Drones
Afghan Taliban appoint new leader after Mansour's death
The Afghan Taliban confirmed on Wednesday that their leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike last week and that they have appointed a successor -- a scholar known for extremist views who is unlikely to back a peace process with Kabul. The announcement came as a suicide bomber struck a minibus carrying court employees in the Afghan capital, killing at least 10 people, an official said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement sent to the media, the Taliban said their new leader is Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, one of two of Mansour's deputies. The insurgent group said he was chosen at a meeting of Taliban leaders, which was believed to have been held in Pakistan, but offered no other details.
Afghan Taliban Appoint New Leader After Mansour's Death
The Afghan Taliban have named a deputy to former leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour as their new leader, a spokesman said in a statement on Wednesday, the group's first official confirmation that Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Haibatullah Akhunzada, who was named in a United Nations report last year as the Taliban's former chief justice, is reported to be a respected religious scholar but little is known of his background. Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a network blamed for many high-profile bombs attacks in Kabul in recent years, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, will serve as deputies, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman, said in the statement. "All people are required to obey the new Emir-al-Momineen (commander of the faithful)," the statement said. The announcement, following a meeting of the Taliban's main shura or leadership council, ends three days of confusion during which the Islamist movement had provided no official reaction to the death of Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan on Saturday.
Nevada nuclear test site to trial atomic disaster technology
The US government is set to deploy two radiation-detecting drones at the former'Nevada Test Site' to test new sensing capabilities that could help in future nuclear disasters. The'Sandstorm' unmanned aircraft will be used for remote radiation sensing and environmental monitoring, along with other security applications. Researchers are now working to expand the sensor technology for unmanned aerial systems, and they expect the Sandstorm drones to begin tests in the fall. The'Sandstorm' unmanned aircraft, above, will be used for remote radiation sensing and environmental monitoring, along with other security applications. The drones were purchased from Unmanned Systems Inc (USI).
Senior Taliban figure says death of leader could unify group
A Pakistani police officer and paramedics stand beside two dead bodies reportedly killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Ahmad Wal area in Baluchistan province, Pakistan, at a hopsital in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 22, 2016. A senior commander of the Afghan Taliban confirmed on Sunday that the extremist group's leader, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, had been killed in the strike.
How to Fly a Drone Without Being a Jerk
Let them touch and examine your drone when you land it (and turn it off) if possible. Describe some of the good things drones can do, like disaster mapping and search and rescue. Talk about how much fun you have and the various safety protocols you follow. Acknowledge that some of their concerns--such as privacy--are entirely justifiable, and offer some suggestions as to how their fears can be alleviated. Cheerfully answer questions and offer advice on places to go to seek more information.
US military wants more leeway to strike Taliban after death of group's leader - VIDEO: Civilians in Fallujah create challenge to rid city of ISIS
WASHINGTON โ The death of the Taliban's leader in a U.S. drone strike has scrambled discussions between the U.S. military and the White House over whether to let U.S. forces once again conduct offensive operations against the insurgent group in Afghanistan. The American military wants presidential permission to use airpower to blunt the group's threatened advances this summer, according to several U.S. officials. The White House first wants to see what effect the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Pakistan over the weekend will have on the Taliban, senior administration officials said. President Barack Obama confirmed Mansour's death on Monday. The death came amid indications of an impending Taliban offensive.
Watch insect robot use static to stick landing - Futurity
You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. Small drones need to stay aloft to do their jobs--whether it's searching for dangerous gas leaks or remotely monitoring atmospheric conditions. But the effort can quickly drain battery power. Now, scientists have created RoboBees, insect-sized flying robots that have a switchable electro-adhesive that allows them to perch on materials such glass, wood, or a leaf, using roughly 1,000 times less power than sustained flight. "One of the biggest difficulties with building insect-sized robots is that the physics change as you go that small. A lot of technologies that have been deployed successfully on larger robots become impractical on a centimeter-sized robot," says coauthor Sawyer Fuller, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington.
White House adviser says Obama ended 'two wars' โ despite new battles, strikes - President Obama dines in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain
Senior White House adviser Valerie Jarrett is still listing "ending two wars" as one of the major accomplishments of the Obama administration, despite deepening U.S. involvement overseas โ including the recent U.S. drone strike that took out Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour. Jarrett, one of President Obama's closest aides, made the remarks in an interview aired Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes." Asked whatever happened to the president's call for "hope and change," she cited a slew of changes during Obama's two terms: "Just look at what's happened in the last seven years. While the interview may have been conducted before the official Pentagon announcement, her comments coincided with the news that a drone strike had taken out Taliban leader Mansour in the Pakistan province of Baluchistan โ the latest sign of the prolonged fight in the Middle East and South Asia. Even before those comments, the administration was taking criticism for efforts to downplay U.S. military actions against terror and insurgent groups.
DJI drones can start streaming live aerial videos on Facebook
DJI has updated its Go app to add a feature it promised in April: the capability to stream videos over Facebook Live using compatible drones, including the latest Phantom and Inspire. Sure, you can already stream aerial footage of sprawling landscapes, events and whatever you usually cover on YouTube. But the new feature could help expose your work to even more people -- plus, Facebook's probably the best venue to show your videos to your parents and grandparents. Android users will have to wait a bit for the update to go live, but iOS users can update their apps and access the feature right now. In case you'd rather stream via Twitter, though, compatible DJI drones can do live broadcasts via Periscope, as well.