International news brief: Nancy Pelosi kicks off talks in controversial Taiwan visit

Washington, Aug 03: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday at Presidential Office in Taipei. She had earlier met members of Legislative Yuan. While China remains enraged with her visit, Pelosi had said in a statement that the talks will focus on promoting shared interests and advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Nancy Pelosi on Taiwan visit

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in Taiwan's parliament on Wednesday and was set to meet with senior lawmakers.

She was later expected to meet with Hong Kong and Taiwan pro-democracy activists.

"We come in friendship to Taiwan. We come in peace to the region," Pelosi said during televised remarks at the start of her talks.

Pelosi is also set to meet with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen later in the day.

Putin's rumoured girlfriend hit with latest US sanctions

A new round of US sanctions targeting Russian elites includes a woman named in news reports as Vladimir Putin's longtime romantic partner. The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the government has frozen the visa of Alina Kabaeva, an Olympic gymnast in her youth and former member of the state Duma, and imposed other property restrictions. The department said she is also head of a Russian national media company that promotes Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Critics of the Kremlin and imprisoned Russian rights campaigner Alexey Navalny have been calling for sanctions against Kabaeva, saying her news outlet took the lead in portraying Western commentary on the invasion as a disinformation campaign.

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US approves massive arms sale to Saudi, UAE to counter Iran

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with agency inputs