It may sound like science fiction, but the prospect that suicide bombers and hijackers could be made redundant by flying robots is a real one, according to experts. The technology for remote-controlled light aircraft is now highly advanced, widely available — and, experts say, virtually unstoppable.
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Security bosses are preparing Zuma’s rape accuser for a life in exile in another country, out of fear for her life in South Africa, the Sunday Times reported. The decision to move the 31-year-old HIV-positive complainant abroad followed a ”high-level” security assessment undertaken by police officials and the intelligence services.
A United States helicopter involved in an anti-Taliban combat operation crashed in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, killing all 10 US soldiers on board, the US military said on Saturday. The crash of the Chinook in Kunar province late on Friday was another blow to coalition forces in Afghanistan after a bomb killed two Italian soldiers near the capital the same day.
The defending champion Canterbury Crusaders routed South Africa’s Bulls 35-17 and clinched semifinal berths for them and New South Wales in rugby’s Super 14 on Friday. Wellington also confirmed a playoffs spot for the third time in four years when it escaped with a 26-22 home win over the Queensland Reds.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday welcomed the landmark deal signed between the Khartoum government and the main rebel faction in Sudan’s Darfur region but urged the two other insurgent groups to sign as well. ”I welcomed the agreement and urged the other two parties to seize this historic moment and sign the agreement that will bring this tragic chapter in the history of Sudan to an end,” he told reporters.
Chris Martin and James Franklin ripped through the South African middle and lower order on the second morning of the second Castle Lager Test at the Wanderers on Saturday to dismiss the home side for 186. South Africa resumed on the overnight score of 133 for four, with Ashwell Prince and AB de Villiers on one run each.
Cameroonian Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni deplored on Friday the exploitation of thousands of child labourers in Cameroon and appealed for further international help in fighting the trade. Inoni was speaking in response to Thursday’s publication of a report on child labour by the International Labour Organisation.
Rescuers have found the bodies of three people in the wreckage of a South African-registered plane that crashed in Uganda last week, the World Food Programme said on Friday. On board the single-engined Cessna were the South African pilot, his wife, and the co-pilot, a dual French and Canadian citizen.
Russian media described United States Vice-President Dick Cheney’s harsh criticism of the Kremlin as the start of a new Cold War and a reprise of Winston Churchill’s famous ”Iron Curtain” speech, reflecting deepening distrust between Washington and Moscow.
Crusaders and All Blacks flyhalf Daniel Carter put on a clinically perfect performance, grabbing 15 points in guiding his side to a well deserved 35-17 win over the Bulls in their Vodacom Super 14 encounter at Loftus Versveld on Friday night.