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Brittney Griner has had her detention in Russia extended

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Brittney Griner, an American basketball player, has had her pre-trial detention in Russia extended for another month. Ms Griner, 31, has been detained since February, when Moscow airport officials allegedly discovered cannabis oil in her luggage as she was returning to the United States after performing in Russia. 

Officials in the United States believe she was wrongfully imprisoned and should be released. If convicted, Ms Griner, one of the best female players in the world, faces up to ten years in prison. Ms Griner is seen in an Associated Press photo wearing an orange hoodie and looking down at the court hearing in Khimki, Russia, just outside of Moscow. 

A consular official from the US State Department attended the hearing and spoke with Ms Griner on the sidelines, according to the US State Department. Ms Griner was doing “as well as can be expected in extremely difficult circumstances,” according to a spokesman. Her lawyer told the Associated Press after the hearing that Ms Griner had not expressed “any complaints about the detention conditions.”

According to state-owned Russian news agency TASS, Russia is hoping to trade Ms Griner for Viktor Bout, an arms trafficker convicted in the United States. Bout, dubbed “the Merchant of Death,” was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States, where he was found guilty of attempting to smuggle weapons to Colombian rebels for use against US citizens.

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Spain plans menstrual leave in new law for those with severe pain

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According to media reports, Spain is planning to introduce medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain.

According to a draught bill, women would be entitled to three days of paid leave per month, which could be increased to five in certain circumstances. Politicians, on the other hand, warned that the draught, which had been leaked to Spanish media, was still being worked on.

If passed, it would be Europe’s first legal entitlement of its kind. Only a few countries around the world have passed such legislation.

The Spanish law is part of a broader reproductive health reform that includes changes to the country’s abortion laws.

The law is expected to be presented to cabinet early next week, according to media outlets that have seen portions of it.

The draught states that with a doctor’s note, three days of sick leave will be allowed for painful periods, with the possibility of extending to five days on a temporary basis for particularly intense or incapacitating pain.

However, it is unlikely to apply to those who experience only minor discomfort. El Pas reports that it is part of a broader effort to treat menstruation as a health issue, which includes the elimination of the “tampon tax” on some hygiene products and the provision of free hygiene products in public places such as schools and prisons. Surrogacy, which is illegal in Spain, will be subject to stricter regulations under the proposed law.

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News Trending War

Finland will apply for NATO membership “as soon as possible”

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Finland’s president and prime minister have urged the country to join NATO “as soon as possible.”

In a joint statement, Sauli Niinisto and Sanna Marin said they expected a decision within the next few days. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, public support for Nato membership has risen dramatically.

Finland and Russia share a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border. To avoid antagonising its eastern neighbour, it has stayed out of Nato until now.

After consideration by parliament and other senior political figures, Finland will formally announce its decision on Sunday.

Sweden has stated that it will make a similar announcement on the same day.

If the two governments abandon their long-standing policy of military non-alignment, Russia has threatened unspecified measures.

However, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that he expects Sweden and Finland to join Nato “quite quickly.”

In their statement, President Niinisto and Prime Minister Marin stated that they wanted to give the Finnish public time to discuss the issue, but that the time for a decision was approaching.

It stated that joining NATO would strengthen Finland’s security. “Finland’s membership in Nato would strengthen the entire defence alliance. Finland should apply for NATO membership as soon as possible.”

Later, in an interview with journalists, Mr Niinisto addressed Russian concerns and blamed the move on Moscow’s invasion.

“Anyone would not be against joining NATO. This was your fault. Examine yourself in the mirror “he said.

Last week, a poll found that 76 percent of Finns support joining NATO, with only 12 percent opposed, marking a significant shift toward membership since the invasion.

During World War II, Finland and the Soviet Union were on opposing sides, with the Finns famously repelling a Soviet invasion in 1939-40.

However, Finland lost 10% of its land in the final peace agreement and remained a non-aligned country throughout the Cold War.

Russia’s borders with Nato would be more than doubled if it joined the alliance. Sweden shares no borders with Russia.

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News Trending War

Ukraine war: Putin preparing for long haul, US intelligence says

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According to US intelligence, Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, with even a victory in the east potentially not ending the conflict.

The warning comes as fighting rages in the east, where Russia is attempting to seize territory. After Ukraine resisted attempts to take its capital, Kyiv, Moscow refocused its troops on capturing the Donbas region.

Despite this, US intelligence reports that its forces are stuck in a stalemate. Mr Putin still intends “to achieve goals beyond the Donbas,” according to Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, who testified before a US Senate committee on Tuesday, but he “faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia’s current conventional military capabilities.”

