Earlier, the United States has expelled 60 Russian diplomats and shut down a country's consulate in Seattle in connection with the Skripal scandal, triggering a response from Moscow that expelled 58 diplomats from the US Embassy in Moscow and two employees from the US Consulate General in Yekaterinburg. The Russian Foreign Ministry said it had noted a sharp intensification of provocations targeting Russian diplomats in the United States. "In recent days, following the announcement of the removal from [the US] of 60 Russian diplomats, US intelligence agencies have been making feverish attempts to contact them," the ministry said in a statement on its website. The ministry also noted that "there was a series of outrageous episodes" when diplomats whom Washington had pressed to end their business trips, were offered "assistance" in exchange for unofficial relations "on a mutually beneficial basis." The statement also noted that the Russian diplomats are "literally attacked" by the intelligence agencies' proposals. READ MORE: London Given a Month to Cut Number of Diplomats in Russia — Moscow The US expelled 60 Russian diplomats and closed the Russian Consulate General in Seattle in solidarity with the United Kingdom that had expelled 23 diplomats earlier. Another 25 countries have also made similar moves. The expulsions were announced as UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that Moscow was "highly likely" behind the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The two were found unconscious in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 after being exposed to what UK experts claim was an A234 nerve agent. Russia has strongly rejected the accusations of the involvement in the poisoning as groundless and offered assistance in the ongoing probe; however, Moscow’s requests for samples of the chemical substance allegedly used to poison the ex-spy have been rejected.

President Trump has said that the US would leave Syria "like, very soon," seeming to catch his own officials from the Pentagon and State Department off guard. Ilter Turan, professor of international relations at Turkey's Istanbul Bilgi University, spoke to Sputnik about the implications of Trump's remarks, and of his recent political appointments. At a rally in Ohio on Thursday, Trump boasted that the US was "knocking the hell out of ISIS*," and repeated several times that US forces would be "coming out" of Syria "very soon" and letting "other people take care of it." An estimated 2,000 US troops are currently stationed in the country, operating alongside the majority Kurdish Syrian Democratic forces in the country's north and east. Meanwhile, French media reportedThursday that the country's troops will be sent to the Syrian city of Manbij to assist Kurdish militants against Turkey's ongoing Operation Olive Branch offensive. Speaking to Radio Sputnik, Dr. Turan said that Trump's remarks must be taken with a grain of salt. Sputnik: This is not the first time the US has promised to remove its forces from Syria. Do you think it's likely that they will actually leave? Ilter Turan: Under normal circumstances, what an American president says would be taken seriously. Except there are already indications that this was not a carefully prepared remark. It seems that Mr. Trump said this without a carefully planned exit [strategy] from Syria. Even when carefully prepared statements were made by Mr. Obama with regards to getting out of Iraq, we should remember that he actually failed to get his forces out of Iraq. So I think Mr. Trump's comment may be well-intended, but it does not allow us to immediately judge that the United States will be leaving Syria very soon. Sputnik: How long do you believe the US will remain in Syria? Ilter Turan: The American presence in Syria has been going on for some time. It escalated over time, and the Americans professed some goals that they wanted to achieve. This includes of course the eradication of the Islamic State, but people have also said that the more comprehensive reason that the Americans are present in Syria is to arrest the projection of power by Iran toward the West. So it seems to be a rather difficult question to answer. I think the indications by other agencies than the president himself suggest that this is going to be a long-term process. Read More: Assad's Adviser: Syria Determined to Force US, Turkish 'Occupation Forces' Out Sputnik: Perhaps this is a statement that was made to appeal to Trump's voter base? Do you think it should be seen in the context of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections? Ilter Turan: The interesting thing is that in recent times, I was not aware of Syria constituting an important issue of contention in American elections. There have been a number of domestic questions, but with regards to foreign policy, trade restrictions and immigration, etc. have been in the forefront of the debate, rather than the American involvement in Syria. So from that perspective this is really unusual. Sputnik: In light of Mike Pompeo being selected by Trump as his new secretary of state, do you think it's likely that US foreign policy in Syria is going to change anytime in the near future? Ilter Turan: My anticipation, if these remarks were basically made on the spur of the moment, would be that the American establishment will gradually persuade the president to suggest that his comments were well-meant, but there were still many things to be done, so that 'very soon' would be 'very soon after all these goals have been achieved' or something like that. I don't anticipate significant changes right away. Sputnik: What about John Bolton's choice as Trump's national security advisor, and the concerns that have been voiced about his appointment? Ilter Turan: Bolton has rather hawkish views; he would have significant difficulty in getting along with the rest of the Trump appointees. So his appointment may not last that long. It seems that the circulation of people, the attrition rate among them in the Trump administration is very high; it wouldn't be surprising if Mr. Bolton might not stay there as long as people think he will. Sputnik: At the same time that we have this statement by Donald Trump, we also have this increased interest by France to get involved in the Syrian conflict. What do you make of that? Ilter Turan: I'm sort of curious as to why France seems to be so interested in interfering in many places in the world. They have been very active in parts of Africa, as you know. They were present in Lebanon. And now they want to be present in Syria. I have a feeling that the French might be operating under a number of different motives; one of them is that France would like to see itself as a major power, and is willing to use military power. Another thing we're not particularly sure about is whether Mr. Macron and Mr. Trump reached some understandings in their phone conversations, because it seems that Mr. Macron is one of those rare European leaders that seems to have hit it off with Mr. Trump reasonably well, and they communicate. So they may have reached an agreement whereby France may be assuming more responsibilities [in Syria], allowing the United States to reduce its responsibilities.

