# Brittney Griner's Detention in Russia: A Report on Sports, Gender, and Political Intersection

## Introduction

Brittney Griner's detention in Russia represents a complex intersection of sports, gender issues, and international politics.

As a prominent American basketball player, her case demonstrates how governments can leverage celebrities and public figures as pawns in broader political negotiations.

## The Arrest and Legal Proceedings

Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic champion and WNBA star, was arrested on February 17, 2022, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

Russian customs officials discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, which is prohibited under Russian law.

She was charged under Article 229.

1, Part 2, Point "v" of the Russian Criminal Code for smuggling narcotics.

Despite her admission that she had inadvertently packed the cartridges without criminal intent, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August 2

# Brittney Griner's Detention in Russia: A Report on Sports, Gender, and Political Intersection

## Introduction

Brittney Griner's detention in Russia represents a complex intersection of sports, gender issues, and international politics.

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Content: CNN: basketball player Greiner was exchanged for Victor Bout
16: 10 08.12.2022
The basketball player from the United States was released from the Russian prison in the framework of the exchange of prisoners.
© Photo by ZUMAPRESS, Globallookpress
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American basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was convicted of drug smuggling, was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout.
This is reported by CNN with reference to a source.
Brittney Greiner was released from Russian detention as part of an exchange of prisoners... for Victor Bout.
Earlier, lawyers visited the American Brittney Greiner in the Mordovian correctional colony No2.
The basketball player has already begun to serve his sentence.
Recall that in late October, the Moscow regional court approved the American athlete Brittney Greiner nine years in prison for drug smuggling.
In February, a basketball player who arrived on a flight from New York was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport.
When inspecting things in her hand luggage, they found vapes with a liquid with a specific odor weighing 0.702 grams.
Subsequently, the examination found that it was hashish oil.
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What is the famous Victor Booth, exchanged for an American basketball player.
Analysis altapress.ru
Victor Bout, a political prisoner in the United States, was pardoned and exchanged for American basketball player Brittney Greiner during an exchange between Russia and the United States on December 8.
What is known about the Russian entrepreneur and as an athlete from the United States was detained in Russia - in the material altapress.ru.
Victor Bout
Wikimedia Commons
Who is Victor Booth?
Viktor Bout is a Russian businessman who built a business in the field of air transportation.
In the 1990s, he founded Transavia and the Almaty enterprise IRBIS.
It was engaged in deliveries to the Persian Gulf countries, Nigeria and the South African republics.
In the second half of the 1990s, Bout moved to the UAE because of an investigation that had begun against him.
He was suspected of supplying weapons and other illegal goods to countries that fell under international sanctions.
2 Arrest of the entrepreneur
In 2008, Victor Bout was arrested in Thailand.
He was accused of plotting to kill American citizens and providing material support for terrorism.
Two years later, he was extradited by the United States, and in 2012 he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, finding all charges fair.
Victor Bout
Wikimedia Commons
3 Negotiations with the United States
Russia for many years sought the extradition of the entrepreneur to his homeland.
At the same time, reports began to appear of Booth's deteriorating health.
He complained of bleeding ulcers and lack of medical care.
The United States has long refused.
4 What is known Brittney Greiner
Brittney Greiner is one of the most titled basketball players in the world.
She is on the official list of the 25 best players in the women ’ s NBA.
Greiner became a two-time Olympic champion and two-time world champion in the US national team.
And as part of the “Phoenix ” – the champion of the WNBA in 2014.
The athlete also played for the Russian team - since 2015 she played for the Yekaterinburg UMMC.
Brittney Greiner.
UMMC.
5 Accusations and arrest of basketball player
Brittney Greiner was detained on February 17, 2022 at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport.
In her luggage found a vape with cannabis, banned for import to Russia.
A criminal case was initiated under the article on smuggling of narcotic drugs (paragraph “c ” of part 2 of article 229.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
On March 5, Brittney Greiner was arrested, and on March 17, the Moscow Regional Court found the arrest lawful.
The athlete did not recognize the guilt, and the United States and the world community considered Greiner “illegally detained ”.
6 Exchange
On December 8, Russia and the United States held an exchange of prisoners.
The procedure took place at the airport of Abu Dhabi, RIA Novosti reported.
The Russian and American leaders pardoned both participants in the exchange.
Booth and Greiner can now move freely.
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Trump called the exchange of prisoners of the United States and Russia “not the best deal ”
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Former US President Donald Trump suggested that the proposed exchange of prisoners with Russia is “not a very good deal. ”
His words about the possible exchange of Russian businessman Viktor Bout for American basketball player Brittney Greiner on July 30 leads Fox News.
“She knew she didn ’ t have to go there drugged, and she admitted it.
I guess she admitted it without much pressure, as it was obvious, so it certainly doesn ’ t look like a very good deal, does it? ” he said.
Trump noted that Russia is very vigilant about narcotic substances and “do not like drugs ”, and Greiner, as if on purpose, went there with banned substances.
"And she was caught.
And now we have to get her out -- and she's, you know, making a lot of money, I think.
We must bring it to clean water, ” the politician added.
On July 27, CNN reported that US President Joe Biden approved a deal to exchange Russian citizens held in American prisons for American citizens convicted in Russia.
According to the channel, businessman Victor Bout should be exchanged for basketball player Brittney Greiner and convicted of espionage Paul Whelan.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this week that while the Kremlin and U.S. officials are negotiating, "there is no concrete outcome yet."
She clarified that the parties proceed from the fact that the interests of both parties should be taken into account during the negotiations.
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was detained by customs officers at Sheremetyevo airport in February 2022.
In her hand luggage found vapes with cannabis oil.
In relation to Greiner, a criminal case was opened under the article on smuggling of narcotic drugs in a significant amount.
On July 7, the prosecutor ’ s office presented evidence in the case of the athlete, who fully admitted her guilt.
Paul Whelan was detained in Moscow in late December 2018.
A criminal case was opened against him under the article on espionage (Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
In mid-June 2020, the Moscow City Court sentenced Whelan to 16 years in a strict regime colony.
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"Death Dealer" in exchange for female basketball star in the United States, the families of the imprisoned citizens demand the same treatment.
The United States and Russia have reached a prisoner swap agreement to exchange Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner. Some relatives of American citizens wrongly detained in China are now angry that President Biden has not fulfilled his promise to release their loved ones as a “personal priority. ”
The families and advocates of these American citizens say they are happy that Grener is free, but they should also be given a prisoner exchange.
They argue that the Biden administration has focused too much on negotiating their beloved ’ s release through quiet diplomacy between the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs and officials at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, but argue that this strategy has failed and calls for a stronger and more forceful method of prisoner exchange.
In June, White House national security adviser Sullivan reportedly told Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Committee on Foreign Affairs, that the release of Americans wrongly detained or subject to exit bans in China “is a personal priority for him and for President Biden. ”
The families of these American citizens have now accused the Biden administration of abandoning that promise and failing to use the same resources and resolve that helped free Grenada to resolve the plight of their imprisoned relatives.
Kai Li, a US citizen, has been detained on espionage charges since he visited his relatives in China in 2016.
His son, Harrison Li, said Biden should “act more quickly, more forcefully and with equal urgency, as he did with the case of the Grenadines. ”
The prisoner trade, he said, “is a tool that seems to work, and it ’ s one of the tools we ’ re going to push. ”
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Content: Brittney Griner's teammates speak out about her "devastating" 9-year sentence in Russia: "It's a helpless feeling"

WNBA star Brittney Griner's nine-year prison sentence in Russia on Thursday has sent shockwaves back to her loved ones in the U.S. After she sentenced for having vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil at a Moscow airport this year – which she says was an accident – her Phoenix Mercury teammates spoke out about the "devastating" situation.

