FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S., Britain Look to Strengthen Already Strong Alliance
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 2, 2013 - The United States and the United Kingdom are looking for ways to deepen an already close military-to-military relationship, American and British defense leaders said following a Pentagon meeting today.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told Pentagon reporters that they discussed the situations in Syria, Iran and Afghanistan.
The two men also discussed shared acquisition programs and ways to operate in fiscally constrained times.
With respect to Syria, the U.S. military continues to examine all options, including arming those opposed to the regime of Bashar Assad. "That's an option," Hagel said.
The international community's objective in Syria is to stop the violence, promote stability and help the Syrian people transition to a post-Assad government, Hagel noted.
"Any country, any power, any international coalition, any partnership is going to continue to look at options, how best to accomplish those objectives," he said. "This is not a static situation."
U.S. officials constantly are evaluating the fast-changing situation in Syria and one of those options -- among many -- is arming the rebels, Hagel said.
The two men agreed that a diplomatic solution in Syria is preferred.
"We continue to believe that a diplomatic solution is needed to end the bloodshed and that Assad and his close associates can have no place in the future of Syria," Hammond said. "We in the U.K. are stepping up our support to the national coalition and remind the regime that nothing has been taken off the table in the light of the continuing bloodshed."
There is some evidence that someone in Syria used a nerve agent, and both men said they are concerned about this.
"We remain increasingly concerned at the emerging evidence of the use of chemical weapons, and we demand that the regime allow the U.N. to investigate these allegations," Hammond said. "Assad should be in no doubt that the world is watching and will hold him ... and anyone else to account who is found responsible for the use of chemical weapons."
Hagel voiced his sympathy to the British people for the loss of three soldiers in Afghanistan's Helmand province yesterday. He and Hammond discussed the ways the United States and the United Kingdom will work together through the end of the combat mission in Afghanistan in December 2014 and the way the two countries will support Afghanistan after that.
Hammond got a chance yesterday to see a British pilot flying the F-35B joint strike fighter being tested at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md.
"The United Kingdom's continued commitment to this program, and our growing cooperation in new priority areas like cyber, is helping ensure this alliance has the kind of [cutting-edge] capabilities needed for the future," Hagel said.
"The U.K. and the U.S. remain in lock step on these projects, and as we take them forward, we will ensure the continuity of those vital capabilities," Hammond said.
The two men will continue discussions here tonight and will meet at NATO next month.
Monday, May 6, 2013
U.S.-SERBIA RELATIONS
FROM: CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Belgrade, located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers, is the capital of the Republic of Serbia. The core of old Belgrade - known as Kalemegdan - is located along the right banks of both the Danube and the Sava Rivers (image center). To the west across the Sava, Novi Beograd (New Belgrade) was constructed following World War II. The difference in urban patterns between the older parts of Belgrade and Novi Beograd is striking in this astronaut photograph from the International Space Station. Novi Beograd has an open grid structure formed by large developments and buildings such as the Palace of Serbia - a large federal building constructed during the Yugoslav period, now used to house elements of the Serbian Government. By contrast, the older urban fabric of Belgrade is characterized by a denser street grid and numerous smaller structures. Other suburban and residential development (characterized by red rooftops) extends to the south, east, and across the Danube to the north. The location of Belgrade along trade and travel routes between the East and West contributed to both its historical success as a center of trade and its fate as a battleground. Today, the city is the financial center of Serbia, while Novi Beograd supports one of the largest business districts in southeastern Europe. Image courtesy of NASA.
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Serbia
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Fact Sheet
April 30, 2013
Serbia occupies a key strategic juncture in the Balkans at the social, political, and geographic crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe. The United States seeks to strengthen its relationship with Serbia through deepening cooperation based on mutual interest and respect.
In 1999, the United States broke off relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), a predecessor state that included Serbia, when it launched an ethnic cleansing and deportation campaign against noncombatant citizens. This was followed by a bombing campaign of the FRY by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that lasted nearly 78 days until the FRY Government agreed to allow the establishment of a United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), which allowed displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes. The United States formally reopened its embassy to FRY in 2001. In 2003, the state union of Serbia and Montenegro succeeded the FRY, which in turn dissolved in 2006 when following a referendum Montenegro became independent. Following a UN-backed process to determine the province’s future status, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, which the U.S. recognized, but Serbia rejected. Consequently, Serbia withdrew its ambassador to the U.S. from February to October 2008. Pursuant to its constitution, the Government of Serbia still considers Kosovo to be part of its territory and has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, although more than 90 countries have done so.
In 2011, the European Union (EU) facilitated a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo to discuss practical issues, such as the mutual acceptance of university diplomas. Under the leadership of EU High Representative Ashton, the dialogue intensified in October 2012, as the Prime Ministers of Serbia and Kosovo began a series of meetings that led them to initial an agreement on northern Kosovo on April 19, 2013. That agreement, when implemented, will allow Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relationship and continue on their paths toward European integration. The U.S. has fully supported this process since it began, and the U.S. will continue to support the efforts to implement the agreement. Reform and integration remain the pillars of the shared approach the United States has with the EU in the Balkans.
U.S. Assistance to Serbia
The U.S. Government's assistance goals in Serbia are to strengthen institutional capacity of key government bodies, promote transparency through the improvement of adherence to the rule of law, support civil society development, encourage efforts to strengthen regional stability, and create opportunities for economic growth.
Bilateral Economic Relations
In March 2012, Serbia was granted European Union candidate country status, and the European Council will decide on whether to grant Serbia a date to begin accession talks in June 2013. Serbia’s designation as an EU candidate, and progress that the Government of Serbia makes in meeting criteria for EU accession, could help spur renewed interest in the country both in terms of investment potential and as an export market for U.S. goods and services. Serbia also seeks to join the World Trade Organization. The country's accomplishments in modernizing legislation to conform to EU and international standards in nearly all areas affecting the economy, from intellectual property rights to foreign trade, have been impressive, but must continue.
Among the leading U.S. investors in Serbia are Philip Morris, Ball Packaging, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Cooper Tire and Van Drunen Farms. Many other leading U.S. firms, from a broad variety of industrial and service sectors, have a significant presence in Serbia. There has been increased interest from U.S. ICT companies in Serbia with specific emphasis on opportunities in e-government, cloud computing, digitization, systems integration and IT security. Microsoft recently signed a $34 million contract to provide software to Serbian Government offices.
Serbia's Membership in International Organizations
Serbia and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Serbia is a member of the Council of Europe and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Partnership for Peace.
EXECUTIVE SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR ROLE IN LCD PRICE-FIXING CONSPIRACY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, April 29, 2013
Au Optronics Corporation Executive Sentenced for Role in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy
An executive of AU Optronics Corp., a Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco for his participation in a worldwide thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) price-fixing conspiracy. Shiu Lung Leung, AU Optronics Corp.’s former senior manager in its Desktop Display Business Group, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison and to pay a $50,000 criminal fine, the Department of Justice announced.