While the yuan is displaying record gains against the United States dollar, it appears that the Chinese government is seeking to find an alternative to using the American currency in payments for imported crude oil. Gradually strengthening against the US dollar this week, the Chinese yuan is expected to post its"“biggest quarterly gain in a decade," The Business Times newspaper reports. According to the newspaper, "the yuan opened at 6.2870 per dollar in the spot market and was changing hands at 6.2695 at midday." Tang Xiangbin, an analyst at the China Minsheng Corp., pointed out that the gradual flow of capital to China has continued since last year, and that this trend will continue "as China further deregulates its capital markets." Earlier this week Reuters also reported, citing its own sources, that China is currently making moves to start paying for crude oil imports using the yuan, posing a potential challenge to the global dominance of the petrodollar. The pilot program for yuan payments "could be launched as early as the second half of this year," sources said, adding that this development "will also improve the yuan liquidity in the global market."

Earlier, some 20 European states, as well as the US and several non-EU UK allies, had backed London in its accusations against Moscow, claiming its alleged role in the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal. The Russian Foreign Ministry has decided to expel diplomats from the European states that had taken a similar move toward Moscow. Moscow has expelled: Italy: 2 diplomats Finland: 1 diplomats Poland: 4 diplomats Lithuania: 3 diplomats Netherlands: 2 diplomats Latvia: 1 diplomat Sweden: 1 diplomat Estonia: 1 military attache Czech Republic: 3 diplomats Germany: 4 diplomats Ukraine: 13 diplomats Moldova: 3 diplomats Romania: 1 diplomat Norway: 1 diplomat Spain: 2 diplomats Croatia: 1 diplomat Denmark: 2 diplomats Ireland: 1 diplomat As for Belgium, Hungary, Montenegro and Georgia, Moscow said it reserves the right to respond to this countries regarding their actions over Skripal case. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas responded to the expulsion of the country's four diplomats, noting that the decision was "not surprising" and "had not been taken lightly" in Berlin. DETAILS TO FOLLOW Earlier in the day, Moscow summoned ambassadors of the countries that had taken hostile actions over the Skripal case in order to hand them notes and protest and inform of response measures over the expulsion of Russian diplomats. Sputnik correspondent reported that envoys of 15 European countries, including Italy, Poland, Netherlands, Albania, Romania, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Belgium, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, as well as the Australian and Canadian ambassadors had been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. READ MORE: Kremlin Disagrees With US Claims That Russia is Waging 'Diplomatic War' German Ambassador Ruediger von Fritsch said that in the Russian Foreign Ministry he had the opportunity to stress two things. "The first, good relations with Russia are in Germany’s interests … We are ready for this and we are open for dialogue. The second, in light of recent tragic events in Salisbury, the Russian government has to do everything to bring clarity and to respond to open, just questions," the envoy said. On March 29, Russia removed 60 US diplomatic personnel and ordered to shut down Washington's General Consulate in Saint Petersburg, a reciprocal move, prompted by a US decision to do the same showing solidarity with the UK over alleged Moscow's involvement in the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The development comes a day after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to expel diplomats from 25 countries that had expelled Russian diplomats after backing UK Prime Minister Theresa May's accusations regarding the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Despite the fact that the UK police probe into the incident has been underway and is due to be completed in several months, London has been claiming that Moscow has been "highly likely" behind the alleged "attack" on the former intelligence officer. The Russian Foreign Ministry has slammed the "baseless" accusations and demanded access to the case's materals, including the nerve gas allegedly used to poison Skripals. The request has been ultimately denied by London.

