WORLD

US reporter Evan Gershkovich, jailed in Russia on espionage charges, to stand trial, officials say

Jun 13, 2024, 6:15 AM

MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, jailed in Russia on espionage charges, will stand trial in the city of Yekaterinburg, Russian authorities said Thursday.

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s office said an indictment of Gershkovich has been finalized and his case was filed to the Sverdlovsky Regional Court in the city in the Ural Mountains.

Gershkovich is accused of “gathering secret information” about a facility in the Sverdlovsk region that produced and repaired military equipment, the Prosecutor General’s office said in a statement, revealing for the first time the details of the accusations against the jailed reporter. Gershkovich has been charged with espionage.

The officials didn’t provide any evidence to back up the accusations.

Gershkovich was detained while on a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg in March 2023 and accused of spying for the U.S. The Federal Security Service, or FSB, alleged at the time he was acting on U.S. orders to collect state secrets but also provided no evidence. Washington designated him as wrongfully detained.

He was the first U.S. journalist taken into custody on espionage charges since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986 at the height of the Cold War. Gershkovich’s arrest shocked foreign journalists in Russia, even though the country had enacted increasingly repressive laws on freedom of speech after sending troops into Ukraine.

World

A pumpjack operates at dawn in a pasture, Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, near Hays, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie...

Associated Press

For 3rd straight year, no improvement in Earth’s projected warming

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — For the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven’t lowered projections for how hot the world is likely to get — and recent developments in China and the United States are likely to slightly worsen the outlook, according to an analysis Thursday. The analysis comes as countries come together […]

19 hours ago

A soldier of Ukraine's Khartia brigade, callsign Tolstiy, inspects a FPV drone in a drone repair wo...

Associated Press

Ukrainian soldiers focus on keeping Russian advances at bay and brace for storm to come from US

KHARKIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — The four drones were designed to carry bombs, but instead the men of Ukraine’s Khartia brigade pack them with food, water and handwarmers and launch them in darkness toward the front line, a 15-minute flight away. The unit commander who goes by the callsign Kit, or “cat,” pilots the tiny […]

19 hours ago

A resident reinforces his roof in Santa Ana, Cagayan Province, northern Philippines as they anticip...

Associated Press

An overwhelmed Philippines braces for another typhoon, the fifth major storm to hit in three weeks

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The fifth major storm in three weeks approached the Philippines on Thursday, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations request for emergency funds to help the government ease the plight of hard-hit villagers. Typhoon Usagi had sustained winds of up to 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour and gusts of […]

19 hours ago

Associated Press

Stock market today: Asian shares meander, tracking Wall Street’s mixed finish as dollar surges

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick last month in inflation in the U.S. The dollar was trading at 156 Japanese yen, up from 155.49 yen, reflecting expectations that the dollar will gain against other currencies under the policies […]

19 hours ago

FILE - U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar speaks during a press conference at the new embassy st...

Associated Press

US ambassador says Mexico ‘closed the doors’ on security cooperation and denies its violence problem

MEXICO CITY (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar lashed out Wednesday at Mexico’s failure to accept aid in the fight against drug cartels, claiming the country “closed the doors” on security cooperation. In a press conference, Salazar launched his harshest criticism yet of rampant violence, police corruption and the Mexican government’s mistaken attitude that “there […]

24 hours ago

Associated Press

US and Polish officials open missile defense site that Russia has long protested

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. and Polish officials inaugurated a NATO missile defense base in northern Poland on Wednesday, with Polish officials welcoming it as a significant boost to the security of the country as well as of the NATO alliance at a time of war in neighboring Ukraine. The U.S. missile defense base, which […]

1 day ago

US reporter Evan Gershkovich, jailed in Russia on espionage charges, to stand trial, officials say