- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Hurricane Milton leaves at least 16 dead as Florida cleans up
- Britain face 'ultimate challenge' in America's Cup duel with New Zealand
- Lebanon calls for 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Hezbollah war
- Nihon Hidankyo: Japan's A-bomb survivors awarded Nobel
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Boat captain rescued clinging to cooler in Gulf of Mexico after storm Milton
- Tears, warnings after Japan atomic survivors group win Nobel
- 'Unspeakable horror': the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- Christian villagers 'trapped' in south Lebanon crossfire
- Sabalenka sets up Gauff showdown in Wuhan semis
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Kim Sei-young holds lead with late birdies at LPGA Shanghai
- Toulouse welcome Dupont 'boost' as Olympic star returns to Top 14
Russia says awaits US response to prisoner swap proposals
Russia said Wednesday it had presented its ideas for a prisoner swap to the United States and was waiting for a response, days before it was set to put US reporter Evan Gershkovich on trial.
Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in March 2023 on espionage charges rejected as false by his family, employer and the White House.
President Vladimir Putin said in February that talks on a prisoner swap involving the journalist were under way, but the Kremlin has not given any details on the progress of the negotiations.
"The ball is in the court of the United States, we are waiting for them to respond to the ideas that were presented to them," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia's state TASS news agency in an interview.
"They are well known to the relevant parts of the US administration. I understand that, perhaps, something in these ideas does not suit the Americans. That's their problem," he added.
"We consider our approaches to be fully justified, sensible, balanced. We expect that this is how they will view them."
Gershkovich is set to face a closed-door trial in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on June 26 and could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
He became the first Western journalist to be jailed on espionage charges since the Soviet era.
Gershkovich is one of several Americans held in Russia.
A court in Russia's far east on Wednesday jailed a US soldier for three years and nine months after convicting him for having threatened to kill his girlfriend and for stealing from her.
Gordon Black, 34, was arrested last month in the far eastern city of Vladivostok, where he was visiting a Russian woman he met and dated while serving in South Korea.
- 'Not a priority' -
The woman, named by Russian media as Alexandra Vashuk, accused Black of stealing some 10,000 rubles ($120) from her and said she had been physically attacked.
Black had pled "partially guilty" to theft and not guilty to threatening to kill Vashuk, Russian media reported.
His lawyer intends to appeal the verdict, the TASS news agency reported.
Washington has accused Moscow of arresting its citizens on baseless charges to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of Russians convicted abroad.
The Kremlin has signalled it is open to a deal on exchanging some of them if its conditions are met.
But it has not revealed details. Putin has suggested a deal may involve the release of a Russian jailed in Germany for killing a Chechen dissident.
Among other US nationals detained in Russia is reporter Alsu Kurmasheva, a dual US-Russian national arrested last year for failing to register as a "foreign agent". Her employers denounced the case against her as politically motivated.
Former US marine Paul Whelan, in prison in Russia since 2018 and serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, is also pushing to be included in any future exchange.
His family said Wednesday that he had been in prison for 2,000 days, completing a third of his sentence.
US efforts to free him had been disappointing, they said.
"Paul's case does not appear to be a priority," the family said in a statement.
While the family said it was grateful for support from the US embassy in Moscow, it said it was disappointed by the "weak White House support".
D.Sawyer--AMWN