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The concept of "fighting from barracks" or the "remote warrior" raises such questions as whether a person operating the drones – sometimes from thousands of miles away and "walking the streets of his home town after a shift" – is a legitimate target as a combatant. "Do we fully understand the psychological effects on remote operators of conducting war at a distance?" ask the officials. There is one school of thought, they note, that suggests that for war to be moral, as opposed to just legal, "it must link the killing of enemies with an element of self-sacrifice, or at least risk to oneself". … [Read more...] about The Terminators: drone strikes prompt MoD to ponder ethics of killer robots

The MoD has been funding the development by BAE Systems of a long-range unmanned aircraft, named Taranis after the Celtic god of thunder. It is designed to fly at "jet speeds" between continents while controlled from anywhere in the world using satellite communications. Under current plans, they will not be nuclear-powered. … [Read more...] about Rise of the drones poses growing dilemma for military

According to a summary of the research published by the Federation of American Scientists, an independent thinktank, computer-based projections were used to test the concepts. "Based on requirements and direction provided by Northrop Grumman, Sandia performed focused studies to translate stated needs into conceptual designs and processes that could be transferred easily from Sandia to industry design and production personnel," the document says. … [Read more...] about US draws up plans for nuclear drones

The open letter to Russia condemns the recently passed gay propaganda and blasphemy laws, which respectively prohibit the "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among minors and criminalise religious insult, as well as the recent recriminalisation of defamation. The three laws "specifically put writers at risk", say the authors, and they "cannot stand quietly by as we watch our fellow writers and journalists pressed into silence or risking prosecution and often drastic punishment for the mere act of communicating their thoughts". … [Read more...] about Sochi 2014: world authors join protest against Putin

Kozak also appeared to highlight an apparent inconsistency between the IOC and the Russian organisers over the issue. The IOC president, Thomas Bach, has said athletes should not protest against the issue on the medal podium but are free to speak out in press conferences. … [Read more...] about Ban Ki-moon condemns persecution of gay people in Russia