Remote killing, whether it is with a bow and arrow used by the ancients or by dropping bombs on an unsuspecting population, has always been a crucial trait of war. The world leader, however, as far as remote targeted killings are concerned, has been and remains the US Military. The drone has taken centre stage in US security policy in an effort to counter terrorism from the skies.

Drones perform a variety of functions. They provide intelligence to war-time units, conduct surveillance and carry out investigations. The Pentagon plans to spend an astounding $3 billion on drones, which is quite high as compared to the $284 million budget from the year before the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. One of the most well-known military drones is the MQ-1 Predator. With a wingspan of 55 feet, it can travel up to the speed of 135 mph. Sources from the US Air Force say, "The Predator system was designed in response to a Department of Defence requirement to provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information combined with a kill capacity to the war-fighter." With its deadly capacity to exterminate humans, it is no longer in the realms of science fiction but has entered the domain of reality.

Military leaders have always harboured dreams of attacking their enemies from a distance, thus avoiding casualties on their side. It is not surprising that it was the US military that was the first to bring about military aerial surveillance, but other countries soon followed suit. It is important to note that way before the Wright brothers revealed the technology of controlled flights to the world, attempts at unmanned combat vehicles were in existence. Hot air balloons, for example, were used by the Austrian army in 1849 when they attacked Venice. Around two decades later, during the Civil War in the US, Union and Confederate forces utilized balloons for missions of investigation. A range of steam-powered unmanned aircrafts that were developed by Samuel Langley in the year 1896 was successfully flown along the Potomac River near Washington DC. Aerial surveillance was also widely used during World War 1.

While the general perception is that most drones are associated with military use, the founding father of the concept of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was Nikola Tesla, an amicable civil inventor. Describing it as 'teleautomaton', Tesla was the first person to patent a remote-control for an unmanned vehicle, laying the foundation for drones.

However, the lethal use of drones is frequent. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism states that around thousands of people have been mercilessly killed by drones in numerous strikes in particular regions of the world, and ironically these exercises were conducted outside of traditional battlefields. This was the cause of fierce debates as it was deemed to be a violation of the international humanitarian law. In spite of this, by the year 2013, the US Department of Defense had as many as 112 reaper drones and 237 predators, both capable of being remotely piloted across the globe.

Mark Mazzetti, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist says, "Rare is the technology that can change the face of warfare. In the first half of the past century, tanks and planes transformed how the world fought its battles. The fifty years that followed were dominated by nuclear warheads and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), weapons of such horrible power that they gave birth to new doctrines to keep countries from ever using them. The advent of the armed drone upended this calculus: a war was possbile obviously because it seemed so free of risk. The bar for war had been lowered, the remote-controlled age had begun, and the killer drones became an object of fascination inside the CIA." In the initial stages of the war against terror, the US military and CIA drones were primarily concentrated in the remote and mountainous areas of some countries. However, recent years have seen the US police force running trails with drones changing the face of the urban landscape. Drones used by most US police are variants of the quadcopter on a much smaller scale, more often than not used by amateur hobbyists.

Time may come when cities of the future will have weaponized police drones. With weaponized drones armed with rubber bullets, tasers and tear gas legalized in North Dakota, the time is not far when lethal missiles attached to drones will become a horrifying reality.

Migraine is a complex disorder pertaining to the head, which involves the recurrence of severe and constant headaches. The intensity of headaches ranges from moderate to grievous. Associated symptoms can be hypersensitivity to light, sound or smell, nausea and vomiting. Migraine is assumed to be hereditary and highly influenced by environment changes. Hormones play a crucial role, especially in the case of boys when they reach puberty, who are majorly affected by migraine as compared to girls of the same age. Contradicting the fact, the number of older female patients is twice or thrice that of males. However, the threat of migraine is less during pregnancy.

In 1988, The International Headache Society provided valuable input on the major classification of migraine - the International Classification of Headache Disorders system - which was later adopted by the World Health Organization. The research team divided migraine into two prime categories, migraine without aura and migraine with aura. More than three-fourths of the migranine sufferers experience symptoms of migraine with aura: Partial and intense throbbing of the head which lasts for more than 2-3 days associated with nausea and occasional vomiting, blurred or smeared vision and developed sensitivity towards the light, sounds or pecular smells. In certain cases, symptoms can also comprise stiffness of neck and shoulders.

The migraine with aura refers to a range of neurological interventions prior to an initial headache. Only 20% of migraine sufferers fall in this category. The general complications constitute flashy lights, scintillating scotoma - usually some zigzag patterns targeting the centre of the vision and encompassing a larger area accompanied with distortions of shapes and figures, blind spots which generally pose threats in the normal working conditions of an individual. Migraine without headaches comprise 1% of the sufferers. From a tender age Carl, one of the subjects in a study, had seen his father suffer from bouts of severe headaches followed by persistant vomiting, leaving him sick in bed. At the age of 45, Carl says, "I have been suffering from migraine from the age much younger than my father. It is the worst experience of my life." He further adds, "I mostly feel my genes are responsible for this painful condition. Though I visit the doctor quite often, medicines provide limited help."

The classification system also includes some rare types of migraines. A Hemiplegic Migraine where symptoms often start in childhood or teenage sometimes leads to reversible paralysis due to the excessive weakening of muscles. An Ophthalmologic migraine affects the muscles responsible for eye movement. A Vestibular Migraine or Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV) interferes with coordination of sensory nerves from eyes and ears to the brain.