She went on to say that Putin was “likely” counting on US and EU support for Ukraine to dwindle as inflation, food shortages, and energy prices rose. As the war continues, Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to “more drastic measures,” though nuclear weapons would only be used if Russia faced a “existential threat.”

At the same hearing, Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency Scott Berrier stated that Russia and Ukraine were “at a bit of a stalemate.”

Ukraine claims to have recaptured four settlements in the north-eastern Kharkiv region in recent fighting.

Ukraine’s armed forces claim to have reclaimed Cherkasy Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne, and Bayrak from Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed that Ukrainian victories were gradually pushing Russian forces out of Kharkiv, which has been bombarded since the conflict began.

“We should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly, if not daily,” he said.

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Israel: Turkish flight aborted as passengers get plane crash pics

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After passengers received plane crash images on their phones, the captain of a Turkish AnadoluJet flight aborted its take-off at Israel’s main airport.

The plane was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport when the incident occurred, according to Israel’s aviation authority. Passengers and crew were removed from the plane, and luggage was inspected again.

A number of young Israelis have been identified as suspects and are currently being interrogated. After being cleared to leave, the plane left five hours late.

The AnadoluJet Boeing 737, which carried 160 passengers, was on its way to take off when passengers informed the crew that they had received the photos. After being informed, the captain decided to return to the terminal.

The images were shared via AirDrop, an Apple service that allows users to send files from one Apple device to another over short distances, according to the Hebrew Ynet news site. According to the report, all of the images were received on iPhones.

Images from a Turkish Airlines plane that crashed in the Netherlands in 2009 and another plane that crashed in the United States in 2013, according to Ynet.

Passengers were given the option of reboarding the reinspected flight to Istanbul or staying in Israel.

Two weeks ago, another security scare occurred at Ben Gurion Airport. It happened when a family from the United States showed up at check-in with a live artillery shell that they had planned to take home as a souvenir.

As people fled the area, chaos ensued, with one person requiring hospital treatment after falling over a conveyor belt in the haste to flee.

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Dennis Waterman: Minder and New Tricks star dies aged 74

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Dennis Waterman, who starred in shows like Minder, The Sweeney, and New Tricks, has died, according to his family. His age was 74.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis passed away very peacefully in hospital in Spain,” according to a statement. They said he died on Sunday afternoon with his wife Pam by his side. “At this very difficult time, the family respectfully requests that our privacy be respected,” they added.

Waterman, who was born in London and attended the Corona Theatre School, began his career working for the Children’s Film Foundation before being invited to join Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Company at the age of 12.

In his teens, he rose to fame as William, the BBC’s adaptation of Just William.

When he played Det Sgt George Carter opposite John Thaw in ITV’s police drama The Sweeney in the 1970s, he became one of the most well-known faces on British television.

Waterman went on to star in the comedies On the Up and Stay Lucky before returning to New Tricks, where he played another Cockney detective from 2003 to 2015.

He co-starred with fellow actors James Bolam and Alun Armstrong in the role of Gerry Standing.

Waterman became famous for singing the theme songs to many of his shows, and as a result, he was caricatured by David Walliams in Little Britain.

He continued to pursue his interest in music throughout his acting career, and had number one hits in Australia and New Zealand, as well as reaching number three in the UK charts with I Could Be So Good For You, the Minder theme song.Tributes have poured in for the actor, who has been described as a “brilliant actor who was a staple on our screens throughout the 1970s and 1980s” by broadcaster Kay Burley.

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News Trending War

Dozens feared dead after Russian bomb hits school

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The bombing of a school where villagers had sought refuge is tragically just one of many attacks this weekend as the war in Ukraine continues.

A sustained Russian assault has resulted in fierce fighting around Popasna in Luhansk in recent days. Serhiy Haidai, the local governor, said Ukrainian forces were retreating and that the town had been completely destroyed.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced that his troops had taken control of the majority of the town.

Meanwhile, Russian-backed separatists in the neighbouring Donetsk region claimed that Ukrainian shelling hit the city of the same name and another town, Holmivskyi, on Sunday.

Both sides had previously stated that the other would suffer significant losses. According to the Ukrainian government, 400 enemy soldiers were killed, eight tanks and 28 other armoured vehicles were destroyed, a ship and a helicopter were destroyed, and 27 drones were shot down.

According to Russia’s military, its air force alone killed around 420 Ukrainian soldiers and disabled 55 military vehicles. It also claims to have shot down two attack planes and a helicopter near the port of Odesa, as well as destroying a warship with a missile. Since the Russian invasion began, the Ukrainian government has accused Moscow of targeting educational establishments, including schools and colleges, completely destroying more than 20 sites.

