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Russia, US Swap Prisoners In Push For Closer Ties

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FILE: US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. AFP

 

A Los Angeles-based ballet dancer released by Russia as part of a prisoner swap landed safely in the United States Thursday night, the second swap under President Donald Trump as Moscow and Washington push to rebuild ties.

Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russian dual national convicted in Russia of “treason” over a one-time donation worth around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity, landed at Joint Base Andrews just before 11:00 pm local time Thursday (0300 GMT).

Karelina descended the stairs of the jet plane where she was greeted by several loved ones — including her boyfriend, South African boxer Chris van Heerden — who applauded and shouted “welcome home!” before embracing her.

 

TOPSHOT – US-Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina and her boyfriend South African boxer Chris van Heerden embrace as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, following her release from Russia on April 10, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

In return, Washington freed Arthur Petrov, a Russian-German national accused of illegally exporting US-made electronics to manufacturers supplying the Russian military.

The exchange took place at an airport in Abu Dhabi, where a dozen people wearing suits were present, video posted by Russia’s FSB security service showed.

Trump has sought to reset ties with Moscow since taking office, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago plunged bilateral relations to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Trump said Karelina’s case was brought to his attention by the president of the UFC mixed martial arts league and that the United States then asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to free her.

“She is now out, and that was good. So we appreciate that,” Trump told reporters at a cabinet meeting.

“We hope that we’re going to be able to make a deal relatively soon with Russia and Ukraine to stop the fighting. It’s so senseless,” Trump said.

The FSB video showed Petrov seated on a plane after he was freed, telling an unseen interviewer that he had not slept for two days but otherwise had no complaints.

Petrov, arrested in Cyprus in 2023 and extradited to the United States, was facing 20 years in a US jail.

US director Peter Berg (R) watches US-Russian ballerina Ksenia Karelina greet friends as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, following her release from Russia on April 10, 2025. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP)

‘Positive’ step

CIA Director John Ratcliffe was the key negotiator with Russian intelligence and foreign partners, the CIA said.

Ratcliffe in a statement thanked the UAE “for enabling this exchange.”

“Other Americans remain wrongfully detained in Russia,” a CIA spokesperson said.

“We see this exchange as a positive step and will continue to work for their release.”

The State Department said that the United States has raised the particular case of Stephen Hubbard, an English teacher living in eastern Ukraine who was taken away by Russian troops during the invasion and accused of being a mercenary.

“We continue to work to free Mr. Hubbard and all other Americans unjustly detained,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.

As the prisoner swap took place, US and Russian delegations were meeting in Istanbul on restoring embassy staffing levels after years of diplomat expulsions.

The State Department said after the meeting that Washington renewed concern about Moscow’s prohibition of its citizens working at US missions in Russia.

The two sides also moved to formalize an agreement on banking access for their diplomats, despite the US sanctions on Russia, the State Department said.

(FILES) This grab from a handout footage taken and released by Sverdlovsk regional Court press service on June 20, 2024, shows US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina sitting in a cage at The Sverdlovsk Regional Court in Yekaterinburg. (Photo by HANDOUT / Sverdlovsk regional Court press / AFP)

 

Prisoner swaps

Karelina, 33, was serving a 12-year prison sentence for having donated around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.

She was arrested in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in January 2024 while on a trip to visit her family and charged with “treason.”

Russia’s Federal Security Service accused her of contributing to “equipment, weapons and ammunition” for Ukraine’s army — charges she denied. Her supporters say she donated to a US-based organization that delivers humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Petrov was accused by US authorities of illegally exporting electronic components to Russia for military use, in violation of Washington’s sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine war.

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on March 18, 2025 shows President Donald Trump (L) on the phone on January 28, 2017 in Washington, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (R) on the phone Moscow on December 27, 2023. (Photo by Drew ANGERER and Gavriil GRIGOROV / various sources / AFP)

 

In mid-February, following a call between Putin and Trump, Russia released Kalob Wayne Byers, a 28-year-old US citizen arrested at a Moscow airport for transporting cannabis gummy sweets.

Washington and Moscow also exchanged US teacher Marc Fogel for Russian computer expert Alexander Vinnik in early February.

The largest US-Russia prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War took place on August 1, 2024. It involved the release of journalists, including WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich, and dissidents held in Russia in exchange for alleged Russian spies held in the West.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP

International News

Liverpool Legend Sir Dalglish Down With Cancer! 

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According to an official statement from Liverpool, Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing treatment.

 

Sir Kenny Dalglish posted an update on social media today. The full text is as follows:

The news was leaked when I accidentally posted something due to a slip of the hand. I am currently receiving treatment for cancer. Although I am clumsy with my phone, the treatment is progressing well.

This matter was intended to be handled privately and not disclosed to the public, but I am not very good at using digital devices and accidentally leaked the news.

I never intended to make my illness public, and I urge all parties to respect my privacy and that of my family, and to refrain from disturbing us.

