Hong Kong Faces Low Turnout in “Patriots-Only” Election Amid Public Grief After Deadly Fire 
China’s Expanding Maritime Military Presence Alarms Taiwan and Japan 
U.S. Defense Chief Pete Hegseth Defends Controversial Second Strike on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Vessel 
U.S.-Russia Talks Leave Ukraine Peace Efforts Uncertain 
China Urged to Prioritize Economy Over Territorial Ambitions, Says Taiwan’s President Lai 
U.S. Repatriation Flight Carrying 266 Venezuelan Migrants Lands in Caracas 
UN General Assembly Demands Russia Return Ukrainian Children Amid Ongoing Conflict 
U.S. Justice Department Orders Intensified Probe Into Antifa and Domestic Extremist Groups 
U.S. Expected to Expand Travel Ban to More Than 30 Countries 
Maduro Confirms “Respectful” Call With Trump, Signals Openness to Diplomatic Dialogue 
UN Chief Says Gaza Operation “Fundamentally Wrong” as Concerns Over War Crimes Grow 
Pentagon Probe Finds Hegseth’s Use of Signal Risked Exposing Sensitive Yemen Strike Details 
Trump Administration Tightens H-1B Visa Vetting With New Focus on Free Speech and Censorship 
New Orleans Immigration Crackdown Sparks Fear as Federal Arrests Intensify 
Taiwan Signals Openness to Renew Ties with Honduras as Election Unfolds 
IMF Deputy Dan Katz Visits China as Key Economic Review Nears 
Drones Spotted Near Zelenskiy’s Flight Path in Ireland Trigger Security Alert 
Tensions between Russia and other countries could likely escalate and turn into military conflict or world war. Fears of possible conflict have since been raised following news of Russia reaching the completion of a new stealth warship.
Russian news outlet RIA reported that the Russian Navy is nearing completion of a stealth warship, also known as the Mercury Naval Corvette or Project 20386. The ship would be capable of avoiding detection by enemy vessels as its hull will have a radar-absorbent coating and a sleek design with minimal protrusions and crevices on the surface. The ship would also be armed with cruise missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and artillery.
The news outlet added that the hull has already been constructed and is expected to be sent to the Navy in 2022. Once it is finished, the Mercury will become the first stealth ship of the Russian Navy, highlighting the big investments the Kremlin has made over the years. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made big investments into the country’s military amidst straining relations with the West.
Putin appears to have continued modernizing the country’s military even when faced with sanctions. The latest warship could also be supported by other warships that are believed to already be in construction. The Kremlin is also believed to be commissioning or receiving six new submarines, three of which are nuclear-powered, by the end of the year.
The fleet is also set to receive a modernized nuclear battlecruiser and start sea trials for its aircraft carrier by the end of 2022. This may be a sign that Russia looks to return to its heyday during the Cold War when it once outnumbered the US Navy in ships.
Previously, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned that China and the US must try and resolve tensions, or an all-out conflict or possible world war may arise. The two countries have been at odds over several matters, from trade, alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the COVID-19 pandemic, to the situation with Taiwan and the South China Sea. Lee urged both the US and China to find some common ground to cooperate if issues between the two countries could not be resolved.
“If the US-China relationship goes sour, you are going to have a state of tension -- anxiety at the very least and conflict possibly -- all over the world,” said the Singaporean leader. “Certainly all over the Asia-Pacific, or as now America likes to call it, the Indo-Pacific. And that is going to be hard, not just for other countries big and small, but for both America and China too.”
