DRONES over US AirSpace - Maker wonders why people are so CONCERNED. Drones are becoming more and more a part of the way America does business - they have been used in modern day warfare to target those believed to be dangerous or a threat to the security of the United States, but very soon they will be a permanent fixture on America's landscape. The FAA has been adopting new rules to expand the use of small drones domestically, and by 2012 UAVs are expected to dominate the country's airspace. Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation brings his take on whether Americans should worry about what law enforcement is doing. A polarizing debate is emerging over whether the unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as "drones," should be allowed into US airspace for use by local law enforcement and private businesses. "No longer a tool used strictly by the military to take out terrorists overseas, drones of all shapes and sizes will soon be in our skies here at home for surveillance missions by local police departments, energy companies looking to build pipelines and farmers looking to feed thirsty crops," CNET's Jeff Glor reported Wednesday. Drone technology may already be a billion-dollar industry, but as Ryan Gallagher blogged Tuesday for Slate, "One of the most significant barriers the industry faces is undoubtedly public opposition. There are critics on all sides of the political spectrum. In the United States, that includes not only campaign groups like the ...

www.FT.com Sierra Leone has come a long way since its civil war ended in 2001. The resumption of its iron ore exports, more than 30 years after the industry collapsed, an increase in diamond production and a budding tourism sector are all contibuting to its new-found stability. Katrina Manson reports. For more video content from the FT, visit the Financial Times video section at: www.ft.com

Guests: Brad Barker, William K. Black Kidnapping & Rescue Operations: On Sunday's show with George Knapp, the founder of HALO Corporation, Brad Barker, provided an inside look at kidnapping & trafficking, along with accounts of rescue and recovery. He founded HALO as a private agency that works with state and local agencies to offer safety and security, as well as humanitarian assistance (his team was deployed to New Orleans to assist after Hurricane Katrina). Barker, who hosts the TV program Kidnap & Rescue on the Discovery Channel, includes a number of ex-military special operations officers on his team. Kidnapping has unfortunately become a huge growth industry on a multi-national level, with cartels or crime syndicates often collaborating with local gangs, he reported. He detailed a number of different types of kidnapping, beyond just kidnap for ransom-- there is kidnapping for extortion, in which someone seeks to gain a business advantage; shorter-term kidnapping where the victim's ATM accounts are drained over a number of hours; and even "virtual kidnapping," where, for instance, parents are told their child has been kidnapped, when in actuality they haven't been. The United States has an excellent infrastructure to combat the threat of kidnapping within its borders, but once a victim is taken out of the country, its capabilities plummet, and that's where HALO has proven especially useful working with law enforcement in countries such as Mexico, Barker explained. He ...

Guests: Brad Barker, William K. Black Kidnapping & Rescue Operations: On Sunday's show with George Knapp, the founder of HALO Corporation, Brad Barker, provided an inside look at kidnapping & trafficking, along with accounts of rescue and recovery. He founded HALO as a private agency that works with state and local agencies to offer safety and security, as well as humanitarian assistance (his team was deployed to New Orleans to assist after Hurricane Katrina). Barker, who hosts the TV program Kidnap & Rescue on the Discovery Channel, includes a number of ex-military special operations officers on his team. Kidnapping has unfortunately become a huge growth industry on a multi-national level, with cartels or crime syndicates often collaborating with local gangs, he reported. He detailed a number of different types of kidnapping, beyond just kidnap for ransom-- there is kidnapping for extortion, in which someone seeks to gain a business advantage; shorter-term kidnapping where the victim's ATM accounts are drained over a number of hours; and even "virtual kidnapping," where, for instance, parents are told their child has been kidnapped, when in actuality they haven't been. The United States has an excellent infrastructure to combat the threat of kidnapping within its borders, but once a victim is taken out of the country, its capabilities plummet, and that's where HALO has proven especially useful working with law enforcement in countries such as Mexico, Barker explained. He ...

Guests: Brad Barker, William K. Black Kidnapping & Rescue Operations: On Sunday's show with George Knapp, the founder of HALO Corporation, Brad Barker, provided an inside look at kidnapping & trafficking, along with accounts of rescue and recovery. He founded HALO as a private agency that works with state and local agencies to offer safety and security, as well as humanitarian assistance (his team was deployed to New Orleans to assist after Hurricane Katrina). Barker, who hosts the TV program Kidnap & Rescue on the Discovery Channel, includes a number of ex-military special operations officers on his team. Kidnapping has unfortunately become a huge growth industry on a multi-national level, with cartels or crime syndicates often collaborating with local gangs, he reported. He detailed a number of different types of kidnapping, beyond just kidnap for ransom-- there is kidnapping for extortion, in which someone seeks to gain a business advantage; shorter-term kidnapping where the victim's ATM accounts are drained over a number of hours; and even "virtual kidnapping," where, for instance, parents are told their child has been kidnapped, when in actuality they haven't been. The United States has an excellent infrastructure to combat the threat of kidnapping within its borders, but once a victim is taken out of the country, its capabilities plummet, and that's where HALO has proven especially useful working with law enforcement in countries such as Mexico, Barker explained. He ...

A video showing various pictures of the British Army's new Multi - Terrain Pattern Camouflage. Also there are pictures of the British Army's new and improved SA80 assault rifle and Mk. 7 Combat Helmet. Found this article about SUSAT being replaced by ACOG. "The UK armed forces' L85A2 (SA80A2) assault rifle is to undergo another transformation as the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) starts negotiations to replace the L9A1 weapon sight. The UK MoD's Future Infantry Soldier Technology (FIST) programme office wants an "improved and lighter" system to replace the United Scientific Instruments L9A1 Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux (SUSAT), currently in use with the SA80A2. Industry sources said the UK MoD favours the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) TA31RCO 4 x 32 sight, produced by US aiming systems specialist Trijicon. The deal could have a potential value of up to GBP200 million (USD357.8 million). In 2000, the SUSAT was exempt from arms specialist Heckler & Koch's (H&K's) GBP92 million revamp of the SA80. The UK MoD contracted H&K to modify some 200000 SA80 assault rifles and L86 Light Support weapons, with improvements including a new hammer, cocking handle, gas plug and firing pin. Monthly deliveries to the UK MoD of 4000 SA80A2s started in December 2001 and the contract is due for completion 2006. Trijicon's Military Division manager, Shaun Rategan, said: "We cannot comment on quantities or type. The FIST programme has tested and evaluated our ACOG and conveyed an ...