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New plane design meet safety requirements
Delta-winged plane designs are claimed to be capable of carrying more than 1,000 passengers on a single deck with 20 exits and eight aisles; simulation shows they meet safety standards
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Debate over environmental impact of border fence continues
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is part of the U.S.-Mexico border, and all agree that the area’s ecosystem is particularly delicate; DHS wants to build a fence there, but environmentalists object
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Rising sea level threatens U.K. coastal rail lines
Andrew McNaughton, Network Rail’s chief engineer: “The effects of climate change, and in particular sea level rise, are likely to increase the severity of the wave, tidal and wind effects on coastal defenses”
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Biometrics to be used in fast-tracking trusted travellers through airports
The United States and the United Kingdom agree on using fingerprint, iris, and facial recognition technology to speed up frequent travellers’ journeys through immigration control
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Growing opposition to fingerprinting foreign visitors to U.S.
Legislators support airline industry’s contention that forcing them to fingerprint foreign visitors to the United States would ruin them financially; airlines say that fingerprinting 33 million visitors a year would cost $12 billion over 10 years
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DHS wants nearly 60 border watch towers
DHS proposes nearly five dozen towers, ranging from 80 feet to 200 feet tall, to be erected in rural areas in Arizona
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Robot sub recharger
Autonomous underwater vehicles perform more and more missions for both scientific research and security; charging their batteries, though, has always been a problem; a new patent application offers a solution
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Weight-sensitive aircraft seats
New plane or helicopter seats will rely on active suspension to sense the forces on the seat and change its levels of cushioning; the seat uses a magnetorheological fluid damper
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Airless tires may be a lifesaver in military combat
A Wisconsin company and Badgers researchers develop an airless tire that can withstand extreme punishment, even those meted out in military combat zones
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U.S., Jordan align cargo security standards
The new arrangement will enhance compatibility between Jordanian and U.S. cargo security programs
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China introduces new subway security measures
As of yesterday, Beijing subway passengers face checks by scanners, police, dogs, and 3,000 specially trained security guards under a security clamp
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No need for an ID to board a plane
TSA takes into account the fact that IDs may be lost or misplaced, and has devised a policy which allows for identity verification without IDs
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Logan to use see-through scanners on passengers
Machines using backscatter and millimeter wave technology will scan passengers’ bodies for weapons and contraband — with TSA promising that privacy concerns which greeted the technologies early on have been addressed
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University of Texas sues DHS over border fence
UT systems files motions in court last week asking that the court demand that DHS comply with a March settlement detailing how the fence would be built on part of the UT-Brownsville campus
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U.S. Supreme Court rejects environmentalists' challenge to border fence
DHS waived 19 federal laws so a fence could be built on the Arizona-Mexico border; two environmentalist groups challenged the ruling, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected challenge
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The long view
Calls Grow for U.S. to Counter Chinese Control, Influence in Western Ports
Experts say Washington should consider buying back some ports, offer incentives to allies to decouple from China.