Women’s basketball star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years behind bars
Brittney Griner has been convicted of deliberately smuggling drugs into Russia.
The 31-year-old American will be imprisoned for nine years and pay 1 million rubles after she was found guilty of bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia.
Judge Anna Sotnikova said she considered Griner’s admission of guilt and remorse, following an apology from the basketball star.
Sotnikova also said Griner’s time in custody will count towards the sentence.
Griner told the court she had no intention of breaking any laws.
She was arrested at a Russian airport in February as the war in Ukraine began. “I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that is far from this courtroom,” she said.-
The White House said authorities are working to free all Americans who have been detained abroad.
“Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. She never should have had to endure a trial in the first place,” said White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre.
It’s understood the Biden Administration offered to swap Griner and the former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan for a Russian arms dealer.
President Biden has described the situation as “unacceptable”, and urged Russia to free Griner so “she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates”.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden Administration has offered a deal to Russian authorities.
The details of the proposal have not been made public. Russian officials are yet to comment on the matters.
Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and an NBA champion.
She was detained as she arrived in Russia to play with UMMC Ekaterinburg during the U.S. league’s off-season.
Costa is a news producer at ticker NEWS. He has previously worked as a regional journalist at the Southern Highlands Express newspaper. He also has several years' experience in the fire and emergency services sector, where he has worked with researchers, policymakers and local communities. He has also worked at the Seven Network during their Olympic Games coverage and in the ABC Melbourne newsroom.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts (Professional), with expertise in journalism, politics and international relations. His other interests include colonial legacies in the Pacific, counter-terrorism, aviation and travel.
As competition intensifies in the streaming landscape, with players like Roku, Vizio, and Samsung launching their ad-supported platforms, TCL aims to carve its niche by offering compelling original content.
TCL, the renowned Chinese smart-TV manufacturer, announces its innovative use of generative artificial intelligence to produce original content for its streaming platform, TCLtvPlus.
Debuting this summer, “Next Stop Paris,” an AI-driven love story, marks the inaugural program from TCLtvPlus Studios
Grindr faces lawsuit over alleged privacy breaches
Grindr, the popular gay dating app, is under fire in London as hundreds of users claim their private information, including HIV status, was shared without consent. The lawsuit alleges commercial use of sensitive data, sparking concern within the LGBTQ+ community. Grindr vows to defend its practices while emphasising its commitment to user privacy and compliance with data regulations.
Washington D.C. has been under pressure to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.
TikTok users could soon find that the popular social media service is either under new ownership or could be outright banned in the U.S.
Calls are growing louder from many lawmakers and national security hawks to ban TikTok, over fears the app could censure content, influence users, and give Americans’ personal data to Beijing.
But the Chinese tech company, ByteDance—which owns TikTok— denies the allegations.
Dave Levinthal, the Editor-in-Chief of Raw Story joins Veronica Dudo to discuss.