Author: RT

US troops fire tear gas at protesters outside US embassy in Baghdad – reports Tear gas has been used to disperse angry crowds outside the US embassy in Baghdad, a day after thousands of protesters attempted to storm the diplomatic compound, AFP reported. Dozens of protesters who camped overnight outside the gates of the embassy were attacked with tear gas by security personnel, reportedly after the demonstrators drew closer to the building. The crowd also reportedly set several US flags on fire. Several protesters were wounded and driven away in ambulances, according to AFP. The skirmish comes a day after thousands of Iraqis marched on the compound in protest against US airstrikes that targeted several Hezbollah positions. The demonstrators were abl...

‘It's going to be an eventful year': India set to launch THIRD lunar mission in 2020 India will send its Chandrayaan 3 orbiter to the Moon, hoping that it could further explore the Earth's satellite later this year. The previous attempt failed after mission control lost contact with the Chandrayaan 2 rover. Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar exploration mission, will attempt to land on the Moon again, Jitendra Singh, minister of state for department of space, confirmed Wednesday. “Yes, the [next] lander and rover mission will happen in 2020,” he told the media. Singh said the new spacecraft will incorporate lessons learned during the last year's Chandrayaan 2 mission which attempted to deploy a lander called Vikram, but suddenly fell silent during h...

China drops tariffs on hundreds of Pakistani products as wide-ranging trade agreement takes effect A newly implemented deal between Beijing and Islamabad will eliminate tariffs on hundreds of products, a move which is expected to provide a billion-dollar boost to bilateral trade. The Free Trade Agreement (FTA)–II, which started on Wednesday, will waive or ease 75 percent of tariffs imposed by each country, over a period of 15 years. Beijing will immediately drop tariffs on more than 300 Pakistani exports, including textiles and garments, seafood and leather. In exchange, Islamabad has provided greater market access to Chinese raw materials and heavy machinery. The deal, inked in April 2019, will increase Islamabad’s exports to China by between $500 ...

Not the bees! Pentagon wants to use swarms of AI-powered drones for ‘rescue’ missions The Pentagon is combing the AI developer community to try to build a self-starting swarm of AI-enabled drones capable of recognizing and tracking a target – ostensibly for search and rescue, but potentially for search and destroy. The Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) issued a request (RFI) late in December seeking the latest and greatest in AI and drone swarm tech – and looking for clever ideas on how to combine the two. The resulting smart-swarm, the agency said, should be self-directing, able to find and track humans (“and manmade objects,” the RFI specifies) on its own, capable of streaming video of its activities, and willing to nudge its minders (wh...

From dream to reality: Russia’s ‘Silicon Valley’ to mark 10-year anniversary with new projects Russia’s Skolkovo innovation center, which is marking 10 years since its founding, has ambitious plans for 2020 and beyond to continue promoting technology and helping small innovative startups grow into profitable companies. Skolkovo Technopark was built from scratch almost a decade ago to create a platform for research and innovation in key spheres such as energy, IT, space, biomedicine, and nuclear technology. Now the complex has facilities spread around 800,000 square meters and hosts around 500 startups, while there are an additional 1,500 enterprises beyond its campus. Skolkovo hosts around 50 research centers employing more than 15,000 people. ...

'Reckless escalation' or 'no more Benghazis'? Dems jeer & GOP cheer as Trump points finger at Teheran after Baghdad embassy attack A major partisan divide has formed around President Trump’s handling of the situation in Iraq, with several Democrats blasting recent US airstrikes and troop deployments, and some in the GOP lining up to voice support. Massachusetts Senator and Democratic 2020 hopeful Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday took aim at the president for a US bombing raid ordered on an Iraqi militia over the weekend. American officials accused the group – Kataib Hezbollah – of carrying out a rocket attack on a US base with Iranian backing, which killed one American contractor, though they have yet to offer any evidence for the claims of responsib...

Pompeo blames ‘terrorists & Iranian proxies’ for attack on US embassy in Baghdad as Teheran rebuffs accusations US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named the alleged masterminds of the attack on the US embassy in Baghdad, calling them “terrorists” and pinning blame squarely on Tehran for inciting the siege. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday evening, hours after the US embassy in Baghdad was nearly ransacked by members of the Iraqi Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah, protesting the US airstrike that killed 25 of their own over the weekend, Pompeo posted photos purporting to show the alleged perpetrators of the failed storming attempt. Also on rt.com Iran slams US ‘audacity’ to blame it for Baghdad embassy storming ...