EX-IM BANK APPROVES $1.2 BILLION FINANCING TO PEMEX

FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Approves $1.2 Billion in Export Financing to Pemex, Supporting 8,500 jobs in Texas, California. Louisiana and Elsewhere
Pemex To Offer Ex-Im Guaranteed Bond Issuances to Capital Markets
Washington, D.C. – The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized $1.2 billion in export financing in four separate transactions to support the export of U.S. goods and services to Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico’s national oil and gas company. The amount includes a $200 million small-business facility, which will support exports from U.S. small businesses.

For the first time, Pemex will offer Ex-Im-guaranteed bond issuances to capital markets to fund the transactions. Pemex anticipates four-to-seven bond offerings that will occur from June to September 2012. In the event the funding cost is prohibitive, Pemex may exercise the option to seek Ex-Im direct loans.

The Bank’s approval will enable the American exporters involved, most of which are headquartered in Texas, California, and Louisiana, to supply their products, equipment and services to Pemex oil and gas projects. The transactions will support an estimated 8,500 jobs.

“Ex-Im Bank is pleased to partner with Pemex yet again to finance the purchase of U.S. goods and services to Mexico,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “The financing support will directly benefit U.S. small businesses in the oil and gas industry, an industry that is absolutely vital to the growth of our nation’s economy.”

The Mexican projects involved in these latest financing transactions are the Cantarell Complex, Mexico’s largest oil field; the Strategic Gas Program, one of Mexico’s largest gas programs; and the New Projects of Pemex Exploration and Production (PEP), a program devoted to onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration ventures.

Ex-Im Bank’s financing was necessary to enable U.S. exporters to compete for Pemex contracts against foreign companies backed by their governments’ export credit agencies (ECAs). Each of the four transactions has a 10-year repayment term that matches terms offered by other ECAs.

Pemex ranks as Ex-Im Bank’s top borrower. Since 1998, the Bank has approved approximately $10.6 billion in financing to support Pemex’s activities in the oil and gas sector.

The Bank’s four transactions will increase its total credit exposure in Mexico, one of the Bank’s nine key markets, to $6.3 billion.

About Ex-Im Bank:
Ex-Im Bank is an independent federal agency that helps create and maintain U.S. jobs by filling gaps in private export financing at no cost to American taxpayers. In the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has earned for U.S. taxpayers $1.9 billion above the cost of operations. The Bank provides a variety of financing mechanisms, including working capital guarantees, export-credit insurance, and financing to help foreign buyers purchase U.S. goods and services.

Ex-Im Bank approved $32.7 billion in total authorizations in FY 2011 -- an all-time Ex-Im record. This total includes more than $6 billion directly supporting small-business export sales -- also an Ex-Im record. Ex-Im Bank's total authorizations are supporting an estimated $41 billion in U.S. export sales and approximately 290,000 American jobs in communities across the country. For more information, visit www.exim.gov.

LOAN OFFICER SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN $9.2 MILLION MORTGAGE FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OFF JUSTICE
Monday, June 25, 2012
Loan Officer Sentenced to 54 Months in Prison for Role in Mortgage Fraud Scheme That Resulted in More Than $9.2 Million in Losses
WASHINGTON – A loan officer for a Florida mortgage company was sentenced today in Miami to 54 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Inspector General David A. Montoya.

Alejandro aka “Alex” Curbelo, 32, of Miami was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard.  In addition to his prison term, Curbelo was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $9.2 million in restitution to HUD.  Curbelo was indicted and arrested on Jan. 24, 2012, and pleaded guilty on April 16, 2012, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

According to court documents, from approximately February 2006 through July 2008, Curbelo was employed as a loan officer for Great Country Mortgage Bankers.  In this role, he assisted in the sales and financing of condominium units at two complexes in Florida – Dadeland Place and Pelican Cove on the Bay.  The borrowers who Curbelo assisted at these two complexes were unqualified to obtain mortgage loans due to insufficient income, high levels of debts and outstanding collections.

