Semi-autonomous weapons such as unmanned drones already allow pilots to fire missiles from thousands of miles away. But the report argues that’s just the start of efforts to distance military personnel from their targets. It says within the 20-30 years, fully-autonomous weapon systems could be developed, capable of delivering lethal force with no human input at all. Human Rights Watch says such weapons, which it terms “killer robots”, would be unable to apply human judgment and will be incapable of complying with humanitarian law. It wants them banned before they become a reality.

无人战斗机等的半自动武器已经做到，让飞行员直接瞄准发射上千公里以外的导弹，但是这份报告认为，它也只不过拉开了使军事人员远离战斗目标的序幕。报告预测，在未来20-30年内，全自动武器系统将被开发出来，将有能力在不投入任何人力的情况下，发射出致命武器。人权观察组织指出这种被称为“杀人机器”的武器，将无法运用人的判断，也因此将无法施用人道主义的法律。报告希望在这一切成为现实前即予以禁止。

Stock markets in Europe and in the United States have risen strongly buoyed up by economic news from Greece and America. Investors were encouraged by signs that President Obama and congressional leaders will reach a deal to avert a budget crisis and news that European finance ministers are closer to agreeing further rescue payments to Greece.