BEIJING, 20 October 2021, (TON): China denied a report it had recently launched a hypersonic missile, saying it tested a spacecraft to trial reusable technologies.

The Financial Times reported that Beijing had launched a nuclear-capable missile in August that circled the Earth at low orbit before narrowly missing its target.

FT sources said “the hypersonic missile was carried by a Long March rocket and that the test had been kept under wraps.”

But China said that the report was inaccurate and the exercise was a test of reusable technology that could reduce the cost of launching spacecraft.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters “according to my understanding, this test is a routine spacecraft test, used to test a reusable spacecraft technology.”

“This could provide a convenient and cheap way for humans to use space for peaceful purposes.” When asked directly if the FT report was inaccurate about the missile, Zhao replied “yes”.

Along with China, the United States, Russia and at least five other countries are working on hypersonic technology.

NAYPYITAW, 20 October 2021, (TON): Prison authorities in Mandalay Region’s Meiktila Township immediately detained 11 National League for Democracy (NLD) members, including an elected lawmaker, who were released as part of a nationwide amnesty.

Relatives of the 11 prisoners, who were among 38 set to be freed from Meiktila Prison on Monday, said they were able to see them only briefly before they were taken back into custody.

Ni Ni, the wife of NLD MP Lwin Maung Maung, said “her husband was among those who could be seen from the prison gate waiting to be released when he was suddenly taken back inside the prison compound.”

She said, speaking to media “we could see Ko Lwin Maung Maung and the others as those scheduled to be released were standing in line.” 

She added that then they went back inside and were no longer included among those who were released. We heard that they were handcuffed inside the compound and re-arrested.”

Myanmar’s junta announced on Monday that it was planning to free 1,316 convicted detainees and drop charges against an another 4,320 individuals, including some who were still at large, on “humanitarian grounds.”

DHAKA, 20 October 2021, (TON): Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre signed an agreement with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to train 3,000 youths in five years under the Building Bridges through Leadership Training and Building Bridges through Leadership Training Junior programmes.

A press release said “under the partnership, BYLC will train them from diverse backgrounds, instill in them values of inclusiveness and pluralism, and engage them in active citizenship.”

The release added “BBLT and BBLTJ participants will design and execute 375 community service projects in local communities and serve 37,500 community people and will work to solve critical social issues such as women empowerment, gender equality, climate change, access to education for all, social cohesion and community building, and health and hygiene.”

‘It is inspiring to see the huge impact of BYLC’s leadership programmes. The BBLT and BBLTJ programmes are the most important initiatives that I have witnessed in the short time while staying in Bangladesh,’ said Dutch Ambassador Anne van Leeuwen during the agreement signing ceremony.

In his remarks, Ejaj Ahmad, founder and president of BYLC, said, ‘Through this project, BYLC aspires to train the next generation of courageous, compassionate, and competent leaders who will lead Bangladesh in the coming days and make meaningful contributions to different sectors.’

DHAKA, 20 October 2021, (TON): The shipping secretary-level second intergovernmental committee meeting between Bangladesh and India will begin today (Wednesday) in New Delhi.

According to a statement issued by the shipping ministry said that the 21st standing committee meeting will also kick off from Wednesday in India’s capital.

It said that shipping secretary Mohammad Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury would lead the secretary level talks and the inter-governmental committee meeting.

Besides, additional secretary AKM Shamimul Haque Siddiqi will lead the 21st standing committee meeting under protocol on inland water transit and trade, the statement said.

NEW DELHI, 20 October 2021, (TON): Dubai has signed an accord to build infrastructure in Indian occupied Kashmir, the Modi government said, at a time when the region is seeing a resurgence in violence.

No figure for the value of the accord was given.

The memorandum of understanding by Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, is the first investment agreement by a foreign government in the sensitive region following the stripping of Kashmir's autonomy and the division of the Muslim-majority state into two territories directly ruled from New Delhi.

The New Delhi government said “the agreement will see Dubai building infrastructure including industrial parks, IT towers, multi-purpose towers, logistics centres, a medical college and a speciality hospital.”

Indian Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said in a statement “the world has started to recognise the pace [at] which Jammu and Kashmir is traversing on the development bandwagon.”

The statement said different entities from Dubai had shown keen interest in investment in Kashmir.

