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WORLD NEWS Saturday 30 July 2022
Russia’s Lavrov says he will discuss U.S. prisoner swap offer

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV and supporters in the Unit-
Associated Press ed States.Her trial on drug
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian charges started in a court
Foreign Minister Sergey outside Moscow this month,
Lavrov said Friday that he’s and she testified Wednes-
open to a call with U.S. Sec- day that she didn’t know
retary of State Antony Blink- how the cartridges ended
en to discuss a possible pris- up in her bag but that she
oner swap involving Ameri- had a doctor’s recommen-
can basketball star Brittney dation to use cannabis to
Griner. treat career-related pain.
Blinken said Wednesday The 31-year-old has plead-
that Washington had of- ed guilty but said she had
fered Russia a deal that no criminal intent in bring-
would bring home Griner ing the cartridges to Russia
and another jailed Ameri- and packed in haste for
can, Paul Whelan. A person her return to play in a Rus-
familiar with the matter said sian basketball league dur-
the U.S. government pro- ing the WNBA’s offseason.
posed trading convicted She faces up to 10 years in
Russian arms dealer Viktor prison if convicted of trans-
Bout for Whelan and Griner. porting drugs.
Speaking on a visit to Uz- In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister The Biden administration
bekistan, Lavrov said his Sergey Lavrov, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attend a foreign has faced political pres-
ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
ministry had received an Friday, July 29, 2022. sure to free Griner and
official U.S. request for a Associated Press other Americans whom
call after Blinken made the U.S. has declared to be
the statement. Russia’s top to say,” Lavrov added. about it when the agree- in mid-February when in- “wrongfully detained” — a
diplomat said he would be Asked Thursday about the ments are already imple- spectors found vape car- designation sharply reject-
ready once he returns to U.S. offer, Kremlin spokes- mented.” tridges containing canna- ed by Russian officials.
Moscow and that the tim- man Dmitry Peskov replied Blinken’s comments bis oil in her luggage. Whelan, a corporate secu-
ing of the call was being that prisoner swaps were marked the first time the Griner’s arrest came at a rity executive from Michi-
worked out. typically negotiated dis- U.S. government publicly time of heightened ten- gan, was sentenced to
Lavrov said he was open creetly behind the scenes. revealed any concrete ac- sions between Moscow 16 years in prison on es-
to discussing the prisoner “We know that such issues tion it has taken to secure and Washington ahead of pionage charges in 2020.
exchange, even though are discussed without any Griner’s release. The two- Russia sending troops into He and his family have
the Foreign Ministry hasn’t such release of informa- time Olympic gold medalist Ukraine on Feb. 24. Griner’s vigorously asserted his in-
been involved in previous tion,” Peskov told reporters and player for the WNBA’s five months of detention nocence. The U.S. govern-
discussions on the issue. during a conference call. Phoenix Mercury was ar- have raised strong criti- ment has denounced the
“I will listen to what he has “Normally, the public learns rested at a Moscow airport cism among teammates charges as false.q

5 dead, 68 Haitians rescued from

waters near Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTO from rangers with Puerto which shares the island of
Associated Press Rico’s Department of Natu- Hispaniola with Haiti. Some
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ral Resources who first spot- capsize in the treacherous
— At least five Haitian mi- ted the migrants. Officials Mona Passage that sepa-
grants drowned and 68 oth- determined that no addi- rates the two islands while
ers were rescued Thursday tional people were missing, other boats drop off mi-
after a suspected human based on interviews with grants in tiny uninhabited
smuggling boat dropped survivors, U.S. Coast Guard islands before reaching
the group off in waters near spokesman Ricardo Cas- Puerto Rico.
an uninhabited island west trodad told The Associated In this case, the boat car-
of Puerto Rico, officials said. Press. rying the migrants fled the TIn this photo provided by Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural
Resources, rescued migrants walk on the shore off Mona Island,
The incident is the latest in He said 41 men, 25 women scene, Castrodad said. west of Puerto Rico, Thursday, July 28, 2022.
a string of deadly voyages and two children survived, The rescue comes just days Associated Press
across the northern Carib- adding that none had any after authorities in the Ba-
bean carrying mostly Hai- urgent medical issues. hamas recovered the bod- day,” Castrodad said. “Ev- ting a courthouse and a
tian migrants fleeing their Jeffrey Quiñones, spokes- ies of 17 migrants and res- eryone runs the same risk church on fire as turf wars
country amid a deepen- man for U.S. Customs and cued 25 more after their and same danger.” in the capital of Port-au-
ing political and economic Border Protection, said all boat capsized early Sun- A growing number of Hai- Prince intensify. In addi-
crisis and a spike in gang- migrants aboard the boat day. A criminal investiga- tians are fleeing their coun- tion, more than 470 people
related killings and kidnap- were Haitians. tion is underway. try as gangs grow more have been killed, injured or
pings. Most human smuggling In May, 11 Haitian women powerful following the July disappeared in less than a
Federal and local authori- boats that carry Haitian drowned and 38 others 7, 2021 assassination of week amid gang fights in
ties searched the area near migrants to Puerto Rico were saved after their boat President Jovenel Moïse. the nearby Cite Soleil slum,
Mona Island for several depart from the neighbor- sank near Puerto Rico. This week alone, authori- according to the United
hours after receiving a call ing Dominican Republic, “This is happening every ties blamed gangs for set- Nations.q