certain type of stem cell transplant.
Other serious side effects of Besponsa include a decrease in blood cell and platelet production (myelosuppression), infusion-related reactions and problems with the heart’s electrical pulses (QT interval prolongation). Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Besponsa because it may cause harm to a developing fetus or a newborn baby.
The FDA granted this application Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy designations. Besponsa also received Orphan Drug designation, which provides incentives to assist and encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases.
USDA BLOG: Packed Lunches: Cutting Corners, But Not Food Safety
POSTED 8/ 15/ 17
As a working mom of four boys, ages 8 and under, I’m asked on a near-daily basis: “how do you DO it?!” It’s a carefully orchestrated dance: keeping my family fed, healthy, dropped off at school and daycare at the appropriate times, with their respective accompaniments, whether homework, snacks or lunches. And then in the evening, allowing opportunity to focus on homework and dinner, without sacrificing quality family time. Making this happen on a daily basis takes a keen attention to detail, a little luck and some advanced planning.
I’m game to try anything to help our daily routine run smoothly, and will cut any corners I can. However, one corner I won’t cut is safe food handling and preparation. Because let’s face it—a houseful of children in the throes of foodborne illness is no one’s idea of a good time.
Advanced Planning
To keep our household running as efficiently as possible, I prep the boys’ lunches a few days in advance. I pre-portion snack size bags of baby carrots for two to three meals and place those in the fridge with the other vegetables. On a clean and separate cutting board, I make enough ham sandwiches for two to three lunches. The prepped sandwiches go back into the fridge in a designated spot.
The Morning Of
In the morning, I pack each soft-sided cooler lunch bag with a napkin, cold sandwich, cold baggie of carrots, any other non-perishable sides and either a frozen water bottle or a frozen tube of yogurt. I also slide an ice pack on top of the lunch contents so each bag has two cold sources that keep the contents out of the Danger Zone (temperatures between 40°F and 140°F at which bacteria grows most rapidly) until lunch time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has great resources on safe food handling, particularly for bag lunches.
After Lunch
We’ve taught our boys to throw out their leftovers and not eat anything from their lunches later in the day. When they arrive home from school, they promptly discard anything that didn’t make it into the trash can in the cafeteria. I wipe out their lunch bags with a disinfectant wipe and leave to air dry overnight.
By prepping a few days of lunches in a session, I save quite a bit of time. Mornings run smoother because there’s no shuffling and rummaging for something to eat. Knowing that the food was safely prepared, stored and packed in their lunch boxes gives me the peace of mind that I’ve reduced the risk of foodborne illness in my kids, while carving out a little more quality time to spend with them in the evenings.
ON THE STATE LEVEL OUR HEALTH
DOH: Pierce Co. paramedic suspended on allegations of diverting controlled substances
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 16/ 17
OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Secretary of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems program immediately suspended the credential of Pierce County paramedic Jeremy Aaron Johansen (ES.60016043) pending further legal action.
Charges say Johansen diverted fentanyl and morphine for his own use. He has 20 days to respond to the charges and request a hearing.
The legal documents on this case can be seen online by clicking the link on Provider Credential Search on the Department of Health website; copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700. Anyone who believes a health care provider acted unprofessionally is encouraged to call the number above to report their complaint.
The Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System protects and promotes public health, safety, and welfare in Washington by regulating the competency and quality of licensed Emergency Medical personnel. The Secretary of health establishes, monitors, and enforces qualifications for licensing, consistent standards of practice, continuing competency mechanisms, and discipline. Rules, policies, and procedures promote the delivery of quality healthcare to people in Washington.
WORLD POVERTY THE REAL CRISIS
HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU REPORT
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN JULY 2017
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 16/ 17
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for July 2017.
Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,223,000. This is 4.1 percent (±0.9 percent) below the revised June rate of 1,275,000 and is 4.1 percent (±1.8 percent) above the July 2016 rate of 1,175,000. Single-family authorizations in July were at a rate of 811,000; this is unchanged from the revised June figure of 811,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 377,000 in July.
