American schoolteacher and former diplomat Marc Fogel has been released from prison in Russia and is on the way home to the US. The sixty-three year old teacher was detained in 2021 after he was found to be carrying a small amout of medical marijuana. He was then given a fourteen year prison sentence. Newshour speaks to his sister, Anne Fogel. Also in the programme: Donald Trump faces Jordan's King Abdullah in The White House in their first meeting since the US president proposed moving Gaza's population to Jordan; the European Union says it will respond "fimly" to Trump's new proposed steel tariffs while also adding the EU is committed to finding a mutually beneficial solution; and mounting concerns over the Covid-19 whistleblower's health in a Chinese prison as reports suggests she's on hungar strike. (Photo: Marc Fogel (right) pictured with his sisters. Credit: Anne Fogel)
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.
Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC.
Each weekday we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world.
From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart from the movements of money
and markets to the human stories that touch our lives.
We bring you in depth insights from across the BBC and beyond.
Listen to the Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.
I'm Celia Hatton coming to you live from London.
Let's start with the news that the American school teacher Mark Fogel has been released from prison in Russia.
He's on his way home to the US the the US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement Mr.
Fogel's release had been negotiated as part of an exchange with Russia.
Though he didn't offer more details, Mr.
Waltz said Mr.
Fogel's release was a show of good faith from the Russians
and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine.
The 63 year old teacher was detained in 2021 after he was found to be carrying a small amount of medical marijuana.
He he was then given a 14 year prison sentence.
In a minute, we'll hear from Mark's sister, but first to Steve Rosenberg,
the BBC's Russia editor, who's speaking to us live from Moscow.