With about 64 percent of the globe's foreign exchange reserves currently denominated in dollars, conditions for buying the euro have reportedly started to show signs of improving. The world's largest central banks are considering reducing their dollar reserves, and turning to the euro in light of increasing US protectionism, according to Bloomberg. "With US protectionism on the rise, a number of Wall Street strategists say the case for the euro has rarely been better," the news agency reported. READ MORE: US Resorts to Trade Protectionism Against Chinese High-Tech Companies — Analyst Bloomberg also cited Wall Street's top-ranked currency strategist Jens Nordvig as saying that "a half-trillion dollars could flow into the euro in the next two years," which he said is tantamount to a 25-percent increase in the euro's reserve share. READ MORE: Drop it Low: US Dollar Down Under Trump’s Presidency Citing the lion's share the US dollar maintains in international reserves, worth 11.3 trillion dollars, Bloomberg pointed out that even a small shift related to diversification and protection against Trump's trade policy "could have big consequences."

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has invited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in a hearing on April 10 concerning protection and monitoring of consumer data, the lawmaker's office said in a press release on Monday. "Grassley today invited Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify at the hearing to discuss Facebook's past and future policies regarding the protection and monitoring of consumer data," the release said. In addition, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have also been invited to discuss the future of data privacy in the social media industry, the release added. The hearing will focus on misuse of consumer data and steps companies like Facebook can take to better protect personal information, the release added. Earlier in March, media reported that the personal information of about 50 million Facebook users had been harvested without their permission by Cambridge Analytica. The firm used data to develop a mechanism that would predict and influence the behavior of voters. Cambridge Analytica worked for President Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 election, among others.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin noted progress in Russian-Qatari relations as well as positive prospects for mutual trade at a meeting with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Monday. "Our trade increased last year. However, [the figure] in absolute terms does not reflect our capacities, but the trend is very good. Investment cooperation is developing… We met almost two years ago, but relations between our countries are constantly developing, we are in regular contact. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries," Putin said. Trade between the two countries amounted to $73 million in 2017 compared to $59 million in the previous year, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service (FCS). The Emir also stressed that bilateral relations had "noticeably strengthened" over the last few years. He touched upon the countries’ cultural cooperation, adding that he had visited the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow within the framework of the cross-cultural year between Russia and Qatar. He agreed with Putin that the countries should build on their "solid ties" and "mutual trust" to further strengthen bilateral relations in all areas and make sure that the state of relations "meets our ambitions." The Emir also positively assessed Russia’s contribution to settling international issues. "We are counting on our Russian friends … Russia plays a considerable role with regard to the issues of the Arab world, its historical ties with Arab countries, including the role it plays while assisting some countries of the region to settle their problems," he said, expressing his intention to cover the relevant topics during the talks. Since September 2015, Russia has been engaged in a military operation against terrorist groups in Syria at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Moscow, alongside Tehran and Ankara, is also a guarantor of the ceasefire regime in the conflict-hit country and a participant of the Astana process on the Syrian crisis settlement.

China’s growing military and economic clout in Africa is the cause of serious concern in Washington. Members of the House Intelligence Committee are going to investigate “many aspects” of China’s growing worldwide military and economic presence. “We believe they are looking at investing in ports and infrastructure around the world, not just for military capabilities but also to control those governments,” the committee’s chairman, Devin Nunes, told Fox News. He also mentioned the military base that China recently opened in Djibouti. In February 2016, Beijing said it was launching the construction of the Djibouti facility, which it calls a logistical center. The base was opened on August 1, 2017. Even though the Chinese authorities keep mum about the number of people it is going to deploy at the base, media reports put their estimated number at around 10,000. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian earlier said that the base would mainly be used for patrol missions, humanitarian operations and serve as a refuel and restock site for Chinese vessels, as well as to provide recreational facilities for the sailors engaged in anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, off the Somali coast. READ MORE: Neighbors: China Builds Africa Base Near US Base, Americans Express Concern Washington has long been alarmed by China's growing influence in Africa and Latin America, where Beijing is spending billions of dollars in direct investments into long-term economic projects.