Housing Starts: Privately owned housing starts in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,155,000. This is 4.8 percent (±10.2 percent)* below the revised June estimate of 1,213,000 and is 5.6 percent (±8.5 percent)* below the July 2016 rate of 1,223,000. Single-family housing starts in July were at a rate of 856,000; this is 0.5 percent (±8.5 percent)* below the revised June figure of 860,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 287,000.
Housing Completions: Privately owned housing completions in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,175,000. This is 6.2 percent (±14.3 percent)* below the revised June estimate of 1,252,000 and is 8.2 percent (±12.6 percent)* above the July 2016 rate of 1,086,000. Single-family housing completions in July were at a rate of 814,000; this is 1.6 percent (±11.9 percent)* below the revised June rate of 827,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 354,000.
The August report is scheduled for release on September 19, 2017.
Read more about today's release of housing construction activity.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
In interpreting changes in the statistics in this release, note that month-to-month changes in seasonally adjusted statistics often show movements which may be irregular. It may take three months to establish an underlying trend for building permit authorizations, six months for total starts, and six months for total completions. The statistics in this release are estimated from sample surveys and are subject to sampling variability as well as nonsampling error including bias and variance from response, nonreporting, and undercoverage. Estimated relative standard errors of the most recent data are shown in the tables. Whenever a statement such as “2.5 percent (±3.2 percent) above” appears in the text, this indicates the range (-0.7 to +5.7 percent) in which the actual percentage change is likely to have occurred. All ranges given for percentage changes are 90 percent confidence intervals and account only for sampling variability. If a range does not contain zero, the change is statistically significant. If it does contain zero, the change is not statistically significant; that is, it is uncertain whether there was an increase or decrease. The same policies apply to the confidence intervals for percentage changes shown in the tables. On average, the preliminary seasonally adjusted estimates of total building permits, housing starts and housing completions are revised 3 percent or less. Explanations of confidence intervals and sampling variability can be found at the Census Bureau’s website.
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. In such cases, there is insufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.
UN NEWS CENTER: Emergency food distributions launched to assist thousands displaced in DR Congo – UN agency
16 August 2017 – Food assistance will be provided to food insecure people displaced by conflict in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), says the United Nations food agency.
UN NEWS CENTER: Protecting aid workers ‘paramount,’ UN relief chief says ahead of World Humanitarian Day
17 August 2017 – As conflicts around the world continue to take a massive toll on people’s lives, the top United Nations relief official stressed the importance of ensuring that the brave men and women who risk their lives to help those in need are not themselves a target.
WORLD & NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS, and NEWS STORY COMMENTARY
UN NEWS CENTER:
Marking World Humanitarian Day, UN urges protection for civilians in armed conflict
18 August 2017 – Civilians in conflict are not a target, top United Nations officials today stressed at a special event marking World Humanitarian Day, which honours aid workers and pays homage to those killed in service, while also drawing attention to the millions of people today living in war zones.
More than 350,000 children vaccinated against polio in hard to reach areas of Syria – UN
18 August 2017 – A United Nations polio vaccination campaign in Syria has provided protection to more than 355,000 children under age five in two governorates, where violence has made access especially difficult.
BOSTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of people in Boston protested a "Free Speech" rally featuring right-wing speakers on Saturday, with hundreds of police mobilized to prevent a recurrence of violence that left a woman dead at a Virginia white-supremacist protest last week.
AP: Duke University removes statue of Confederate general
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University has removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee days after it was vandalized.
NEWS STORY COMMENTARY:
From the Patroit Post: Historical Revisionism
Posted 8/ 18/ 17
Quote:" Of course, the focus of today’s hysteria are Southerners who led the Confederate States of America. Given the centrality of slavery to the Civil War, history has rightly judged the Confederacy harshly. Yet even its leading figures were complex. Robert E. Lee opposed slavery and secession before the Civil War and promoted reconciliation afterwards."
