Drone | featured news

The Israeli military says it has shot down an unmanned aircraft sent by the Hezbollah group into Israeli skies....

It's a good bet that in the not-so-distant future aerial drones will be part of Americans' everyday lives, performing countless useful functions. A far cry from the killing machines whose missiles incinerate terrorists, these generally small, unmanned aircraft will help farmers more precisely apply water and pesticides to crops, saving money and reducing environmental impacts. They'll help police departments find missing people, reconstruct traffic accidents and act as lookouts for SWAT teams. They'll alert authorities to people stranded on rooftops by hurricanes and monitor evacuation flows.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Brennan as the Obama administration's next Central Intelligence Agency director, overcoming concerns expressed by Republicans and some Democrats about the administration's use of lethal drone strikes.

The White House has agreed to give lawmakers access to the complete set of secret Justice Department memos on the targeted killing of terrorism suspects overseas, documents that the Obama administration had previously refused to share.

A plan by Seattle police to send aloft miniature drones equipped with cameras has been grounded, following heated criticism by residents concerned about privacy, the mayor says.

President Obama is seriously considering bowing to congressional demands that he provide access to secret legal memos on the targeted killing of American terrorism suspects overseas, according to administration officials. Read full article >>

The U.S. government has authorized the killing of American citizens as part of its controversial drone campaign against al Qaeda even without intelligence that such Americans are actively plotting to attack a U.S. target, according to a Justice Department memo.

The military’s Africa Command is making preparations to install unarmed drones as Islamist extremist groups are seen as posing a growing menace to the region.

Tribal sources from Pakistan's northwest said on Saturday a U.S. drone attack had killed a senior al Qaeda commander in the latest blow to the militant Islamist group that has been targeted in many similar attacks.

White House reportedly weighing retaliation for deadly consulate attack if al-Qaeda militants are identified.