AU Optronics Corp., based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and its American subsidiary, AU Optronics Corp. America, headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., were found guilty in March 2012, for their participation in the price-fixing conspiracy, following an eight-week trial. Former AU Optronics Corp. president Hsuan Bin Chen and former AU Optronics Corp. executive vice president Hui Hsiung were also found guilty at that time. A mistrial was declared against Leung after that trial. Today’s sentencing took place before Judge Susan Illston and follows a three-week retrial that started in November 2012 and resulted in Leung’s conviction.
"These international price-fixers caused consumers to pay inflated prices for their computer monitors, notebook computers and televisions," said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. "Prison sentences for culpable executives, combined with substantial fines against corporate wrongdoers, are the most effective deterrents for protecting consumers from this kind of illegal cartel behavior."
The indictment charged that AU Optronics Corp. participated in the worldwide price-fixing conspiracy from Sept. 14, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2006, and that its subsidiary joined the conspiracy as early as spring 2003. The indictment further charged that Leung participated in that conspiracy from May 15, 2002 to Dec. 1, 2006. LCD panels affected by the conspiracy were a major component in flat-panel computer monitors, notebook computers, and flat-screen televisions sold in the United States. The conspirators fixed the prices of LCD panels during monthly meetings with their competitors, which were secretly held in hotel conference rooms, karaoke bars and tea rooms around Taiwan.
Eight companies have been convicted of charges arising out of the department’s ongoing investigation and have been sentenced to pay criminal fines totaling $1.39 billion. All together, 22 executives have been charged. Including today’s sentence, 13 executives have been convicted and have been sentenced to serve prison terms ranging from six to 36 months.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Au Optronics Corporation Executive Sentenced for Role in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy
An executive of AU Optronics Corp., a Taiwan-based liquid crystal display (LCD) producer, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in San Francisco for his participation in a worldwide thin-film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) price-fixing conspiracy. Shiu Lung Leung, AU Optronics Corp.’s former senior manager in its Desktop Display Business Group, was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison and to pay a $50,000 criminal fine, the Department of Justice announced.
AU Optronics Corp., based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and its American subsidiary, AU Optronics Corp. America, headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., were found guilty in March 2012, for their participation in the price-fixing conspiracy, following an eight-week trial. Former AU Optronics Corp. president Hsuan Bin Chen and former AU Optronics Corp. executive vice president Hui Hsiung were also found guilty at that time. A mistrial was declared against Leung after that trial. Today’s sentencing took place before Judge Susan Illston and follows a three-week retrial that started in November 2012 and resulted in Leung’s conviction.
"These international price-fixers caused consumers to pay inflated prices for their computer monitors, notebook computers and televisions," said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer in charge of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. "Prison sentences for culpable executives, combined with substantial fines against corporate wrongdoers, are the most effective deterrents for protecting consumers from this kind of illegal cartel behavior."
The indictment charged that AU Optronics Corp. participated in the worldwide price-fixing conspiracy from Sept. 14, 2001, to Dec. 1, 2006, and that its subsidiary joined the conspiracy as early as spring 2003. The indictment further charged that Leung participated in that conspiracy from May 15, 2002 to Dec. 1, 2006. LCD panels affected by the conspiracy were a major component in flat-panel computer monitors, notebook computers, and flat-screen televisions sold in the United States. The conspirators fixed the prices of LCD panels during monthly meetings with their competitors, which were secretly held in hotel conference rooms, karaoke bars and tea rooms around Taiwan.
Eight companies have been convicted of charges arising out of the department’s ongoing investigation and have been sentenced to pay criminal fines totaling $1.39 billion. All together, 22 executives have been charged. Including today’s sentence, 13 executives have been convicted and have been sentenced to serve prison terms ranging from six to 36 months.
INVESTING IN INNOVATION COMPETITION CONTINUES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
2013 Investing in Innovation Competition Continues with Invitation for Scale-Up and Validation Applications
Following the launch of the 2013 Investing in Innovation Development Competition earlier this spring, today the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the competition for the i3 program's Scale-up and Validation categories. These grants will continue the Department's investments in promising strategies that can help to close achievement gaps and improve student learning.
"As the Department begins the fourth round of the i3 competition, we are encouraged by the work our current i3 grantees are undertaking, and look forward to supporting the scaling of effective practices in classrooms across the country through i3's Validation and Scale-up grants," said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement. "These grants will target federal funds where they are needed most, and we are eager to continue to advance innovative strategies in education."
The i3 program aims to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers, and, as in years past, includes three grant categories: Development, Validation and Scale-up. This year, school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $135 million across all three categories. The Department invited pre-applications for the Development category—the most popular of the three—earlier this spring, and received nearly 600 submissions.
The maximum grant amount available in each category is based on the evidence of effectiveness. This year, Validation grants will provide up to $12 million to fund projects with moderate levels of evidence, and Scale-up grants will award up to $20 million for proposals that have strong evidence of improving student achievement.
As noted in the notice of final priorities for the program, the 2013 competition incorporates a few changes to reflect lessons learned from prior years and to strengthen the program overall. While the Department continues to focus on broad priorities, the 2013 i3 competition includes subparts under each priority to target specific areas of need and builds a portfolio of solutions that addresses specific challenges in education. Complementing the Administration's efforts to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children—especially those from disadvantaged communities—this year, the Department has included an invitational priority in both the Scale-up and Validation categories for applicants working on delivering high-quality early learning programs.
Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers in the coming months, and the Department will announce the highest-rated applicants in late fall. Those applicants will then be required to secure private-sector matching funds in order to become a grantee. Validation grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 10 percent of their budget; Scale-up grantees must secure 5 percent. As it did for the Development category this year, the Department also has modified the Scale-up and Validation competitions to help grantees build meaningful private-sector support. Each highest-rated applicant must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of 2013. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.
2013 Investing in Innovation Competition Continues with Invitation for Scale-Up and Validation Applications
Following the launch of the 2013 Investing in Innovation Development Competition earlier this spring, today the U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the competition for the i3 program's Scale-up and Validation categories. These grants will continue the Department's investments in promising strategies that can help to close achievement gaps and improve student learning.
"As the Department begins the fourth round of the i3 competition, we are encouraged by the work our current i3 grantees are undertaking, and look forward to supporting the scaling of effective practices in classrooms across the country through i3's Validation and Scale-up grants," said Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement. "These grants will target federal funds where they are needed most, and we are eager to continue to advance innovative strategies in education."
The i3 program aims to develop and expand practices that accelerate student achievement and prepare every student to succeed in college and in their careers, and, as in years past, includes three grant categories: Development, Validation and Scale-up. This year, school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $135 million across all three categories. The Department invited pre-applications for the Development category—the most popular of the three—earlier this spring, and received nearly 600 submissions.
