Police will be handed extra powers to combat drones after the mass disruption at Gatwick airport in the run-up to Christmas. Gatwick was repeatedly forced to close between 19 and 21 December due to reported drone sightings, affecting about 1,000 flights. In response the government has announced a package of measures which include plans to give police the power to land, seize and search drones. The Home Office will also begin to test and evaluate the use of counter-drone technology at airports and prisons. The exclusion zone around airports will be extended to approximately a 5km-radius (3.1 miles), with additional extensions from runway ends.

LONDON - London's Gatwick Airport was operating without problems Sunday, but the fugitive drone operators who brought incoming and outgoing flights to a standstill over multiple days remained at large -- and a potential threat -- after police cleared two local residents who were arrested as suspects. Sussex Police were hopeful they had halted the disruptive and costly drone incursions during one of the heaviest travel periods of the year with Friday's arrests of a couple who live near the airport. But they were released Sunday, and police said they were no longer suspects. Tens of thousands of passengers suffered through long flight delays or were stranded by cancellations after two drones were reported seen above the airfield at Gatwick on Wednesday night, prompting an immediate suspension of all air traffic. Sussex Chief Detective Jason Tingley said Sunday he could not rule out new drone activity at Gatwick or other U.K. airports.

LONDON - British police say two people were arrested early Saturday morning for suspected "criminal use of drones'" in the Gatwick Airport case that has created nightmarish travel delays for tens of thousands of holiday passengers. Sussex police did not release the age or gender of the two suspects arrested late Friday night and did not say where the arrests were made. The two have not been charged. Police Superintendent James Collis asked the public in the Gatwick area to remain vigilant. "Our investigations are still ongoing, and our activities at the airport continue to build resilience to detect and mitigate further incursions from drones by deploying a range of tactics," he said.

Britain's Gatwick airport has reopened after a rogue drone saboteur wrought travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of Christmas travellers by playing cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the army. After the biggest disruption at Gatwick airport since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Britain's second-busiest airport said on Friday its runway was open and that a limited number of aircraft were scheduled for departure and arrival. "Gatwick's runway is currently available and a limited number of aircraft are scheduled for departure and arrival," the airport said. "Gatwick continues to advise passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport as departures and arrivals will be subject to delays and cancellations." Gatwick said 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there would still be delays and cancellations.

The question is no longer "when are driverless cars coming," but where. While the US and China are locked in a head-to-head showdown to see which will flood its roads with safe AI-driven vehicles, a dark horse emerges. The UK may be playing tortoise to their hares. Before we can talk about the Queen's plans, however, we'll need to bring up last year's most improved player in the space: China. The People's Republic is again revving its engines with state-sponsored programs designed to usher the AI era in. The country's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) recently announced it was drafting plans to put AI in at least half the cars in the country by 2020.

The lives of elderly and the disabled will be transformed by self-driving cars, the Transport Secretary claimed today. The first autonomous cars are expected to be on Britain's roads by 2021. In a speech in London, Chris Grayling promoted the benefits of this new mode of transport to the economy and to society. The government has estimated that driverless cars could be worth £28 billion to the economy by 2035. The first autonomous cars are expected to be on Britain's roads by 2021 and increase mobility for nearly a third of the population It has also been claimed automated cars will make the roads safer, with 85 per cent of accidents last year caused by human error.

Britain could soon become a hotbed for driverless car testing, according to UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. New laws set to be rolled out next month will rule who is to blame if an autonomous vehicle crashes. It is hoped that the move will allow the UK to become a'world leader' in driverless cars and allow it to get an early share of the lucrative market. New laws set to come in next month will rule who is to blame if an autonomous vehicle crashes. This is where the issue often occurs, as the rules aren't clear as to who is responsible if a crash occurs.