Shock Tactics: Inside the Taser, the weapon that transformed policing
The introduction of the Taser in the early 21st century drove a transformation in law enforcement, harnessing the stopping power of a pistol without the lethality. Used more often in the US than pepper spray or batons, law enforcement around the world and most officers in the U.S. carry the
World’s largest human migration: Travel for Chinese New Year is underway
While an estimated 54 million Americans make a long trip for Thanksgiving, this figure is dwarfed by travel numbers for the upcoming Chinese New Year. For this celebration, an estimated 413 million travelers will descend on the country’s railways and 73 million will take flights, beating last year’s numbers and
Migrant crisis continues: UN says six die every day in Mediterranean crossings
A new UN report estimates that an average of six migrants per day die attempting the Mediterranean crossing to Europe. While the overall number of deaths has declined along with the number of people making crossing attempts, the death rate has spiked dramatically from 1 death out of every 38
Medical devices are woefully insecure. This public-private partnership working to fix that.
The Healthcare Sector Coordinating Council, a public-private partnership of hospitals and medical devices working on critical infrastructure security and resilience, has published a joint security plan document outlining a series of vulnerabilities and needed improvements in the industry. Essentially a “to-do list” for manufacturers, it highlights the current vulnerabilities of
FAA Declares the Super Bowl a ‘No Drone Zone’
The FAA has declared a “no drone zone” in and around the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home over Super Bowl LIII on February 3. The limit restricts any drone from flying within one nautical mile of the stadium below 1,000 feet, starting January 31st. The night of the game, the
CBP: Cartels using large groups, sick migrants to distract Border Patrol
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency has recently described a surge in drug trafficker’s use of immigrants at the border to distract U.S. officers to open up unprotected smuggling lanes. In one recent instance, a group of 247 immigrants from Central America arrived at the border and 50 of
Ebola spreads to high-risk area of Congo: WHO
Although over 60,000 people have been vaccinated and 4,000 kept under surveillance, the DRC’s ongoing Ebola outbreak has spread southwards into an area suffering from frequent fighting between various militias and the military. The outbreak recently became the country’s worst ever, with at least 439 dead and 713 infected. Successfully
US Military Eyes Tiny Nuclear Reactors for Deployed Troops
The U.S. military is funding research towards small, mobile nuclear power stations for forward operating bases. The military has been conducting research on small nuclear reactors since the 1950s, but funding has come and gone during periods of sequestration. Now, with the immense energy requirements and logistical difficulties in securing
As more Africans reach for the web, more leaders reach for ‘off’ switch
Even as connectivity increases, governments across Africa, and especially its autocratic leaders, have increasingly used control over the internet as a tool of repression, often with the claim to be combatting fake news or violent protests. These internet shutdowns, however, have costs that reach beyond politics. In 2018, 21 full
Despite policy changes, China’s birth rate falls to lowest in 70 years
Although the one-child policy has been gone for several years and subsequent policies are working to encourage couples to have more children, China’s birthrate continues to drop, sparking bleak economic forecasts in subsequent decades for itself and other countries with similar numbers. Recently, one of the country’s advisory bodies argued