Headline News 14/08/2019

Headlines:

• Hong Kong Protests Continue
• Saudi Bails Out Indian Billionaire
• Muslims being Sterilized in Chinese Concentration Camps

Details:

Hong Kong Protests Continue

Chinese state media on Aug. 12 broadcast images of significant numbers of Chinese People's Armed Police forces in Shenzhen, adjacent to Hong Kong, with 200 armored vehicles massing for what looks like a possible intervention. This was after protesters overwhelmed Hong Kong’s international airport, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.Protests in Hong Kong have now entered their 10th week and there appears to be little end in sight. The anti-government protests that erupted over a now-suspended extradition bill are placing the city's business and transport activities at risk of damage. Beijing continues to warn the protestors to a growing possibility that it may abandon its previous restraint and instead directly intervene. All eyes are on Beijing as the Hong Kong police thus far are proving incapable of restoring calm. On Aug. 4, the head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office stated that the unrest carries “colour revolution characteristics,” a reference to unrest in the former Soviet Union in the 2000s that Russia blamed on outside interference. Since China’s rise, this is its first real test and all eyes are on the communist regime on how it will deal with this this challenge to its writ.

Saudi Bails Out Indian Billionaire

Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco) has agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Indian oil company Reliance Industries Ltd.'s oil and chemicals segment for $15 billion. Saudi Aramco's move comes as it is attempting to boost its valuation for a potential initial public offering after also taking over a majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation. The Saudi government is reportedly targeting the first half of 2020 to launch the IPO. However, a global economic slowdown and weak oil pricing will make it harder for Riyadh to secure the $2 trillion valuation for Saudi Aramco as desired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But investment banks have not been impressed with the deal and Credit Suisse red flagged the Reliance’s Ltds $65 debt as it’s highly unlikely the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani will be able to repay this even with interests rates so low. As the annual interest payments are well beyond the companies annual profits. To sweeten the deal the Indian billionaire sold 20% of his company. As we saw with the global economic crisis Saudi has a long history of wanting the Ummah’ soil wealth in useless spending, it seems ten years on nothing has really changed.

Muslims being Sterilized in Chinese Concentration Camps

Uighur Muslim women are being sterilised at internment camps for ethnic and religious minorities in China, according to former detainees. “They injected us from time to time,” claimed Gulbahar Jalilova, who was held for more than a year in government “re-education centres” in the far-west Xinjiang region. “We had to stick our arms out through a small opening in the door,” the 54-year-old told France24. ”We soon realised that after our injections that we didn’t get our periods anymore.” Most of her time was spent with up to 50 people packed into a cell measuring just 10ft by 20ft. “It’s like we were just piece of meat,” she added. Up to one million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other minorities have been arbitrarily detained in internment camps, according the UN and human rights groups. Researchers have claimed the facilities are being run like “wartime concentration camps” as part of a “systematic campaign of social re-engineering and cultural genocide”.