Following the Mercury's 77-64 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Thursday, guard Skylar Diggins-Smith told reporters "nobody wanted to even play today."

"It's our sister," Diggins-Smith said. "...I don't expect everybody to give a damn, but we really do. And we come out here and we're still supposed to play this f---ing game. ... How are you supposed to approach the game, approach the court with a clear mind and the whole group is crying before the game?"

She went on to say that the team wants to honor Griner and play hard on her behalf, but that doing so can be difficult given the circumstances.

Mercury guard Diamond DeShields shared the sentiment, saying she's proud to be a part of the team and how hard they played on Thursday.

"We approached the game tonight with a heavy heart as we have every game this season," she said. "But obviously, devastating is the overall sentiment. ... I mean, it's like you're just waiting for a bomb to drop, you know? Just watching it, seeing her behind bars."

"It's a helpless feeling," Diggins-Smith added.

The two also questioned the press for persistently asking the team about Griner's situation.

"It's heavy. It's just heavy, y'all," Diggins-Smith said. "Y'all asking these questions don't really take away from our trauma. You just add to our trauma, so we can break down in front of y'all, so you can see how we feel. I don't know what else to really say about it."

During Thursday's game, both teams embraced each other at half-court for 42 seconds of silence – Griner's jersey number – to honor the basketball star. The silence was followed by chants of "BG" and "bring her home."

Griner, 31, is a two-time U.S. Olympic champion and eight-time all-star with the Mercury, and in her WNBA off-season, she plays for Russia's Yekaterinburg team. She was arrested in February at a Moscow airport when workers found vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, which her legal team argued she had accidentally stowed while packing in haste.

Griner was convicted on Thursday for drug possession and was sentenced to nine years in prison. She was also fined 1 million rubles, about $16,000.

President Biden immediately called for Griner's release on Thursday, calling the conviction and sentence "unacceptable." And on Friday, Russia said it is ready to discuss a prisoner swap. In recent days, the White House has offered a swap with the country, asking for both Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan to be released. The U.S. has not confirmed who they would release as part of the swap.

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Content: Advertising20idei.ru
ChronicleMilitary operation in UkraineUpdated at 17: 04
The foreign Ministry confirmed the participation in the negotiations on the exchange of former diplomat Richardson
Moscow.
9 December.
INTERFAX.RU – Former US Ambassador to the UN and former Governor of the state Bill Richardson is named among those with whom the Russian side discusses issues related to the exchange of prisoners.
“We are communicating with all partners who are interested in this, and former US Governor and Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr. Richardson, is among them.
But I repeat that the issues of exchange were worked out and will be worked out on a different channel, ” said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, responding to a request from Interfax to comment on Richardson ’ s role in the negotiations on this topic and his plans to visit Russia soon to continue discussions.
In September, CNN reported that Richardson was in Moscow, where he held meetings with representatives of the Russian leadership.
The channel then recalled that Richardson and his center privately work on behalf of the families of detained Americans and that this politician has long been working to release Americans detained abroad, and played a role in ensuring the release of American Trevor Reed from a Russian prison in April.
Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov then commented on the CNN report, saying that in the Kremlin with Richardson “there were no meetings ”.
At the time, the State Department called for negotiations on the exchange exclusively through official channels: “We are concerned that individuals are trying to make a deal, but they cannot speak for the American authorities. ”
Washington then said that they are discussing with Moscow the release and exchange of convicted in Russia US citizens Brittney Greiner and Paul Whelan.
On December 8, basketball player Greiner was traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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Content: Booth says he supports Russia ’ s special operation in Ukraine
Viktor Bout, who this week returned to Russia from the United States, where he was serving a sentence on charges of illegal arms trafficking and supporting terrorism, said his support for the military special operation of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
He said this in an interview with the TV channel Russia Today.
Commenting on the special operation announced in February by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bout said that he did not understand why this was not done earlier.
He mentioned how in 2014 Kharkiv residents, in particular, carried the Russian tricolor.
“Obviously, there were no conditions, we were not ready.
I fully support [the special operation], if I had the opportunity and the skills necessary, I would, of course, volunteer, ” said Booth.
On December 8, Victor Bout was exchanged at Abu Dhabi airport for basketball player Brittney Greiner, who was detained in February 2022 at Sheremetyevo airport, after cartridges with hashish oil were found in her hand luggage.
Before the exchange, Greiner and Booth were pardoned, they will not have to serve their sentences on the territory of their countries.
After returning to Russia, the Russian expressed gratitude to the American side for the noble and respectful attitude during the exchange.
According to his wife Alla, Booth is now feeling terribly and severely exhausted, since he had not slept for three days.
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 at the request of Washington and charged with arms trafficking and supporting terrorism.
Bout was imprisoned in Thailand for two and a half years before being extradited to the United States and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012.
The Russian categorically did not admit his guilt.
Press Secretary of the President Dmitry Peskov stressed that the exchange of Bout is not a sign of improving relations between Russia and the United States.
These relations continue to remain in a sad state, he stressed, adding that the preparation of the exchange was carried out by the special services of Russia and the United States.
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Content: Victor Bout, who returned from prison in the United States, shook hands with basketball player Greiner
Returning from an American prison to Russia, Victor Bout wished good luck and shook the hand of American basketball player Brittney Greiner, for whom he was exchanged.
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Content: games

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story in the Country?

Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The second-best player in every sport is a superstar at a level that 99.999 percent of professional athletes — who are already the elite of the elite of the elite — will never come close to achieving. Joel Embiid finished second in NBA MVP voting last year; in baseball (a sport once actively played in this country), it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; and in football, it was Tom Brady.

In the WNBA, the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner earned this distinction last year. She was second in scoring, sixth in rebounds, first in blocks (she’s on track to become the WNBA’s all-time leader in that category), and, according to most advanced metrics, the best offensive player in the league. Her résumé is glittering: She won an NCAA national championship for Baylor in 2012, the same year she captured college basketball’s Player of the Year Award. She then won a WNBA championship in 2014 and was selected as one of the best 25 players in league history in 2021. She has two Olympic gold medals to her name. In the gold-medal game against Japan in Tokyo last summer, she dominated, scoring 30 points to clinch an easy victory. She is the apex of her sport. She is the best of the best. She is a legend.

And for more than a month now, she has been in the custody of the Russian government. Yet until Russian officials released a statement over the weekend saying they had detained Griner after finding hashish oil in her airport bag, it seemed that nobody had noticed. And the reaction since the arrest has been stunningly quiet. One of the greatest athletes in American sports — a gold-medal winner, a superstar, a champion — was arrested in a dangerous and volatile country that has suddenly become a pariah on the world stage. Making equivalences between sports only takes you so far here, but seriously: Imagine if Tom Brady were being held by Russian officials right now.

It is unclear how directly Griner’s plight connects to the catastrophic Russian invasion of Ukraine, and her detention has been overshadowed by the death and destruction wrought by Putin. And part of the muted response is likely due to sensitivity of the negotiations between Russian and American officials. Griner’s wife asked for privacy on Instagram, and it’s clear the precariousness of the situation has led to a certain institutional resistance to even mentioning it: That WNBA.com doesn’t include a single story about one of the organization’s best players being detained speaks to this dynamic. It is also worth remembering, as ESPN’s T.J. Quinn did on Monday, that Griner, whatever the specifics, is likely in some danger; Quinn noted that “as a 6-9 Black gay American woman, she’s a powerful cultural symbol,” and “even in the best case, she’s in for a long legal slog in the Russian criminal justice system. And there’s little the US govt can do about it.”

