World
US marks four year anniversary of Paul Whelan detention in Russia
The previous US marine is serving a 16-year sentence for alleged espionage, although his household maintains his innocence.
The administration of United States President Joe Biden is marking the four-year anniversary of American businessman Paul Whelan‘s detention in Russia, an imprisonment that is still a serious irritant in relations between Washington and Moscow.
Whelan is at the moment serving a 16-year sentence in a jail colony in Russia’s Mordovia area. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in a press release on Wednesday that securing Whelan’s launch stays a high administration precedence.
US officers had hoped to incorporate Whelan in a prisoner swap earlier this month, wherein they traded detained basketball star Brittney Griner for a convicted Russian arms seller, Viktor Bout. The administration considers Whelan, like Griner, to have been wrongfully detained.
As we speak marks a horrible milestone for Paul Whelan: 4 years wrongfully detained in Russia, following a secret trial with secret proof. His detention stays unacceptable, and we proceed to press for his quick launch at each alternative.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 28, 2022
Whelan, a Michigan company safety govt, is jailed in Russia on espionage costs that his household and the US authorities have stated are baseless. On Wednesday, Blinken stated Whelan and his household are “struggling by way of an unfathomable ordeal”, and he once more condemned the American’s conviction, which was based mostly on secret proof.
“His detention stays unacceptable, and we proceed to press for his quick launch at each alternative,” Blinken stated. “Our efforts to safe Paul’s launch is not going to stop till he’s again dwelling along with his household the place he belongs.”
US officers stated Russia had refused to think about together with Whelan within the Griner-Bout prisoner swap deal, calling it a “one or none” determination. They applauded the Whelan household for supporting the change.
“Paul and the Whelan household just lately confirmed your entire nation the that means of generosity of spirit in celebrating a fellow American’s return whereas Russia continues its deplorable remedy of Paul as a bargaining chip,” stated Jake Sullivan, Biden’s nationwide safety adviser.
The Whelan household has however expressed fears that Whelan wouldn’t be launched for years. His brother, David Whelan, stated when the swap was introduced, “I feel all of us realise that the mathematics is just not going to work out for Paul to return dwelling anytime quickly, until the US authorities is ready to discover concessions.”
Paul Whelan, 52, was sentenced in 2020.
In a press release on Wednesday, David Whelan stated, “As we speak is the 1,461st day that Paul has been held hostage by the Russian Federation. Russian authorities entrapped him 4 years in the past right now. How do you mark such an terrible milestone when there isn’t any decision in sight?”
The anniversary, he stated, “is each terrible and mundane, simply one other day that Paul has to undergo in a Russian labor colony for being within the unsuitable place on the unsuitable time.”
World
Arizona high court won't review Kari Lake’s appeal over 2022 governor’s race defeat
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to hear Republican Kari Lake’s latest appeal over her defeat in the 2022 governor’s race, marking yet another loss in her attempt to overturn the race’s outcome.
The court made its refusal to take up the former TV anchor’s appeal public on Thursday without explaining its decision.
Lake, now locked in a U.S. Senate race against Democrat Ruben Gallego, had lost the governor’s race to Democrat Katie Hobbs by over 17,000 votes.
The courts had previously rejected Lake’s claims that problems with ballot printers at some Maricopa County polling places on Election Day in 2022 were the result of intentional misconduct and that Maricopa County didn’t verify signatures on mail ballots as required by law. A judge also turned down Lake’s request to examine the ballot envelopes of 1.3 million early voters. In all, Lake had three trials related to the 2022 election.
Despite her earlier losses in court and a ruling affirming Hobbs’ victory, Lake had asked the Arizona Supreme Court to review her case, claiming she had new evidence to support her claims. Lawyers for Maricopa County told the court that Lake failed to present any new evidence that would change the courts’ findings.
Lake is among the most vocal of Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trump’s election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign for governor. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races, Lake did not.
The Lake campaign didn’t respond to an email seeking comment on the Supreme Court’s latest decision.
World
Former Australian PM deletes critical tweets of Trump after winning election: 'Most destructive president'
Former Australian prime minister and current ambassador to the United States in Washington Kevin Rudd has deleted tweets critical of President-elect Donald Trump after he won the presidential election.
Rudd had described Trump in a 2020 post as “the most destructive president in history,” according to reporting from NDTV.
He served as Australia’s 26th prime minister from 2007 to 2010 as head of their Labor Party, and was re-elected in 2013 after a brief stint as Australia’s foreign minister.
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The comments were made when Rudd had served as Chair of the Asia Society Policy Institute, which was described by Columbia University World Leaders Forum as “dedicated to using second track diplomacy to assist governments and businesses in resolving policy challenges within Asia, and between Asia and the West.”
According to a statement shared with Fox News Digital from Ambassador Rudd’s office, “In his previous role as the head of an independent US-based think tank, Mr. Rudd was a regular commentator on American politics. Out of respect for the office of President of the United States, and following the election of President Trump, Ambassador Rudd has now removed these past commentaries from his personal website and social media channels.”
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“This has been done to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as Ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian Government. Ambassador Rudd looks forward to working with President Trump and his team to continue strengthening the US-Australia alliance,” the statement concluded.
Ambassador Rudd has since shared several posts congratulating President-elect Trump on social media site X, including one where he claimed he called him personally.
In his post from November 6, Rudd wrote “Good to speak this morning with President Trump to personally congratulate him on his election victory. We talked about the importance of the Alliance, and the strength of the Australia-US relationship in security, AUKUS, trade and investment. I look forward to working together in the interests of both our countries.”
The AUKUS agreement is a trilateral union between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom established in 2021 to promote security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The office of Ambassador Kevin Rudd provided no further comment to Fox News Digital’s inquiry.
World
Police charge three people with death of One Direction star Liam Payne
Toxicology tests show One Direction star had cocaine, prescription drugs and alcohol in his system.
Three people have been charged over the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne’s death, according to the Argentine prosecutor’s office.
Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died, authorities said in a statement.
They have charged someone close to Payne, a hotel employee, and a suspected drug dealer, it was announced on Thursday.
All three are accused of playing a role in giving Payne the drugs. The person who was visiting with Payne is also charged with “abandonment of a person followed by death”, authorities said. They are not naming those who have been charged.
Fall from balcony
Payne, who had a child, died at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony on October 16 in Buenos Aires. He died from multiple injuries caused by the fall. His body was found in the hotel’s internal courtyard.
Payne was a member of the popular boy band One Direction, formed in 2010 after its members, Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik, had auditioned as solo acts for the television show The X-Factor.
The band was created by the show’s judge, Simon Cowell and shot to international fame. The group had been on hiatus since 2016 as the band members pursued solo careers.
‘Breakdown’
Initial police investigations showed Payne was alone in his room and experiencing a “breakdown”.
Following his death, police found substances in his hotel room, such as packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings.
Authorities also recovered a whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone from the internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
In recent years, Payne had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
Payne’s death sparked an outpouring of grief from his fans and fellow band members.
The Casa Sur hotel in Buenos Aires, where he died, has become a place for Payne’s fans to pay their respects. They have left flowers, candles and photos of the singer in a makeshift shrine around a tree at the hotel’s entrance.
Payne had travelled to Argentina to see former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan in concert two weeks before he died.
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