- Lawyers of women alleging Al-Fayed sex abuse receive over 150 new enquiries
- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
- Norris quickest as Verstappen bounces back in Singapore practice
- Wallabies lament All Blacks' fast start
- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
- Environmental protesters block French cruise liner port
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli strike kills top commanders
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- One dead, 7 missing as heavy rains trigger floods in central Japan
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Gurbaz, birthday boy Rashid lead Afghanistan to 177-run rout of South Africa
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
Russia says holding US Olympic champion on drugs charge
US basketball authorities said Saturday that an American star basketball player being held in Moscow on narcotics charges is two-time Olympic champion Brittney Griner.
The arrest came as tensions between Moscow and the West have soared over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Federal Customs Service said in a statement that an inspection of hand luggage carried by a US citizen who arrived on a flight from New York in February "confirmed the presence of 'vapes' (and) a liquid with a specific smell".
It said an expert had determined that the liquid was the narcotic cannabis oil (hash oil).
The statement did not identify the jailed woman but said she was "a member of the US National Basketball Association, a two-time Olympic basketball champion in the US team".
The customs service said the detained woman faces a potential jail term of five to 10 years.
US basketball authorities made clear that the woman was all-star Griner.
USA Basketball, the sport's governing body in the US, said on Twitter that it was "aware of and closely monitoring the legal situation facing Brittney Griner in Russia."
It added: "Brittney has always handled herself with the utmost professionalism during her long tenure with USA Basketball and her safety and well-being are our primary concerns."
Griner, who is 31, is a seven-time all-star center for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).
The team issued a statement echoing the language of USA Basketball and adding, "We love and support Brittney, and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home."
At 6-feet-9 (2.06 meters), she is the only woman in US college history to score 2,000 points and block 500 shots.
Many WNBA athletes spend the American off-season playing in European leagues, including the Russian and Ukrainian leagues.
O.Lorenz--BTB