Another motive the WNBA may have for staying quiet is its own culpability in the situation. The reason Griner was in Russia in the first place — to play off-season basketball, as she has done there for years — is that the league does not pay its superstars the way other sports leagues do. As Tom Ley from Defector pointed out:

The league’s low salaries and minimal efforts towards player support have for years forced even its biggest stars to treat their time in the WNBA as a part-time job. The maximum WNBA salary in 2022 was just over $228,000, and players can make far more than that playing in leagues overseas. In 2015, Diana Taurasi was paid $1.5 million to skip the WNBA season entirely and play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Liz Cambage recently revealed that she has made “five to eight times” as much money playing overseas than she has in the WNBA.

Before you say, “Well, the WNBA isn’t as popular in the NBA; of course Griner wouldn’t make as much as LeBron,” remember this: The WNBA has a salary cap, and one that’s particularly suppressive of superstar wages. Griner only made $221,450 for the 2021–2022 season, which is less than a third of the minimum salary in the NHL, but nevertheless classifies her as the fourth-highest-paid player in the WNBA. A new CBA signed two years ago was supposed to address these issues, yet there was Griner, making a mint playing for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia. The WNBA’s MVP last year, Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones, plays for the same Russian team. She got out of the country just after the invasion of Ukraine began.

Liz Cambage, a star for the Los Angeles Sparks, has noted that players can make “five to eight times more money” for Russian teams than they do in the WNBA, despite the league being by far the most high-profile women’s basketball league in the world. And restricted cash flow isn’t the only problem for players: Just last week, the league fined the New York Liberty $500,000 for chartering flights to games, claiming this gave the Liberty a “competitive advantage.” (For perspective, almost every team in the collegiate NCAA tournament next week will arrive at their destinations via chartered flight.) Griner didn’t choose to go play in Russia. The league left her no choice.

The precarity of Griner’s position in Russia may give the WNBA a good reason to stay quiet about her case. But perhaps the league would also prefer not to dwell on how she ended up in this situation in the first place.

In any case, it’s not just the WNBA downplaying this story. There was also no mention of Griner on the front pages of ESPN.com, CBS Sports, and SI.com just 48 hours after news of her arrest landed.

This strange reaction comes at a time when the WNBA has surged in popularity. Last year’s finals, featuring Griner’s Mercury, put up the highest ratings ever, a full 49 percent jump from 2020. This is partly because of the league’s activism, which has increased its visibility in a dramatic way. And Griner has been right in the middle of it all, wearing Breonna Taylor’s name on her jersey and speaking out in favor of LGBTQ+ issues since before she even entered the NBA. She was also the first openly gay athlete ever signed to an endorsement deal with Nike. Her teammate Diana Taurasi, perhaps the best player in WNBA history, called Griner “a pioneer.”

And still, relative silence.

As Griner sits in detention in Russia, as a result of a system that is set up to devalue her and other stars at every corner, it would be nice if her plight received attention commensurate with its seriousness.

Why Isn’t Brittney Griner the Biggest Sports Story?

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Content: Who is the Russian “Dealer of Death ” released by Washington in exchange for the American player?
For two decades, Victor Bout ’ s name, nicknamed “Dealer of Death, ” remained a symbol of the international arms smuggling movement in the chaos after the fall of the Soviet Union, and his story inspired Hollywood before he was captured and imprisoned by the United States.
After lengthy and arduous negotiations, Washington agreed on Thursday to hand over the 55-year-old arrested in 2008 during a U.S. operation in Thailand in exchange for the release of basketball star Britney Greiner, who has been in Russia for months.
Bot, who was sentenced in 2012 to 25 years in prison, has been the subject of negotiations for years between Moscow and Washington.
Victor Bout was born, according to a UN report, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, the former Soviet republic.
He studied at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow before joining the Air Force.
Bot is accused of taking advantage of the chaos after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 to buy weapons at low prices from uncontrolled military bases and officers looking for ways to enrich themselves or simply to make a living.
He even formed a special fleet of cargo planes to deliver his cargo around the world.
“Master of War ”
American journalist Douglas Farah, who published with Stephen Brown an article entitled “Dealer of Death ” in 2008, described Bout as“ a Soviet officer who took advantage of the opportunity created by three factors that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union: planes left on the runways between Moscow and Kiev, huge stockpiles of weapons guarded by unpaid soldiers, and an abundance of demand for weapons. ”
Some Russian stakeholders believe that Washington is exaggerating its actions to make him a scarecrow and tarnish Moscow ’ s image.
Russian journalist Alexander Gasiuk wrote in a 2021 book about the arms dealer ’ s “true story ” that“ the myth the United States created about Bot is disgracefully self-evident: the story of an evil Russian who illegally sells weapons and tries to harm America, but the good Americans put an end to it. ”
“An honest businessman. ”
Butt ’ s wife, Alla, says her husband is “an honest, patriotic businessman who loves his country, sentenced for crimes he didn ’ t commit, ” as she wrote in the foreword to Alexander Gasiuk ’ s book.
Bot was arrested after being set up by American agents.
According to the indictment, he agreed to sell an arsenal of guns and missiles to these secret agents who claimed to be members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who wanted to use these weapons to shoot down U.S. helicopters supporting the Colombian army.
In 2010, he was flown to Thailand on a US-equipped plane for trial.
He was convicted in November 2011 of arms smuggling and sentenced in April 2012 in New York to 25 years in prison.
“I am not guilty, I never intended to kill anyone, I never intended to sell these weapons to anyone, God knows the truth. ”
Source: French

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Content: The employee of the Mordovian colony asked Brittney Greiner to come more
Comments
An employee of the Mordovian colony in which Brittney Greiner was detained appealed to the American basketball player with a request to come to visit after she was released.
"Will you come here? Yes?
Well done, come, ” said the employee at the time of Brittney ’ s last stay at the gate of the colony.
Greiner was then sent for an exchange.
The prison guards asked Greiner to come again.
Recall that the exchange of Greiner for Bout took place on December 8 in the United Arab Emirates.
Brittney was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport in February this year.
They found illegal drugs on her.
In August, the basketball player was sentenced to nine years in prison.
The United States has sentenced Booth to 25 years in prison for illegal arms trafficking.
News on the topic
Victor Booth said what he wished Brittney Greiner during the exchange
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Washington has refused to comment on the arrest of an American businessman in Russia.
US authorities declined to comment on the arrest of an American businessman in Russia.
Russian news agencies announced on Thursday that a Moscow court had decided to detain US citizen of Russian origin Jane Spector on espionage charges.
He's serving a 3.5 year sentence.
Spector, a businessman, is already serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2022 for his role in bribing Arkady Dvorkovich, a former deputy prime minister.
Spector was born in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, then moved to the United States.
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TASS said he was the chairman of the Medpolymerprom group, which specializes in cancer drugs, before his arrest in 2021.
Trial behind closed doors
However, the agencies did not give details of the new charges, noting that the court hearing was held behind closed doors after the material on the case was classified as confidential.
White House spokesman John Kirby, speaking on CNN, said the administration was still gathering information on the case and had no comment yet, and the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Arrest of an American journalist
In March, Russia arrested an American journalist working for the Wall Street Journal, accusing him of spying.
Ivan Gershkovich, an expert reporter on Russia, was working in Yekaterinburg at the time of his arrest.
The Wall Street Journal said it was "deeply concerned" for his safety and strongly denied the charges.
The Kremlin, in turn, claimed that the reporter was arrested “in the act. ”
"illegal activities"
Russia ’ s Federal Security Service said it had “stopped illegal activities ” and that the reporter was“ acting on U.S. directives ” and “collecting state secrets. ”
Hours later, the security service took him to the Levertovo District Court in Moscow for official arrest.
He was later seen driving outside the building before being taken away by car.
The court decided to detain him until 29 May.
The lawyer was prevented from attending.
According to his lawyer, he was not allowed into the courtroom.
TASS news agency reported that the journalist denied the charges against him.
The court had earlier evacuated staff and visitors due to a bomb threat, Russia's official RIA news agency reported.
20 years in prison.
In Russia, espionage is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison.
In recent years, the detention of American citizens in Russia has increased in light of relations between Moscow and Washington, especially after the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine, prompting Washington to accuse Moscow of arbitrarily arresting Americans for using them as bargaining chips and recovering Russians held in the United States.
Exchange of prisoners
In December, the two countries exchanged prisoners, during which American basketball star Britney Greiner, who had been imprisoned in Russia, was released in exchange for the release of Russian arms dealer Victor Bout, who had been imprisoned in the United States.
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Content: Mercury post first video of Brittney Griner in uniform after re-signing WNBA star

Griner last played for Phoenix during the 2021 season

Brittney Griner is back in a Phoenix Mercury uniform over two months after returning from incarceration in Russia.