The maximum grant amount available in each category is based on the evidence of effectiveness. This year, Validation grants will provide up to $12 million to fund projects with moderate levels of evidence, and Scale-up grants will award up to $20 million for proposals that have strong evidence of improving student achievement.
As noted in the notice of final priorities for the program, the 2013 competition incorporates a few changes to reflect lessons learned from prior years and to strengthen the program overall. While the Department continues to focus on broad priorities, the 2013 i3 competition includes subparts under each priority to target specific areas of need and builds a portfolio of solutions that addresses specific challenges in education. Complementing the Administration's efforts to increase access to high-quality early learning opportunities for more children—especially those from disadvantaged communities—this year, the Department has included an invitational priority in both the Scale-up and Validation categories for applicants working on delivering high-quality early learning programs.
Applications will be evaluated by peer reviewers in the coming months, and the Department will announce the highest-rated applicants in late fall. Those applicants will then be required to secure private-sector matching funds in order to become a grantee. Validation grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 10 percent of their budget; Scale-up grantees must secure 5 percent. As it did for the Development category this year, the Department also has modified the Scale-up and Validation competitions to help grantees build meaningful private-sector support. Each highest-rated applicant must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of 2013. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2013.
EARTH IMAGES FROM "PHONESATS"
FROM: NASA
These images of Earth were reconstructed from photos taken by three smartphones in orbit, or "PhoneSats." The trio of PhoneSats launched on April 21, 2013, aboard the Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and ended a successful mission on April 27. The ultimate goal of the PhoneSat mission was to determine whether a consumer-grade smartphone can be used as the main flight avionics for a satellite in space. During their time in orbit, the three miniature satellites used their smartphone cameras to take pictures of Earth and transmitted these "image-data packets" to multiple ground stations. Every packet held a small piece of the big picture. As the data became available, the PhoneSat Team and multiple amateur radio operators around the world collaborated to piece together photographs from the tiny data packets.The PhoneSat project is a technology demonstration mission funded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and the Engineering Directorate at NASA Ames Research Center. The project started in summer 2009 as a student-led collaborative project between Ames and the International Space University, Strasbourg.› Read moreImages Credit: NASA Ames
Sunday, May 5, 2013
FORMER CONSULTANT FOR WILLBROS INTERNATIONAL INC., SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN BRIBERY SCHEME
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, May 3, 2013
Former Consultant for Willbros International Sentenced in Connection with Foreign Bribery Scheme
A former consultant for Willbros International Inc. (Willbros International), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to pay more than $6 million in bribes to government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officials from a Nigerian political party, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.
Paul G. Novak, 46, was sentenced today to serve 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Simeon T. Lake III of the Southern District of Texas. The court took into consideration Novak’s cooperation, and the sentence was consistent with the government’s recommendation. In addition to the prison sentence, Novak was ordered to pay a $1 million fine and to serve two years of supervised release following his release from prison. In sentencing Novak, the court took into consideration the assistance Novak provided the government in ongoing investigations.
Novak pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one substantive count of violating the FCPA. Novak admitted that from approximately late-2003 to March 2005, he conspired with others to make a series of corrupt payments totaling more than $6 million to various Nigerian government officials and officials from a Nigerian political party to assist Willbros and its joint venture partner, a construction company based in Mannheim, Germany, in obtaining and retaining the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS) Project, which was valued at approximately $387 million. The EGGS project was a natural gas pipeline system in the Niger Delta designed to relieve existing pipeline capacity constraints.
According to court records, Novak and his alleged co-conspirators Kenneth Tillery, Jason Steph, Jim Bob Brown, three employees from Willbros’s joint venture partner and others agreed to make the corrupt payments to, among others, government officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, a senior official in the executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, and members of a Nigerian political party. Court documents state the bribes were paid to assist in obtaining and retaining the EGGS contract and additional optional scopes of work.
According to information contained in plea documents, to secure the funds for those corrupt payments, Novak and his alleged conspirators caused Willbros West Africa Inc., a subsidiary of Willbros International, to enter into so-called "consultancy agreements" with two consulting companies Novak represented in exchange for purportedly legitimate consultancy services. In reality, those consulting companies were used to facilitate the payment of bribes.
In addition to Novak, to date, two Willbros employees have pleaded guilty for their roles in the EGGS bribery scheme, and Willbros has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government:
On May 14, 2008, Willbros Group Inc. and Willbros International entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government and agreed to pay a $22 million penalty, in connection with the company’s payment of bribes to government officials in Nigeria and Ecuador. On March 30, 2012, the government moved to dismiss the charges following Willbros’s satisfaction of its obligations under the deferred prosecution agreement, and on April 2, 2012, the Court granted the United States’ motion.
On Sept. 14, 2006, Jim Bob Brown, a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract and in connection with his role in making corrupt payments in Ecuador. After a reduction for cooperation, Brown was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release and a $17,500 fine.
On Nov. 5, 2007, Jason Steph, also a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract. After a reduction for cooperation, Steph was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 15 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
Kenneth Tillery was charged, along with Novak, for his alleged role in the bribery scheme in an indictment unsealed on Dec. 19, 2008. According to the indictment, Tillery was a Willbros International employee and executive from the 1980s through January 2005. From 2002 until January 2005, Tillery served as executive vice president and, later, as president of Willbros International. Tillery remains a fugitive. The charges against Tillery are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. This case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Laura N. Perkins of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Former Consultant for Willbros International Sentenced in Connection with Foreign Bribery Scheme
A former consultant for Willbros International Inc. (Willbros International), a subsidiary of Houston-based Willbros Group Inc. (Willbros), was sentenced today for his role in a conspiracy to pay more than $6 million in bribes to government officials of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and officials from a Nigerian political party, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.
Paul G. Novak, 46, was sentenced today to serve 15 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Simeon T. Lake III of the Southern District of Texas. The court took into consideration Novak’s cooperation, and the sentence was consistent with the government’s recommendation. In addition to the prison sentence, Novak was ordered to pay a $1 million fine and to serve two years of supervised release following his release from prison. In sentencing Novak, the court took into consideration the assistance Novak provided the government in ongoing investigations.
Novak pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and one substantive count of violating the FCPA. Novak admitted that from approximately late-2003 to March 2005, he conspired with others to make a series of corrupt payments totaling more than $6 million to various Nigerian government officials and officials from a Nigerian political party to assist Willbros and its joint venture partner, a construction company based in Mannheim, Germany, in obtaining and retaining the Eastern Gas Gathering System (EGGS) Project, which was valued at approximately $387 million. The EGGS project was a natural gas pipeline system in the Niger Delta designed to relieve existing pipeline capacity constraints.
According to court records, Novak and his alleged co-conspirators Kenneth Tillery, Jason Steph, Jim Bob Brown, three employees from Willbros’s joint venture partner and others agreed to make the corrupt payments to, among others, government officials from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, a senior official in the executive branch of the federal government of Nigeria, and members of a Nigerian political party. Court documents state the bribes were paid to assist in obtaining and retaining the EGGS contract and additional optional scopes of work.
