American arrested in Russia as spy was there for a wedding
WASHINGTON — Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine arrested in Russia on espionage charges, was visiting Moscow over the holidays to attend a wedding when he suddenly disappeared, his brother said Tuesday.
Whelan, 48, who is head of global security for a Michigan-based auto parts supplier, was arrested on Friday. In announcing the arrest three days later, the Russian Federal Security Service said he was caught “during an espionage operation,” but gave no details.
“We are deeply concerned for his safety and well-being,” his family said in a statement that his brother David Whelan posted on Twitter. “His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be respected.”
The Russian spying charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
David Whelan said in an interview that his brother had been to Russia several times previously, so when a fellow former Marine was planning a wedding in Moscow with a Russian woman he was asked to come along to help out.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro assumes presidency, promises big changes
BRASILIA, Brazil — Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as Brazil’s president Tuesday, taking the reins of Latin America’s largest and most populous nation with promises to overhaul myriad aspects of daily life and put an end to business-as-usual governing.
For the far-right former army captain, the New Year’s Day inauguration was the culmination of a journey from a marginalized and even ridiculed congressman to a leader who many Brazilians hope can combat endemic corruption as well as violence that routinely gives the nation the dubious distinction of being world leader in total homicides.
A fan of U.S. President Donald Trump, the 63-year-old longtime congressman rose to power on an anti-corruption and pro-gun agenda that has energized conservatives and hard-right supporters after four consecutive presidential election wins by the left-leaning Workers’ Party.
Bolsonaro was the latest of several far-right leaders around the globe who have come to power by riding waves of anger at the establishment and promising to ditch the status quo.
“Congratulations to President @jairbolsonaro who just made a great inauguration speech,” Trump tweeted. “The U.S.A. is with you!”
Manchester stabbings: UK police raid house, quiz suspect
LONDON — Police in the English city of Manchester are quizzing a suspect and searching a house for clues about the “terror-related” stabbings of three people at a train station on New Year’s Eve.
The attack Monday night by a knife-wielding man yelling Islamic slogans brought terrorism back to Manchester after a 19-month hiatus. It took place at a key transport hub right next to the Manchester Arena, where 22 people were killed in an attack on an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
Monday’s stabbing attack left a man and a woman hospitalized with “very serious” but not life-threatening injuries and a man in custody, police said. Both the victims have abdominal injuries and the woman also has injuries to her face.
A British Transport Police sergeant who was also stabbed in the shoulder was released after an overnight hospital stay.
Police say they are treating the attack as a terrorist incident, and the investigation is being headed by counterterrorism police with help from the security services. Tightlipped U.K. authorities have not commented on a possible motive for the attack, and the suspect in his mid-20s has not been charged or identified.