WE ARE ALL SLAVES...MOSTLY SLAVERY OF SIN
By, Peter Ripley
Readers, this week was bounty of reflection, not only on a personal level, since Friday happened to be my birthday, as I mention it was a day which how my life personally been going. But, this week we as a nation have been doing a lot of reflection of our checkerd past. Which was the act of ensalvement of others, on account of the color of skin. Earlier this week while I was at the local swimming pool, after I did me usual routine, and in the shower room, I was apporched by a elderly man, asking me about the events of Charlottesville. He mention the Rush Limbuagh radio show, saying on the show Limbaugh all of the viloence had to do with slavery, which ended in America after the civil war, over 150 years ago.
I answered we all are slaves in some way, slave to our jobs, slaves mostly to sins we hold on to. There were other guys in the room listening to my little speech I was giving to the elderly gent. I said it is only through faith in Christ we are freed from sin, and we have true liberty only through God. I thought it was very apt considering the topic of slavery was mentioned. Something to ponder folks, what is more important? Some bad habit, job, sexual sins? Or taking time to know God? Which is more important? Now as for the monuments, Do these vandals really think tearing down statues, or desiccating graves of confederate soldiers going to change history? What I've been seeing that two groups who are slaves of hatred, one group of haters on racial grounds, the other group haters of this country.
BIBLE STUDY FOR THIS WEEK
GOSPEL WAY: Are Schools Destroying Young People's Faith?
One of the most popular philosophies of education is called "Humanism." The Humanist Manifestos inform us what Humanists generally believe.
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 17/ 17
As an additional measure in the fight against Zika virus, today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has made available a panel of human plasma samples to aid in the regulatory evaluation of serological tests to detect recent Zika virus infection.
“At the onset of the Zika virus outbreak, when little was known about the disease or how to diagnose it, the FDA worked quickly with manufacturers to encourage the development of diagnostic tests and ensure they were available using its Emergency Use Authorization authorities,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. “By providing manufacturers of these tests with standardized patient samples to use in properly validating these diagnostics, we will be able to better assess how well their tests perform. This is part of our effort to ultimately bring these tests through the FDA’s formal review process to better ensure their reliability, and to enable broader access to Zika diagnostic testing.”
There are two primary blood diagnostic tests: nucleic acid tests that identify infection by confirming the presence of a virus’ genetic material (RNA) and serological tests that identify proteins (antibodies) produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful organisms, such as Zika virus, in the blood. Serological tests are especially important because there is often a small window when the virus’ genetic material is detectable. However, development of these types of tests has been particularly challenging because antibodies produced by the body to fight Zika virus are difficult to differentiate from antibodies produced to fight related viruses, such as dengue and West Nile viruses.
The FDA’s sample panel consists of plasma samples from anonymous individuals infected with Zika, West Nile, or dengue viruses. Although the panel is not for research purposes, diagnostic developers can use these samples to assess whether their tests can help distinguish recent Zika virus infection from infection with West Nile or dengue viruses. Using the same serological panel to evaluate different devices available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) will help public health professionals compare the performance of different Zika virus tests.
The FDA panel is available to developers who have interacted with the FDA through the pre-EUA process and have devices that are in the final stages of validation. To date, the FDA has granted EUAs to three serological tests for detection of recent Zika virus infection (in chronological order): Zika MAC-ELISA, ZIKV Detect IgM Capture ELISA, and LIAISON XL Zika Capture IgM Assay. Other developers interested in requesting a panel may contact the agency.
The panel was prepared using samples from Zika virus-infected individuals provided by Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI) from a study supported by Contract No. HHSN268201100001I from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). The content of this press release is solely the FDA’s responsibility and does not necessarily represent the official views of BSRI, the NHLBI, or the NIH. The samples from individuals infected with dengue and West Nile virus were obtained separately by the FDA.
