Russia: Nearly two dozen Russian diplomats expelled by Britain over the poisoning of an ex-spy arrived home, while a Russian scientist involved in the creation of the nerve agent said it could be manufactured by other countries. Leonid Rink told the state RIA Novosti news agency that Britain and others could easily synthesize Novichok after chemical expert Vil Mirzayanov emigrated to the US and revealed its formula.
Britain: Politicians on both sides of the divide in Scotland have criticised a Brexit transition deal which fails to deliver full control over fishing rights, with Conservatives suggesting they could not support a final agreement unless it did so. The pro-independence Scottish National Party called the deal a sell-out and a Conservative Party MP said it would be easier "to drink a pint of cold sick" than sell it as a success. According to a transition deal, Britain will remain within the European Union Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which covers fishing stocks and vessel access, for the 20-month period after Britain leaves the EU. Fishing is a particularly sensitive subject as it is an industry primarily based in Scotland. Tensions are already high north of the border because of a dispute over how Brexit will change the balance of powers devolved out of London, including those covering fishing and agriculture.
United States: Lab results have revealed the answer to a mystery at an Oklahoma zoo: Just what caused a female lion to sprout a mane. The Oklahoma City Zoo says in its March newsletter that testing at the University of Tennessee found the African lioness named Bridget has an elevated level of androstenedione, a hormone that can contribute to developing male features. Veterinarians compared Bridget's blood to samples from her sister, who has no mane. Bridget's blood also contained a higher level of cortisol, which regulates metabolism and the immune system. The zoo says the results likely mean the 18-year-old lioness has a benign tumour that's producing the hormones, but that her health is excellent.
Australia: Prince Charles has declined a cheeky invitation from the Australian Republic Movement to discuss why he should be the next Australian head of state. The Prince of Wales will arrive Down Under next month to attend the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. ARM chair Peter Fitzsimons wrote to Prince Charles in December, inviting him to "address a friendly and respectful audience with complete candour and sincerity. We would be delighted to host Your Royal Highness for an address, at any convenient time during the coming visit, on why you, and not an Australian, should be Australia's next head of state," Fitzsimons wrote. ARM national director Michael Cooney said the prince had declined the invitation.
United States: A New York man has admitted that he struck a 10-year-old girl with a screwdriver, dragged her behind a vehicle with a rope and forced hot sauce into her duct tape-covered mouth. The Post-Standard reports that Shawn Whaley pleaded guilty to 13 charges in Oswego County. Whaley will receive a two and one-third to seven year sentence.
Serbia: Members of a Russian motorcycle club known for its allegiance to President Vladimir Putin are touring the Balkans, the volatile European region where Moscow wants to expand its influence. About 20 bikers from the Night Wolves club entered the Serb-controlled region of Bosnia from Serbia today. The group says it wants to study the history and heritage of Russia in the Balkans. Bosnian officials have alleged the tour is aimed at intimidating non-Serbs in a country that was split by a bloody ethnic war during the 1990s.
Syria: Rockets fired on a market in a government-controlled neighbourhood of Damascus killed 35 people and wounded more than 20 others, Syrian state-run media said, marking one of the highest death tolls in a single attack targeting the capital. The Government blamed rebels in the eastern suburbs of Damascus for the attack on the Kashkol neighbourhood. With government forces tied up in the month-long offensive on Eastern Ghouta, Isis militants seized a neighbourhood on its southern edge, forcing the Government to rush in reinforcements.
Canada: Gun retailers in Canada would be required to keep records of firearms inventory and sales for at least 20 years under government legislation introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government. The proposed bill would also expand the scope of background checks for those who want to acquire a gun. Personal history questions on a license application, for example, would cover a person's entire lifetime instead of five years. The legislation would also require purchasers of rifles and shotguns to present a valid license. Currently, license verification is voluntary for non-restricted firearms like rifles.
Mexico: A hippopotamus that has been roaming loose in a swampy area of southern Mexico has been caught and transported to a zoo. Mexico's office for environmental protection said that experts had lured the 600kg animal into a cage after issuing a call "asking for the help of the community, to allow specialists to do their job and capture and transfer Tyson." Residents of Las Choapas in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz had nicknamed the hippo Tyson after it appeared nearby. Nobody knows where it came from, but hippos are not native to the country.
Ukraine: Parliament approved a bill requiring lawmakers to lock up their guns before entering the chamber. The bill that obliges lawmakers to leave weapons and explosives in lockers follows last week's statement by Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, who accused lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko, of plotting an attack on Parliament with grenades and automatic weapons. The accusations followed Savchenko's claim that Lutsenko was covering up the killings of protesters during Ukraine's 2014 uprising. Ukrainian media reported that Savchenko was carrying a pistol and three hand grenades when she attended a parliamentary session last week. Savchenko said she needed the weapons to protect herself.
United States: A federal appeals court says a US Border Patrol agent who fired his gun in Texas and fatally wounded a teenager across the Mexican border cannot be sued by the teen's family. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of 15-year-old Sergio Adrian Hernandez. He was killed by agent Jesus Mesa in 2010. The Justice Department has said Mesa was trying to stop illegal border crossings and fired after he came under a barrage of rocks. The appeals court voted 13-2 to uphold a federal district judge's dismissal of the family's claims.
- agencies
