Latest news with #Byers'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Man, 27, died after avalanche at resort
A 27-year-old man died after he was buried by an avalanche at a French Alps ski resort, an inquest heard. Joshua Byers, from Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, was near the roadside in Val Thorens when he was swept up and carried 15 metres (50ft) by snow on 17 April. Mr Byers was taken to hospital in Grenoble, in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, and died later that evening. An inquest into Mr Byers' death, which opened at Northallerton Coroner's Court on Monday, was told the provisional cause of death was asphyxia. Heavy snow had hit the Alps in the days prior to Mr Byers' death, with the weather impacting local power supplies and road and rail travel. Coroner Jon Heath adjourned the inquest to a future date at the same venue. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. British man, 27, killed by avalanche in French Alps
CBS News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
American Kalob Byers released by Russia after arrest for cannabis, as Trump seeks Ukraine deal
Russia freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges and he has returned to the U.S., according to Russian media reports, his mother, and a U.S. official who spoke with The Associated Press. CBS News learned Tuesday that Kalob Byers, 28, from Ohio, was back in the U.S. The move appeared to be an effort to ease tension between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, which are expected to focus on the war in Ukraine and the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. Byers was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow's Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced gummies in his baggage. Byers' mother, Tonya Shuler, said in a social media post on Saturday that Byers was "now in American custody and at the US embassy waiting for his flight home" from Russia. According to Shuler's Facebook post and the Russian media reports, Byers had traveled from Istanbul with his Russian fiancee, who was also detained. The authorities said he had attempted to smuggle a "significant amount" of drugs into the country and put him in custody on the charges of drug smuggling, punishable by a prison term of up to 10 years. A U.S. official confirmed to the AP that Byers was released to the embassy late on Sunday evening. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss sensitive matters. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on Byers' case to CBS News on Monday, but they noted the longstanding guidance against traveling to Russia, citing "the risk of detention for U.S. citizens" in the country and urging any Americans in Russia to "depart immediately." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Monday in response to a question about Byers that Moscow expected "to discuss restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations" at the talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, "so certain events can be viewed in this context." Speaking to reporters Monday, however, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that, from the U.S. government's perspective, the conversations in Riyadh would be focused largely on the Ukraine war. In her post on Facebook, Shuler said her son is "a severe epileptic and took seizure medications for his disease. One of those were marijuana/THC/CBD to help control his seizures." She said he was carrying three bottles of the marijuana gummies when he was stopped by officials at the airport in Moscow and that she would "update when he is back on American soil." It wasn't immediately clear Monday whether Byers' fiancee had also been released. Russian media reports identified her as Naida Mambetova and said she was placed in pre-trial detention on the same charges. Arrests of American nationals in Russia have become increasingly common in recent years, with relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War lows over the war in Ukraine. Some have been released in prisoner exchanges. The most recent one included Marc Fogel, a teacher from Pennsylvania imprisoned in Russia on charges similar to those Byers had faced. Fogel was detained in 2021 when traveling to Russia to work at a school and handed a 14-year sentence for having what his family and supporters said was medically prescribed marijuana. He was released and brought back to the U.S. earlier this month in a swap that saw Alexander Vinnik, a Russian cryptocurrency expert who faced Bitcoin fraud charges in the U.S., returned to Russia. The release of Fogel and Byers come as tension between Russia and the U.S. appears to ease. President Trump on Wednesday upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine and Russia, saying he and Russia's President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the conflict following a lengthy direct phone call.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American detained in Russia released as officials work to set up potential Trump-Putin meeting
A 28-year-old American citizen detained in Russia on drug smuggling charges earlier this month was freed ahead of talks between Washington and Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine. The release of Kalob Byers, of West Virginia, was confirmed by David Kelly, deputy speaker of the West Virginia House of Delegates. "He was released and is now at home," Kelly told Fox News of Byers. Byers was released to the U.S. embassy in Moscow late Sunday evening, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Rubio Meets Saudi Arabian Officials Ahead Of Us-russia Talks Expected To Lay Groundwork For Trump-putin Summit Byers was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow's Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. Read On The Fox News App The 28-year-old was traveling from Istanbul with his Russian fiancée, who was also detained, according to Russian media reports. Authorities accused Byers of attempting to smuggle a "significant amount" of drugs into the country. The charges were punishable with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Russia's TASS news agency reported. It wasn't immediately clear whether Byers' fiancée was also released. Russian media reports identified her as Naida Mambetova and said she was placed in pre-trial detention on the same charges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question from reporters about Byers on Monday. "We also expect that on Tuesday we will be able to talk about restoring the entire range of Russian-American relations," Peskov said, referring to the talks