Curbelo admitted that he conspired with others to create and submit false and fraudulent Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage loan applications and accompanying documents to the lender on behalf of the unqualified borrowers.  Curbelo and others offered the borrowers cash back after closing as an incentive for them to purchase the units.  These payments were not disclosed properly during the loan application process.  According to court documents, the closing costs were paid on behalf of the borrowers by interstate wire.  After the loans closed, the unqualified borrowers failed to meet their monthly mortgage obligations and defaulted on their loans.

According to court documents, when the loans went into foreclosure, HUD, which insured the loans, was required to take title to the units and pay the outstanding loan balances to the lenders.  As of the date of the sentencing hearing, HUD paid more than $9.2 million for losses related to Curbelo’s conduct.

This case was investigated by the HUD Office of Inspector General, as participants in the Miami Mortgage Fraud Strike Force.  Trial Attorney Mary Ann McCarthy of the Fraud Section in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division is prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
               
This prosecution is part of efforts under way by the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.  The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Být v kontaktu i na moři – díky družicím

ESA Portal - Czech Republic - Být v kontaktu i na moři – díky družicím

FIRST QUALIFIED FEMALE SUBMARINE SUPPLY OFFICER RECEIVES SUPPLY DOLPHINS

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
120622-N-FD743-001 BREMERTON, Wash. (June 22, 2012) Lt. Britta Christianson, a Gold Crew supply officer assigned to the guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSGN 726), is presented with her Submarine Supply Corps "dolphins" by her commanding officer, Capt. Rodney Mills, during a ceremony at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as Capt. Dixon Hicks, Ohio's former commanding officer, looks on. Christianson is the first female Supply Corps officer to qualify in submarines. (U.S. Navy photo by Chris Calnan/Released) 

First Qualified Female Submarine Supply Officer Receives Supply Dolphins
From Commander, Submarine Group 9 Public Affairs
BREMERTON, Wash. (NNS) -- A Sailor assigned to USS Ohio (SSGN 726) became the first female supply officer to qualify in submarines, June 22.

Lt. Britta Christianson of Ohio's Gold Crew received her Submarine Supply Corps "dolphins" from the Gold Crew Commanding Officer Capt. Rodney Mills during a brief ceremony at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF).

"I'm very proud of Lt. Christianson's accomplishments today," said Mills, "and I'm glad to welcome her to the elite community of dolphin-wearing submariners, past and present. She is a superb supply officer, an excellent watchstander, and she will be critical to ensuring the ship's success during our upcoming deployment."

Ohio is currently undergoing maintenance at PSNS & IMF, having returned to the Pacific Northwest in March after a 14-month forward deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.

Christianson, a native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., joined the Gold Crew in November 2011 during Ohio's deployment. She is one of 13 women - four supply officers and nine submarine line officers under instruction - assigned to Ohio and USS Maine (SSBN 741) at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Wash. Twelve other women are assigned to USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) and USS Georgia (SSGN 729), based in Kings Bay, Ga.

In order to receive her Supply dolphins, Christianson - already a qualified Naval Flight Officer and surface supply officer - was required to demonstrate knowledge in basic submarine operations and engineering fundamentals, perform damage control functions, and qualify as a diving officer of the watch (DOOW).

"I was honored to be given the opportunity to serve aboard a submarine, so receiving my dolphins is like icing on the cake for me," said Christianson. "It was a lot of hard work, but at the end of the day, two things bring us and our submarine home safely: knowledge of the submarine and our ability to execute the mission, and that basically sums up what dolphins are all about. I owe a lot of my thanks to my captain, chiefs and crew members who trained me and helped me to learn my boat."

Prior to reporting to their boats beginning in November 2011, Christianson and the other women assigned to Ohio, Maine, Wyoming and Georgia graduated from the Submarine Officer Basic Course in Groton, Conn. In addition, the submarine line officers under instruction graduated from the Naval Nuclear Power School at Charleston, S.C., and underwent naval nuclear prototype training.

Ohio and USS Michigan (SSGN 727) are homeported at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and forward deployed to Guam.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, orwww.twitter.com/usnavy.

