Eurasia

Under a UN-backed ceasefire signed October 23, foreign troops and mercenaries were to pull out of Libya within three months. That deadline passed on Saturday with no movement announced or observed on the ground.

Moqtada al-Sadr, who also leads the Peace Brigades militia, is trying to invest in the failure of his main opponents and rivals to lead the Iraqi state, especially after many of them have turned into a burden for Iran because of the Iraqi public’s hostility to them.

What is alarming is that Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, who has been in the US for almost 35 years, was working for the Iranian regime and getting paid [by Iran] for nearly 13 years without being detected.

China launched the second Type 054A/P frigate for Pakistan on Friday in Shanghai, as the Pakistan Navy Chief Naval Overseer highlighted at the launch ceremony that induction of the Type 054A/P warships will significantly enhance Pakistan’s maritime defense and deterrence capabilities.

China launched on Friday its third Type 075 amphibious assault ship — a genre of warship often referred to as helicopter carrier with the ability to conduct amphibious landing missions.

Wu Qian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defense, sternly warned on Thursday that “Taiwan independence” means war. Both the island of Taiwan and the US responded to his remarks. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that the Pentagon “sees no reason why tensions over Taiwan need to lead …

As the U.K. geared up to launch a new pathway to citizenship for Hong Kong residents amid an ongoing crackdown on public dissent, China said on Friday it will no longer recognize British National Overseas (BNO) passports that are the key to the scheme.

Instead of storing medicine and vaccines, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are busy storing rockets and explosive devices. The Palestinian terror groups that moan about a crippling economic crisis in the Gaza Strip somehow always seem to find enough money to purchase, smuggle or manufacture weapons.

Xi told Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam that the “patriots ruling Hong Kong” was a fundamental part of Beijing’s policy towards the city, adding that it affected national sovereignty and security.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said Wednesday he values Germany as a station for U.S. troops, leading to speculation he may reverse a decision by the Trump administration to pull troops out of the country.