What Putin thinks of the US-Russia prisoner swap

Hello. President Vladimir Putin awaited on the tarmac as Russians released as part of a prisoner exchange touched down in Moscow. Steve Rosenberg explains why the Russian leader sees the swap as a victory. As Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was buried in Qatar, in Gaza Palestinians were also mourning two local journalists and a boy killed in an Israeli air strike, writes Yolande Knell. From Kenya, Basillioh Rukanga reports on controversial cat licences. Finally, both Andy and I scored 5/7 in the weekly news quiz. Give it a go.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

Putin claims win in prisoner swap

The two children of Russian secret agents were included in the prisoner swap along with their parents. Credit: EPA

Ten people, including spies, sleeper agents - and their two children - and a convicted assassin landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Thursday night, as part of the largest prisoner swap between Russia and the US and its allies since the Cold War.

What kind of welcome did they get upon arrival?

For the returning Russians there was a red carpet reception and a guard of honour. There were bouquets of flowers and - for some - hugs from the president. Mr Putin embraced Vadim Krasikov, the FSB hitman who’d been serving a life sentence in Germany for assassinating a Georgian-born Chechen dissident.

Russia released more prisoners than it received. Why is Mr Putin celebrating this as a victory?

Russia got what it wanted… it got its agents back, including the man who was No.1 on its wish list, Krasikov. The German authorities had initially been unwilling to release a convicted assassin, who - according to a German court - had acted on behalf of the Russian authorities.

What message does the prisoner swap send?

The message the Kremlin wants to send to its agents and spies is: if we send you on missions abroad, and things go wrong, we’ll find a way of getting you home. There’s another message the pro-Kremlin press is putting out right now: good riddance to those Russia has freed from its prisons and who’ve been flown abroad.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

And finally... in Kenya

There's an impending "cat-astrophe" in Nairobi, at least according to some pet owners. Authorities in the Kenyan capital want cat owners to shell out 200 Kenyan shillings ($1.50; £1.20) for an annual licence - dubbed a "cat tax" by opponents, among other requirements. Basillioh Rukanga's report has the details - and plenty of bad puns.