The project involves installing tens of thousands of fuel-burning chambers high on the Tibetan mountains which will release particles into the atmosphere to allow massive clouds to form. China is building a low-cost rain making system to attract more rain to its Tibetan plateau. The country is the first in the world to attempt such a large-scale application of the technology. “The chambers burn solid fuel to produce silver iodide, a cloud-seeding agent with a crystalline structure much like ice,” South China Morning Post reported. This project could increase rainfall by up to 10 billion cubic meters annually, which is about 7 percent of China’s total water consumption. The chambers will be built over a total area of around 1.6 million square kilometers (620,000 square miles), which is some three times the size of Spain. “[So far,] more than 500 burners have been deployed on alpine slopes in Tibet, Xinjiang and other areas for experimental use. The data we have collected show very promising results,” a researcher working on the system told the South China Morning Post. The system is being developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Russia's independence on the world scene, as well as the strengthening of its economic and defense spheres, is seen as aggression against NATO countries and needs to be neutralized. This is what numerous reports by the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence regularly state. Sputnik discussed relations between Russia and the West with Dr. Jan Oberg, the director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research. Sputnik: So why is Russia viewed as a hostile country by the West and namely by NATO, lots of people have been discussing this especially after Vladimir Putin's re-election as president what's your take on it? READ MORE: Skripal Case: EU Gets 'Signals' US Wants to Expel Russian Diplomats - Reports Dr. Jan Oberg: My take on it is that threats, threat images people who are your enemies, is something you construct, it's not something that you measure objectively and then you shape your defense system or security politics accordingly, you have what I used to call the "military industrial media academic complex," MIMAC, and that turns out weapons and new technologies and companies earning money from doing these products and arms traders are profiting from selling them around the world, and in order to do that you have, one, to make people fear, because they are the tax payers that are supposed to finance this madness, and the other thing is that you create these images of who you should fear and if you have no enemies this system of continuous production of the MIMAC would not exist, would not be possible. So it goes the other way from what media generally think and the media are complicit in all this because they turn out these images of threat and dangers and blah blah, blah, and unless you have knowledge and you're an educated person and you don't believe in mainstream media, then you're fooled, so this is basically my take on this, this is very sad that this is happening, but, of course, with the end of the Cold War in 1989 -1990 Russia was not a problem, but Russia is coming back from being on its knees and the West has gotten used to acting like it's alone in the world and it can do whatever it pleases, it's even formulated in the national defense strategy of the United States, so when you're on your way down, and the American empire is on its way down, and global dominance is definitely on its way down, and China is coming up, then basically what you do is use the means that you are best at and you're best at modern technology, at communication technology and your best at military technology but it is, anyhow, the sign of the weakness of the West that they have to play these games. READ MORE: Russia Discomforted Over EU Aggression, Volatility Amid Skripal Case - Peskov Sputnik: Do you think the world will ever see an environment without, you mentioned the word MIMAC, do you think we could ever aspire or live in a world where we are totally comfortable within our country bounds and not feel any threats from any forces external, from any other countries it would be a wonderful existence if we could, and we wouldn't be going through this constant barrage and we wouldn't be having this conversation to start with, would we? What's your feeling about that? Dr. Jan Oberg: I think that's perfectly possible, I have been a professional peace and conflict researcher for about 40 years, and that's the kind of things we are working with, we are working with constructive images of what the world should be like and how nations should behave and governments should behave in order to create a more secure, safe and peaceful world and it is perfectly possible, it's just not possible with the mainstream thinking that security means military, getting your way means military, and if you do not like a country or government it means military. I mean, the Western world which is so superior to Russia, NATO's 29 countries having something like 12 times more military expenditures than Russia, there is much less balance, the whole thing is much less balanced than it was during the first Cold War and, anyhow, they have this hysteria going on everywhere that we are threatened in the West, so there is no doubt we could live much more peacefully, I'm glad you're raising this questions, because no journalist usually raises that type of alternative questions, and it would have to do with all countries having defense, it would have to mean that we would have to invest much more in learning to handle conflicts intelligently. The reason so much weaponry is used and wars are fought, is people are illiterate when it comes to handling their conflicts because, you know, there will always be conflicts, there are conflicts in any family, between people at their workplace, conflicts are something good and violence is something bad and we should learn, and that's why I believe in education all over the place, we should learn how to conflict intelligently instead of ending up somewhere where survival is being threatened, that's perfectly possible but it takes research, it takes effort, it takes interest, it takes political interest and that interest does not exist because of the because of the undemocratic cancer that is growing on societies with militarism. Sputnik: That's why it's so depressing, isn't it? You've mentioned why is a journalist asking you this alternative question, I think we get to a stage as human beings we're so tired of living in a post-fact and post-evidence society that we have to question it, and any normal human being who's got sensitivity will feel totally depressed the way the world is thriving and driving forward, there's got to be another way forward truly there must be something this global audience can do to affect a change, it just appears that it is going to take a hell of a long time and it does concern the general public. Do you think that Washington's current course includes treating Russia as a partner or as an adversary? What are the reasons for it? It doesn't seem anything else but as an adversary, does it? READ MORE: MI5 Tips Against 'Honey Traps' For Businessmen Visiting Russia Dr. Jan Berg: Let me just respond to one little thing that you've said about being depressed, because I never want to leave people feeling depressed or anyone else feeling depressed. I'm totally sure that there is a great and more peaceful world ahead of us, if we survive the next five or ten years, and that five or ten years is the fall of the US empire, after that there are all opportunities for a cooperative world, no single country trying to dominate everybody, this will be the last empire in human history, because nobody will try to dominate 7, 8, 10 billion people's lives anymore, this is the last. And secondly, there are so many good things happening in the world, there so many people in the world that think like you and me, it's just for the media, to them bad news is good news and there's no good news out of the good news in the media. There's a certain type of partnership in Syria on small points, but I think at the moment the US is so desperate about it losing power internationally that it sees, basically, everybody as an enemy. The views and opinions expressed by Dr. Jan Berg are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

