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A US shot putter has vowed to hold on to her Olympic silver medal after being accused of breaking rules by making a political gesture on the podium.

During the photo session after the medals ceremony on Sunday night, Raven Saunders stepped off the podium, lifted her arms above her head and formed an “X” with her wrists.

Asked what that meant, she told reporters: “It’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.”

Raven Saunders competes in the final of the women's shot put
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Raven Saunders competes in the final of the women’s shot put

Saunders, 25, who styles herself as “The Hulk” by competing in a superhero mask and dyes her hair green and purple, said in a late night Twitter post: “Let them try and take this [silver] medal.

“I’m running across the border even though I can’t swim.”

Her gesture was to support the downtrodden, she indicated by retweeting an article about the action by news website theGrio.

It is not clear if she will be punished and talks are under way between Olympic officials and US team bosses, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief spokesman Mark Adams said.

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Kate Hartman, the chief spokeswoman for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, said they had reminded the IOC Saunders did not undermine the awarding of the medals or the playing of the Chinese anthem.

China‘s Gong Lijiao won gold in the event.

Raven Saunders, posed with the US flag after finishing second
Image:
Raven Saunders posed with the US flag after finishing second

The IOC, which prohibits demonstrations on the podium or during competition, said on Sunday night that an athlete’s national Olympic committee is required to issue any required punishment.

US officials have said they will not punish any athlete for exercising the right to free speech that does not express hatred.

The IOC last month relaxed rules forbidding athletes from any protests, allowing them to make gestures on the field, provided they do so without disruption and with respect for fellow competitors.

But the threat of sanctions remains for protests made on the podium during the medal ceremony.

If the IOC orders the Americans to punish an athlete and they refuse to do so, they would be in violation of the Olympic charter.

The Tokyo Games has already seen its fair share of protests.

Also on Sunday, US fencer Race Imboden took the bronze medal in foil with a circled X written on his hand. The meaning of the symbol remains unclear, but Imboden has knelt on the podium at previous tournaments to draw attention to racism and gun violence.

US fencer Race Imboden (L) with a cross on his right hand
Image:
US fencer Race Imboden (L) with a cross on his right hand

Elsewhere, the captain of the German women’s hockey team has been wearing an armband in rainbow colours in solidarity with LGBTQ communities during the team’s matches.

The Australian women’s soccer team unfurled an indigenous flag prior to their opening match and several other women’s teams, including Team GB, took a knee in a signal against racial inequality.

Costa Rican gymnast Luciana Alvarado raised a fist while taking the knee at the end of her routine, in support of racial equality.

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JonBenet Ramsey: Unsolved 1996 killing of six-year-old girl still being investigated, police say

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JonBenet Ramsey: Unsolved 1996 killing of six-year-old girl still being investigated, police say

The unsolved killing of a six-year-old beauty pageant queen is still a priority for investigators, police have insisted.

JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family home in Colorado in 1996, a case revisited in a three-part Netflix series.

Her killer has never been found, and the police department for the city of Boulder refused to answer questions on Monday about any tips they’re investigating.

“It’s obvious that the Boulder Police Department wants to solve this case and the only reason is to bring justice to the victim,” they told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.

The force instead referred to a video statement shared by police chief Steve Redfearn, in which he said officers “would love nothing more than to bring justice to her memory”.

Police outside the home in January 1997. Pic: AP
Image:
Police outside the home in January 1997. Pic: AP

That statement was made on the day after Netflix released Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramset, which has renewed interest in the killing that made global headlines.

JonBenet was found on Boxing Day several hours after her mother Patsy called police about a ransom note that had been left behind.

The girl’s father John found her that afternoon and carried her upstairs, ruining the integrity of the crime scene and sparking criticism of the police force’s handling of the case.

Details of the crime and footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the US.

John and Patsy Ramsey, the girl's parents, pictured in 2000. Pic: AP
Image:
John and Patsy Ramsey, the girl’s parents, pictured in 2000. Pic: AP

“There are a number of things that people have pointed to throughout the years that could have been done better, and we acknowledge that is true,” Mr Redfearn said last week.

“However, it is important to emphasise that while we cannot go back to that horrible day in 1996, our goal is to find JonBenet Ramsey’s killer.

“Our commitment to that has never wavered.”

While the girl’s family lived under a cloud of suspicion for years, prosecutors apologised to her parents and brother in 2008 and cleared them of any involvement.

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The Netflix series doesn’t point the finger at anyone, but does highlight her father’s hope new DNA testing might solve the case.

