The US Navy has successfully tested an experimental laser weapon on one of its naval bases in the Persian Gulf.
Almost 1,000 school pupils have been caught with weapons including guns and knives in the past three years
Military robots have been used in war in some primitive form since the beginning of the 20th century. Only recently they have moved from a marginal role to the centre stage of contemporary military and intelligence operations.
Côte d’Ivoire’s recent turbulence – including the ouster of president Henri Konan Bédié in 1999, a long-running insurgency and deadly poll unrest in 2011 – has left the country awash in arms, which have contributed to human rights abuses, widespread crime and persistent insecurity.
The UN General Assembly has adopted a historic treaty to control the trade in conventional arms and weaponry, with 254 member states voting in support and only three opposing.