health: Lincoln Tribune

الجمعة، 18 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

U.S. military successfully tests hypersonic flying bomb
Strong earthquakes strike off northeastern New Zealand
Fire kills four residents at Sydney nursing home
Late Tebow touchdown lifts Broncos over Jets
Boeing and Indonesia’s Lion Air sign historic 230 aircraft deal

U.S. military successfully tests hypersonic flying bomb

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:37 AM PST

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) -- The United States on early Thursday morning successfully tested a hypersonic aircraft which will allow the U.S. military to strike targets anywhere in the world within an hour, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday.

The Pentagon said the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon (AHW) glide vehicle was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai County, Hawaii at 1.30 a.m. local time on Thursday. It later hit its target, the Reagan Test Site on Kwajalein Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean.

"The objective of the test is to collect data on hypersonic boost-glide technologies and test range performance for long-range atmospheric flight," the Pentagon said in a statement. "Mission emphasis is aerodynamics; navigation, guidance, and control; and thermal protection technologies."

The Pentagon said a three-stage booster system launched the AHW glide vehicle and successfully deployed it on the desired flight trajectory. "The vehicle flew a non-ballistic glide trajectory at hypersonic speed to the planned impact location at the Reagan Test Site," it said. "Space, air, sea, and ground platforms collected vehicle performance data during all phases of flight."

The AHW program is managed by the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and is part of the "Prompt Global Strike" program. The program will allow the U.S. military to deliver a precise weapon strike anywhere in the world in less than 60 minutes.

On August 11, the U.S. military unsuccessfully launched the Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The HTV is part of the "Prompt Global Strike" program but has a larger reach than the AHW.

Contact with the HTV-2 was lost after an Air Force Minotaur IV rocket inserted it into the desired trajectory. Separation of the vehicle was confirmed by a rocket cam and the aircraft transitioned to Mach 20 (15,200 miles or 24,500 kilometers per hour) before it failed.

The prototype HTV-2 aircraft had its first test flight on April 22, 2010, when telemetry assets also experienced a loss of signal from the aircraft. The Pentagon has invested nearly $240 million in the "Prompt Global Strike" program this year, including some $69 million for Thursday's test.

Strong earthquakes strike off northeastern New Zealand

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 02:18 AM PST

TIKITIKI, NEW ZEALAND (BNO NEWS) -- Two strong earthquakes struck off the east coast of the North Island in New Zealand on early Friday evening, seismologists said. There were no reports of damage or casualties.

The first earthquake at 4.34 p.m. local time (0434 GMT) measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and was centered about 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Tikitiki, a small town about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of Gisborne. It struck about 33 kilometers (20 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake.

Several hours later, at 7.51 p.m. local time (0751 GMT), a stronger earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the same area at a depth of 40 kilometers (25 miles), according to the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GeoNet), the country's seismological agency.

GeoNet said especially the second earthquake could be felt in some parts of the eastern region of the North Island. However, officials said there were no reports of damage or casualties from either earthquake and no tsunami alerts were issued.

New Zealand has been struck by several earthquakes during the past year. On June 13, a strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the city of Christchurch on the South Island, injuring 46 people. It followed a 6.3-magnitude earthquake on February 22 near the same city, killing 181 people and injuring more than 1,500 others.

The earthquake in February was the country's deadliest disaster since a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Hawke's Bay region on February 3, 1931, killing at least 256 people and injuring thousands more.

Fire kills four residents at Sydney nursing home

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 01:29 AM PST

SYDNEY (BNO NEWS) -- Four elderly residents were killed on early Friday morning when a fire broke out at a nursing home in the Australian city of Sydney, police said. More than 30 others were injured.

The fire broke out just before 5 a.m. local time at Quakers Hills in northwest Sydney, the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales (NSW). About 100 firefighters from throughout western Sydney responded after an automatic fire alarm was activated.

Fire & Rescue NSW Commissioner Greg Mullins said the first fire crews arrived within six minutes of the fire alarm going off. "Firefighters found a room well alight and a whole wing of the nursing home full of black smoke," he said.

Mullins said firefighters in breathing apparatus, assisted by police and ambulance paramedics, rescued about 100 residents while working to extinguish the fire. "It was a firefighters' worst nightmare - a fire involving dozens of frail, elderly people, many of whom could not walk," he said.

The Commissioner added: "The smoke was so thick and black that firefighters couldn't see their hands in front of their face. There were also tiles falling on top of them from the burning roof."

Three elderly residents were confirmed dead at the scene and a fourth resident died later on Friday while undergoing treatment at a local hospital. A total of 31 people were injured and distributed across ten hospitals in Sydney to manage capacity.

Thirteen of the victims were reported to be in intensive-care units (ICUs), including at least four who are suffering from severe burns. "It could have been a lot worse if it hadn't been for the quick actions of all emergency services personnel and nursing home staff, who did an outstanding job in the first vital minutes," Mullins said.

It was not immediately known what may have caused the fire. Police said it has formed Strike Force Westall - led by the State Crime Command's Homicide Squad - to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Late Tebow touchdown lifts Broncos over Jets

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 01:01 AM PST

(Reuters) – Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow bulldozed his way into the end zone for a last-minute touchdown to give Denver a 17-13 win over the New York Jets on Thursday.

Tebow eluded a Jets blitz on third down and rumbled 20 yards for the score to complete a 12-play, 95-yard game-winning drive.

“I like winning but I wish it wasn’t quite that stressful,” Tebow told reporters.

Boeing and Indonesia’s Lion Air sign historic 230 aircraft deal

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 12:50 AM PST

BALI, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing and Jakarta-based Lion Air on Friday signed a provisional order for at least 230 aircraft in a deal valued at approximately $21.7 billion per list prices. U.S. President Barack Obama witnessed the signing.

Lion Air, which operates an all-Boeing fleet, committed to an order for 201 Boeing 737 MAXs and 29 Boeing Next-Generation 737-900 ERs (extended range) aircraft. The agreement also includes the purchase rights for an additional 150 airplanes valued at $14 billion, raising the total potential value of the deal to $35.7 billion.

The deal for 230 airplanes, when finalized, will be the largest commercial airplane order ever in Boeing's 95-year-long history by both dollar volume and the total number of airplanes. It also represents the first commitment for the new 737MAX from an Asian airline.

The White House said the order for 230 aircraft, which represents one of the largest trade deals ever between the United States and Indonesia, will support over 110,000 U.S. jobs at Boeing and at suppliers in 43 states.

U.S. President Barack Obama witnessed the official announcement during a ceremony on Friday morning at the East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia. "This is a remarkable example of the trade investment and commercial opportunities that exist in the Asia Pacific region," Obama said.

Obama said the U.S. administration and the Ex-Im Bank, in particular, were 'critical' in facilitating the historic deal. "I want to thank all of the administration officials who were dogged in trying to get this completed," he said during the event. "This is an example of how we are going to achieve the long-term goal that I set of doubling U.S. exports over the next several years."

The U.S. leader added: "This is an example of a win-win situation where the people of the region are going to be able to benefit from an outstanding airline. And our workers back home are going to be able to have job security and be able to produce an outstanding product made in America."

Obama also congratulated both companies involved in the deal. "I want to, first of all, congratulate Lion Air for their incredible success," he said. "I [also] want to congratulate Boeing for making outstanding planes, including the one that I fly on."

Lion Air is a fast-growing private airline that since its establishment in 2000 has rapidly grown to become the largest domestic airline in Indonesia, the world's fourth largest country. Along with all Indonesian airlines, Lion Air is currently banned from operating in the European Union.

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الجمعة، 18 نوفمبر 2011

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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