2012 PRESIDENTIAL GREEN CHEMISTRY CHALLENGE AWARD

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Honors 2012 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award Winners
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized innovative chemical technologies that have the potential to prevent pollution in the United States. These awards recognize leading researchers and industrial innovators who create safer and more sustainable chemical designs, processes, and products that reduce the need to use chemicals that pollute the environment and threaten Americans’ health. The awardees were honored during the 17th Annual Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Ceremony in Washington, D.C.  

“EPA congratulates the 2012 winners for designing, developing, and implementing these innovative green chemistry technologies that will help create more sustainable industries and greener, safer products to protect people’s health and the environment,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “These are exciting technologies that have great potential to improve the safety of the detergents and personal care products we use in our homes; reduce energy consumption and hazardous waste in industrial metal production processes; improve the paper goods and plastics we use daily so that they are made with a smaller environmental footprint and can be recycled more effectively; and even a potential alternative to BPA-based can linings,”

The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards include five categories: Academic, Small Business, Greener Synthetic Pathways, Greener Reaction Conditions and Designing Greener Chemicals.

This year, EPA is recognizing two winning academic technologies:

    Robert M. Weymouth, PhD, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., and James L. Hedrick, PhD, San Jose, Calif., for organic catalysis — an innovation that removes hazardous metals used in the production of plastics. The technique creates a safer end product that allows bottle-to-bottle recycling, thereby providing an opportunity to reduce the millions of pounds of plastics that end up in landfills.

    Geoffrey W. Coates, PhD, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., for synthesizing biodegradable polymers from carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide that can be used in a wide range of adhesives, foams, plastic and potentially lead to the development of a BPA-alternative for use in can linings.

In the small-business category, Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc., Woodridge, Ill., is being recognized for the production of high-performing, green specialty chemicals at advantageous costs. These green chemicals can be produced with less energy, significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to petrochemical technologies, and used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products and processes.

Winners in the “Greener Reaction Conditions, Designing Greener Chemicals, and Greener Synthetic Pathways,” categories include:

    Cytec Industries Inc., Woodland Park, N.J. for MAX HT “Bayer Process” scale inhibitor products that result in a drastically more energy efficient and less hazardous process for the production of alumina, a raw material for making aluminum. Application of this technology can result in reducing hazardous acid waste by millions of pounds annually and preventing billions of pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.

    Buckman International, Inc., Memphis, Tenn., for enzymes to be used in papermaking that modify the cellulose in wood to increase the number of “fibrils” that bind the wood fibers to each other. The innovation produces paper with improved strength and quality without additional chemicals or energy. The process also allows papermaking with less wood fiber and higher percentages of recycled paper, enabling a single plant to save $1 million per year.

    Codexis, Inc., Redwood City, Calif., and Yi Tang, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles for a more efficient, safer green chemistry approach to manufacturing the drug Simvastatin, a leading statin drug used to treat cardiovascular diseases.

By recognizing groundbreaking scientific solutions to real-world environmental problems, EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program award winners have significantly reduced the hazards associated with designing, manufacturing, and using chemicals. The program promotes research and development of less-hazardous alternatives to existing technologies that reduce or eliminate waste, particularly hazardous waste, in industrial production. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute selected the 2012 winners from among scores of nominated technologies.

During the 17 years of the program, EPA has received 1,492 nominations and presented awards to 88 winners. Winning technologies alone are responsible for reducing the use or generation of more than 825 million pounds of hazardous chemicals, saving 21 billion gallons of water, and eliminating 7.8 billion pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent releases to air. These benefits are in addition to significant energy and cost savings by the winners and their customers.

MARTIAN SAND DUNES

FROM:  NASA
Flowing Barchan Sand Dunes on Mars
Image Credit: HiRISE, MRO, LPL (U. Arizona), NASA
Explanation: When does Mars act like a liquid? Although liquids freeze and evaporate quickly into the thin atmosphere of Mars, persistent winds may make large sand dunes appear to flow and even drip like a liquid. Visible on the above image right are two flat top mesas in southern Mars when the season was changing from Spring to Summer. A light dome topped hill is also visible on the far left of the image. As winds blow from right to left, flowing sand on and around the hills leaves picturesque streaks. The dark arc-shaped droplets of fine sand are called barchans, and are the interplanetary cousins of similar Earth-based sand forms. Barchans can move intact a downwind and can even appear to pass through each other. When seasons change, winds on Mars can kick up dust and are monitored to see if they escalateinto another of Mars' famous planet-scale sand storms.