Hours after Stormy Daniels' much-anticipated "60 Minutes" interview aired Sunday, Michael Avenatti, the adult film actress' lawyer, sat down with Savannah Guthrie on the "Today" show to address the latest revelations. During the interview, Guthrie suggested that Avenatti's refusal to release evidence proving that Daniels' alleged 2006 affair with US President Donald Trump actually happened made it seem like he was "playing games" by sending out cryptic messages on Twitter. "She's answered some very difficult questions… we're not going to play our hand right now and the reason is because we have a case to win," Avenatti told Guthrie moments before the journalist brought up his Thursday tweet."I'm not playing games," Avenatti said. "There will be more evidence. It's just not going to happen right now. Everyone wants immediate gratification. It's not going to happen right now." Shifting to a different topic, Guthrie later brought up the portion of the "60 Minutes" interview when Daniels recounted an unidentified man threatening her to keep silent about the affair."There was a specific reference by that individual to Mr. Trump, so it's pretty clear that it could've only come from one place only," Avenatti said. "It had to be someone that was either related or sent by Mr. Trump or Mr. Cohen… someone from that side had to have directed it because it would have made no sense for it to come from any place else." The Los Angeles-based lawyer went on to note that Daniels had shared more details about the Trump affair in the interview, but that footage wound up on the cutting room floor due to the show's time restraints."She was prepared to discuss intimate details relating to Mr. Trump," Avenatti told Guthrie. "She can describe his genitalia. She can describe various conversations that they had that leave no doubt as to whether this woman is telling the truth." "And if she's not telling the truth, let the president take to the podium and call her a liar. Let the president come forward and say it never happened. There is a reason why this $130,000 was paid and it wasn't paid because she made this story up," he added. However, while Avenatti continued to promise more forthcoming details, a lawyer representing Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, nonetheless sent a "cease and desist" letter to Daniels after the actress implied that Cohen was in some way linked to the incident, according to the Washington Times. Aside from demanding that Daniels stops spreading "false and defamatory statements," the letter also requested that Avenatti and Daniels "immediately retract and apologize" for statements suggesting Cohen had anything to do with the threat. During the White House' press briefing Monday, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah told reporters that Trump has "consistently denied" the affair allegations and that her claims are not accurate."The president doesn't believe any of the claims that Ms. Daniels made last night in the [60 Minutes] interview are accurate," Shah told NBC's Kristen Welker, before adding that POTUS doesn't believe Daniels was threatened. "He just doesn't believe that… there is nothing to corroborate her claims," Shah explained. The official never confirmed whether or not Trump actually sat down to watch the interview. Daniels has since responded to the "cease and desist" order by suing Michael Cohen for defamation. The suit, according to The Hill, zeros in on a comment Cohen previously made last month that stated: "Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause you harm or damage."