Daria Herasymchuk, a presidential advisor, called the invasion “a war against children.”

Officials said on Sunday that the Russian invasion has killed 225 children and injured 413 others, though these figures are likely to be higher because they do not include casualties in occupied areas or areas where hostilities are still taking place.

Children were suffering the most, according to Ms Herasymchuk, in the eastern Donbas region, where the government has requested international assistance to repatriate children from orphanages in Russian-occupied territory.

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News Trending War

Russia-Ukraine war: European Union likely to sanction Vladimir Putin’s alleged girlfriend Alina Kabaeva

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Alina Kabaeva, the alleged girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is named in the sixth proposed package of European Union sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Kabaeva, who has been romantically linked to Putin, was included in a proposed EU sanctions list, according to two European diplomatic sources.

At this point, names can be removed or added at the discretion of member states, and it is expected to be a point of negotiation when a new sanctions package is proposed, according to an EU Commission source. The EU has not yet given its approval to the draught proposal. “There are ongoing discussions. It won’t be easy, but we’ll have to wait and see “On Friday morning, one of the diplomatic sources said.

Kabaeva, who was born in 1983, was first linked to Putin when she was a medal-winning gymnast more than a decade ago. Putin, who is divorced, has denied ever dating her. Kabaeva and Putin are said to have met when she was a young gymnast competing in European competitions and at the Olympic Games. At the 2004 Athens Games, she won the gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics.

She was selected as one of the torch bearers when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014, an event that occurred shortly before Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.Since the start of the Ukrainian conflict, the EU has increased its economic sanctions against Russia. Recently, the EU proposed a ban on Russian oil imports, which would have a significant impact on Russia’s economy, though Hungary, an EU member with close ties to Putin, is likely to sabotage any such plans.

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Belarus Ryanair plane arrest student Sofia Sapega jailed for six years

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A Belarusian court sentenced a Russian student to six years in prison, one year after she and her dissident journalist partner were detained and arrested on a Ryanair flight. Sofia Sapega and Roman Protasevich were on their way to Lithuania when their flight was forced to land in Minsk.

The case prompted widespread condemnation and new sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko’s government. She was found guilty of inciting social enmity and discord by the court.She was also found guilty of illegally gathering and disseminating information about an unnamed person’s private life without his permission.The anger was sparked by Mr Lukashenko’s election to a sixth term in office in a rigged presidential election, according to the opposition.

Mr. Lukashenko denied the election was rigged and retaliated against the opposition, whose leaders were imprisoned or forced to flee the country.

Mr. Lukashenko denied the election was rigged and retaliated against the opposition, whose leaders were imprisoned or forced to flee the country.

Mr Protasevich had fled Belarus in 2019 and had only known Ms Sapega for about six months when they were apprehended.

He has yet to stand trial, and the status of the investigation into him is unknown.

The opposition activist was on Belarus’s “most wanted” list. However, the decision to declare a bomb threat on board his flight across Europe in May 2021 stunned the world.

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News Trending War

Ukraine war: Zelensky plea as Russians seek Mariupol endgame

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Russian forces have launched an all-out assault on the Azovstal steelworks, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, according to Ukrainian officials.

According to the commander of the Azov regiment, Ukrainian forces inside the plant are fighting “difficult bloody battles” for the second day. After days of sustained attacks, Russian forces are said to have entered “the territory of the plant.”

Around 200 civilians, including children, are believed to be sheltering inside. The BBC was unable to independently verify reports of a Russian attack on a steel plant.

“I am proud of my soldiers who are making superhuman efforts to contain the enemy’s pressure… the situation is extremely difficult,” Azov commander Denis Prokopenko said in a brief video message posted on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a new appeal to the United Nations to assist in the rescue of those still alive. “To us, everyone is significant. We request your assistance in rescuing them “In a phone call, Mr. Zelensky informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Mr. Guterres was thanked by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for a successful UN-led and Red Cross-led evacuation of more than 100 people from the steelworks earlier this week, but he asked the UN to “assist in the removal of all the wounded from Azovstal.”

On Wednesday, 344 evacuees from various south-western cities, including Mariupol, arrived in the relative safety of Zaporizhzhia, a south-eastern city still under Ukrainian control, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister.

Irina Vereshchuk thanked the UN and the Red Cross for their assistance in a Telegram post, saying: “Women, children, and the elderly from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak, and Vasylivka are among them… We will now provide them with emotional and psychological support during this trying time.”

The evacuations were confirmed by Osnat Lubrani, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

“While this second evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and beyond is significant, much more must be done to ensure that all civilians caught up in fighting are able to flee in the direction of their choice,” she said in a statement.

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