According to information contained in plea documents, to secure the funds for those corrupt payments, Novak and his alleged conspirators caused Willbros West Africa Inc., a subsidiary of Willbros International, to enter into so-called "consultancy agreements" with two consulting companies Novak represented in exchange for purportedly legitimate consultancy services. In reality, those consulting companies were used to facilitate the payment of bribes.
In addition to Novak, to date, two Willbros employees have pleaded guilty for their roles in the EGGS bribery scheme, and Willbros has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the government:
On Sept. 14, 2006, Jim Bob Brown, a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract and in connection with his role in making corrupt payments in Ecuador. After a reduction for cooperation, Brown was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 12 months and one day in prison, two years of supervised release and a $17,500 fine.
On Nov. 5, 2007, Jason Steph, also a former Willbros executive, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA, in connection with his role in making corrupt payments to Nigerian government officials to obtain and retain the EGGS contract. After a reduction for cooperation, Steph was sentenced on Jan. 28, 2010, to 15 months in prison, two years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
Kenneth Tillery was charged, along with Novak, for his alleged role in the bribery scheme in an indictment unsealed on Dec. 19, 2008. According to the indictment, Tillery was a Willbros International employee and executive from the 1980s through January 2005. From 2002 until January 2005, Tillery served as executive vice president and, later, as president of Willbros International. Tillery remains a fugitive. The charges against Tillery are merely accusations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. This case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney Laura N. Perkins of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
PETNAGON DENIES THAT THOSE WHO EXSPOUSE CHRISTIANITY WILL BE COURT-MARTIALED
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Counters Internet Posts on Religion Issue
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 - Internet posts making the rounds claiming that the Defense Department will court-martial service members who espouse Christianity are not true, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
"The Department of Defense places a high value on the rights of members of the military services to observe the tenets of their respective religions and respects, [and supports by its policy] the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a written statement on the issue.
"The department does not endorse any one religion or religious organization, and provides free access of religion for all members of the military services," he added.
Internet posts are attributing a statement that superior officers who try to convert those under their command should face court-martial to Mikey Weinstein, president of the Albuquerque, N.M.-based Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and are identifying him as a Pentagon advisor, Christensen noted.
"Mr. Weinstein is not part of any DOD advisory group or committee, nor is he a consultant to the Defense Department regarding religious matters," Christensen said. "Mr. Weinstein requested, and was granted, a meeting at the Pentagon April 23, with the Air Force judge advocate general and others, to include the deputy chief of chaplains, to express his concerns of religious issues in the military."
Some bloggers have taken sections of Air Force Instruction 1-1 "Air Force Standards" -- specifically, the section titled "Government Neutrality Regarding Religion" -- out of context in supporting their take, Christensen said.
"Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual's free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion," the instruction states.
Air Force leaders at all levels "must avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion. Commanders or supervisors who engage in such behavior may cause members to doubt their impartiality and objectivity. The potential result is a degradation of the unit's morale, good order, and discipline," the instruction goes on to say.
The instruction further says all airmen "are able to choose to practice their particular religion, or subscribe to no religious belief at all." It tells airmen to practice their own beliefs while respecting differing viewpoints.
The right to practice religious beliefs does not excuse airmen from complying with directives, instructions and lawful orders, the instruction says.
It adds that airmen "must ensure that in exercising their right of religious free expression, they do not degrade morale, good order, and discipline in the Air Force or degrade the trust and confidence that the public has in the United States Air Force."
DOD Counters Internet Posts on Religion Issue
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 - Internet posts making the rounds claiming that the Defense Department will court-martial service members who espouse Christianity are not true, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
"The Department of Defense places a high value on the rights of members of the military services to observe the tenets of their respective religions and respects, [and supports by its policy] the rights of others to their own religious beliefs, including the right to hold no beliefs," Navy Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a written statement on the issue.
"The department does not endorse any one religion or religious organization, and provides free access of religion for all members of the military services," he added.
Internet posts are attributing a statement that superior officers who try to convert those under their command should face court-martial to Mikey Weinstein, president of the Albuquerque, N.M.-based Military Religious Freedom Foundation, and are identifying him as a Pentagon advisor, Christensen noted.
"Mr. Weinstein is not part of any DOD advisory group or committee, nor is he a consultant to the Defense Department regarding religious matters," Christensen said. "Mr. Weinstein requested, and was granted, a meeting at the Pentagon April 23, with the Air Force judge advocate general and others, to include the deputy chief of chaplains, to express his concerns of religious issues in the military."
Some bloggers have taken sections of Air Force Instruction 1-1 "Air Force Standards" -- specifically, the section titled "Government Neutrality Regarding Religion" -- out of context in supporting their take, Christensen said.
"Leaders at all levels must balance constitutional protections for an individual's free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and the constitutional prohibition against governmental establishment of religion," the instruction states.
Air Force leaders at all levels "must avoid the actual or apparent use of their position to promote their personal religious beliefs to their subordinates or to extend preferential treatment for any religion. Commanders or supervisors who engage in such behavior may cause members to doubt their impartiality and objectivity. The potential result is a degradation of the unit's morale, good order, and discipline," the instruction goes on to say.
The instruction further says all airmen "are able to choose to practice their particular religion, or subscribe to no religious belief at all." It tells airmen to practice their own beliefs while respecting differing viewpoints.
The right to practice religious beliefs does not excuse airmen from complying with directives, instructions and lawful orders, the instruction says.
It adds that airmen "must ensure that in exercising their right of religious free expression, they do not degrade morale, good order, and discipline in the Air Force or degrade the trust and confidence that the public has in the United States Air Force."
U.S.-MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICAN NATIONS INCREASE COOPERATION FOR LOW CARBON ELECTRICITY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
President Obama and Leaders of Mexico and Central America Expand Low Carbon Electricity Cooperation
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 4, 2013
During his May 2-4 visit to Mexico and Costa Rica, President Obama met with heads of state of Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic to discuss U.S. economic engagement and the Connecting the Americas 2022 (Connect 2022) initiative, launched by Colombia at the 2012 Summit of the Americas. As a key component of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, Connect 2022 seeks to provide, within a decade, all citizens of the hemisphere with access to reliable, clean, and affordable electricity through increased electrical interconnection. High electricity prices in Central America undermine investment and jobs and affect the lives of all citizens. With Mesoamerica’s rich geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower resources, a diversified, lower carbon power sector can counteract these challenges.
Interconnection creates larger markets that can help attract the $25 billion in power sector investments needed in Central America by 2030. Through the Central American Electrical Interconnection System (SIEPAC) project – which connects Central American electricity grids from Guatemala to Panama – a vibrant electricity market bringing additional economic opportunity, clean energy investment, and energy security to the region will soon be a reality. To advance this shared objective, leaders agreed to convene a Connect 2022 Mesoamerican ministerial in June 2013, hosted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C., at which Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns will deliver a keynote address.