FDA approves new treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 17/ 17
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Besponsa (inotuzumab ozogamicin) for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
“For adult patients with B-cell ALL whose cancer has not responded to initial treatment or has returned after treatment, life expectancy is typically low,” said Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence and acting director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “These patients have few treatments available and today’s approval provides a new, targeted treatment option.”
B-cell precursor ALL is a rapidly progressing type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many B-cell lymphocytes, an immature type of white blood cell. The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 5,970 people in the United States will be diagnosed with ALL this year and approximately 1,440 will die from the disease.
Besponsa is a targeted therapy that is thought to work by binding to B-cell ALL cancer cells that express the CD22 antigen, blocking the growth of cancerous cells.
The safety and efficacy of Besponsa were studied in a randomized trial of 326 patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL who had received one or two prior treatments. Patients were randomized to receive treatment with Besponsa or an alternative chemotherapy regimen. The trial measured the percentage of patients with no evidence of disease and full recovery of blood counts after treatment (complete remission or CR). Of the 218 evaluated patients, 35.8 percent who received Besponsa experienced CR for a median 8.0 months; of the patients who received alternative chemotherapy, 17.4 percent experienced CR for a median 4.9 months.
Common side effects of Besponsa include low levels of platelets (thrombocytopenia), low levels of certain white blood cells (neutropenia, leukopenia), infection, low levels of red blood cells (anemia), fatigue, severe bleeding (hemorrhage), fever (pyrexia), nausea, headache, low levels of white blood cells with fever (febrile neutropenia), liver damage (transaminases and/or gamma-glutamyltransferase increased), abdominal pain and high levels of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia).
The prescribing information for Besponsa includes a boxed warning that severe liver damage (hepatotoxicity), including blockage of veins in the liver (veno-occlusive disease [VOD] or sinusoidal obstruction syndrome), occurred in some patients who took Besponsa. If hepatotoxicity occurs, doctors should pause treatment or reduce the dose of Besponsa. If VOD occurs, patients should stop taking Besponsa and be given standard VOD treatment, if severe.The boxed warning also includes an increased risk of death for patients who take Besponsa after receiving a certain type of stem cell transplant.
Other serious side effects of Besponsa include a decrease in blood cell and platelet production (myelosuppression), infusion-related reactions and problems with the heart’s electrical pulses (QT interval prolongation). Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not take Besponsa because it may cause harm to a developing fetus or a newborn baby.
The FDA granted this application Priority Review and Breakthrough Therapy designations. Besponsa also received Orphan Drug designation, which provides incentives to assist and encourage the development of drugs for rare diseases.
USDA BLOG: Packed Lunches: Cutting Corners, But Not Food Safety
POSTED 8/ 15/ 17
As a working mom of four boys, ages 8 and under, I’m asked on a near-daily basis: “how do you DO it?!” It’s a carefully orchestrated dance: keeping my family fed, healthy, dropped off at school and daycare at the appropriate times, with their respective accompaniments, whether homework, snacks or lunches. And then in the evening, allowing opportunity to focus on homework and dinner, without sacrificing quality family time. Making this happen on a daily basis takes a keen attention to detail, a little luck and some advanced planning.
I’m game to try anything to help our daily routine run smoothly, and will cut any corners I can. However, one corner I won’t cut is safe food handling and preparation. Because let’s face it—a houseful of children in the throes of foodborne illness is no one’s idea of a good time.
Advanced Planning
To keep our household running as efficiently as possible, I prep the boys’ lunches a few days in advance. I pre-portion snack size bags of baby carrots for two to three meals and place those in the fridge with the other vegetables. On a clean and separate cutting board, I make enough ham sandwiches for two to three lunches. The prepped sandwiches go back into the fridge in a designated spot.
The Morning Of
In the morning, I pack each soft-sided cooler lunch bag with a napkin, cold sandwich, cold baggie of carrots, any other non-perishable sides and either a frozen water bottle or a frozen tube of yogurt. I also slide an ice pack on top of the lunch contents so each bag has two cold sources that keep the contents out of the Danger Zone (temperatures between 40°F and 140°F at which bacteria grows most rapidly) until lunch time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has great resources on safe food handling, particularly for bag lunches.