European countries and the US along with Canada have decided to expel Russian diplomats amid the Skripal case."We express a decisive protest over the decision taken by a number of EU and NATO countries to expel Russian diplomats. There will be a mirror-like response. We will work it out in the coming days and give our response with regard to each country… We consider this step as unfriendly and not serving the tasks and interests of establishing the causes and finding the perpetrators of the incident that took place on March 4 in Salisbury," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, powerful forces in the US and the UK are behind the poisoning attack on ex-spy Skripal in Salisbury. The following countries have announced the expulsion of Russian diplomats, Poland — 4 Lithuania — 3 Latvia — 1 The Netherlands — 2 Ukraine — 13 France — 4 Denmark — 2 The Czech Republic — 3 Estonia — 1 Germany — 4 Italy — 2 Romania — 1 Finland — 1 Croatia — 1 Sweden — 1 Albania — 2 Spain — 2 Norway — 1 Hungary — 1 The US — 60 Canada — 4 Hungary — 1 Macedonia — 1 READ MORE: Ambassador Slams US Decision to Expel 60 Russian Diplomats, Close Consulate"Fourteen out of 28 EU member-states have decided to expel diplomats from the Russian Federation as a measure of solidarity with London on the Skripal case… Additional measures, including further sanctions within the common EU framework, cannot be excluded in the coming days and weeks," European Council President Donald Tusk said. Moscow will retaliate against a series of expulsions of Russian diplomats from European countries and will provide a mirror-like response with regard to each case in the coming days, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Moscow has been ready for the decision of Western countries to expel Russian diplomats, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The Russian Consulate in Seattle is working to minimize the effects of the US closure of the mission, the senior Russian consul said."The Slovak Republic unequivocally condemned the nerve agent attack in Salisbury [the United Kingdom], joined the decisions of the European Council on March 22, 2018, and reserved the right to take further steps in connection with this incident… After the careful consideration of the options, the republic's Foreign Ministry has decided to urgently summon the Russian ambassador to Slovakia on Tuesday, March 27, and ask him for an explanation of the incident," Slovakia's Foreign Ministry's spokesman Peter Susko said. Four Russian diplomats who have been expelled from Germany over Russia's alleged involvement in the case of poisoning the former GRU colonel Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom must leave Germany within a week, the German Foreign Ministry said."Today we, just like other EU countries and countries outside of the European Union, have decided to expel two Russian diplomats. The Russian ambassador was informed today that Denmark is expelling two Russian diplomats," Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said. READ MORE: Moscow to Respond to Expulsion of Russian Diplomats Reciprocally — Kremlin Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said "We have to do the utmost to show… solidarity with our allies," and to come up with "coordinated measures" as well as national measures."Today, Poland decided to declare four Russian diplomats persona non-grata," Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said. Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser said that the Russian ambassador was given today a note on the expulsion of the military attache from the country."Based on what has been discussed at the European Council meeting, Hungary is expelling a Russian diplomat also conducting intelligence activities," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary said. Ireland is ready to expel at least one Russian diplomat, according to Irish Times."In response to the cynical chemical attack in Salisbury, Ukraine, in a spirit of solidarity with our British partners and trans-Atlantic allies, and in coordination with the EU countries, has decided to expel 13 Russian diplomats… Our diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation have been de- facto frozen, as you know," Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wrote in his Facebook. The Mexican Foreign Ministry condemns the nerve gas attack in the UK on March 4 and informs that it reserves the right to take diplomatic action, including the expulsion of officials, pending an investigation into the matter. Canada's decision to expel Russian diplomats has delivered another huge blow to bilateral relations, the Russian Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement on Monday. According to the Russian Embassies in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, the Ambassadors to these countries have been summoned earlier to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the respective nations. Austria & Bulgaria Keep Channels Open for Dialogue Austria will not expel Russian diplomats, as it intends to keep channels open for dialogue with Moscow, according to the cabinet spokesman. