(multimedia) Imagine a cheap, tiny, hovering aerial drone capable of being launched with the flick of a person’s wrist and able to provide manipulable 360-degree surveillance views. It’s real, it’s inspired by maple seeds, and the company behind it, Lockheed Martin, envisions a future in which swarms of the new drones can be deployed at a fraction of the cost… Read more →
Greece’s inability to devalue its currency is often cited as a reason for the extreme economic pain its citizens are enduring, and many commentators say the country should return to the drachma to restore competitiveness. In the U.K., which — unlike Greece — isn’t part of the euro area and can devalue if it wishes, there’s growing pressure to do… Read more →
Robot avatars have got a step closer to being the real world doubles of those who are paralysed or have locked-in-syndrome. Scientists have made a robot move on a human’s behalf by monitoring thoughts about movement, reports New Scientist. The man-machine link joined a man in a brain scanner in Israel and a robot wandering a laboratory in France. The… Read more →
The latest weekly U.S. Drought Monitor report, released Thursday morning, shows drought encompassing more of the contiguous U.S. than at any other time since the report’s debut in January 2000. The analysis, compiled by the National Drought Mitigation Center, shows 55.96% of the 48 states (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) in some stage of drought, breaking the previous high of 54.79%… Read more →
Iran’s Press TV quotes parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani as saying that U.S., ‘Zionist regime’ are the prime sources of tyranny and gloom in modern times. The time has come for the disappearance of Israel and the West from the face of the universe, a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying on Thursday, saying that they were the “prime sources… Read more →
Homosexual couples should be allowed to marry in churches, Nick Clegg has insisted – in an open breach with Government policy. The Deputy Prime Minister made clear that David Cameron’s promise to exclude religious groups might only be temporary. Mr Clegg became the most senior member of the Government to throw his support behind same-sex weddings in religious buildings. He… Read more →
(multimedia) London Olympics are drawing closer and with it are promises for a safe and terror-free environment for visitors and Londoners alike. But there are growing concerns that the proposed maximized security measures are not only exaggerated, but that they will instigate uncalled for fear and paranoia while simultaneously detracting from the spirit of international sportsmanship that the event is meant… Read more →
The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks says it is releasing more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and corporations. “Ground-breaking” news stories derived from the “Syria files” will be published over the next two months, Wikileaks said. Its founder Julian Assange was quoted as saying the material was embarrassing – not only to Syria but its opponents. The emails… Read more →
(Reuters) - China, Europe and Britain loosened monetary policy in the space of less than an hour on Thursday, signaling a growing level of alarm about the world economy, although suggestions of coordinated action were played down. Of the three, the surprise move was from Beijing which lowered its lending rate by 31 basis points to 6 percent following an interest… Read more →
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina’s defense minister is visiting China, signing military agreements and praising the weapons on display during a six-day tour. Defense minister Arturo Puricelli says cooperation agreements that he signed with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie will strengthen ties between the Asian giant and Argentina. He calls China an economic, political and military partner and says the two countries’… Read more →
