health: Lincoln Tribune

الأربعاء، 14 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Latest U.S. drone strikes kill 15 in northwest Pakistan
Honda to build fourth motorcycle plant in Indonesia
Scientists discover two new horned dinosaurs in North America
Denmark to legalize same-sex marriage this year
Nigeria: Death toll in Jos church attack reaches 19

Latest U.S. drone strikes kill 15 in northwest Pakistan

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 02:01 PM PDT

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (BNO NEWS) -- At least fifteen suspected militants were killed on early Tuesday morning when U.S. drones carried out two separate airstrikes in northwest Pakistan's volatile tribal region, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

The first attack happened when a U.S. drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in Uthghalai, a town in South Waziristan between Birmal and Shawal in neighboring North Waziristan. The airstrike was targeting commanders of the Mullah Nazir group, which is known for fighting against U.S.-led security forces.

Pakistani intelligence officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said at least eight people were killed in the airstrike while several others were injured. Among those killed were two Mullah Nazir commanders, the officials said, although it was not possible to get independent confirmation.

Hours later, another unmanned U.S. drone fired two missiles at a vehicle in the Sara Khurah area of Shawal, in Pakistan's Punjab province. Officials said seven suspected militants were believed to have been killed in the airstrike, but other details were not immediately available.

Few details about casualties from the strikes are usually available, but allegations of civilian casualties regularly spark protests in Pakistan. According to the Washington-based think tank New America Foundation, as many as 2,680 individuals were killed as a result of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan between 2004 and early 2012.

Last Friday, at least twelve suspected militants were killed when a U.S. drone fired missiles at a vehicle and a house in the Shaktoi area of South Waziristan, near the Afghan border. Two missile strikes were reportedly launched from the U.S. drone, completely destroying the vehicle and the building.

In January, U.S. President Barack Obama, for the first time during his presidency, publicly acknowledged that U.S. drones regularly strike suspected militants along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He confirmed that many of these strikes are carried out in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan, targeting al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects in tough terrain.

The U.S. considers the Pakistan-Afghan border to be the most dangerous place on Earth. The area is known to be a stronghold of the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network, which is one of the top terrorist organizations and threats to U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan.

But controversy has surrounded the drone strikes as local residents and officials have blamed them for killing innocent civilians and motivating young men to join the Taliban. Details about the alleged militants are usually not provided, and the U.S. government does not comment on the strikes.

Honda to build fourth motorcycle plant in Indonesia

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:55 AM PDT

MINATO, Japan (BNO NEWS) -- Honda Motor Company has announced that its joint venture company in Indonesia will be building the fourth motorcycle plant in the Asian country to satisfy rapidly increasing market demands.

The plant, operated by Indonesia's PT Astra Honda Motor, is to be constructed at the Bukit Indah Industrial Park which is located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) east of Jakarta, the country's capital. It will produce scooter models exclusively.

According to Honda, the plant is expected to have a production capacity of 1.1 million units per year and is expected to begin operations in the autumn of 2013. Along with the other three plants, PT Astra Honda Motor will reach an annual production capacity of 5.3 million units.

The investment amount for the new plant is approximately 3.12 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($340 million) and will employ approximately 3,000 new workers, bringing the total number of employees in Indonesia to around 21,000.

Aimed to be an environmental green plant for employees, community and natural environment, the company said the plant is planned to have a reduction of CO2 emissions, utilization of the natural power sources by wind power generator and solar power generator, and adoption of automation.

Indonesia is the world's third-biggest motorcycle market after China and India, and demand is expected to increase on the back of steady economic growth in the country. The total market of motorcycles in Indonesia reached 8 million units in 2011, the highest number ever.

PT Astra Honda Motor sold around 4.27 million units in 2011, the highest volume in its history and up 25 percent compared to the previous year. For 2012, the total market is expected to be expanding approximately 8.7 million units, while the company is expecting to sell around 4.8 million units. Honda's motorcycle production capacity in the Asia Oceania region is currently 11.5 million units per year.

Scientists discover two new horned dinosaurs in North America

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:01 AM PDT

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CLEVELAND, Ohio (BNO NEWS) -- Scientists at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in Ohio have discovered two new plant-eating horned dinosaurs which lived between 75 to 83 million years ago, it was announced on Tuesday. The fossils were found in Canada.

The new species, Unescopceratops koppelhusae and Gryphoceratops morrisoni, are from the Leptoceratopsidae family of horned dinosaurs. The herbivores are believed to have lived during the Late Cretaceous period between 75 to 83 million years ago, the museum said.