Griner officially re-signed with the only WNBA team she’s ever known this week, reportedly on a one-year deal with Phoenix worth $165,100.

American professional basketball player Brittney Griner acknowledges fans as she watches on the 16th hole during the third round of the Phoenix Open golf tournament, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2023, in Scottsdale, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

On Friday, the franchise posted a video of Griner in a Mercury uniform for the first time since her signing.

FORMER WNBA MVP NNEKA OGWUMIKE RETURNING TO LOS ANGELES SPARKS ON ONE-YEAR DEAL: REPORT

Griner, who spent 10 months in Russian custody after authorities allegedly discovered that she had vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, will return for her 10th WNBA season.

The WNBA champion was arrested in February 2022 at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and was later classified as "wrongfully detained" by the U.S. State Department.

WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a courtroom after a hearing, in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.  (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko.)

After months of strained negotiations, Griner was released from a Russian penal colony in early December in a prisoner exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

On Thursday, Griner participated in a workout at the team facility when Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton emerged to watch.

"It’s unreal," Ayton said, according to the Arizona Republic. "Just watching her and seeing the reactions on her face. Her just being back and trying to get back in shape and just loving the game she loves to do. You can tell her mind is free."

Phoenix Mercury's Brittney Griner (42) is congratulated on a play against the Seattle Storm in the first half of the second round of the WNBA basketball playoffs Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Everett, Wash. Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the Mercury on a one-year contract according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, because no announcement has been made.  (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Griner was drafted by Phoenix with the top pick of the 2013 draft, helping the Mercury win the WNBA championship in 2014.

Phoenix opens the 2023 season on May 19th against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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Content: All news

Russia in talks with US about potential prisoner exchanges, says diplomat

"We proceed from the fact that the negotiations should take the interests of both sides into account," Ivan Nechayev stressed
Russian Foreign Ministry
© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. Competent authorities in Russia and the United States are in talks to discuss potential prisoner swaps, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Deputy Spokesman Ivan Nechayev said at a briefing on Thursday.

"We have repeatedly commented on this. On August 5, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that Russia is ready to discuss the issue, but only within the channel negotiated by Russian President [Vladimir Putin] and US President [Joe Biden]. Let me remind you that corresponding competent authorities have been instructed to negotiate the issue. Competent agencies are in talks," the Russian diplomat said.

He also recalled Moscow’s plea to Washington "not to speculate on the sensitive issue affecting specific individuals."

"We would recommend abandoning futile attempts to put pressure on us and we are calling on them to concentrate on practical work along the available channels. There is no other way," Nechayev concluded.

"We proceed from the fact that the negotiations should take the interests of both sides into account," the diplomat emphasized.

Earlier, Washington offered Moscow to exchange Russian businessman Viktor Bout, who is serving a prison term in the US for arms trafficking, for basketball player Brittney Griner, sentenced to jail for drugs trafficking, and Paul Whelan, convicted in Russia of spying. The exchange of prisoners was one of the topics discussed in a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in late July. American media reported later, citing unidentified sources, that Russia had proposed to include another Russian prisoner jailed in the West in the prisoner swap.

Title:

Content: Source: RIA Novosti
“In the middle of the night, they just picked up, they said, ‘ Get ready. ’
There was no special preliminary information, ” Bout told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
He added that he did not have time to say goodbye to anyone in prison because it was night.
Victor Bout returned to Russia on December 8.
The special board with him landed at the Moscow airport Vnukovo-2.
At the gangway, Booth was met by his wife Alla and his mother Raisa.
On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the successful exchange of Bout for American basketball player Brittney Greiner.
The procedure took place at Abu Dhabi Airport.
The ministry said that the Russian side has been negotiating with the United States for a long time, as Washington “categorically refused ” to include Bout in the exchange scheme.
At the same time, footage was published, which recorded the exchange of Booth for Greiner.
The full video shows how the basketball player leaves the colony in Mordovia, where she served time.
Waiting for a meeting with the released, Buta ’ s wife told Izvestia that after many years of separation she would meet her husband with cutlets and pilaf.
Also during the conversation with journalists, she added that she will bring him warm clothes to the airport.
According to Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, while serving time in an American prison, Viktor Bout was subjected to powerful mental and physical pressure.
Commissioner for human rights in the Russian Federation Tatiana Moskalkova said that Bout and Greiner were pardoned by the heads of state.
This gives them freedom of movement when they return home.
Bout ’ s lawyer Alexei Tarasov said that initially the United States asked to exchange convicted of espionage Paul Whelan and Greiner for Bout.
Businessman Victor Bout has served half a 25-year sentence in a U.S. prison on charges of plotting to murder U.S. citizens and providing material support for terrorism.
He was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and handed over to the United States.
His mother this year appealed to the presidents of the United States and Russia with a request to negotiate the return of her son to Russia.
Two-time Olympic basketball champion in the U.S. national team Brittney Greiner was detained by customs officers at Sheremetyevo airport in February.
The girl was found vape with cannabis oil.
In relation to the athletes opened a criminal case.
2 Art. 229.1 (“Smuggling of narcotic drugs in a significant amount ”), and part 2.
1 of Art. 228 of the Criminal Code.
The basketball player on July 7 fully admitted her guilt, saying that she had no intention to commit a crime.
At the end of the summer, she was sentenced to nine years in prison.
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As a prominent American basketball player, her case demonstrates how governments can leverage celebrities and public figures as pawns in broader political negotiations.

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Content: Go to materials
news
Victor Bout gave the first interview since his release from American prison.
RT employee Maria Butina spoke to him
Source: Meduza
I did not encounter Russophobia in prison — apparently because the prison is in America ’ s “red belt ”; other prisoners were sympathetic to Russia.
You have to be careful with the terminology when talking about Russophobia.
The West believes that they did not finish us off with the collapse of the USSR.
The fact that we are now trying not to depend on anyone is shocking news for them, and they believe that they can destroy us again.
To think about why I was exchanged now is unreliable.
exchanged and exchanged.
I do not think that I am important for Russian politics, we just do not abandon our own.
I wasn ’ t approached from Hollywood – if I had come, I would have come up with a more interesting story.
Hollywood became the propaganda department of the Washington Regional Committee.
I would not say that the Americans bent down by swapping me.
If the deal was made, it means that common ground was found, which was arranged by both sides.
This is an approximate retelling of Viktor Bout ’ s statements made in an interview with RT employee Maria Butina.
The full interview can be heard here.
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Read also
American basketball player Brittney Greiner was exchanged for the Russian Viktor Bout In the United States, he is called the “merchant of death ”.
He was given 25 years in prison in the case of supplying weapons to Colombian militants
Cover photo: FSB / TASS

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US marks 4 years of Paul Whelan’s Russian imprisonment, vows to bring him home

New York Post
 2 days ago

WASHINGTON — The White House insisted Wednesday the US has not given up the fight to bring former Marine Paul Whelan home from Russian custody as the Biden administration marked the fourth anniversary of his detention on trumped-up spying charges.