The United States is supporting these efforts. U.S. companies are now associated with over 4 gigawatts (GW) lower carbon generation capacity in Mesoamerica. Since 2010, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has invested in eight clean energy activities in Mexico and Central America, including support for feasibility studies, pilot projects, study tours, and other technical assistance. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States are tracking potentially several hundred million dollars in new clean energy investments in the region:
A $29 million loan EXIM to a Honduran company will expand generation at the Cerro de Hula Wfrom
ind Farm, using equipment manufactured in Pennsylvania;
U.S.-based Sempra Energy plans to begin construction soon on a 156 megawatts (MW) wind farm in Baja California, which will send clean renewable energy to San Diego;
A 120 MW plant being developed in northern Mexico would use U.S. natural gas and Mexico’s transmission grid to send cleaner electricity to Guatemala; and
Nevada’s Ormat Technologies, Inc. will soon break ground on a 35 MW geothermal plant – Honduras’ first. Ormat also operates and plans to expand on plants in Guatemala.
President Obama and Leaders of Mexico and Central America Expand Low Carbon Electricity Cooperation
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 4, 2013
During his May 2-4 visit to Mexico and Costa Rica, President Obama met with heads of state of Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic to discuss U.S. economic engagement and the Connecting the Americas 2022 (Connect 2022) initiative, launched by Colombia at the 2012 Summit of the Americas. As a key component of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, Connect 2022 seeks to provide, within a decade, all citizens of the hemisphere with access to reliable, clean, and affordable electricity through increased electrical interconnection. High electricity prices in Central America undermine investment and jobs and affect the lives of all citizens. With Mesoamerica’s rich geothermal, solar, wind, and hydropower resources, a diversified, lower carbon power sector can counteract these challenges.
The United States is supporting these efforts. U.S. companies are now associated with over 4 gigawatts (GW) lower carbon generation capacity in Mesoamerica. Since 2010, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has invested in eight clean energy activities in Mexico and Central America, including support for feasibility studies, pilot projects, study tours, and other technical assistance. The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of the United States are tracking potentially several hundred million dollars in new clean energy investments in the region:
ind Farm, using equipment manufactured in Pennsylvania;
U.S.-based Sempra Energy plans to begin construction soon on a 156 megawatts (MW) wind farm in Baja California, which will send clean renewable energy to San Diego;
A 120 MW plant being developed in northern Mexico would use U.S. natural gas and Mexico’s transmission grid to send cleaner electricity to Guatemala; and
Nevada’s Ormat Technologies, Inc. will soon break ground on a 35 MW geothermal plant – Honduras’ first. Ormat also operates and plans to expand on plants in Guatemala.
THE HEALTH OF HONEY BEES
FROM: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.
"There is an important link between the health of American agriculture and the health of our honeybees for our country's long term agricultural productivity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "The forces impacting honeybee health are complex and USDA, our research partners, and key stakeholders will be engaged in addressing this challenge."
"The decline in honey bee health is a complex problem caused by a combination of stressors, and at EPA we are committed to continuing our work with USDA, researchers, beekeepers, growers and the public to address this challenge," said Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "The report we've released today is the product of unprecedented collaboration, and our work in concert must continue. As the report makes clear, we've made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done to protect the honey bee population."
In October 2012, a National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health, led by federal researchers and managers, along with Pennsylvania State University, was convened to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding the primary factors that scientists believe have the greatest impact on managed bee health.
Key findings include:
Parasites and Disease Present Risks to Honey Bees:
The parasitic Varroa mite is recognized as the major factor underlying colony loss in the U.S. and other countries. There is widespread resistance to the chemicals beekeepers use to control mites within the hive. New virus species have been found in the U.S. and several of these have been associated with Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Increased Genetic Diversity is Needed:
U.S. honeybee colonies need increased genetic diversity. Genetic variation improves bees thermoregulation (the ability to keep body temperature steady even if the surrounding environment is different), disease resistance and worker productivity.
Honey bee breeding should emphasize traits such as hygienic behavior that confer improved resistance to Varroa mites and diseases (such as American foulbrood).
Poor Nutrition Among Honey Bee Colonies:
Nutrition has a major impact on individual bee and colony longevity. A nutrition-poor diet can make bees more susceptible to harm from disease and parasites. Bees need better forage and a variety of plants to support colony health.
Federal and state partners should consider actions affecting land management to maximize available nutritional forage to promote and enhance good bee health and to protect bees by keeping them away from pesticide-treated fields.
There is a Need for Improved Collaboration and Information Sharing:
Best Management Practices associated with bees and pesticide use, exist, but are not widely or systematically followed by members of the crop-producing industry. There is a need for informed and coordinated communication between growers and beekeepers and effective collaboration between stakeholders on practices to protect bees from pesticides.
Beekeepers emphasized the need for accurate and timely bee kill incident reporting, monitoring, and enforcement.
Additional Research is Needed to Determine Risks Presented by Pesticides:
The most pressing pesticide research questions relate to determining actual pesticide exposures and effects of pesticides to bees in the field and the potential for impacts on bee health and productivity of whole honey bee colonies.
Those involved in developing the report include USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Resource Conversation Service (NRCS) as well as the EPA and Pennsylvania State University. The report will provide important input to the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee, led by the USDA, EPA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
An estimated one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honey bees. In the United States, pollination contributes to crop production worth $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture reliant on commercial pollination services. This is evident from reports of shortages of bees available for the pollination of many crops.
The Colony Collapse Steering Committee was formed in response to a sudden and widespread disappearance of adult honey bees from beehives, which first occurred in 2006. The Committee will consider the report's recommendations and update the CCD Action Plan which will outline major priorities to be addressed in the next 5-10 years and serve as a reference document for policy makers, legislators and the public and will help coordinate the federal strategy in response to honey bee losses.
USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure.
"There is an important link between the health of American agriculture and the health of our honeybees for our country's long term agricultural productivity," said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. "The forces impacting honeybee health are complex and USDA, our research partners, and key stakeholders will be engaged in addressing this challenge."
"The decline in honey bee health is a complex problem caused by a combination of stressors, and at EPA we are committed to continuing our work with USDA, researchers, beekeepers, growers and the public to address this challenge," said Acting EPA Administrator Bob Perciasepe. "The report we've released today is the product of unprecedented collaboration, and our work in concert must continue. As the report makes clear, we've made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done to protect the honey bee population."
In October 2012, a National Stakeholders Conference on Honey Bee Health, led by federal researchers and managers, along with Pennsylvania State University, was convened to synthesize the current state of knowledge regarding the primary factors that scientists believe have the greatest impact on managed bee health.