After Lunch
We’ve taught our boys to throw out their leftovers and not eat anything from their lunches later in the day. When they arrive home from school, they promptly discard anything that didn’t make it into the trash can in the cafeteria. I wipe out their lunch bags with a disinfectant wipe and leave to air dry overnight.
By prepping a few days of lunches in a session, I save quite a bit of time. Mornings run smoother because there’s no shuffling and rummaging for something to eat. Knowing that the food was safely prepared, stored and packed in their lunch boxes gives me the peace of mind that I’ve reduced the risk of foodborne illness in my kids, while carving out a little more quality time to spend with them in the evenings.
ON THE STATE LEVEL OUR HEALTH
DOH: Pierce Co. paramedic suspended on allegations of diverting controlled substances
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 16/ 17
OLYMPIA -- The Washington State Secretary of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Systems program immediately suspended the credential of Pierce County paramedic Jeremy Aaron Johansen (ES.60016043) pending further legal action.
Charges say Johansen diverted fentanyl and morphine for his own use. He has 20 days to respond to the charges and request a hearing.
The legal documents on this case can be seen online by clicking the link on Provider Credential Search on the Department of Health website; copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700. Anyone who believes a health care provider acted unprofessionally is encouraged to call the number above to report their complaint.
The Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System protects and promotes public health, safety, and welfare in Washington by regulating the competency and quality of licensed Emergency Medical personnel. The Secretary of health establishes, monitors, and enforces qualifications for licensing, consistent standards of practice, continuing competency mechanisms, and discipline. Rules, policies, and procedures promote the delivery of quality healthcare to people in Washington.
WORLD POVERTY THE REAL CRISIS
HUD AND CENSUS BUREAU REPORT
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY IN JULY 2017
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 16/ 17
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for July 2017.
Building Permits: Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,223,000. This is 4.1 percent (±0.9 percent) below the revised June rate of 1,275,000 and is 4.1 percent (±1.8 percent) above the July 2016 rate of 1,175,000. Single-family authorizations in July were at a rate of 811,000; this is unchanged from the revised June figure of 811,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 377,000 in July.
Housing Starts: Privately owned housing starts in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,155,000. This is 4.8 percent (±10.2 percent)* below the revised June estimate of 1,213,000 and is 5.6 percent (±8.5 percent)* below the July 2016 rate of 1,223,000. Single-family housing starts in July were at a rate of 856,000; this is 0.5 percent (±8.5 percent)* below the revised June figure of 860,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 287,000.
Housing Completions: Privately owned housing completions in July were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,175,000. This is 6.2 percent (±14.3 percent)* below the revised June estimate of 1,252,000 and is 8.2 percent (±12.6 percent)* above the July 2016 rate of 1,086,000. Single-family housing completions in July were at a rate of 814,000; this is 1.6 percent (±11.9 percent)* below the revised June rate of 827,000. The July rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 354,000.
The August report is scheduled for release on September 19, 2017.
Read more about today's release of housing construction activity.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
In interpreting changes in the statistics in this release, note that month-to-month changes in seasonally adjusted statistics often show movements which may be irregular. It may take three months to establish an underlying trend for building permit authorizations, six months for total starts, and six months for total completions. The statistics in this release are estimated from sample surveys and are subject to sampling variability as well as nonsampling error including bias and variance from response, nonreporting, and undercoverage. Estimated relative standard errors of the most recent data are shown in the tables. Whenever a statement such as “2.5 percent (±3.2 percent) above” appears in the text, this indicates the range (-0.7 to +5.7 percent) in which the actual percentage change is likely to have occurred. All ranges given for percentage changes are 90 percent confidence intervals and account only for sampling variability. If a range does not contain zero, the change is statistically significant. If it does contain zero, the change is not statistically significant; that is, it is uncertain whether there was an increase or decrease. The same policies apply to the confidence intervals for percentage changes shown in the tables. On average, the preliminary seasonally adjusted estimates of total building permits, housing starts and housing completions are revised 3 percent or less. Explanations of confidence intervals and sampling variability can be found at the Census Bureau’s website.