“Today marks four years of wrongful detention in Russia for American Paul Whelan and, as the President and I have told the Whelan family, we will not stop, we will not relent, we will not cease until all Americans can celebrate Paul’s return,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

Whelan, 52, was sentenced to 16 years of hard labor in 2020 after a Russian court found him guilty of espionage — a claim both Whelan and the US government continue to deny. Whelan had traveled to Russia for a wedding when he was “wrongfully detained,” according to the White House.

Earlier this month, the US secured WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release in a prisoner exchange for notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner’s release came almost 10 months after she was arrested on drug charges at a Moscow airport.

The US had attempted to bring Whelan home with Griner, but the White House said Russia insisted on a one-for-one swap, giving Washington “a choice between bringing home one particular American, Brittney Griner, or bringing home none,” as one official put it.

After the deal was announced, Whelan’s family issued a statement that supported Griner’s release, while noting the decision was a “ public disappointment for us and a catastrophe for Paul.”

Sullivan on Wednesday accused Russia of using Whelan as a pawn to secure concessions — such as the release of other Russian prisoners . The White House said last week that “there are active conversations” with the Kremlin about securing the Michigan corporate security executive’s freedom.

“Paul and the Whelan family recently showed the entire country the meaning of generosity of spirit in celebrating a fellow American’s return while Russia continues its deplorable treatment of Paul as a bargaining chip,” Sullivan said.

Whelan’s brother David said in a statement that the anniversary brought heartbreak and concern for the family, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.

“Milestones are always hard,” David Whelan said. “Four birthdays, four Christmases, and now the 4th anniversary of Paul’s wrongful detention. I think we share the same concern as every family in this situation, which is that, with each passing year, it will become harder to bring Paul home.”

## The Arrest and Legal Proceedings

Brittney Griner, a two-time Olympic champion and WNBA star, was arrested on February 17, 2022, at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.

Russian customs officials discovered vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, which is prohibited under Russian law.

She was charged under Article 229.

1, Part 2, Point "v" of the Russian Criminal Code for smuggling narcotics.

Despite her admission that she had inadvertently packed the cartridges without criminal intent, Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August 2


# Overtourism: Causes, Impacts, and Global Hotspots - Comprehensive Report

## Introduction

Overtourism represents a critical challenge in contemporary tourism management, where excessive visitor numbers overwhelm destinations' capacity to accommodate them sustainably.

This phenomenon affects communities, ecosystems, and local economies worldwide, creating a complex web of social, environmental, and economic consequences that require immediate attention and strategic intervention.

## What is Overtourism?

Overtourism occurs when the volume of tourists exceeds a destination's capacity to maintain acceptable living conditions for residents and sustainable experiences for visitors.

It manifests through overcrowded infrastructure, environmental degradation, loss of local culture, and diminished quality of life for host communities.

## Causes of Overtourism

### 1.

Uncontrolled Tourism Growth
The rapid expansion of tourism without proper planning and regulation has led to unsustainable visitor numbers in many destinations.

As highlighted in Ras Al Khaimah's experience, tourism growth can threaten natural environments and local communities when not

# Overtourism: Causes, Impacts, and Global Hotspots - Comprehensive Report

## Introduction

Overtourism represents a critical challenge in contemporary tourism management, where excessive visitor numbers overwhelm destinations' capacity to accommodate them sustainably.

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Content:
Tuesday September 28, 2021

Call to protect scenic valleys, rivers from pollution

September 28, 2021

MANSEHRA: The hikers, trekkers and people associated with the tourism industry have demanded the government to protect the scenic valleys and rivers from environmental pollution.

“The scenic valleys in Mansehra and rest of the Hazara division are facing the enormous challenges to natural beauty and environment because of the pollution and changes happening owing to the weather changes,” a member of the International Union of Nature, Sahibzada Jawad Alfaizi told a gathering held at the mountainous resort of Nasar Bagh to mark the International Tourism Day here on Monday.

The hikers, trekkers and tour operations from the Hazara division attended the event and announced to remove garbage from Saiful Muluk lake and Lolupatsar before the current season wraps up.

“It is unfortunate that people living around the Indus River, Kunhar River and Siren River have dropped commercial and domestic sewerage lines in those rivers, polluting water and environment,” Alfazi said.

Niaz Shahzad, a mountaineer, said the Kaghan valley attracted hundreds of thousands of families in summer every year but this picturesque valley was littered by the local business community and tourists.

Waseem Azam, a trekker, said the most of the participants had explored the exotic meadows and scenic destinations in Siren, Konsh and other alpine valleys in the division, adding the government should develop road and other infrastructure if it was sincere in attracting the international tourists.

“A record number of the foreign tourists for the first time since terrorism plagued the country visited the Kaghan valley and Gilgit-Baltistan and if roads and other tourism-related infrastructure was developed, the tourism could attract the foreign exchange reserves,” another a mountaineer, Muzammil Shah, said.

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Locals in ‘Spanish Mykonos’ popular with Britons call for action on overtourism

Residents of the Menorcan village of Binibeca Vell said they welcomed British tourists, but needed support from the authorities to cope

MADRID – Known as the “Spanish Mykonos” for its beautiful, narrow white-walled lanes that attract thousands of tourists a year, residents of Binibeca Vell are calling for authorities to take action to stop it being overwhelmed by visitors.

The Menorcan village, which has over 200 permanent residents but attracts 800,000 holidaymakers every year, is inundated with visitors who follow noisy tour guides, leave rubbish and take selfies as the sun goes down over the Mediterranean.

Last year, tired of being invaded, residents of the coastal village managed to impose limits on visiting times so tourists are only allowed in between 10am and 10pm and secured a grant of €15,000 from the island’s government to help pay to manage the area.

However, as Spain braces itself for a record year for tourism, with airlines scheduling extra flights, the Menorcan government withdrew this grant and said residents must pay for cleaning or charge visitors to enter.

The battle playing out in Menorca is being repeated from the Canary Islands to Barcelona as residents hit back at what some claim is uncontrolled tourism that puts pressure on housing and squeezes Spaniards out.

Oscar Monge, president of the Community of Property Owners in Binibeca Vell, said tourists were not the problem.

“I love Britain and I want to make it clear that British tourists are not the problem. It is the lack of action from the Menorcan government,” he told i.

“They want us to pay for the cleaning of the streets because this is a private village or charge tourists for coming to the village, which we do not want to do. Sometimes tourists come in with tour guides and leave rubbish, but why should we have to pay to clear it up? Menorca charges a tourist tax of €2.30 per day, so what is that being used for?”

In a private village, property owners own the streets and land the village was built on, unlike in the typical case where common land is publicly owned.

Begoña Mercadal, director of tourism for the Menorcan government, said the residents’ organisation did not want to renew the €15,000 grant agreement.

“The agreement established that it was automatically renewed if the two parties requested it before 19 December, 2023 and they did not do so, therefore we understood that they were not interested,” she told eldiario.es, an online news site.

Spain received 9.8 million visitors in the first two months of 2024. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday: “Our commitment to a quality, innovative and sustainable model turns Spain into a cutting-edge tourist destination.”

Meanwhile, protests are planned across the Canary Islands against overtourism on Saturday as members of the group Canarias Se Agota carried on with a hunger strike.

One member of the group had to receive hospital attention on Tuesday after starting the strike five days earlier.

