Headline News 20/10/2021

Headlines:

• China Tests New Hypersonic Missile

• Lebanon in Freefall

• Pakistan Blocks Indian Submarine Incursion

• UAE Investee in Indian held Kashmir

Details:

China Tests New Hypersonic Missile

Reports emerged on 17th October that China tested a new hypersonic missile back in August. The missile circled the Earth at low orbit before speeding towards its target, according to the sources. Three people briefed on the intelligence told the FT that the missile missed its target by more than 20 miles. If the report is accurate this would be a major achievement for China as this weapon could theoretically out-manoeuvre US missile defence systems. An arms race is now in full swing between China and the US and whist the US continues to add nations to its containment alliance, China is trying to respond by leaning in the technology of the future as well as developing its military.

Lebanon in Freefall

Anger over the progress of the inquiry into the Beirut port blast spiralled into violence on 14 October as armed battles broke out between those supporting the judge and those opposing him. Seven people were killed as some of the worse violence in decades was seen in downtown Beirut, bringing fears of a return to civil war again to the surface. Since the port explosion in August 2021 the situation has gone from bad to worse in Lebanon. The economy has fallen apart, blackouts are increasing and the court case to address and find someone guilty has been stalled again. There is a general perception that those responsible will get away with it.

Pakistan Blocks Indian Submarine Incursion

Pakistan’s navy claims it “detected and blocked” an Indian military submarine from entering Pakistani territorial waters earlier this week, according to a statement – the third such reported incursion by an Indian submersible vessel since 2016. According to a statement released by the Pakistani military on Tuesday, the attempted incursion by an Indian submarine occurred on Saturday night. “During the prevailing security milieu, a strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard maritime frontiers of Pakistan,” said the Pakistani statement. It said the submarine had been “prematurely detected and tracked by [Pakistan Navy] long-range maritime patrol aircraft”.

UAE Investee in Indian-held Kashmir

The UAE has agreed to invest in India’s Jammu and Kashmir union territories. The agreement is the first investment deal with a foreign government in Jammu and Kashmir since the Indian government revoked the former state’s special autonomous status. India has been look to consolidate its control over the territory and it was looking at political and economic moves to achieve this. The fact that the UAE is aiding India despite its decades long brutal occupation is not lost upon the Ummah in Kashmir who look on as Pakistan’s military does more talking then action and now the UAE is directly siding with the enemy against the Ummah of Kashmir.