- UK's Starmer rules out austerity as Labour conference opens
- Swiss voters reject environment, pensions reforms: projected results
- Israel says 'landed blows' on Hezbollah as Lebanon violence intensifies
- Roma CEO steps down amid anger over club icon De Rossi's sacking
- Incoming French government under pressure on multiple fronts
- Hezbollah rockets strike near Israel's Haifa as UN warns of 'catastrophe'
- Haddad Maia roars back to beat Kasatkina in Korea Open final
- All-rounder Ashwin powers India to 280-run Test win over Bangladesh
- Failed Springbok 'gamble' sets up rugby championship decider
- Lebanon strikes send Israelis to shelters as UN warns of 'catastrophe'
- Far-right AfD eyes new win in east German state vote
- Tony Popovic set to become new Socceroos coach - reports
- All-round Ashwin powers India to big Test win over Bangladesh
- NZ chase 275 to win first Sri Lanka Test after Patel bags six
- Ashwin bags six wickets as India hammer Bangladesh in first Test
- Nascent French government under pressure on multiple fronts
- Angry French cognac makers see red over Chinese tariffs threat
- Protect the prosciutto: Italy battles swine fever
- UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises
- Marxist leader set to become Sri Lanka's next president
- From blades to pull-up bars: UK charity tackles knife crime
- Swiss vote on pensions and environment protections
- No pain, no gain: Chinese pro wrestlers fight for recognition
- UAE leader seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties in US visit during Mideast crisis
- Hezbollah takes heavy hits but still fighting Israel
- Floods, landslides hit central Japan months after major quake
- All Blacks coach Robertson demands better finishing
- Argentina edge South Africa to keep title hopes alive
- Biden says China 'testing us,' in hot mic remarks to Quad allies
- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
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- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
US basketball star detained in Russia, in shadow of Ukraine war
Detained for more than a month in Russia, US basketball star Brittney Griner has become an unlikely victim of the war in Ukraine -- and the best way to free her remains a crucial question.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion, was detained in Moscow airport on February 17 on charges of carrying vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil in her luggage.
She was immediately placed in a detention center, and on Thursday a Russian court extended her arrest until May 19.
The 31-year-old -- one of few women who can "dunk" a ball and considered one of the best players in the world -- faces up to 10 years in prison.
Griner was in Russia to play club basketball before the US season resumed, a common practice for American players, who can earn much higher salaries in foreign leagues than on domestic teams.
- Low profile -
Griner's detention was not made public until 15 days after her official arrest, on March 5.
The arrest came as relations between Moscow and the West hit rock bottom over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But her arrest was greeted with a silence that seems deliberate.
Probably anxious not to cause drama around Griner's case in the midst of skyrocketing international tensions, 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."
Griner's wife Cherelle Griner, who usually floods social media with pictures of her spouse, asked supporters to "please honor our privacy as we continue to work on getting my wife home safely."
The same strategy can be seen in Washington, where there is fear the player could become a pawn in the Ukraine conflict.
"For any American citizen held, we typically do not get into specifics because that is not constructive to bringing people home," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said of the government's silence on the issue.
In recent days, however, details on Griner's detention conditions have begun to emerge.
In a cell she shares with two other people, the basketball star reads Dostoyevsky and a biography of the members of the Rolling Stones, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Russian media says Griner has not complained about her living conditions, though there is one small problem: the bed in her cell is far too small for her six-foot-nine-inch (2.06 meters) frame.
- The other '#FreeBrittney' -
But more than a month after her arrest, others have opted for another strategy to try and win her release.
In a letter to Joe Biden dated March 10, two members of Congress urged the US president to "look Putin in the eyes and send a clear message to the Kremlin that America will not tolerate Putin using Americans as his pawn during this treacherous and bleak moment in world history."
This campaign has also won over LGBT circles, concerned about the fate of the openly lesbian player in Russia, where violence against homosexual people is common.
Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of state and the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, has also spoken out, calling on social media to "Free Brittney."
The message is a nod to the successful #FreeBritney campaign, launched around the world in a call to "free" popstar Britney Spears from her 13-year conservatorship.
J.Fankhauser--BTB