Protests will be staged in support of the Canary Islands action in Berlin, Madrid and Malaga by environmental group Greenpeace.

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Title:

Content: Global Economic News
Increasing pressure on the Spanish tourism industry.
Uncontrolled growth in the face of more visitors
There is no longer the possibility of washing up on Spain ’ s little-known beach of Lloret de Mar — like other popular tourist resorts — on ways to conserve dwindling water resources as the country struggles with drought.
While Spain is one of the European countries most affected by the climate crisis, its main tourism sector is under increasing pressure with uncontrolled growth in the face of increased visitors, efforts to reduce its environmental impact and move towards more sustainable practices.
Danish tourist Jonas Johansson, 28, while wandering in the scorching sun along the famous northeastern resort's promenade, said: "It's a shame.
“Taking a shower is good. ”
Spain has seen very low rainfall over the past year, leaving the reservoirs of Catalonia, where the resort town of Lloret, only 29 percent full.
Since March, large parts of this northeastern region of 7.7 million people, including its capital, Barcelona, have limited the use of water for agriculture and industry to ensure the continued supply of homes.
But these measures have not won the support of everyone in a country where tourism accounts for 12 per cent of economic output and provides 2.5 million jobs.
Sarah Loledi, 55, a receptionist at a coastal hotel in Lloret, said: “Water use can be reduced in many ways, without depriving the tourism sector of the possibility of bathing. ”
"We all live on tourism revenues."
Spain is the world ’ s second most visited country after France, receiving 71.6 million visitors from around the world last year, most of them attracted by its sunny beaches.
David Sorem, a geography expert at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said: “We can ’ t afford uncontrolled sector growth with more and more people coming and fewer resources. ”
Sorem said a tourist in a four-star or five-star hotel could consume more than twice as much as an average citizen.
Catalonia ’ s regional government wants to ensure both tourists and locals consume the same amount of water by 2040.
Jordi Palaudelmas of the local SOS Yurit group, which has been campaigning for years for a more sustainable tourism model, said: “Water resources are limited, and if we dedicate ourselves to tourism, it means we need to rethink what resources we can or cannot give to tourists. ”
The Samba Hotel underwent a rehabilitation process in 1997 to allow it to recycle wastewater, which has so far saved 215 million liters of water, he said.
In this 434-room hotel, bathroom water is sent to a basement where it is filtered and treated, allowing it to be reused.
This system is increasingly widespread, but the sector still has a long way to go.
Laura Perez, the hotel ’ s environmental affairs officer, said: “We should have done this a long time ago. ”
A few kilometers away, sprinklers water a vast municipal garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Posters show visitors that sprinklers use recycled water, the only type of water that can be used without restrictions this summer.
Like other municipalities, Yurit has for years used recyclable wastewater to irrigate gardens and clean streets.
The drought has increased the use of recycled water by 25 per cent, although the network it provides is still very limited.
Carlos Gil, who is in charge of the parks and gardens of Lurit, said: "In coastal areas, we can save a lot of recycled water instead of going directly to the sea, by finding new uses for it."
In turn, the water park has reduced water use by 32 per cent since 2019 by changing irrigation systems and turning to plants that need less water.
The director of the complex, Julio Lopez, expressed optimism about the future, but stressed that there was still work to be done.
“Spain needs to rethink its situation and use more recycled water, ” he said.
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Content: How to be more attractive to tourists
2
Raushan Uteulina, Akmola region
As part of the execution of the instructions of the Head of State, a working group was created in the region to promote the tourism cluster
photo from the archive "KP"
Among the most promising objects that should become the hallmark of tourism in Kazakhstan at the global level, the Shchuchinsk-Borovsk resort zone is also named.
The other day, issues of tourism development were considered at a visiting meeting chaired by the akim of the region Marat Akhmetzhanov in Burabay with the participation of tour operators and businessmen.
“Today, we have created a working group of experts, representatives of the business community and local executive bodies to jointly answer the questions that hinder the development of tourism, what tools and institutions would be most effective in this matter, ” said Marat Akhmetzhanov.
The unique nature of the region creates a potential for the development of the tourist and recreational complex, however, according to statistics, the contribution of the tourism sector to the economy of the region is only 0.4%.
According to the head of the regional department of tourism Andrei Podgursky, the statistics keeps its records only on two types of economic activity - living and eating in places of accommodation.
But the sphere of tourism is closely connected with the services of the spheres: entertainment, passenger transportation, sales and so on.
Other reasons are shadow turnover or registration of entrepreneurs in other regions of the country.
Today, 90% of apartments in resort areas are rented illegally, many owners of accommodation facilities underestimate the cost of their buildings in order not to pay taxes, in the service sector every third employee is employed informally.
For the development of tourism it is important to attract investors, but in many areas of the region there are no current maps of free land plots.
Available are not updated and sometimes unreliable.
Often, many allotments are not included in the master plans of settlements, have neither a target purpose nor PDP.
It should be understood that the “naked ” land plot is not interesting to investors.
In addition, the only legitimate option for the allocation of land is an auction.
However, this imperfect procedure does not guarantee the provision of land for business development.
Due to the lack of land plots, it is difficult to attract potential investors to new development locations on the coast of Katarkol and Zhukey lakes.
By the way, such tourist facilities as Discovery, Star, Forest and Stars, Orbita are already developing here.
Today, the load of Kokshetau airport is only 2%.
You can load the air harbor only by increasing the flow of tourists throughout the year.
According to the speaker, letters about additional subsidized flights were repeatedly sent to the Ministry of Transport.
Now the departmental commission is considering the possibility of launching flights Kokshetau – Kyzylorda, Kokshetau – Aktobe.
As is known, within the framework of the three-stage Plan for the development of the Shchuchinsk-Borovsk resort zone since 2012, more than 30 billion tenge has been allocated from the republican budget for engineering, transport and other infrastructure.
It seems that much has been done, but the resort continues to experience problems, which the Head of State also recalled.
The President noted that according to the plan, 126 billion tenge was supposed to be allocated for these purposes, and in fact 35 billion tenge was allocated.
“That ’ s only 28% of the funding.
For more than ten years, the resort could not install treatment facilities.
Also, the construction of water supply networks and heat sources has not been completed, ” the President said.
The Akim of the region commented on the situation.
According to him, the construction of water disposal facilities, water and electricity supply, which began in 2017 in the resort area, was not completed and due to the “raw ” PSD – they were not designed for such a volume of infrastructure of the tourist business.
After the projects financed from the Republican budget were adjusted, the burden fell on the regional budget.
But since there are no such funds in the budget, it is necessary to conduct an audit of what has been done and on the basis of the received data to develop new projects and implement them under the strictest supervision so that each allocated tiyn is effectively used.
– The lack of proper control has led to such sad results in its time.
All this, of course, can not but affect the attractiveness of the resort area, where today there are interruptions with light, water supply, and experience inconvenience and vacationers, and local residents.
All these and other tasks will be solved in a complex.
We have a vision, mechanisms for improving and implementing infrastructure projects that will favorably affect the tourism and investment climate in the region, ” said Marat Akhmetzhanov.
In the course of the conversation, the businessmen expressed their opinion.
Among the problems they stated are the transfer of land plots, business lending, lack of personnel, interaction of agricultural producers with tourist facilities and others.
In particular, the chairman of the Republican Association of Children and Youth Tourism and Recreation, entrepreneur Kairat Sultanov proposed to give tour operators the opportunity to purchase food from local agricultural producers, bypassing intermediaries.
According to the honorary worker of tourism of the Republic of Kazakhstan, President of the Association of tourism and recreation industry of Akmola region, Professor Shynarbek Batyrkhanov, the problems of the sphere also stem from the lack of a systematic approach to a unified structure of tourism management, training of personnel.
For example, at the faculties of tourism in two Kokshetau universities less than 100 students study.
- I think there was a productive conversation, an open exchange of views on the existing problems in the field of tourism.
The issues lying in the plane of the decision of the regional akimat will be considered immediately.
The expert group that was created today will begin to work further.
Within a month, its members should submit specific conclusions, on the basis of which a package of proposals will be submitted for consideration to the Government, if necessary, to the deputies of the Mazhilis, ” Marat Akhmetzhanov summed up.
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Trampling Tourists Changing Face of Athens’ Tourist Area Plaka

It’s the dilemma of too much tourism that’s making residents of Athens’ iconic Plaka, a tourist trap area filled with trinket shops and cafes and the city’s magnet for visitors that’s making residents there say will destroy the reason they come: the end of charm and tradition.