Key findings include:
Parasites and Disease Present Risks to Honey Bees:
Increased Genetic Diversity is Needed:
Honey bee breeding should emphasize traits such as hygienic behavior that confer improved resistance to Varroa mites and diseases (such as American foulbrood).
Poor Nutrition Among Honey Bee Colonies:
Federal and state partners should consider actions affecting land management to maximize available nutritional forage to promote and enhance good bee health and to protect bees by keeping them away from pesticide-treated fields.
There is a Need for Improved Collaboration and Information Sharing:
Beekeepers emphasized the need for accurate and timely bee kill incident reporting, monitoring, and enforcement.
Additional Research is Needed to Determine Risks Presented by Pesticides:
Those involved in developing the report include USDA's Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agricultural Research Services (ARS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), National Resource Conversation Service (NRCS) as well as the EPA and Pennsylvania State University. The report will provide important input to the Colony Collapse Disorder Steering Committee, led by the USDA, EPA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
An estimated one-third of all food and beverages are made possible by pollination, mainly by honey bees. In the United States, pollination contributes to crop production worth $20-30 billion in agricultural production annually. A decline in managed bee colonies puts great pressure on the sectors of agriculture reliant on commercial pollination services. This is evident from reports of shortages of bees available for the pollination of many crops.
The Colony Collapse Steering Committee was formed in response to a sudden and widespread disappearance of adult honey bees from beehives, which first occurred in 2006. The Committee will consider the report's recommendations and update the CCD Action Plan which will outline major priorities to be addressed in the next 5-10 years and serve as a reference document for policy makers, legislators and the public and will help coordinate the federal strategy in response to honey bee losses.
NURSING PROGRAM FOR VETERANS
FROM: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Translating veterans’ medical skills into nursing careers
Today, at the White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new program to help military veterans with health care experience or training, such as medics, pursue nursing careers. The program is designed to help veterans get bachelor’s degrees in nursing by building on their unique skills and abilities.
Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, the Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program will fund up to nine cooperative agreements, of up to $350,000 a year. Funding of $3 million is expected to be awarded by the end of fiscal year 2013 (September 30).
"The Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program recognizes the skills, experience and sacrifices of our veterans, while helping to grow our nursing workforce," Secretary Sebelius said. "It helps veterans formalize their skills to get jobs, while strengthening Americans’ access to care."
Program funding will go to accredited schools of nursing to increase veterans’ enrollment in and completion of baccalaureate nursing programs, and to explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training. The institutions will also train faculty to provide mentorships and other supportive services.
"Through this innovative program, veterans with valuable medical expertise can now help fill the ranks of nurses across the nation," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.
This new program is an important step forward in addressing needs identified in the February 2013 White House report, "The Fast Track to Civilian Employment: Streamlining Credentialing and Licensing for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Spouses."
Translating veterans’ medical skills into nursing careers
Today, at the White House Forum on Military Credentialing and Licensing, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new program to help military veterans with health care experience or training, such as medics, pursue nursing careers. The program is designed to help veterans get bachelor’s degrees in nursing by building on their unique skills and abilities.
Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) at HHS, the Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program will fund up to nine cooperative agreements, of up to $350,000 a year. Funding of $3 million is expected to be awarded by the end of fiscal year 2013 (September 30).
"The Veterans’ Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program recognizes the skills, experience and sacrifices of our veterans, while helping to grow our nursing workforce," Secretary Sebelius said. "It helps veterans formalize their skills to get jobs, while strengthening Americans’ access to care."
Program funding will go to accredited schools of nursing to increase veterans’ enrollment in and completion of baccalaureate nursing programs, and to explore ways to award academic credit for prior military health care experience or training. The institutions will also train faculty to provide mentorships and other supportive services.
"Through this innovative program, veterans with valuable medical expertise can now help fill the ranks of nurses across the nation," said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, Ph.D., R.N.
This new program is an important step forward in addressing needs identified in the February 2013 White House report, "The Fast Track to Civilian Employment: Streamlining Credentialing and Licensing for Service Members, Veterans, and Their Spouses."
Saturday, May 4, 2013
REPLENISHMENT AT SEA AND FIREFIGHTING EXERCISE
The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) transits alongside the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) during a replenishment-at-sea. Princeton is deployed with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 to the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Bartlett (Released) 130429-N-KE148-240
Sailors perform a firefighting exercise during a damage control competition in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway on a deployment to the western Pacific region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Derek A. Harkins (Released) 130502-N-TW634-173
THE X-51A WAVERIDER ACHIEVES MACH 5.1 OVER THE PACIFIC
 |
| The X-51A Waverider prepares to launch its historic fourth and final flight. The cruiser achieved Mach 5.1 traveling 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes, making this test the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever. U.S. Air Force photo/Bobbi Zapka. |
X-51A Waverider achieves breakthrough in final flight
by Daryl Mayer
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
5/3/2013 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFNS) -- The final flight of the X-51A Waverider test program has accomplished a breakthrough in the development of flight reaching Mach 5.1 over the Pacific Ocean May 1.
"It was a full mission success," said Charlie Brink, the X-51A program manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate.
The cruiser traveled more than 230 nautical miles in just over six minutes over the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, Calif. It was the longest of the four X-51A test flights and the longest air-breathing hypersonic flight ever.
"I believe all we have learned from the X-51A Waverider will serve as the bedrock for future hypersonics research and ultimately the practical application of hypersonic flight," Brink said.
The X-51A took off from the Air Force Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., under the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress. It was released at approximately 50,000 feet and accelerated to Mach 4.8 in about 26 seconds powered by a solid rocket booster. After separating from the booster, the cruiser's supersonic combustion ramjet, or scramjet, engine then lit and accelerated the aircraft to Mach 5.1 at 60,000 feet.
After exhausting its 240-second fuel supply, the vehicle continued to send back telemetry data until it splashed down into the ocean and was destroyed as designed. At impact, 370 seconds of data were collected from the experiment.
"This success is the result of a lot of hard work by an incredible team. The contributions of Boeing, Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, the 412th Test Wing at Edwards AFB, NASA Dryden and DARPA were all vital," Brink said.
This was the last of four test vehicles originally conceived when the $300 million technology demonstration program began in 2004. The program objective was to prove the viability of air-breathing, high-speed scramjet propulsion.
The X-51A is unique primarily due to its use of a hydrocarbon fuel in its scramjet engine. Other vehicles have achieved hypersonic, generally defined as speeds above Mach 5, flight with the use of hydrogen fuel. Without any moving parts, hydrocarbon fuel is injected into the scramjet's combustion chamber where it mixes with the air rushing through the chamber and is ignited in a process likened to lighting a match in a hurricane.
The use of logistically supportable hydrocarbon fuel is widely considered vital for the practical application of hypersonic flight.
As a technology demonstration program, there is no immediate successor to the X-51A program. However, the Air Force will continue hypersonic research and the successes of the X-51A will pay dividends to the High Speed Strike Weapon program currently in its early formation phase with AFRL.
