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Britney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

Britney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison.

According to a Russian court, Brittney Griner has been sentenced to 9 years in prison. Is she a criminal, and what is the case against her? Is there anything else that could happen? 

On Thursday (August 4), a Russian court sentenced Brittney Griner, who is a basketball star from the US, to possessing and smuggling narcotics, sentencing her to 9 years in prison and 1 million roubles in the politically charged case. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine activated the wave of Western sanctions, relations between Washington and Moscow are at an all-time low.

Brittney Griner has been accused of wrongfully being detained by Russia by US Vice President Joe Biden. “This is unacceptable, and I urge Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her family, friends, and teammates,” he said.

She has been in custody since February 17, when two vape cartridges containing small amounts of cannabis oil were found in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport.

Griner had said after taking the stand on July 7 that he would like to plead guilty. The intent was not there, however. She didn’t want to break the law, she explained.

As The Guardian reported, Griner had packed in a hurry and unintentionally carried cannabis oil.

In 2021, she was named one of the top 25 players in the history of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and she is considered the best offensive player.

The center player has been with the Phoenix Mercury since 2013. He stands 6 feet 9 inches tall. Griner received a basketball scholarship to Baylor University and became the seventh player to dunk in a women’s college basketball game in 2010.

She was awarded ‘Player of the Year in 2012 after winning a national college championship.

After coming out as a lesbian in 2013, Griner became the first openly gay athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Nike.

Britney Griner

She arrived in Russia on February 17 to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian basketball team, during the off-season. They have been playing with her since 2014.

WNBA players are reportedly playing with international teams this year instead of taking time off in the off-season, with more than a dozen playing in Russia and Ukraine. Griner was the only one who remained in the region after the war.

The huge pay gap between WNBA athletes and their male counterparts in the National Basketball Association (NBA), whose earnings can reach tens of millions of dollars, has led many WNBA athletes to play overseas. According to the Boston Globe, the minimum salary of an NBA player with one year of experience is estimated at $1.637 million, higher than the salary budget of an entire WNBA team.

According to CNBC, Griner, one of the best basketball players in the world, earned a base salary of $221,000, a minimum salary for WNBA players of $60,000, and a maximum salary of $228,000.

WNBA players don’t earn the majority of their incomes and can earn much higher salaries on international teams due to government and corporate support. A week before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Griner was reportedly detained in prison outside Moscow. The US and other western countries have imposed strict sanctions against Russia since then, bringing diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow to an all-time low.

Some critics accuse Russia of using Griner as a political pawn during the current crisis, according to the State Department.

The Russian government has denied taking Griner hostage. Alexei Zaitsev, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday (July 7) that indisputable evidence confirms the seriousness of the offense.

A claim that the American was illegally detained does not hold up, he added, as reported by The Guardian.

“The law has been breached, and arguments about Griner’s innocent addiction, which in some states is punishable, are inappropriate in this case,” Zaitsey said.

Russia has been accused by US lawmakers of illegally detaining its citizens. Griner’s trial was attended by US Embassy officials on July 7, following which Secretary of State Anthony Blinken tweeted that President Joe Biden had sent her a letter.

Until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their families, we will not relent,” Blinken said.

Whelan is a former US Marine. A Russian espionage suspect was apprehended in 2018 by Russian authorities.

Griner’s defense team said they were “very disappointed” with the verdict and would appeal. The Associated Press reports that Griner’s lawyers anticipate a hearing next week in a Moscow court according to Russian law.

The Biden administration has been under increasing pressure to return Griner home. It is possible that her conviction could lead to a prisoner swap between the two countries.

Viktor Bout, the Russian arms trader also known as the “Merchant of Death,” is currently facing a 25-year sentence for conspiring to sell arms to a US-designated terrorist group.

His release has long been demanded by Russia. According to The Associated Press, the disparity between Bout and Griner’s alleged crimes may be undesirable for the US.

Fire Exercises by China

China begins live-fire drills around Taiwan | News | DW | 04.08.2022

At least 11 ballistic missiles were launched into Taiwan’s coast as part of China’s live-fire exercise on Thursday. Live-fire exercises are what they sound like. In the region, have they been done before?

China launched 11 ballistic missiles on Taiwan’s coast on Thursday (August 4), one day after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in a massive show of strength.

According to Taiwan’s defense ministry, Chinese ships and planes once again crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two countries. In response to the military exercises, the defense ministry dispatched aircraft and ships and deployed land-based missile systems.

After five ballistic missiles launched by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned China’s largest live-fire exercise in the region as a “serious problem that impacts our national security.”

These are exercises primarily used by military personnel, in which live ammunition is used to create training conditions as close to real combat scenarios as possible. Firefighters and law enforcement agencies also use live-fire exercises as part of their field training to prepare for future emergencies.

Live-fire training involves placing soldiers in simulated combat situations and letting them use their weapons and equipment (such as ships, aircraft, tanks, and drones). The purpose of such exercises is to maintain the combat readiness of troops, to maintain the cohesiveness of units, and to instill confidence in their ability to use weapons and equipment correctly.

Furthermore, it involves testing vehicles, weapon platforms, and weapons systems (such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and anti-aircraft weapons) so that any design flaws can be corrected before the weapons are fully deployed.

Countries can brandish their military prowess and destruction capacity through live-fire exercises, as we saw in the recent Taiwan Strait incident. The drills involving warplanes, ships, and missiles are intended to demonstrate China’s ability to unleash lethal force on Taiwan if it does not conform to Beijing’s demands. During the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1995-1996, China fired missiles into the waters near Taiwan after former President Lee Teng-hui visited the US, despite China’s strong objections.