Michael Ryan, the lead author of the research and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the museum, said the newly discovered dinosaurs fill important gaps in the evolutionary history of small-bodied horned dinosaurs that lack the large horns and frills of relatives such as Triceratops. "Although horned dinosaurs originated in Asia, our analysis suggests that leptoceratopsids radiated to North America and diversified here, since the new species, Gryphoceratops, is the earliest record of the group on this continent," he said.

Unescopceratops koppelhusae, which lived approximately 75 million years ago, is measured about one to two meters (3.2 to 6.5 feet) in length and weighed less than 91 kilograms (200 pounds). It had a short frill extending from behind its head but did not have ornamentation on its skull, according to the museum. The dinosaur had a parrot-like beak and its teeth were lower and rounder than those of other leptoceratopsid. In addition, its hatchet-shaped jaw had a distinct portion of bone that projected below the jaw like a small chin.

The other dinosaur, Gryphoceratops morrisoni, lived approximately 83 million years ago and had a shorter and deeper jaw shape than any other leptoceratopsid. The first fossils of the dinosaur were discovered in 1950 in southern Alberta, and researchers believe the dinosaur did not exceed 1.5 meter (4.9 feet) in length, making it the smallest adult-sized horned dinosaur in North America and one of the smallest plant-eating dinosaurs ever discovered.

"Small-bodied dinosaurs are typically poorly represented in the fossil record, which is why fragmentary remains like these new leptoceratopsids can make a big contribution to our understanding of dinosaur ecology and evolution," said David Evans, second author and associate curator of vertebrate palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum.

Denmark to legalize same-sex marriage this year

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 08:36 AM PDT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (BNO NEWS) -- Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on Tuesday said the government will introduce draft legislation this week to legalize same-sex marriages later this year, a move which had been expected for years.

Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize same-sex unions in 1989 but, despite a generally tolerant society towards homosexuality, politicians repeatedly rejected bills to legalize same-sex marriage. The previous Danish government also rejected a same-sex marriage bill last year.

But Thorning said the Danish government will submit a draft legislation on Wednesday which will allow same-sex couples to get married at both City Hall and the Church of Denmark if they find a priest who is willing to perform the wedding. Although some church leaders have spoken out against same-sex marriage, previous surveys have suggested that as many as 70 percent of priests are willing to marry same-sex couples.

"It will be up to each priest whether he or she will perform gay marriages, but the government gives all members of the church the right to get married in church, whether they want to marry a person of the opposite or same sex," Thorning said during her weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Thorning, who said the new legislation will come into force on June 15, said the government's solution respects both positions in the debate. "We found a good solution where we maintain the openness within the church, where priests can refuse to marry gay couples," she said, adding that the bill respects each citizen's choice.

Last year, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community marked the 10th anniversary of the first ever same-sex marriage in the world. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to officially recognize and allow same-sex marriages after Queen Beatrix signed the marriage bill into law on December 21, 2000. It went into law on April 1, 2001.

If Denmark legalizes same-sex marriage as expected, it will become the eleventh country in the world to perform them. Same-sex marriages are currently performed in Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Sweden. Same-sex marriages are also performed in parts of the United States, Mexico and Brazil.

Nigeria: Death toll in Jos church attack reaches 19

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:31 AM PDT

JOS, Nigeria (BNO NEWS) -- A person who was injured on Sunday when a suicide car bomber targeted a Catholic church in the Nigerian city of Jos has died, raising the death toll to nineteen, officials said on Tuesday.

The attack happened on Sunday when a car bomber was stopped at the gates to the St. Finbar's Church in the Rayfield area of the restive central Nigerian city. The explosion happened after the driver refused to open his trunk, about 10 minutes into the mass.

It was not immediately known who was behind Sunday's attack, but the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has been blamed for most of the region's terrorist attacks. It seeks the imposition of an extremist stance of the Shariah law, which is a Muslim code of conduct. The group's name, in the local language of Hausa, roughly translates as 'Western religion is sacrilegious' or 'non-Islamic religion is a sin.'

On Christmas Day, at least 40 people were killed when Boko Haram militants attacked Christians in the Nigerian cities of Madalla, Jos, Gadaka and Damaturu. Most of the victims died in Madalla, near the capital of Abuja, when a suicide bomber targeted Christians who were leaving the St Theresa's Catholic Church after a morning service.

In response to the deadly attack, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sadness about the "senseless acts" which he said left Nigerian lands "drenched with innocent blood." He also expressed his closeness to the Christian community in Nigeria, which was also hit by a series of bomb blasts on Christmas Eve 2010, killing 80 people.

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الأربعاء، 14 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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