- 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
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
Russia says holding US Olympic basketball champion on drugs charge
US basketball star Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, has been detained in Moscow on charges of carrying vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage.
A statement on Saturday from the Russian Federal Customs Service announcing her arrest came as tensions between Moscow and the West have soared over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It wasn't clear exactly how long Griner had been in custody, with the customs service saying only that the arrest occurred "in February."
According to the statement, an inspection of hand luggage carried by a US citizen who arrived on a flight from New York "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 (hashish oil) and said the charges carry a potential jail term of five to 10 years.
The statement did not identify the jailed woman but said she was a two-time Olympic basketball champion for the United States and a player in the WNBA.
The customs service also released a video on Saturday in which airport security services are seen going through the luggage of a passenger who appears to be Griner.
USA Basketball, which oversees the Olympic teams, 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's agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas of Wasserman Group, said in a statement issued to US media that the agency was in contact with Griner.
"We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA," she said.
"As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern."
Griner, 31, led the Phoenix Mercury to the franchise's third WNBA title in 2014 and a surprise return to the WNBA finals in October.
The 6-foot-9 (2.06m) center has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason since 2015, helping the club to three Russian domestic titles and EuroLeague Women championships in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Griner is among a majority of the 144 players on WNBA rosters who have played overseas in the North American league's offseason.
Earnings at European clubs can far outstrip what players make in the United States. Griner has reportedly made as much as $1 million a year with UMMC, while the WNBA maximum is about $228,000.
A WNBA spokeswoman told the New York Times on Saturday that all WNBA players apart from Griner had left Russia and Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion of the neighboring country.
The Mercury, the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association all issued statements supporting Griner, the WNBA saying she had the league's full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States."
The Mercury added: "We love and support Brittney, and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home."
P.Anderson--BTB