by Geneviève NORMAND BROMONT, Canada (AFP) — In the dark of night, a drone takes off from a Toronto hospital rooftop, the hum of its rotors barely audible over the bustling sounds of the cars and pedestrians below in Canada’s largest metropolis. On its maiden flight, with a bird’s-eye view of the city’s glistening skyline as it glides over apartments, shops and office towers, the drone is carrying a precious cargo — human lungs for […]
Tag: drone
US admits strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including 7 children, not IS militants
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A top general admitted the United States had made a “mistake” when it launched a drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants in Kabul, killing 10 civilians including children instead during the frenzied final days of the US pullout from Afghanistan last month. The strike, a macabre coda to the 20-year US war in Afghanistan, was meant to target a suspected IS operation that US intelligence had “reasonable certainty” […]
Tennis star Osaka lights Tokyo Olympics cauldron as Games open
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka lit the Olympic cauldron as the Tokyo Games opened on Friday after a year’s delay due to the pandemic and with the threat of coronavirus hanging over the competition. Osaka lifted the torch to the gleaming cauldron, which had unfurled at the top of a ramp representing Mount Fuji, in the highlight of a ceremony that was stripped back over virus fears. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito officially […]
Iran says it has drone that can travel 7,000 km
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran has drones capable of flying 7,000 kilometres (more than 4,000 miles), the commander of its Revolutionary Guard force said Sunday. “We have drones which can fly 7,000 kilometres, without a pilot, and land back at the same spot or anywhere else,” General Hossein Salami said in a speech broadcast by state television. He gave no other details but the new drone would give it a range of 3,500 kilometres, compared […]
Trump: US ‘locked and loaded’ to respond to Saudi oil attack
by W.G. Dunlop with Anuj Chopra in Riyadh WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday the US is “locked and loaded” to respond to an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure that Washington has blamed on Iran, as Riyadh raced to restart operations at plants hit by drone attacks. It is the first time the president has hinted at a potential American military response to the attack, which slashed Saudi oil production by […]
S.Korea tests drone delivery in remote regions
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Seoul began testing delivery by drone in the country’s remote regions Wednesday, with the hope of improving residents’ quality of life, the government said. The project, jointly launched by the interior and safety ministry and Korea Post, among other government agencies, aims to establish a “public drone delivery system” to serve the country’s dispersed population. A test operation on Wednesday transported medical relief items from Dangjin, a city 80 kilometers […]
Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory: TV
TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it had shot down a US “spy drone” over its territory after it violated Iranian airspace, according to Iranian state television. “The US-made Global Hawk surveillance drone was brought down by its Air Force” in the country’s southern coastal province of Hormozgan, the Revolutionary Guard added, according to the English-language Press TV. © Agence France-Presse
Like Uber, but for organs: first kidney delivered by drone
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A kidney needed for transplantation has been delivered by a drone for the first time ever, the University of Maryland Medical Center said, a development that could herald faster and safer organ transport. The specially designed high-tech drone was fitted with equipment to monitor the kidney along its three-mile (five kilometers) journey to its recipient: a 44-year-old woman from Baltimore who had spent eight years on dialysis before the procedure. […]
Rebel drone kills 6 loyalists at biggest Yemen airbase
by Nabil Hasan Agence France Presse AL- ANAD AIR BASE, Yemen (AFP) — A rebel drone hit Yemen’s largest air base Thursday, killing six loyalist soldiers during a military parade in an attack which threatens to hamper UN-led peace efforts. At talks in Sweden last month, the UN-brokered several agreements between Huthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government seen as the best chance of ending nearly four years of devastating conflict. The Shiite Huthi rebels said they […]
Drone sighting briefly halts Heathrow Airport flights
by Dario THUBURN Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London’s Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest hub, suspended all departing flights for around an hour Tuesday following a drone sighting, just three weeks after a similar incident at Gatwick caused havoc. A spokeswoman told AFP at 1835 GMT that flights at the airport, which handles 213,668 passengers a day, had resumed following the interruption. The Metropolitan Police said they were called at around 1705 GMT […]
Army joins drone hunt after London airport shutdown
by William EDWARDS with Joe JACKSON in London Agence France Pressse GATWICK AIRPORT, United Kingdom (AFP) — Britain called in the army on Thursday to help police hunt a drone pilot who grounded all flights from Gatwick airport, leaving thousands stranded on one of the busiest days of the year. The airport closed its only runway late Wednesday following “reports of two drones flying in and around the airfield” and further sightings on Thursday, according […]
From parcel delivery to security, Singapore bets big on drones
by Martin Abbugao Agence France Presse SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Hi-tech Singapore is planning to roll out a swarm of drones for tasks that include delivering parcels, inspecting buildings and providing security, but safety and privacy concerns mean the initiative may hit turbulence. Companies have already started testing the devices for commercial use, mainly in an area of over 200 hectares (500 acres) dotted with high-rise buildings and shopping malls, specially designated by the government […]





