Basketball star arrives in Texas after US releases convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout in dramatic prisoner swap. Plus, the first-ever unicorn license granted
Good morning.
The basketball player Brittney Griner has returned to the US after she was freed from a Russian prison in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange for the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, the so-called Merchant of Death, who had been held in an American prison for 12 years.
Where is Griner now? She has touched down at a Texas airbase. Footage emerged of the exchange of Griner for Bout on the grounds of Abu Dhabi’s airport; the Financial Times reported it was shot by Russia’s FSB security service.
What did Biden say about Whelan? The president said: “Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.”
What other legal troubles does Musk face? Other cases include allegations Twitter laid off employees and contractors without the advance notice required by law and failed to pay promised severance, and that Musk forced out workers with disabilities by refusing to allow remote work and calling on employees to be more “hardcore”. Twitter is also under investigation by city officials in San Francisco after a complaint about beds being set up in the office.
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