Russia detains WSJ reporter for espionage

AUS journalist working for the Wall Street Journal has been arrested in Russia on charges of spying for Washington, Russia's FSB security services said on Thursday.

The announcement marks a serious escalation in the Kremlin's efforts to silence perceived critics, a crackdown that gained momentum following Russia's military operation in Ukraine last year.

The FSB security services said they had "halted the illegal activities of US citizen Evan Gershkovich," saying the Wall Street Journal reporter was "suspected of spying in the interests of the American government."

Their statement confirmed that Gershkovich, 31, was working with press accreditation issued by the Russian foreign ministry.

But the statement said he had been detained for gathering information "on an enterprise of the Russian military-industrial complex."

"The foreigner was detained in Yekaterinburg while attempting to obtain classified information," the FSB said, referring to a city in central Russia 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.

Before joining The Wall Street Journal Gershkovich worked for AFP in Moscow.

A fluent Russian speaker, he was previously a reporter based in the Russian capital for The Moscow Times, an English-language news website.

His family immigrated to the United States from Russia when he was a child.

"The problem is... the fact that the way the FSB interprets espionage today means that anyone who is simply interested in military affairs can be imprisoned for 20 years," Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said on social media in response to the detention.

Several US citizens are currently in detention in Russia and both Washington and Moscow have accused the other of carrying out politically-motivated arrests.

The FSB in January opened a criminal case against a US citizen it said was suspected of espionage but did not name the individual.

Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in Russia in 2018 and handed a 16-year sentence on espionage charges. He is detained in a penal colony south of Moscow.

The US says he was a private citizen visiting Moscow on personal business and has demanded his release.

There have been several high-profile prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Washington over the past year. AFP

Pope spends ‘good night’ in hospital after infection

POPE Francis spent a calm night in hospital after being admitted for a respiratory infection and is expected to remain there for a few days for treatment, a Vatican source said Thursday.

"The pope spent a good night" at Rome's Gemelli hospital, the source said, adding that there would be an update on the 86-year-old pontiff's condition later.

Pope Francis, who earlier this month marked 10 years as head of the Catholic Church, has suffered a number of health issues in recent years but normally has a busy schedule and continues to travel widely.

His admission to hospital on Wednesday, for what the Vatican initially said were pre-planned tests, forced him to cancel a number of engagements.

It also raises questions over his presence at services for the upcoming Holy Week and Easter, Christianity's most important holiday.

The Vatican late Wednesday said the pope had a respiratory infection that would require hospital treatment for "a few days," adding that Covid had been excluded.

Over the past year Francis has suffered from chronic knee pain that has required him to use a wheelchair.

His postponement last year of a scheduled trip to Africa and various events at home fuelled intense speculation about his health, and in a July 2022 interview he acknowledged he needed to slow down.

At his weekly audience at the Vatican on Wednesday morning, just hours before his admission to hospital, the pope appeared in good spirits, smiling as he greeted the faithful from his "popemobile."

But he was pictured wincing as he was helped getting onto the vehicle – a photo that made all the major front pages of Italy's newspapers on Thursday.

Francis was admitted in July 2021 to the same Rome hospital for 10 days for an operation on his colon after suffering from a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation of pockets that develop in the lining of the intestine.

In an interview in January, Francis said the diverticulitis had returned.

Francis has repeatedly said, most recently in February, that he would consider stepping down if his health required, following the example of his predecessor Benedict XVI. He has cautioned, however, that papal resignations should not be the norm, and said in an interview last month that the idea was currently not "on my agenda.”

Benedict, who died on December 31, shocked the world in 2013 by becoming the first pope since the Middle Ages to resign. AFP