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that Austria would remain neutral and would work to restore relations between East and West. "We will not take any measures at the national level, we will not expel diplomats. The reason for this is that we intend to keep open channels of dialogue with Russia. Austria is a neutral country and a kind of bridge between East and West. But we support the decision to recall the EU ambassador from Moscow," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Twitter. Bulgaria, for its part, doesn't intend to expel Russian diplomats, the ministry said. Turkey doesn't plan anti-Russian measures over Skripal case, according to the Prime Minister deputy."The crisis with the former agent concerns relations between the Russian Federation and Great Britain. They must resolve this question among themselves. Turkey is not going to take any decisions with respect to Russia in this regard. We have good relations with Russia," Turkish Vice-Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said. Czech PM: 'Unreported Spies' to be Expelled The Czech Prime Minister says not Russian diplomats, but "unreported spies" will be expelled from the Czech Republic over the Skripal case."The use of a term ‘diplomat' [in the light of the issue of expulsion] is wrong. In fact, these are people who are called ‘unreported spies.' It seems that there are more of them in the Czech Republic than in any other country in Europe… Moreover, the Russian side has scandalously accused us, saying this Novichok poison is allegedly being manufactured here. This is a blatant lie," Andrej Babis wrote on his Facebook page. READ MORE: UK Defense Secretary Claims Arrest Warrant Issued for 'Doubtful' Russian Capital Earlier, Czech PM Andrej Babis at the EU summit in Brussels had told reporters that he was considering the possible expulsion of several Russian diplomats from Prague in solidarity with Britain over the Salisbury case."Although it [the United Kingdom] is withdrawing from the European Union, we must do everything to ensure that Europe remains strong and united. In addition, the United Kingdom is a prominent member of NATO and, in terms of European and transatlantic security, an important partner for the Czech Republic. Thus, I repeat, we must support the United Kingdom," Babis said. Government Official Arrested in Poland On Suspicion of Spying for Russia Poland's security agents have detained a government official and suspect him of providing Russia with secrets about tactics Warsaw projected to use to try to block the construction of a gas pipeline, the Polish government said. The official, who has been named only as Marek W., has been responsible for energy projects and allegedly was providing the Russians with information on how Warsaw intended to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Stanislaw Zaryn, spokesman for the minister responsible for the secret services. READ MORE: Polish Foreign Ministry to Advise Germany Against Nord Stream 2 After Salisbury Poland opposes the building of Nord Stream 2, which would connect Russia to Germany through a pipeline across the Baltic Sea and enable Moscow to pump more gas to its main markets in Western Europe while detouring states further east. Warsaw states the pipeline would extend Gazprom's dominant claimson the gas market in central and eastern Europe, limit competition and increase Europe's dependence on Russian gas. 'Loyal-Lip Servicing' — Russian FM Spokeswoman Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the expulsion of Russian diplomats from EU countries as being loyal lip service to the UK and accused London of imposing on Europeans a deterioration in relations with Russia."Now the ‘parade of sovereignties’ will start, the-loyal lip service of political support by EU countries for London," wrote the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on her Facebook page. She noted that "everything that will happen now in the public-diplomatic sphere (reviews, expulsions, etc.) will be explained by the EU as 'solidarity' with London, as the EU's foreign policy requires." "When London leaves the EU, amid its Brexit process, it will not be bound by the framework of a general line in foreign policy. It will be able to start a game for approaching or removal. But the countries remaining in the European Union will be bound by the mutual guarantee of anti-Russian solidarity, the has already been imposed by the British," she said. READ MORE: Skripal Case: EU Gets 'Signals' US Wants to Expel Russian Diplomats — Reports The moves come a few days after the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the UK amid Theresa May accusing Moscow of Sergei Skripal's poisoning. Commenting on the expulsion of Russian diplomats from various EU countries, Britain has welcomed the support displayed at a summit last week by other EU countries, but it is up to them if they decide to take further action against Moscow, a spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said."You saw at the European Council a very positive response from our partners who said they agreed with the UK's assessment. In terms of decisions which countries may choose to take when they're planning further action, that's obviously a matter for them," he told reporters. At the EU summit in Brussels, the heads of European countries expressed their solidarity with the UK’s measures.