Under the Acropolis and home to many of the city’s remaining neo-Classical buildings that define architecture, Plaka is now so overrun in the warmer weather peak period months that it looks like Santorini at its busiest.

In a feature, The Daily Beast noted how the people who are being lured by the government which wants tourism, tourism, and tourism – it’s the country’s biggest revenue engine – have made Plaka resemble a faux ancient Greek Disneyland.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/tourists-are-destroying-athens-most-beautiful-neighborhood
Architect Giorgos Zafeiriou has been living there for decades, in a building he bought and renovated in 1988, a three-story structure that’s more than 130 years old, what Athens used to look like.

From the terrace he can see the Parthenon up close, as can many of his neighbors who are lucky enough to share the view that brings people, even if outside their windows and below it’s a cacophony.

The residents say that it’s not tourism that’s ruining the neighborhood – they’ve lived with that – but overtourism and what they characterize as blind government greed that ignores what it will do the neighborhood.

“When somebody tells me ‘What a beautiful neighborhood you live in’, I usually reply by ‘Thank you, but I want to keep living in here and the neighborhood to continue being beautiful,” said Zafeirou.

He is also President of the Plaka residents initiative and they’ve had it with the noise and the hustle and bustle that’s relentless and goes on into early morning hours, making it difficult to sleep.

Much of Athens is a hodge-podge of abandoned buildings, graffiti-covered structures and an endless sea of filthy, grey concrete buildings that’s the antithesis of those in the Plaka, the city having to build structures fast after the 1950s end of the Greek Civil War as people left the countryside for the city.

Athens used to be avoided by tourists because of that ugliness, or used as a jet pit stop on the way to islands and other destinations but in recent years as it’s becoming spruced up and the young have built a buzz with unique coffee shops and restaurants, once funky neighborhoods have become popular.

PUMP DOWN THE VOLUME

And when you’re in the capital, it’s the Acropolis and Parthenon that are the lure, as well as the Plaka, which adjoins Monistiraki that was the hub of activity during the 2004 Olympics.

“It’s a must-see place to visit when you find yourself in Greece’s largest city and, along with popular islands such as Mykonos and Santorini, it’s one of the most Instagrammable areas in the country,” said the piece written by Demetrios Ioannou.

Tell that to the residents. At an event for the protection of Plaka organized by the Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage (ELLET), Maria Kokkinou, a permanent resident, spoke in front of an audience that included the mayor of Athens, Kostas Bakoyiannis, about what they have been dealing with as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down and tourists have returned.

“We had a very difficult summer, sleeping with earplugs and closed windows because even the double glazing cannot limit the noise. The traffic is unbearable, Plaka is full of black vans with tinted windows blocking the streets, taking up our parking spaces.”

She also issued a warning: “If we all leave and all the houses become tacky souvenir shops, the tourists will stop coming too.” A 1999 Presidential decree that’s supposed to protect the character of Plaka has been ignored, residents say, and restaurants are churning away and loud music is ceaseless.

“In the last two years the situation has become unbearable. There are days when you literally leave your house and can’t take a step,” Lydia Carras, President of ELLET and a local in the area told the news site.

Plaka has been occupied for more than 5,000 years but the modern times in the 21st Century and the hordes of tourists trampling through have made it lose the reason why people came, the resident say.

Said Zafeiriou, as he braces for what could be a record year in 2023: “All historic city centers if they lose their inhabitants after a while they languish,” without residents and turn into an unreasonable facsimile of what was.

“The state and the municipality must really look after Plaka at all costs. Plaka has something unique and must be protected. And this must be done now before all the residents leave again,” Carras warned about it.

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This phenomenon affects communities, ecosystems, and local economies worldwide, creating a complex web of social, environmental, and economic consequences that require immediate attention and strategic intervention.

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Content: Skift Take

The UAE’s “Nature Emirate” is on a quest to become a regional leader in sustainable tourism by 2025. Its “Balanced Tourism” approach offers vibrant nature and cultural adventures alongside support and incentives for both new and existing hotels.

As travel returns, destinations and tourism boards pivoting toward sustainability — and those with the most ambitious, authentic, and achievable sustainability goals — will reshape how we travel in the decade ahead. According to Expedia Group Media Solutions’ 2022 Sustainable Travel Study, half of consumers want to see more information on sustainability from destinations.

On a mission to engage this more responsible traveler, Ras Al Khaimah has declared its vision to become the Middle East’s most sustainable destination by 2025, with the goal of attracting over 3 million visitors annually by 2030. Its new “Balanced Tourism” strategy, created in partnership with EarthCheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification, and advisory group for travel and tourism, goes far beyond tackling single-use plastic and promoting recycling to scale up sustainability in every sense.

The process began with a policy commitment from Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and its partners across government and industry, before establishing the benchmarks that progress would be measured against. The second part of the sustainability strategy takes the form of two certification programs, one for the destination and one for businesses, the latter looking to drive sustainability certification for at least 30 tourism businesses initially.

To tackle hot-button issues like overtourism, Balanced Tourism encompasses areas including cultural preservation and social and economic sustainability. As Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “Usually everybody only talks about the environmental piece and forgets about the social and the economic piece. We wanted to make sure we were supporting smaller businesses and that whatever efforts we make also keep the local ecosystem, population, culture, and heritage in mind.”

Inspired by the blueprint set by countries like Slovenia, Costa Rica, and Rwanda, Ras Al Khaimah seeks not only to build the foundations for sustainable tourism growth at home but to establish a template for other destinations that wish to make a meaningful impact on sustainability without “greenwashing” or sacrificing tourism goals.

Sustainable Development

Tourism is a central part of Ras Al Khaimah’s economy, contributing over 5 percent of its GDP and providing around 10,000 jobs. However, this growth can also threaten the country’s natural splendor, giving rise to issues like overtourism, population growth, and environmental damage.

One way in which the tourism authority plans to combat this is by taking a measured approach to hotel development. Any property will have to abide by newly introduced green building codes that prioritize sustainable standards in areas such as food waste reduction and sustainable landscaping.

“This green hotel rating is an initiative that aims to achieve 100 percent integrated sustainability in all of Ras Al Khaimah’s hotels,” said Phillips. “We’ve also launched our green public procurement program (GPP) to support the adoption of sustainable procurement practices and produce products and services that have a low environmental impact.”

Take the recently integrated Wynn Resort, set to open in 2026. The brand is known for its pioneering approach to sustainability and energy efficiency, with a target of achieving 50 percent renewable energy by 2030. It has already implemented robust waste management programs at its properties, diverting between 26 percent and 100 percent of waste from entering landfills, as well as reducing water consumption and investing in new waste-to-energy solutions.

Sustainable development is also a question of market positioning, whether to developers, existing hotels, travelers, or the wider world. “We’re open for tourists, and we love welcoming them, but the way we message and position ourselves as a sustainable destination sets a certain expectation,” said Phillips.

