Al-Qaeda threat Again: Target boosts airline in US

WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday said it would step up airport security measures in response to renewed threats from Al-Qaeda in Yemen, in the wake of a failed Christmas Day bombing.

Passengers traveling to the United States will see more airport security screening and more armed air marshals on flights, Homeland Secretary Secretary Janet Napolitano said.Al-Qaeda“We must remain vigilant about the continued threat we face from Al-Qaeda,” Napolitano said. “We are taking an additional set of aviation security precautions to protect the American people.

“Some of these measures include enhanced random screening, additional federal air marshals on certain routes and adding individuals of concern to our terrorist watch list system.” Continue reading

Rocket booster damaged on return

Rocket BoosterThe booster used on the Ares 1-X test rocket on Wednesday was damaged when it fell back into the ocean, the US space agency (Nasa) says.

The recovery team sent to retrieve the stage from waters east of the Kennedy Space Center found a large dent in the side of the booster.

Nasa said the damage resulted from failures in the parachute system.

The Ares 1-X was a demonstrator for the vehicle Nasa plans to use in the next decade to launch astronauts into orbit. Continue reading