Najib Razak Granted House Arrest Until 2028 
Venezuela Nears Deal to Move $4 Billion in Gold to New York Fed 
Appeals Court Rejects Trump Third-Country Deportation Policy 
Turkey Ready to Aid Saudi Arabia Under Defence Pact as Houthi Attacks Escalate 
White House Bars CNN, MS NOW and Politico Reporters 
Israeli Strikes Across Gaza Leave at Least Three Dead 
Canada Eyes India Trade Deal by Year-End 
Paris Talks Focus on Lebanon Army Needs as UNIFIL Exit Looms 
Mexico Pushes for US Trade Deal Before Midterms 
ICE Agent Arrested in Minneapolis Over Venezuelan Man Shooting 
US, Denmark and Greenland Reach Deal to Expand American Military Presence 
Trump Plans Federal AI Force and AI Czar 
Trump Threatens EU Tariffs Over Canada Membership Proposal 
Germany’s Carsten Breuer Elected Next NATO Military Committee Chair 
FBI, Coast Guard Board Ships After Cyberattacks 
Bessent, He Lifeng to Discuss AI Security and Trade in New York 
South Korea’s Lee Rules Out Military Role in Middle East War 
Add as a preferred source on Google
The United States Embassy in Russia said that the American ambassador to Moscow visited detained US citizen Paul Whelan. Whelan has been detained in Mordovia in eastern Russia.
The US Embassy said on Thursday that US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy paid a visit to Whelan in the prison he has been detained in Mordovia in eastern Russia. Whelan, who is a former US Marine, was arrested in December 2018, detained for 18 months in Lefortovo prison, and sentenced to 16 years on charges of espionage. Whelan has denied wrongdoing.
“Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years and his release remains an absolute priority. The US government will continue to engage Russian authorities in this case so Paul can come home as soon as possible,” tweeted the embassy.
Washington’s designation of Whelan’s case as “wrongfully detained” means that the US has dismissed the case as politically driven.
Last month, Tracy also made her first visit to another detained US citizen, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in early April on charges of espionage. This marks the first time since 1986 that a US journalist was detained in Russia for alleged spying. The Wall Street Journal has since rejected the charges against Gershkovich, which would carry a prison sentence of 20 years.
“He feels well and is holding up. We reiterate our call for Evan’s immediate release,” Tracy said in a message on the Telegram messaging platform in Russian.
The White House has also dismissed the charges as “ridiculous,” with President Joe Biden saying that Gershkovich’s detention is “totally illegal.”
Tracy did not indicate how long she spent with Gershkovich during her visit to the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow. Tracy’s visit came ahead of the court hearing that was expected to consider Gershkovich’s appeal of the charges. The White House also said it hopes to get regular consular access to Gershkovich,
Russia’s security service FSB accused Gershkovich of collecting state secrets about Russia’s military-industrial complex. The Kremlin also said Gershkovich was “caught red-handed” but did not cite any evidence to support its claim against the reporter.
