August 3, 2022

Daily News Brief

*) Pelosi stresses 'commitment to Taiwan' amid spiralling China tensions US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says her delegation's visit to Taipei is a show of support for the island, with the trip sparking a furious response from Beijing. The United States wants Taiwan to always have freedom with security and will not back away from that, Nancy Pelosi has said. China has announced multiple drills and issued a series of harsh statements after Pelosi landed in Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing considers as its own. *) West could trigger nuclear war over Ukraine: Russia Moscow says the conflict in Ukraine does not warrant Russia's use of nuclear weapons. At a nuclear nonproliferation conference, Russian diplomat Alexander Trofimov has rejected speculations that Russia threatens to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Trofimov has said Moscow would only use nuclear weapons in response to weapons of mass destruction or a conventional weapons attack that threatened Russia’s existence. *) UN: Truce in Yemen renewed for two months Yemen's warring sides have agreed to renew a two-month truce hours before it was due to expire, the United Nations envoy says. The move “includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an expanded truce agreement as soon as possible," Hans Grundberg, special envoy for Yemen, has said. US and Oman officials have also been engaging with parties to back Grundberg's proposal. *) ​​US warns of Al Qaeda retaliation against Americans after Zawahiri killing The United States has warned Americans travelling abroad that they face an increased risk of violence after the killing of Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri in a US drone strike. The US State Department urged US citizens to "maintain a high level of vigilance and practise good situational awareness when travelling abroad". Zawahiri’s killing in Kabul over the weekend dealt the biggest blow to Al Qaeda since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. *) European Jew buys Hitler’s watch in an auction amidst protests A Maryland auction house has sold a wristwatch that once belonged to Adolf Hitler for $1.1 million to an anonymous bidder, who is believed to be a European Jew. Alexander Historical Auctions estimated the value of the watch between $2 and $4 million, describing it as a “World War II relic of historic proportions.” It features the initials “AH” and a swastika. Jewish leaders and others have objected to the sale this week. But the auction house's president has defended the auction and said the buyer is a European Jew.