As per 2004 consensus, almost 80% of people suffer from some kind of severe pain in the head which results in high absenteeism in schools, offices and other institutions. How is a headache different from a migraine? A headache is generally an acute pain in the head extending to the neck. As per the researchers at the Mayo Clinic, headaches are discomfort or pain in the head or face. In technical terms, headache is called cephalgias. Headaches can be caused as a result of disturbances in the network of nerves over the scalp, throat, face, resulting in turbulent blood vessels. Tension headaches are the most common types of headaches, the symptoms being acute pain in the temples and back of the neck. Experts believe this could be possible due to changes in brain chemicals. Over-the-counter drugs can give some relief.

Another most frequent headache is a cluster headache. This is more common in men. It causes excruciating pain on one side of the head, accompanied by watery eyes and, at times, nasal congestion. The source and causes are unknown, but hereditary conditions are somewhere to be blamed. Though counter medications can curb the pain, no cure is available. A thin line can differentiate a migraine and headaches with the varying degree of pain, where headaches could be an outcome of stress, hangovers or emotional instability, migraine is actually a disease. In the case of Rosemary, a stock consultant who presumed that alcohol triggered her constant headache learned later through diagnosis by doctors that high level of estrogen in the birth control pills she daily consumed played the trick. She says, "It is important to know the triggers that cause headaches and try to avoid them. Having a balanced diet is equally important."

Is migraine curable? More than 35 million people suffer from migraines, and no one knows why. David Dodick, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic and president of American Headache Society, explains how thalamus the integral part of the brain which contains sensory ingormation is responsible for transferring migraine pain directly to pain receptors in the different sections of the brain. He further states, "Scientists have evolved with a treatment wherein a miniscule hypodermic battery is wired to the patient's spine which helps to transmit pulses of electricity to the thalamus. This treatment is called as neurostimulation." Despite this treatment, the antidote of migraine is a far-fetched reality. Neurologists from the Gulf, Germany and Italy do collectively assert that neurostimulation reduces and controls pain but scientifically it is still an enigma.

To resolve this problem, we need to believe that every brain works differently, and so does its cure. Every treatment has to be unique because so is the brain. Comprehensive research is still awaited to cure this ailment. It is observed that each time science thinks it has pulled strings, many more mysteries emerge. Our brain works singularly; hence, the cure needs to be distinctive.

A. Social media has reached a saturation point with all forms of content being promoted or showcased. In their desperation to sell products, advertisers use any available strategy, and not only disregard business ethics but also give scant consideration to public sentiments. It is not uncommon to find bold banners flashing 'breaking news' headlines designed to attract visitors to read the thrilling news. The targets of this so-called breaking news are usually top government officials, wealthy business tycoons or celebrities. The news may be about the private lives of celebrities, some scandals or even the death of a famous personality.

B. Fake news is a deliberate attempt to spread wrong information, whether by regular media channels or via social media with the intend to gain financially or politically by misleading the public. The recent news about the demise of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, published on a news website is a good example of fake news. Once visitors are attracted to the news, a click on the link will take them to the product page. This deceitful form of advertising is called bait advertising. On the issue of bait advertising, social media magnet, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook had an open altercation with Wladimir Palant, the founder of Eyeo's and the developer of AdBlock Plus, over the organization's effort to block unsolicited adverts by publishers. A blocking statistics firm managed by Mihir Patkar estimated that the use of AaBlock Plus has grown by 70% from June 2013 to June 2014, 41% of the users falling between the ages of 18 to 29. The 144 million active AdBlock users on the web reflect the enormity of the problem and indicate the worrying level of dissatisfaction caused to the internet users by distributing advertisements.

C. According to Hunt Allcott, New York University and Matthew Gentzkow, Standford University, there is new evidence pointing to the pivotal role played by false stories on social media prior to the US Presidential election in 2016. Taking into account archives of fact-checking websites, audience data and an online survey, they found that social media, though not dominant as a source of news during the run-up to the elections, did play an important role. Barack Obama criticized Facebook for the spread of fake news that was in favor of Donald Trump. According to a media report, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, promised steps to tackle the problem of fake news on Facebook.

D. In countries like Austria and Germany, the situation is much the same. Politicians from the two countries were on the defensive against the prelious surge of fake news on social media preceding the election campaign in Austria, and the 2017 parliamentary elections in Germany. A preliminary injunction on the European branch of Facebook was placed by an Austrian court, compelling it to block posts that had earmarked Green Party Chairwoman Eva Glawischnig. Spread via fake profile, the posts described Glawischnig as a 'lousy traitor of the people,' and a 'corrupt klutz'. In Austria, the posts in question were blocked, but they can still be accessed in other places in Europe. However, Glawischnig's attorney considered the verdict a success. 'I think that the floodgates have opened. Many people have now seen that there are options and will follow our example.'

E. Criticism and a widespread protest against Facebook for not acting on the menace of fake news and bait adverts have given some results. Adam Mosseri, Vice President of Facebook, announced on December 15, 2016, the News Feed plan to address hoaxes and fake news. One method, he said, was facilitating easier reporting for Facebook users. On spotting any fake story, the matter can be reported at the click of a button. Identifying a fake story by running it through a fact-checking machine is another recommendation.

F. Scientists have identified words and phrases predicting the realiability of the posts on sites like Twitter, in an effort to tackle the fake news menace. 'There have been many studies about social media credibility in recent years, but very little is known about what type of words or phrases create credibility perceptions during rapidly unfolding events,' says Tanushree Mitra, a PhD candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who led the research on fake news.

G. The fact that fake news has the capacity to change the outcome of a country's election is a worrying factor. Timely research to address this worrying situation is of the essence if we are to stop this problem from spiralling out of control.