Hi Ethan I would like to get an invite to BitSpyder. Cheers.

sportscult is good also

In the NFL my favorite team is the Browns. Hard time to be a Browns fan today, but I hope they draft well this year and they could surprise some folks this year. In college football Michigan is my team, then Stanford.

A girl with the rifle, she is really good.

Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont has been detained in Germany, the Reuters news agency reported, citing his lawyer. Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont had left Finland before the country's police could arrest him in line with an arrest warrant issued by Spain, Puigdemont's lawyer Jaume Alonso Cuevillas announced earlier. German police say Puigdemont has been detained on a European arrest warrant. The ex-head of Catalonia is currently being held at a police station. The Spanish Public Prosecutor's Office will submit the required documents to their German counterparts and the Eurojust agency to enable the extradition of the former President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont, local media reported. The German Federal Public Prosecution Office is supposed to make a decision on the extradition within 60 days, however, this time frame may be prolonged under exceptional circumstances, said the EFE news agency, citing sources. READ MORE: Catch Me If You Can: Ex-Catalan Head Flees Finland Amid Issued Arrest Warrant Carles Puigdemont said that he was ready for talks with the Spanish central government, and believed that his return would be evidence of the normalization of politics and democracy in the country. The supporters of Catalonia's independence have taken to the streets of Barcelona, protesting against Puigdemont's detention. On October 1, 2017, Catalonia held a referendum on the region's independence from Spain. The vast majority of voters backed secession. The plebiscite was not, however, recognized by Madrid, which subsequently imposed direct rule over the autonomous region and dismissed its government. Spanish authorities have opened a criminal case against 30 Catalan politicians and officials, arresting four of them, while Puigdemont, as well as several advisers of the dissolved Catalan government, fled Spain before the trial.

A US Senate committee wants Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify on the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which revealed how Facebook users’ data was used by the consulting firm to influence the 2016 US Presidential election. Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, made the demand in a joint statement on Friday. The bipartisan duo said the committee needs to understand “how the company plans to restore lost trust, safeguard users’ data, and end a troubling series of belated responses to serious problems.” House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders have also formally invited the Facebook founder and CEO to testify in response to the “disturbing allegations,” in a letter on Friday. The requests follow revelations that Cambridge Analytica (CA) obtained data on 50 million Facebook users, without the users’ knowledge, which CA allegedly then used as part of President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. The firm was reportedly paid $5million by the Trump campaign for their efforts. This week, Facebook stock dropped by tens of billions of dollars in the wake of the scandal.

Mark Zuckerberg, head of the world’s largest social media platform, has issued an apology for the scandal over Facebook’s security. Zuckerberg chose a decidedly quaint medium through which to do so – the British newspaper. The billionaire placed full-page ads in a number of Sunday publications in response to pressure from US and European governments following the leak of 50 million users’ data to Cambridge Analytica. The UK political consulting firm is accused of using the information to influence the US presidential election. "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it," the advert read. The Observer, the newspaper that has led the Cambridge Analytica revelations in recent days, also carried the ad. Zuckerberg described the leak as a “breach of trust” and said Facebook was investigating other apps that had access to the data. “We expect there are others. And we find them, we will ban them and tell everyone affected,” he said. The Facebook CEO has seen the value of his company drop as much as $50billion since the story broke last week. Cambridge Analytica claims the data was obtained legally, and was deleted at Facebook's request. The offices of the consultancy firm were searched by Britain’s data protection watchdog Friday night. Zuckerberg’s apology is seen by some as an attempt at damage limitation after the company saw advertisers deserting the platform in recent days. Mozilla and German financial institution Commerzbank have suspended their ads, while Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk joined the #deletefacebook movement trending on Twitter by removing his company’s Facebook pages.

Awesome. 10 out of 10! :)

Which sports game of the two is better?

Best genre of music is...

Which is the best american professional sports league?

At the top of March, notorious "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for various securities-fraud-related charges. Shkreli will also be forced to forfeit more than $7.3 million in assets as part of U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto's ruling, which includes his $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, in addition to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter V to cover the fine. According to the Department of Justice's filing earlier this week, the U.S. government "hereby give notice of its intent to dispose of the forfeited property in such manner as the United States Attorney General may direct." The public has 60 days from from filing day to "claim interest" in the property before being discarded. Forbes reached out to a government representative who stated the albums' fate will, in turn, be decided "directly by the civil division of the U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York." With that said, Justice Department head Jeff Sessions will remain "indirectly responsible" for the forfeiture case decision. The bizarre saga gets even more complicated from a legal standpoint, as the Wu-Tang album has not been seized yet, according to Peter Scoolidge, attorney for Shaolin producer Tarik "Cilvaringz" Azzougarh. He recently relayed to Forbes, "The contract the album was sold under requires Mr. Shkreli to bind any new taker of the album to all of the same terms it was sold under," says Scoolidge. "If and when that happens, my client could file papers in the forfeiture proceeding to enforce the restrictions on use of the album."