FORMER POWER COMPANY EXECUTIVE CHARGED IN FOREIGN BRIBERY SCHEME
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Former Executive of French Power Company Subsidiary Charged in Connection with Foreign Bribery Schem
e
A former executive of the U.S. subsidiary of a French power and transportation company was charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged participation in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.
William Pomponi, 65, a former vice president of sales for the Connecticut-based U.S. subsidiary, was charged in a superseding indictment late yesterday in the District of Connecticut with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to launder money, as well as substantive charges of FCPA and money laundering violations.
On April 16, 2013, charges against Frederic Pierucci and a guilty plea by David Rothschild in connection with the bribery scheme were announced. Pierucci is charged in the superseding indictment with Pomponi. On Nov. 2, 2012, Rothschild pleaded guilty to a criminal information.
According to the charges, the defendants, together with others, paid bribes to officials in Indonesia, including a member of Indonesian Parliament and high-ranking members of Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state-owned and state-controlled electricity company in Indonesia, in exchange for assistance in securing a $118 million contract, known as the Tarahan project, for the company and its consortium partner to provide power-related services for the citizens of Indonesia. The charges allege that, in order to conceal the bribes, the defendants retained two consultants purportedly to provide legitimate consulting services on behalf of the power company and its subsidiaries in connection with the Tarahan project. In reality, however, the primary purpose for hiring the consultants was allegedly to use the consultants to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.
The first consultant retained by the defendants allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars into his Maryland bank account to be used to bribe the member of Parliament, according to the charges. The consultant then allegedly transferred the bribe money to a bank account in Indonesia for the benefit of the official. According to court documents, emails between Pomponi, Pierucci, Rothschild and their co-conspirators discuss in detail the use of the first consultant to funnel bribes to the member of Parliament and the influence that the member of Parliament could exert over the Tarahan project. However, when Pomponi, Pierucci and others determined that the first consultant was not effectively bribing key officials at PLN, they allegedly retained a second consultant to accomplish that purpose. The charges allege that the power company deviated from its usual practice of paying consultants on a pro-rata basis in order to make a much larger up-front payment to the second consultant so that the consultant could "get the right influence." An employee at the power company’s subsidiary in Indonesia sent an email to Pomponi, Pierucci and others asking them to finalize the consultancy agreement with the front-loaded payments but stated that in the meantime the employee would give his word to a high-level official at PLN, according to the charges.
The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The substantive FCPA counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The conspiracy to commit money laundering count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The substantive money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel S. Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick of the District of Connecticut. The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad, with assistance from the Meriden, Conn., Resident Agency of the FBI. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, and the department has also worked closely with its law enforcement counterparts in Indonesia at the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission) and deeply appreciates KPK’s assistance in this matter.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Former Executive of French Power Company Subsidiary Charged in Connection with Foreign Bribery Schem
e
A former executive of the U.S. subsidiary of a French power and transportation company was charged in a superseding indictment for his alleged participation in a scheme to pay bribes to foreign government officials, Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut David B. Fein and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office announced today.
William Pomponi, 65, a former vice president of sales for the Connecticut-based U.S. subsidiary, was charged in a superseding indictment late yesterday in the District of Connecticut with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to launder money, as well as substantive charges of FCPA and money laundering violations.
On April 16, 2013, charges against Frederic Pierucci and a guilty plea by David Rothschild in connection with the bribery scheme were announced. Pierucci is charged in the superseding indictment with Pomponi. On Nov. 2, 2012, Rothschild pleaded guilty to a criminal information.
According to the charges, the defendants, together with others, paid bribes to officials in Indonesia, including a member of Indonesian Parliament and high-ranking members of Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), the state-owned and state-controlled electricity company in Indonesia, in exchange for assistance in securing a $118 million contract, known as the Tarahan project, for the company and its consortium partner to provide power-related services for the citizens of Indonesia. The charges allege that, in order to conceal the bribes, the defendants retained two consultants purportedly to provide legitimate consulting services on behalf of the power company and its subsidiaries in connection with the Tarahan project. In reality, however, the primary purpose for hiring the consultants was allegedly to use the consultants to pay bribes to Indonesian officials.
The first consultant retained by the defendants allegedly received hundreds of thousands of dollars into his Maryland bank account to be used to bribe the member of Parliament, according to the charges. The consultant then allegedly transferred the bribe money to a bank account in Indonesia for the benefit of the official. According to court documents, emails between Pomponi, Pierucci, Rothschild and their co-conspirators discuss in detail the use of the first consultant to funnel bribes to the member of Parliament and the influence that the member of Parliament could exert over the Tarahan project. However, when Pomponi, Pierucci and others determined that the first consultant was not effectively bribing key officials at PLN, they allegedly retained a second consultant to accomplish that purpose. The charges allege that the power company deviated from its usual practice of paying consultants on a pro-rata basis in order to make a much larger up-front payment to the second consultant so that the consultant could "get the right influence." An employee at the power company’s subsidiary in Indonesia sent an email to Pomponi, Pierucci and others asking them to finalize the consultancy agreement with the front-loaded payments but stated that in the meantime the employee would give his word to a high-level official at PLN, according to the charges.
The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The substantive FCPA counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The conspiracy to commit money laundering count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The substantive money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.
An indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Daniel S. Kahn of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick of the District of Connecticut. The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad, with assistance from the Meriden, Conn., Resident Agency of the FBI. Significant assistance was provided by the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs, and the department has also worked closely with its law enforcement counterparts in Indonesia at the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (Corruption Eradication Commission) and deeply appreciates KPK’s assistance in this matter.
THE EXTINCTION BEFORE THE AGE OF DINOSAURS
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
What Happened to Dinosaurs' Predecessors After Earth's Largest Extinction 252 Million Years Ago?
Predecessors to dinosaurs missed the race to fill habitats emptied when nine out of 10 species disappeared during Earth's largest mass extinction 252 million years ago.
Or did they?
That thinking was based on fossil records from sites in South Africa and southwest Russia.
It turns out, however, that scientists may have been looking in the wrong places.
Newly discovered fossils from 10 million years after the mass extinction reveal a lineage of animals thought to have led to dinosaurs in Tanzania and Zambia.
That's still millions of years before dinosaur relatives were seen in the fossil record elsewhere on Earth.
"The fossil record from the Karoo of South Africa, for example, is a good representation of four-legged land animals across southern Pangea before the extinction," says Christian Sidor, a paleontologist at the University of Washington.
Pangea was a landmass in which all the world's continents were once joined together. Southern Pangea was made up of what is today Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia and India.
"After the extinction," says Sidor, "animals weren't as uniformly and widely distributed as before. We had to go looking in some fairly unorthodox places."