However, investment is fraught with risks in the heavily militarised region as evidenced by a spate of attacks on civilians and a widespread crackdown by security forces that has left several people dead.

KABUL, 20 October 2021, (TON): Top US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is stepping down, the State Department said, less than two months after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country.

Khalilzad will be replaced by his deputy, Tom West, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, noting that West will work closely with the US embassy, which is now based in Doha, on US interests in Afghanistan.

A person familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Khalilzad submitted his resignation.

His departure follows his exclusion from the Biden administration's first formal talks with the Taliban after the US pullout, held in Doha earlier in October.

Khalilzad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Khalilzad, born in Afghanistan, held the post since 2018 and spearheaded the negotiations with the Taliban that led to the February 2020 agreement for the withdrawal of US forces this year.

He then pressed the hardline Islamist movement and the Western-backed government of former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to negotiate a political settlement to decades of strife.

KABUL, 20 October 2021, (TON): World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund said “health workers in Afghanistan will begin a house-to-house polio vaccination drive next month after the new Taliban government agreed to support the campaign.”

They said in a statement “WHO and UNICEF welcome the decision by the Taliban leadership supporting the resumption of house-to-house polio vaccination across Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries in the world with endemic polio, an incurable and highly infectious disease transmitted through sewage that can cause crippling paralysis in young children.

Polio has been virtually eliminated globally through a decades-long inoculation drive. But insecurity, inaccessible terrain, mass displacement and suspicion of outside interference have hampered mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some areas of Pakistan.

The UN agencies noted that only one case of wild poliovirus had been reported in Afghanistan since the start of the year, providing “an extraordinary opportunity to eradicate polio”.

They said “restarting polio vaccination now is crucial for preventing any significant resurgence of polio within the country and mitigating the risk of cross-border and international transmission.”

The campaign, due to start on November 8, will be the first in more than three years aimed at all children in Afghanistan, including more than 3 million in remote and previously inaccessible areas.

ISLAMABAD, 20 October 2021, (TON): Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Munir Akram, apprised UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and the concomitant threat to regional peace and security.

Ambassador Akram's resolve came a day before, who called on the UN chief on instructions from Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. UNSG Guterres was also urged to take steps to promote peace in South Asia.

The Pakistani envoy expressed alarm at the continuing extrajudicial killings in staged encounters and fake cordon-and-search operations, as well as arbitrary detentions and crimes against humanity by Indian occupation forces in Kashmir.

He highlighted "the recent arrests of over 1,400 Kashmiris on false charges in one of the biggest ever crackdowns in the disputed territory was the latest example of India’s state-terrorism.”

ISLAMABAD, 20 October 2021, (TON): The military's media wing revealed “the Pakistan Navy detected and blocked an Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters on October 16 (last Saturday).”

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the navy showed "unremitting vigilance and professional competence" in ascertaining and blocking the attempted entry of the Indian vessel.

The ISPR said "during the prevailing security milieu, a strict monitoring watch has been kept by Pakistan Navy to safeguard maritime frontiers of Pakistan."

It added that the Oct 16 incident was the third time an Indian naval submarine had been detected and tracked by the Pakistan Navy's long-range maritime patrol aircraft.

The statement reads "the recent incident reflects the deplorable Indian machinations vis-à-vis commitment and resolve of Pakistan Navy to defend maritime frontiers of the motherland.”

The last such reported incident occurred in March 2019 when the navy had detected and thwarted a similar attempted entry by an Indian submarine. "The Pakistan Navy used its specialised skills to ward off the submarine, successfully keeping it from entering Pakistani waters," a statement from the navy's spokesperson had said at the time.

Another attempt was made in November 2016 when an Indian submarine was tracked and pushed clear out of Pakistan's waters.

ISLAMABAD, 19 October 2021, (TON): US Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan Angela Aggeler Monday called on the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.

According to a statement issued by the ISPR, during the meeting “matters of mutual interest, the current security situation in Afghanistan, and bilateral cooperation in different fields came under discussion.”

Speaking on the occasion, Gen Bajwa said “Pakistan wants to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement. It wishes for an enduring relationship with the United States”.

The COAS also asserted the need for global convergence in Afghanistan to shun a humanitarian crisis over there. He pushed for coordinated efforts for the economic uplifting of the Afghan people.

The statement added “the visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation as well as efforts for regional stability. She pleaded to play a role in further improving diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.”