After a three-year hiatus, the US army resumed live-fire drills in South Korea between July 25-29 in response to North Korea’s weapons tests. The deadly Apache helicopters stationed in South Korea were allowed to fire rockets and guns south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea. Residents living in the vicinity of the area complained about noise and raised safety concerns in 2019, leading to the cancellation of the live-fire exercises.

As a response to North Korea’s launch of eight short-range ballistic missiles on June 5, the US and South Korea launched eight of their own.

18% GST on Garba Events 

Has Gujarat government introduced GST on Garba this year as claimed by  Congress and AAP: Here's the truth

Goods and Services Tax (GST) of 18 percent will be imposed this year on Garba passes. Is there a reason why GST has not been imposed yet? Under what conditions is Garba classified as an entertainment/commercial event?

One of the most popular and revered festivals in Gujarat is Navratri Garba, a nine-night dance celebration honoring Goddess Ambe. Devotees and revelers book tickets months in advance.

A controversy has erupted over the imposition of 18 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Garba passes for the upcoming Navratri festival, scheduled between September 26 and October 5. A GST exemption is only available to organizers charging less than Rs 500 per pass.

Performing Garba outside the collector’s office in Vadodara, the Congress party demanded a rollback. Jairam Ramesh, the Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP, called it the ‘Garba Samaapt Tax’ (Garba-ending tax) on Thursday (August 4).

In Gujarati, ‘Navratri’ is a festival of nine nights. It is celebrated nationwide, but in Gujarat, it stands out because of the rich Garba dances, which are done to pay respect to and worship Goddess Amba. 

In traditional garbas, women celebrate feminity, divinity, and fertility of the Goddess by dancing in circles and tapping their feet. The dance slowly turned into a festival of merriment for everyone who participated. During the early days of social media and mobile internet, Garba grounds were also the first literal dating sites where many couples met.

Gujarat’s Garba festivities attract tourists from around the world, prompting the government to promote them. Under the leadership of then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat has hosted ‘Vibrant Navratri,’ the state’s official Garba event, since 2003. In addition to promoting women’s safety in Gujarat, the Garba starts in the evenings and lasts well past midnight. It was called “the World’s Longest Dance Festival” by Modi as CM.

Garba venues are now charging direct GST on entry tickets for the first time since the GST system was implemented in 2017. Vadodara’s United Way of Baroda (UWB), the biggest Garba organizer in the state, opened registrations last week. In a note, patrons were told that the registration fee was “inclusive of 18% GST”. The cost for men is Rs 4,838 this year, while the cost for women is Rs 1,298.

By not charging GST on entry tickets, the Garba organizers have “failed” to comply with government notifications in 2017 and 2018. Vadodara is considered the hub for garbas, and this was pointed out to organizers during inspections in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the state did not experience large-scale festivities due to the pandemic.

The BJP is lashing out at opposition parties for levying a “hefty tax” on a religious event, but party leaders are also dealing with requests from organizers and participants to exempt the Garba from taxation.

Minesh Patel, who is the Treasurer and Trustee of the UWB, said that during the inspections in 2019, officials “observed that issuing passes or identity cards against an invoice would automatically be subject to GST. While we did not receive any direct notice, they have clearly stated that passes issued against any payment will be subject to GST.” In compliance with Indian tax laws, we have added GST this year.

According to Mayank Patel from the Vadodara Navratri Festival (VNF), the second largest organizer in Vadodara, the collection will be donated to the Police Welfare Fund. Tickets for male participants cost Rs 1,000 and above, but the 18 percent GST component will be paid from the collections instead of added to the tickets.

Gujarat’s GST department officials say that no changes have been made to the GST. A top GST official said that no new GST had been imposed on the Garba. In the pre-GST period, a service tax of 15 percent was levied on admission to such events if the amount charged exceeded Rs 500 per person. Moreover, there were embedded taxes since VAT credits on goods used for such events were not available for payment of service taxes.

According to the notification of the Department of Revenue of the Union Ministry of Finance, dated June 28, 2017, GST at the rate of 18% is payable only if the entry ticket exceeds Rs 500. As a result, the tax under the GST regime remains the same as it was under the pre-GST regime,” the GST official said.

According to the official, the 25th GST Council Meeting held on January 18, 2018, recommended granting GST relief to the circus, dance, theatre, and recognized sporting events. “The Council has recommended that the threshold limit for GST exemption on the circus, dance, and other events be raised from Rs 250 to Rs 500 per person”, the officer said.

To promote cultural and sports events, admission tickets to events priced below the threshold were exempted from the tax as of January 25, 2018.

According to the UWB, Garba was never considered an “entertainment event” for GST purposes. UWB Chairman Hemant Shah said: “We pay GST for the food stalls and other services used for Garba, but until 2019, the passes were never meant for a commercial sale… the UWB is an NGO, and the proceeds are a donation.”

“The Garba is not a commercial activity for us, but a devotion to the Goddess, and 18 percent is a large amount.” We believe that every penny saved can be used to help the poor and vulnerable.”

In the same way that the UWB is an NGO, the VNF is a trust formed under the aegis of the Gujarat government to raise contributions for police welfare funds.

However, there is no exemption for ‘donations.’ In the case of Garba tickets, the term ‘donation’ does not apply since the organizers are issuing invoices and selling passes. There is a tax wherever there is an invoice. Any activity that involves a sale is automatically considered a commercial activity.

The organizers cannot take refuge in the name of donation just because it is part of a religious festival. As a result, it should be free,” the official said, adding prices that can be kept under Rs 500 to avoid taxes.

It is also logistically difficult for the organizers to issue fresh tickets for all nine nights to avoid the 18% slab.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma

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