As always, I thank the medical staff, who not only took meticulous care of me but also consistently upheld the principle of confidentiality, diligently protected countless patients, and honored their profession.”

Liverpool officials stated: All staff at Liverpool Football Club will send their best wishes and support to Sir Kenny Dalglish and his family, now and in the future. The club also echoed his request, calling on the outside world to respect his privacy.

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International News

I’m Not Going To Cry Over World Cup Omission- Wharton 

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Adam Wharton says he has been able to quickly move on from his England World Cup squad omission. 

 

The talented midfielder was one of the surprise names left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad this summer. And he underlined his quality with a player-of-the-match performance in Crystal Palace’s Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano.

Wharton said: “It’s just part of football. It was never a guarantee I was going to go, I knew that.

“When he called me, he told me I wasn’t there. He said it was close. But that’s football. I’m not going to sit here and cry about it. I still had two games for Palace to go – tonight being a massive one.

“I don’t really dwell on those things too much. It’s not the end of the world. I’m still young. Hopefully there are other tournaments and World Cups I can go to in the future.

“I was just focused on Palace and coming here and getting the win.”

Tuchel caused a stir with his 26-strong squad last week, with no room for Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White.

But former goal keeper, Joe Hart pointed out that will all become irrelevant when England start their campaign, even if Hart is enthusiastic about Tuchel’s managerial CV, which includes winning the Champions League with Chelsea.

“It’s one of those roles where whatever he’s done (up to now) doesn’t really matter,” Hart told the Press Association.

“He’s clear what he wants and how he wants people to behave in his squads. He’s an experienced coach, he looks like he’s enjoying his role and the players are buying into what he’s asking them to do.

“But will it be all right on the night? That’s how he will be judged. But of course he knows that – he’s an experienced man, he’s a winner and hopefully he can do it again.”

Meanwhile, England have confirmed Arsenal forward Ethan Nwaneri will join up with Thomas Tuchel’s squad for a preparation camp ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Nwaneri, who is currently on loan at Marseille, will join Bournemouth playmaker Alex Scott, Fulham’s Josh King and Liverpool’s 17-year-old prospect Rio Ngumoha as training players.

Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele will remain with the squad as a training goalkeeper throughout the tournament.

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Business

EU Fines Temu 200m Euros Over Illegal Products

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The EU slapped a 200-million-euro ($232 million) fine on Chinese-owned online retailer Temu on Thursday for allowing the sale of illegal products, including dangerous baby toys and defective chargers.

 

“The company failed to diligently identify, analyse, and assess the systemic risks of illegal products being offered on its platform and the resulting harm to consumers in the European Union,” the EU said.

According to EU regulators, European consumers are “very likely to encounter illegal items” on Temu, and the company “seriously underestimated how often EU consumers are likely to” see such products.

Temu is extremely popular in the European Union, with 130 million users after entering the bloc’s market in 2023.

But it has come under fierce scrutiny since October 2024 when the EU opened its investigation, which preliminarily found in July last year that Temu had breached landmark rules over the risks of illegal products.

“Temu is a very big player in the European market,” EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen told reporters, adding that its size meant that a “very big part” of EU consumers get their hands on such illegal products.

Thursday’s fine is only the second imposed under the EU’s powerful Digital Services Act (DSA) on content, after Elon Musk’s X platform received a 120-million-euro fine in December.

Under the DSA, the world’s most popular digital platforms including social media apps and online retailers must conduct a risk assessment to understand what dangers they pose and how to tackle the risks.

The EU slammed Temu for its 2024 risk assessment that it said “falls short of the standards”, citing the discovery of baby toys, such as rattles, containing chemicals that exceeded legal safety limits, and chargers that failed basic safety tests. It also pointed to jewellery.

The European Commission said Temu failed to properly assess the platform’s design and how it “could amplify dissemination risks of illegal products”.

EU focus on China –

The DSA is part of the EU’s bolstered legal armoury to curb what the bloc considers excesses by Big Tech, and fines can go as high as six percent of a company’s total worldwide annual turnover.

While the EU could have hit Temu with a higher fine, a European Commission official said the amount was proportionate to the breach since it concerned a risk assessment for one year where the conclusions were “clear-cut”.

Temu must now pay the fine and present a plan to the EU by August 28 that includes what action it will take to address the breaches.

If Temu does not comply, it faces periodic penalty payments.

It can also appeal the fine, as Musk has already done in the EU courts.

The EU continues to investigate other suspected breaches in the same probe including the use of addictive design features that could hurt users’ physical and mental well-being, and how Temu’s systems recommend content and products.

The fine comes a day before the EU executive is set to debate how the 27-nation bloc should approach China to level the playing field, with top EU officials warning that Europe must get tougher on China to defend its economy.

Brussels has already stepped up its anti-subsidy investigations into Chinese companies investing in Europe, and on Thursday it opened an in-depth probe into Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com’s bid for Ceconomy, a major German electronics retail group, on suspicion it was boosted by state subsidies.

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