Washington, United States | AFP | The US Air Force will this summer begin testing a laser that will be mounted on an F-15 warplane, an official said Monday. The Pentagon last year awarded a $26 million contract to Lockheed Martin for a laser program called SHiELD (Self-protect High Energy …
Read More »Google guru Page tests flying taxis in New Zealand
Wellington, New Zealand | AFP | Pilot-less flying taxis are being tested in New Zealand as part of a project backed by Google co-founder Larry Page that supporters say will revolutionise personal transport. New Zealand regulators late Tuesday approved plans for Zephyr Airworks, a subsidiary of Page’s company Kitty Hawk, …
Read More »EU aims to tax internet giants at ‘two to six percent’: France
Paris, France | AFP | The EU will soon unveil a plan for taxing major internet companies like Amazon and Facebook by imposing a levy of two to six percent on revenues in every country where they operate, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire said Sunday. “The range will be …
Read More »Cameroon startup launches drones for global market
Douala, Cameroon | AFP | Talking fast and dreaming big, William Elong shows off the first “made in Cameroon” drone at his sixth-floor workshop in downtown Douala, minutes from the economic capital’s Atlantic seafront. The 25-year-old, known as a high-flyer after being named one of Forbes’ most promising young Africans …
Read More »5G, the cornerstone of the digital revolution
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Blazing fast 5G wireless networks promise to unlock the potential of internet connected devices, or the Internet of Things — making driverless cars and talking fridges a reality. With most European operators targeting 2020 for its rollout, 5G is the term on everyone’s lips at …
Read More »Russia hacked Olympics computers, turned blame on N Korea: report
Washington, United States | AFP | Russian military spies hacked hundreds of computers used by Winter Olympics organizers and tried to make it look like the work of North Korea, the Washington Post reported Sunday, quoting US intelligence sources. South Korea had previously announced that it was investigating the failure of …
Read More »Jordan 3D lab prints limbs for war wounded, disabled kids
Amman, Jordan | AFP | Iraqi soldier Abdullah lost his left hand fighting the Islamic State group but now he has a prosthetic one — thanks to a 3D printing lab in Jordan. Abdullah was wounded in a mine blast as Iraqi forces battled to oust the jihadists from Iraq’s …
Read More »Myanmar farmers going against the grain with apps
Aye Ywar , Myanmar | AFP | A free app on farmer San San Hla’s smartphone is her new weapon in the war against the dreaded stem borer moth that blighted her rice paddy in southern Myanmar for the last two years. As she watches her workers haul in this …
Read More »FIFA chief sets VAR ruling for next month
Hanoi, Vietnam | AFP | FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday said football’s governing body will decide next month whether to officially endorse the video assistant referee, a move that could see the controversial technology used at the World Cup. VAR, so far trialled in nearly 1,000 matches, reviews key …
Read More »Gabon fights elephant poachers with hi-tech tracker collars
elephant Libreville, Gabon | AFP | Ever tried to put a GPS real-time tracking collar on a five-tonne animal? Well in Gabon conservationists have begun trying to use the devices on elephants; tracking and drugging the animals, before attaching the high-tech gadgets in a bid to stop poachers and ivory …
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