between Washington and Moscow in Saudi Arabia. "Accordingly, certain events can be viewed in this context." Meet The Team Trump Picked To Negotiate Ending The Russia-ukraine War Senior Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss improving relations and an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv. The talks are meant to lead to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as Trump has stated they agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war. Arrests of American nationals in Russia have become increasingly common in recent years, with relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War lows over the war in Ukraine. Some have been released in prisoner exchanges. Byers' release comes as Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen who was detained on drug charges in Russia four years ago, was released last week in exchange for Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik, who had been detained by the U.S. government on cryptocurrency fraud charges. Click To Get The Fox News App Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana. Fox News' Lillian LeCroy and Greg Norman, along with The Associated Press contributed to this article source: American detained in Russia released as officials work to set up potential Trump-Putin meeting
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
American detained in Russia released as officials work to set up potential Trump-Putin meeting
A 28-year-old American citizen detained in Russia on drug smuggling charges earlier this month was freed ahead of talks between Washington and Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine. Kalob Byers was released to the U.S. embassy in Moscow late Sunday evening, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Byers' parents also wrote in a Facebook post that he was at the embassy awaiting a flight home. Byers was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow's Vnukovo airport after customs officials allegedly found cannabis-laced marmalade in his baggage. The 28-year-old was traveling from Istanbul with his Russian fiancée, who was also detained, according to Russian media reports. Authorities accused Byers of attempting to smuggle a "significant amount" of drugs into the country. The charges were punishable with a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Russia's TASS news agency reported. It wasn't immediately clear whether Byers' fiancée was also released. Russian media reports identified her as Naida Mambetova and said she was placed in pre-trial detention on the same charges. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to a question from reporters about Byers on Monday. "We also expect that on Tuesday we will be able to talk about restoring the entire range of Russian-American relations," Peskov said, referring to the talks between Washington and Moscow in Saudi Arabia. "Accordingly, certain events can be viewed in this context." Senior Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss improving relations and an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine – without representatives from Kyiv. The talks are meant to lead to a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as Trump has stated they agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war. Arrests of American nationals in Russia have become increasingly common in recent years, with relations between Moscow and Washington sinking to Cold War lows over the war in Ukraine. Some have been released in prisoner exchanges. Byers' release comes as Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen who was detained on drug charges in Russia four years ago, was released last week in exchange for Russian prisoner Alexander Vinnik, who had been detained by the U.S. government on cryptocurrency fraud charges. Fogel, a history teacher from Pennsylvania, was serving a 14-year prison sentence after his arrest in August 2021 at a Russian airport for being in possession of drugs, which his family and supporters said were medically prescribed marijuana.
Russia Today
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Kremlin explains leniency towards American facing drug charges in Russia
The recent improvement in US-Russian relations was a factor in the rapid release of an American citizen detained in Moscow for attempting to bring cannabis into the country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed when addressing the media on Monday. Kalob Wayne Byers, 28, was detained on February 7, after a sniffer dog alerted customs officials at Vnukovo Airport to his luggage. They subsequently discovered products containing cannabinoids, which are illegal under Russian law, leading to Byers' detention. His family announced his release last week. When asked about the leniency shown in Byers' case, Peskov remarked on Monday that such incidents should be viewed within the broader context of efforts to 'restore the entirety of Russian-American relations.' Senior officials from the two countries are slated to meet in Saudi Arabia as early as Tuesday, potentially paving the way for further diplomatic progress. The discussions in Riyadh aim to build on the goodwill generated over the last few weeks, including a recent prisoner exchange, where Russia released American schoolteacher and former diplomat Marc Fogel in exchange for Russian crypto businessman and programmer Aleksandr Vinnik. Both Moscow and Washington have indicated that such gestures may facilitate negotiations on resolving longstanding differences, particularly concerning the Ukraine conflict. READ MORE: Footage shows US-Russian prisoner swap (VIDEOS) According to US media reports, Byers hails from Paden City, West Virginia, and traveled to Russia via Türkiye to finalize his marriage to his Russian fiancée. His family stated that he had been carrying cannabis gummies and marmalade to manage his epilepsy, but Russia does not recognize medical marijuana exemptions. His mother, Tonya Shular, announced Byers's release on Sunday, saying that he was already en route home. 'We received great support from our representatives here in West Virginia and in DC. We are grateful for all the help and support we received from our friends, the media, and our representatives. Most of all, we give God the credit,' she said. READ MORE: Zelensky 'refuses to recognize' Russia-US talks Shular emphasized that her son is not a drug addict, but rather 'an upstanding citizen getting ready to marry the love of his life.' Byers reportedly works at Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale and lives in the village of Shadyside just across the Ohio River.
