Russian court jails US basketballer Brittney Griner for nine years on drug charges
Griner sentenced and fined 1m roubles in politically charged verdict that could lead to prisoner swap with the US
Andrew Roth in Moscow
A Moscow court has convicted US basketball star Brittney Griner on drug charges and sentenced her to nine years in prison and a 1m rouble fine in a politically charged verdict that could lead to a prisoner swap with the United States.
Griner, a basketball talent who played in Russia during off-seasons from the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested for cannabis possession in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport in February.
Her arrest came just days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launching frantic backdoor negotiations between the United States and Russian intelligence services as her trial played out in a small courthouse just outside the Moscow city limits.
Five Chinese missiles land in Japan’s economic waters, says minister
Pelosi is highest-ranking American official in 25 years to visit Taiwan despite strong warnings from China
Maroosha Muzaffar,Gustaf Kilander
Japanese defence minister Nobuo Kishi said on Thursday that five ballistic missiles fired by China appear to have landed in the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
Mr Kishi said it was the first incident of its kind and that Japan had made a diplomatic protest in response.
China started its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan on Thursday after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit to the island nation. Taiwan called the military drills around the island “illegitimate and irresponsible”.
Nigeria: Illegal oil refineries thrive despite government crackdown
Refining oil illegally is so lucrative in Nigeria that many engage in the practice despite the dangers and a government crackdown. Some of those involved told DW they had no other option to earn a living.
"I want to give my family the best I can afford. We cannot just stay and survive. We really want to live," Tam G. (not his real name) said. "This business really pays us; the income is good. We're not just talking of the owners of the product, we're talking of even the workers, they get good pay," he told DW.
For nine months, Tam G. has been running an oil refinery hidden in a clearing down a creek in Nigeria's Niger Delta. Locally, illegal oil refining is known as "kpokpo fire."
As a leader in his church choir and a graduate of one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Tam G. never thought he would end up doing kpokpo fire.
Taliban claim 'no knowledge' of slain Al Qaeda leader Al-Zawahiri in Afghanistan
The Taliban said Thursday they are investigating what they described as “claims” that al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital.
However, the group insisted in a statement that it “has no knowledge of the arrival and residence” of al-Zawahri in Afghanistan.
The statement marked the first time the Taliban addressed Sunday's drone strike that killed the head of the al-Qaida network on the balcony of a Kabul safe house that U.S. officials said was linked to a Taliban leader.
The killing of al-Zawahri has further strained relations between the Taliban and the West, particularly as they seek an urgent infusion of cash to handle an economic catastrophe there following the U.S. withdrawal from the country a year ago.
These cities are better at enduring extreme heat. Here's what they're doing different
Updated 1522 GMT (2322 HKT) August 4, 2022
Blistering heat has returned to western Europe, as some countries like France enter into their third wave of the summer with temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), while more than 80% of the US population will experience temperatures over 90 degrees (32C) within the next week, including in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Around 100 million Americans have been under heat alerts for eight of the past 16 days.
US police charged over death of Breonna Taylor
Four US police officers have been arrested and charged over the fatal 2020 shooting of Breonna Taylor.
Ms Taylor was killed in her home in Louisville, Kentucky by plainclothes police who were executing a "no-knock" search warrant.
The hospital worker, 26, was shot multiple times as officers stormed the apartment shortly after midnight as she was in bed with her boyfriend.
Her death sparked racial injustice protests around the country.
Only one officer involved in the raid - former Louisville detective Brett Hankinson - had been previously charged over the case.
But Mr Hankinson, who fired 10 shots during the incident, was acquitted by a jury earlier this year. He is among the four people to face new charges through the US Department of Justice.
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