Morning news brief: US announces USD 1.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, Rajapaksa returns to Lanka & more

The United States on Fridayannounced the sale of approximately USD 1.1 billion in military equipment including Harpoon and Sidewinder missiles to Taiwan. Meanwhile, in the South Asian region, Former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has returned to Sri Lanka after almost two months. In the realm of defence,Iran hasseizedtwo US Navy drone vessels in second incident this week in the Red Sea.

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US military equipment worth over USD 1.1 billion, including Harpoon and Sidewinder missiles, will be sold to Taiwan, the country stated on Friday.Taiwan's purchase of military hardware has received Washington's approval, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DCSA) acknowledged in a number of statements.

An airport official reported that former president of Sri Lanka Gotabaya Rajapaksa arrived back in the nation on Friday, seven weeks after fleeing in the face of irate protests over the island's worst-ever economic crisis.

The Iranian Navy reportedly seized two US unmanned drone vessels for a brief period in the Red Sea before releasing them, in the second such incident this week.

India has overtaken UK to become the fifth largest economy in the world, according to Bloomberg, which has cited GDP figures from the International Monetary Fund.

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