TURKISH FIGHTER SHOOT-DOWN BY IRAN CONCERNS U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS 

SERVICE

Turkish Fighter Shootdown Concerns Panetta, Press Secretary Says

By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta shares the State Department's deep concern over the June 22 shootdown by Syrian forces of a Turkish F-4 fighter and two Turkish pilots, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

After speaking with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on June 24, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned what she called a "brazen and unacceptable act."

"It is yet another reflection of the Syrian authorities' callous disregard for international norms, human life, and peace and security," Clinton said.

"The [Syrian] action speaks for itself," Little told reporters, "and we believe that it was, to use Secretary Clinton's words, a 'brazen act' ... and the Syrian regime needs to answer for it."

Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said the Defense Department has seen nothing to indicate the shootdown wasn't deliberate.

After the shootdown, Little said, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Ozelto, to express concern over the loss of the Turkish pilots.

Navy Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, also spoke with one of his Turkish counterparts, Little said, adding that Greenert traveled to Turkey June 19-22 to foster the relationship between U.S. and Turkish naval forces.

Turkey has called for a consultation of the North Atlantic Council under Article 4 of the NATO treaty. The meeting will take place tomorrow in Brussels. Under Article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever they believe their territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.

The council includes ambassadors of all 28 NATO allies, and Little said the discussion will be led by the State Department, represented by Ambassador Ivo Daalder.

"We will be present at the discussions in Brussels with our NATO allies," the press secretary added, "and beyond that, it's really for our counterparts to discuss what may or may not happen."

The Defense Department maintains a very strong military relationship with its Turkish allies, Little said, and department officials will "continue to have discussions with them about the equipment they need to defend themselves."

The press secretary said Defense Department officials stand ready to assist the Turkish government in the rescue and recovery effort for the missing pilots "if they request such help."

WYOMING NATIONAL GUARD 153RD AIRLIFT WING ACTIVATED TO FIGHT ROCKY MOUNTAIN FIRES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Air Force Master Sgt. Kevan Johnson, 153rd Logistics Readiness Squadron, Cheyenne, Wyo., prepares to load a U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Firefighting System II onto a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130, June 24, 2012. The Wyoming Air National Guard MAFFS unit has been activated to support the Rocky Mountain area fires, and will base out of Colorado Springs, Colo. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Stanley

Guard Wing Activates to Aid Firefighting Effort
By Deidre Forster
153rd Airlift Wing
CHEYENNE, Wyo., June 25, 2012 - Two Wyoming Air National Guard C-130s and crews equipped with the U.S. Forest Service's Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System will arrive at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo., today to support wildland firefighting efforts in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Wyoming Air Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing, one of four military units nationwide equipped with the MAFFS II system, was activated yesterday.

Select aircrews from the wing are certified annually by the U.S. Forest Service to fly the aerial firefighting mission. The MAFFS II system can disperse 3,000 gallons of fire retardant per load.

The Wyoming Air National Guard began aerial firefighting in 1975, with the original Modular Airborne Firefighting System. The unit has fought fires throughout the United States and in Indonesia.

U.S. SEC. OF DEFENSE PANETTA COMMENDS EGYPTIAN MILITARY

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Panetta Commends Egyptian Military for Supporting Elections

By Cheryl Pellerin

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta commends Egyptian Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, the country's top military officer, and his staff for supporting a secure, free and fair election in Egypt, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.

Egypt's election commission announced June 24 that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi won the presidential runoff over Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak.

Little said the secretary placed two phone calls to Tantawi, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, late last week to express his desire for the Egyptian military to support a free and fair election, "and that's precisely what occurred."

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke this morning with his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Enan, Little added.

"The tenor of all these discussions has been to express a desire to encourage the Egyptian military to support the democratic process," the press secretary said, "and we've seen what's occurred in Egypt."