JonBenet’s mother died of cancer in 2006 aged 49.

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Missing woman ‘disappeared voluntarily’, police say – after dad took own life when he failed to find her

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Missing woman 'disappeared voluntarily', police say - after dad took own life when he failed to find her

A missing woman, whose dad took his own life after failing to find her, disappeared voluntarily, police have said.

Hannah Kobayashi, 30, missed a connecting flight from Hawaii to New York in Los Angeles on 8 November and vanished days later after sending “alarming” texts to her family.

Her father Ryan retraced her footsteps with relatives and volunteers, but was found dead in a car park near a Los Angeles airport on 24 November.

Overnight, police said Hannah wanted to “step away from modern connectivity” and was last seen crossing into Mexico with her luggage.

Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said there was no evidence Hannah was trafficked or a victim of a crime and classified her disappearance as a “voluntary missing person”.

“We’ve basically done everything we can do at this point. She’s left the country and is in another nation now,” he said, adding she has a right to privacy but should contact her family.

“A simple message could reassure those who care about her.”

The case will remain active until her safety is confirmed and they will be notified if she returns to the US, he said.

Hannah Kobayashi. Pic: Missing Persons of America
Image:
Pic: Missing Persons of America

Hannah had been seen around Los Angeles, police said, and had asked or her luggage to be sent back to her from New York – picking it up from the airport on 11 November and leaving without her phone.

Investigators found she “expressed the desire to step away from modern connectivity”.

Officers have questioned a man Hannah was seen with on a train, describing him as “cooperative”.

Last week, detectives determined Hannah missed her connecting flight intentionally, though her sister, Sydni, disputed his statement in a social media post.

CCTV images reviewed by police showed her walking alone and unharmed through a tunnel in San Ysidro, 125 miles southwest of Los Angeles, at midday on 12 November.

Ryan Kobayashi. Pic: PA
Image:
Ryan Kobayashi. Pic: PA

It comes after Hannah’s family said they started to receive “strange and cryptic, just alarming” texts from her before she disappeared.

These messages referenced her being “intercepted” as she got on a train and being scared someone was trying to steal her identity.

Her aunt Larie Pidgeon said “she went dark” once the family “started pressing”.

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Sky News US partner network NBC News reported one of the texts received by Hannah’s family read: “I got tricked pretty much into giving away all my funds for someone I thought I loved.”

Shortly after the message was sent, her father flew out to Los Angeles from Hawaii to search for her for 13 days.

The family said his loss ” compounded the family’s suffering immeasurably”.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital after ‘alarming blood test’

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Harvey Weinstein rushed to hospital after 'alarming blood test'

Harvey Weinstein has been taken to hospital after an “alarming blood test result”, his lawyers have said.

The 72-year-old required “immediate medical attention” following the test and was taken from the Rikers Island jail complex to Bellevue Hospital in New York City, according to his lawyers.

Weinstein’s lawyers said: “Harvey Weinstein, who has been suffering from a lack of adequate medical care and enduring deplorable and inhumane conditions on Rikers Island, has been transported to Bellevue Hospital for emergent treatment due to an alarming blood test result that requires immediate medical attention.

“It is expected that he will remain there until his condition stabilises.”

They added: “His deprivation of care is not only medical malpractice, but a violation of his constitutional rights.”

The former movie mogul is awaiting a retrial over his 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction, which was overturned by New York’s highest court in April.

The case is set to be retried in 2025. Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.

Last month his lawyers filed a legal claim against New York City alleging he is receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions at the jail.

The notice of the claim accuses the facility of failing to manage Weinstein’s medical conditions, which include chronic myeloid leukaemia and diabetes.

It also accuses it of negligence, ranging from “freezing” conditions to a lack of clean clothes.

The legal claim seeks $5m (£3.9m) in damages.

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Weinstein had emergency surgery to remove fluid around his heart and lungs in September and in July he was in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19 and contracting double pneumonia.

His spokesperson said: “Mr Weinstein, who is suffering from a number of illnesses, including leukaemia, has been deprived the medical attention that someone in his medical state deserves, prisoner or not.

“In many ways, this mistreatment constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.”

He was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. His 16-year sentence in that case still stands, but his lawyers launched an appeal against that verdict in June, claiming he did not get a fair trial.

Weinstein still faces two other criminal counts – a criminal sexual act charge and a rape charge – to which he has pleaded not guilty.

He also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of sexual assault in September.

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