* The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. In such cases, there is insufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.
UN NEWS CENTER: Emergency food distributions launched to assist thousands displaced in DR Congo – UN agency
16 August 2017 – Food assistance will be provided to food insecure people displaced by conflict in the Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), says the United Nations food agency.
UN NEWS CENTER: Protecting aid workers ‘paramount,’ UN relief chief says ahead of World Humanitarian Day
17 August 2017 – As conflicts around the world continue to take a massive toll on people’s lives, the top United Nations relief official stressed the importance of ensuring that the brave men and women who risk their lives to help those in need are not themselves a target.
WORLD & NATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS, and NEWS STORY COMMENTARY
UN NEWS CENTER:
Marking World Humanitarian Day, UN urges protection for civilians in armed conflict
18 August 2017 – Civilians in conflict are not a target, top United Nations officials today stressed at a special event marking World Humanitarian Day, which honours aid workers and pays homage to those killed in service, while also drawing attention to the millions of people today living in war zones.
More than 350,000 children vaccinated against polio in hard to reach areas of Syria – UN
18 August 2017 – A United Nations polio vaccination campaign in Syria has provided protection to more than 355,000 children under age five in two governorates, where violence has made access especially difficult.
NATION
REU: Thousands take to streets in Boston protest against hate speechBOSTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Thousands of people in Boston protested a "Free Speech" rally featuring right-wing speakers on Saturday, with hundreds of police mobilized to prevent a recurrence of violence that left a woman dead at a Virginia white-supremacist protest last week.
AP: Duke University removes statue of Confederate general
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University has removed a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee days after it was vandalized.
NEWS STORY COMMENTARY:
From the Patroit Post: Historical Revisionism
Posted 8/ 18/ 17
Quote:" Of course, the focus of today’s hysteria are Southerners who led the Confederate States of America. Given the centrality of slavery to the Civil War, history has rightly judged the Confederacy harshly. Yet even its leading figures were complex. Robert E. Lee opposed slavery and secession before the Civil War and promoted reconciliation afterwards."
WE ARE ALL SLAVES...MOSTLY SLAVERY OF SIN
By, Peter Ripley
Readers, this week was bounty of reflection, not only on a personal level, since Friday happened to be my birthday, as I mention it was a day which how my life personally been going. But, this week we as a nation have been doing a lot of reflection of our checkerd past. Which was the act of ensalvement of others, on account of the color of skin. Earlier this week while I was at the local swimming pool, after I did me usual routine, and in the shower room, I was apporched by a elderly man, asking me about the events of Charlottesville. He mention the Rush Limbuagh radio show, saying on the show Limbaugh all of the viloence had to do with slavery, which ended in America after the civil war, over 150 years ago.
I answered we all are slaves in some way, slave to our jobs, slaves mostly to sins we hold on to. There were other guys in the room listening to my little speech I was giving to the elderly gent. I said it is only through faith in Christ we are freed from sin, and we have true liberty only through God. I thought it was very apt considering the topic of slavery was mentioned. Something to ponder folks, what is more important? Some bad habit, job, sexual sins? Or taking time to know God? Which is more important? Now as for the monuments, Do these vandals really think tearing down statues, or desiccating graves of confederate soldiers going to change history? What I've been seeing that two groups who are slaves of hatred, one group of haters on racial grounds, the other group haters of this country.
BIBLE STUDY FOR THIS WEEK
GOSPEL WAY: Are Schools Destroying Young People's Faith?
One of the most popular philosophies of education is called "Humanism." The Humanist Manifestos inform us what Humanists generally believe.
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