Sidor is the lead author of a paper reporting the findings; it appears in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The insights come from seven fossil-hunting expeditions in Tanzania, Zambia and Antarctica funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additional work involved combing through existing fossil collections.
"These scientists have identified an outcome of mass extinctions--that species ecologically marginalized before the extinction may be 'freed up' to experience evolutionary bursts then dominate after the extinction," says H. Richard Lane, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.
The researchers created two "snapshots" of four-legged animals about five million years before, and again about 10 million years after, the extinction 252 million years ago.
Prior to the extinction, for example, the pig-sized Dicynodon--said to resemble a fat lizard with a short tail and turtle's head--was a dominant plant-eating species across southern Pangea.
After the mass extinction, Dicynodon disappeared. Related species were so greatly decreased in number that newly emerging herbivores could then compete with them.
"Groups that did well before the extinction didn't necessarily do well afterward," Sidor says.
The snapshot of life 10 million years after the extinction reveals that, among other things, archosaurs roamed in Tanzanian and Zambian basins, but weren't distributed across southern Pangea as had been the pattern for four-legged animals before the extinction.
Archosaurs, whose living relatives are birds and crocodilians, are of interest to scientists because it's thought that they led to animals like Asilisaurus, a dinosaur-like animal, and Nyasasaurus parringtoni, a dog-sized creature with a five-foot-long tail that could be the earliest dinosaur.
"Early archosaurs being found mainly in Tanzania is an example of how fragmented animal communities became after the extinction," Sidor says.
A new framework for analyzing biogeographic patterns from species distributions, developed by paper co-author Daril Vilhena of University of Washington, provided a way to discern the complex recovery.
It revealed that before the extinction, 35 percent of four-legged species were found in two or more of the five areas studied.
Some species' ranges stretched 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers), encompassing the Tanzanian and South African basins.
Ten million years after the extinction, there was clear geographic clustering. Just seven percent of species were found in two or more regions.
The technique--a new way to statistically consider how connected or isolated species are from each other--could be useful to other paleontologists and to modern-day biogeographers, Sidor says.
Beginning in the early 2000s, he and his co-authors conducted expeditions to collect fossils from sites in Tanzania that hadn't been visited since the 1960s, and in Zambia where there had been little work since the 1980s.
Two expeditions to Antarctica provided additional finds, as did efforts to look at museum fossils that had not been fully documented or named.
The fossils turned out to hold a treasure trove of information, the scientists say, on life some 250 million years ago.
Other co-authors of the paper are Adam Huttenlocker, Brandon Peecook, Sterling Nesbitt and Linda Tsuji from University of Washington; Kenneth Angielczyk of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago; Roger Smith of the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town; and Sébastien Steyer from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.
The project was also funded by the National Geographic Society, Evolving Earth Foundation, the Grainger Foundation, the Field Museum/IDP Inc. African Partners Program, and the National Research Council of South Africa.
-NSF-
 |
| Edaphosaurus. Exhibit Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan, 1109 Geddes Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. |
What Happened to Dinosaurs' Predecessors After Earth's Largest Extinction 252 Million Years Ago?
Predecessors to dinosaurs missed the race to fill habitats emptied when nine out of 10 species disappeared during Earth's largest mass extinction 252 million years ago.
Or did they?
That thinking was based on fossil records from sites in South Africa and southwest Russia.
It turns out, however, that scientists may have been looking in the wrong places.
Newly discovered fossils from 10 million years after the mass extinction reveal a lineage of animals thought to have led to dinosaurs in Tanzania and Zambia.
That's still millions of years before dinosaur relatives were seen in the fossil record elsewhere on Earth.
"The fossil record from the Karoo of South Africa, for example, is a good representation of four-legged land animals across southern Pangea before the extinction," says Christian Sidor, a paleontologist at the University of Washington.
Pangea was a landmass in which all the world's continents were once joined together. Southern Pangea was made up of what is today Africa, South America, Antarctica, Australia and India.
"After the extinction," says Sidor, "animals weren't as uniformly and widely distributed as before. We had to go looking in some fairly unorthodox places."
Sidor is the lead author of a paper reporting the findings; it appears in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The insights come from seven fossil-hunting expeditions in Tanzania, Zambia and Antarctica funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additional work involved combing through existing fossil collections.
"These scientists have identified an outcome of mass extinctions--that species ecologically marginalized before the extinction may be 'freed up' to experience evolutionary bursts then dominate after the extinction," says H. Richard Lane, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.
The researchers created two "snapshots" of four-legged animals about five million years before, and again about 10 million years after, the extinction 252 million years ago.
Prior to the extinction, for example, the pig-sized Dicynodon--said to resemble a fat lizard with a short tail and turtle's head--was a dominant plant-eating species across southern Pangea.
After the mass extinction, Dicynodon disappeared. Related species were so greatly decreased in number that newly emerging herbivores could then compete with them.
"Groups that did well before the extinction didn't necessarily do well afterward," Sidor says.
The snapshot of life 10 million years after the extinction reveals that, among other things, archosaurs roamed in Tanzanian and Zambian basins, but weren't distributed across southern Pangea as had been the pattern for four-legged animals before the extinction.
Archosaurs, whose living relatives are birds and crocodilians, are of interest to scientists because it's thought that they led to animals like Asilisaurus, a dinosaur-like animal, and Nyasasaurus parringtoni, a dog-sized creature with a five-foot-long tail that could be the earliest dinosaur.
"Early archosaurs being found mainly in Tanzania is an example of how fragmented animal communities became after the extinction," Sidor says.
A new framework for analyzing biogeographic patterns from species distributions, developed by paper co-author Daril Vilhena of University of Washington, provided a way to discern the complex recovery.
It revealed that before the extinction, 35 percent of four-legged species were found in two or more of the five areas studied.
Some species' ranges stretched 1,600 miles (2,600 kilometers), encompassing the Tanzanian and South African basins.
Ten million years after the extinction, there was clear geographic clustering. Just seven percent of species were found in two or more regions.
The technique--a new way to statistically consider how connected or isolated species are from each other--could be useful to other paleontologists and to modern-day biogeographers, Sidor says.
Beginning in the early 2000s, he and his co-authors conducted expeditions to collect fossils from sites in Tanzania that hadn't been visited since the 1960s, and in Zambia where there had been little work since the 1980s.
Two expeditions to Antarctica provided additional finds, as did efforts to look at museum fossils that had not been fully documented or named.
The fossils turned out to hold a treasure trove of information, the scientists say, on life some 250 million years ago.
Other co-authors of the paper are Adam Huttenlocker, Brandon Peecook, Sterling Nesbitt and Linda Tsuji from University of Washington; Kenneth Angielczyk of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago; Roger Smith of the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town; and Sébastien Steyer from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.
The project was also funded by the National Geographic Society, Evolving Earth Foundation, the Grainger Foundation, the Field Museum/IDP Inc. African Partners Program, and the National Research Council of South Africa.
-NSF-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)