Egypt has an enduring role as a security partner and leader in promoting regional stability, "and we look forward to working with the new government on a host of issues," Little told reporters last week.

ISAF JOINT COMMAND REPORT FROM AFGHANISTAN: JUNE 25, 2012

Photo:  F-15E Refueling Over Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Air Force.

FROM:  AMERICAN 

FORCES PRESS SERVICE 

Combined Force Detains Taliban Explosives Expert

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban explosives expert in the Gardez district of Afghanistan's Paktia province yesterday, military officials reported.

The detained explosives expert led bomb-attack network, trained insurgents throughout the region, and was responsible for several attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

The security force seized a pistol, a grenade launcher, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and bomb components.

Also yesterday, an Afghan-led security force supported by coalition troops detained several suspected insurgents and seized assault rifles, mortar equipment and ammunition during an operation to detain a Haqqani network leader in Khost province's Sabari district. The Haqqani leader has been directly involved in attacks against coalition forces in the area.

In June 23 Afghanistan operations:

-- An Afghan-led security force in Kandahar province's Maiwand district, supported by coalition troops, apprehended a Taliban leader responsible for bomb attacks against coalition forces in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. The security force detained an additional suspected insurgent in the operation.

-- In Zabul province's Tarnak wa Jaldak district, an Afghan and coalition security force detained a Taliban leader who participated in direct-fire and roadside-bomb attacks and distributed weapons and other aid to insurgents. The security force detained another suspect in the operation and seized explosives and bomb components.

GEN. DEMPSEY AT GOLD STAR MOTHERS GALA

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Dempsey Lauds New Generation at Gold Star Mothers Gala
By Amaani Lyle
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2012 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff lauded the sacrifices and dedication of modern-day service members during remarks at the American Gold Star Mothers 75th annual national convention gala here last night.
"We're building on a foundation of greater strength than probably at any time in our history," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said.

The chairman recalled the 17-year gap between his own graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in 1974 and his first combat experience in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

"There was a time in the intervening years when you do wonder ... is the fabric tough enough?" the chairman asked. "Will we have courage like our predecessors did? Will we be willing to sacrifice?"

Now, the chairman said, the answer is clear.
"If we can't answer that question in the affirmative now, we're just not paying attention," he said. "The kids that are out there are courageous, they're selfless, they're smart, they're dedicated, and they're just irrepressible -- they will do anything to take care of this country and what it stands for."

On June 4, 1928, a group of 25 mothers met in the District of Columbia to plan a national organization that would be later known as the American Gold Star Mothers to honor mothers of those killed while in the armed forces, to promote patriotism and to assist veterans.

ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER'S REMARKS ON HIGH COURT ARIZONA STATUS LAW

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, June 25, 2012
Statement of Attorney General Eric Holder on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Arizona v. The United States
Attorney General Eric Holder issued the following statement today:

 “I welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down major provisions of Arizona’s S.B. 1070 on federal preemption grounds.  Today’s ruling appropriately bars the State of Arizona from effectively criminalizing unlawful status in the state and confirms the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate in the area of immigration.

“While I am pleased the Court confirmed the serious constitutional questions the government raised regarding Section 2, I remain concerned about the impact of Section 2, which requires law enforcement officials to verify the immigration status of any person lawfully stopped or detained when they have reason to suspect that the person is here unlawfully.  As the Court itself recognized, Section 2 is not a license to engage in racial profiling and I want to assure communities around this country that the Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce federal prohibitions against racial and ethnic discrimination.  We will closely monitor the impact of S.B. 1070 to ensure compliance with federal immigration law and with applicable civil rights laws, including ensuring that law enforcement agencies and others do not implement the law in a manner that has the purpose or effect of discriminating against the Latino or any other community.

“We will also work to ensure that the verification provision does not divert police officers away from traditional law enforcement efforts in order to enforce federal immigration law, potentially impairing local policing efforts and discouraging crime victims, including children of non-citizens, victims of domestic violence, and asylum seekers, from reporting abuses and crimes out of fear of detention or deportation.  We will continue to use every federal resource to protect the safety and civil rights of all Americans.”