Hosting upcoming events like the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023 will also help set this expectation. Working with hotels to develop value propositions that cater to eco-conscious clients is another. “We want to make sure we are able to drive the maximum amount of profitability for hospitality partners,” said Phillips. “We are talking about a 50 percent five-star inventory.”

This means meeting with local community partners to help them understand how to drive a higher average rate rather than focusing on volume business, as well as setting KPIs and incentivizing with benefits such as tax offsetting. “We rebated 20 percent of the destination fee during Covid to help keep hotels afloat. Now we’ve added that element into sustainability, where based on specific metrics being met, we’re rewarding hotels and businesses,” said Phillips.

Attractions With Purpose

Unlike other tourist destinations in the UAE, Ras Al Khaimah has the advantage of being a developing destination — or what Phillips calls “a destination of the future.” This presents an opportunity to do things differently. And by investing around $140 million into 20 projects that will be built according to these new sustainability standards, Ras Al Khaimah is actively walking the walk when it comes to securing a more sustainable future.

Rather than massive attractions designed to drive mass volumes, the projects chosen have a strong sustainable focus, ranging from 50 kilometers of hiking trails to a tobogganing ride called the Jais Sledder. In the mountains, guests will be able to check into Anavrin Equestrian Resort, a wellness resort focused on “healing with horses” set to open in Q4 2022, and Saij Mountain Lodge, a protected and sustainably managed resort featuring lodges made from natural and sustainable materials, opening on Jebel Jais in 2023. At sea level, the proposed Scallop Ranch at Al Hamra Marina will enhance understanding of the marine ecosystem.

Cultural Conservation

Ras Al Khaimah is home to four cultural and heritage sites that are on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, the most among the Emirates. Preserving and restoring these cultural treasures is therefore a crucial part of its sustainability strategy, providing storied alternatives to crowded heritage sites for curious travelers.

Examples already underway include Suwaidi Pearls Farm, the only site in the UAE which still cultivates local pearls by hand, and Al Jazirah Al Hamra, an ancient pearling village of the Al Zaab tribe. Working with UNESCO experts and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a program is underway to restore the village using traditional, sustainable materials by 2025, as well as creating curated tours that underpin its unique tribal history.

Community and Liveability

In addition to these cultural restoration projects, the tourism authority is engaging with the local community by staging over 20 events a year, including the RAK Fine Arts Festival, RAK Half Marathon, DP World Tour, and UAE Tour. Its sustainability strategy also involves programs to help the community think more sustainably — for example, it created a Buy RAK program for local suppliers that have a very low carbon footprint, negotiating deals for local fishermen to be able to buy directly. This will be supported by a carbon-mindful event in December to further educate the community.

The tourism authority also acknowledges the importance of employee well-being, having launched RAKFAM, a series of initiatives aimed at enriching connectivity, community life, and facilities for tourism sector employees in the Emirate. With several progressive policies in place to promote employee well-being, the tourism authority was recognized as the sixth-best workplace in the UAE by Great Place to Work for 2022 in the “small and medium organizations” category.

Ultimately, Ras Al Khaimah is pioneering this holistic approach to destination management not just because it’s the right thing to do. “Our customers are demanding it,” Phillips said. “We know travelers are looking for destinations where sustainability is at the forefront.”

For more information about Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, click here.

This content was created collaboratively by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.

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## What is Overtourism?

Overtourism occurs when the volume of tourists exceeds a destination's capacity to maintain acceptable living conditions for residents and sustainable experiences for visitors.

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Connie Mudore: What footprints do we, as tourists, leave behind?

Like most tourists, I'd come to a tropical paradise without thinking about environmental problems caused by mass tourism. With tourists gone due to COVID, endangered species' outlook had brightened.

When COVID broke out, I was an expat living in northern Thailand. In 2020, and most of 2021, the country had no access to COVID vaccines. The Thai government shut its borders to prevent the spread of disease. Most foreigners were locked out of Thailand. I was locked in.

Thailand's shutdown of international tourism reduced the spread of COVID and was good for the natural environment. Local media reported that endangered animals were returning to coastal areas. Unfortunately, the Thai economy is heavily dependent upon international tourism. For the Thai people, the shutdown was a financial disaster.

The government launched a program to boost domestic travel and offset the money lost from international tourists. It allocated $640 million to make flights and hotels within Thailand available at a deep discount. It was a chance for Thais to travel to stunning spots in their own country they'd never been able to afford.

Since I love to snorkel, Koh Lipe, Thailand's southernmost island, was on my bucket list. Fellow snorkelers told me the island was touristy but still had healthy coral that was home to 25% of the world's tropical fish. Now that the tourists were gone, it was prime time to go. Snorkeling in the skeletal remains of dead reefs on other trips with mobs of people had been depressing. Most islands in Thailand have damaged or dead reefs due to unmanaged tourism, coastal development, bleaching, and destructive fishing.

There were no direct flights from my home in Chiang Mai to Koh Lipe, so I flew first to sprawling Hat Yai, a city 500 miles south of Bangkok. There I took a minivan to a ferry landing. From the landing, a speedboat whisked passengers across turquoise waters to Koh Lipe. Strictly enforced COVID precautions required wearing masks and getting temperature checked in all public spaces including the boat.

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There were only a handful of passengers. The ferry rammed into waves for what felt like days but was actually only a couple of hours. By the time the boat arrived at Koh Lipe, most of the passengers were seasick. One sidecar motorbike taxi waited for customers at the landing but the driver looked at me warily. I was a foreigner who seemed ill; he asked to take my temperature. Fortunately, it was normal. Satisfied that I probably didn't have COVID, he let me climb aboard the taxi and then drove the rutted road to my hotel.

Due to the pandemic, my hotel's restaurant had cut back on the hours it was open, reduced staff, and offered a limited menu. A booking site I checked for other lodging said there were 133 hotels on Koh Lipe. Since the island is only two miles long and 1.5 miles wide, that number of hotels — even partially occupied — would mean wall-to-wall people. The thought stopped me dead in my tracks. Like most tourists, I'd come to a tropical paradise without thinking about environmental problems caused by mass tourism. With tourists gone, endangered species were now returning to their homes. Walking along the deserted beach, it struck me that while I could live without ever having been to Koh Lipe, endangered animals had no choice.

After each snorkel, on my way back to the hotel, I walked past piles of plastic bags that had washed up from the sparkling sea onto the beach and through the island's deserted walking street. Its shuttered shops and restaurants made me wonder what the locals were doing to survive.

As hoped, Koh Lipe's snorkeling was good. The reefs were mostly healthy hump coral in shades of brown with patches of pink and purple. Many types of colorful fish glided through the clear water, including a school of silver trevally that formed a giant swirling funnel. But if things continued the way they had before the pandemic, the reefs' and its inhabitants' days were numbered.

The pandemic gave Thais, and everyone else, the chance to rethink business as usual. Thais questioned whether continuing to rely on international mass tourism was a good idea. The rest of us might wonder the same. Is it necessary to destroy the planet in order to take a vacation? For the sake of our world, there has to be another way.

Connie Mudore lived abroad for over a decade. Two years ago, she and her two cats put down roots in Rochester. Originally hailing from the Midwest, Connie enjoys Rochester's small town/big city vibe.

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It manifests through overcrowded infrastructure, environmental degradation, loss of local culture, and diminished quality of life for host communities.

## Causes of Overtourism

### 1.

Uncontrolled Tourism Growth
The rapid expansion of tourism without proper planning and regulation has led to unsustainable visitor numbers in many destinations.

As highlighted in Ras Al Khaimah's experience, tourism growth can threaten natural environments and local communities when not