Europe

    If you're waiting for Russia to be firmly punished for its alleged nerve agent attack on a former spy in England, don't hold your breath. Following several years of what some have criticized as the U.K. government's overly-lax policy towards Russia, experts aren't betting on any sweeping measures that would send a ground-shaking message to the Kremlin over its recent behavior. This is, in part, because of the U.K.'s economic ties to Moscow, as well as divided interests within the European Union (EU), thanks to several countries' heavy reliance on Russian resources. If the Kremlin is testing how far it can push the U.K. and get away with it, it may end up pleasantly surprised. Russia has made clear that it does not see British sanctions as a major threat at this mo...

    Vladimir Putin has won the Russian Presidential election by a landslide, according to exit polls. RIA puts his victory at 76.3% of the vote, VTsIOM has his success at 73.9% and TASS reported a figure of 71.9%. Putin was vying for a new six-year term to make him the longest-serving Kremlin leader since feared Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. He has been either President or Prime Minister since 1999 and the term, which under Russia's constitution would have to be his last, is set to run until 2024. Opinion polls had given Putin 70% support - nearly 10 times that of his nearest challenger. But vocal critic Alexei Navalny was barred from the race due to a corruption conviction he says was fabricated by the Kremlin. Mr Navalny called for a boycott as an aide branded it ...

    HMS Trenchant breaks through a metre of ice in the Arctic in a show of Britain's military strength. The Royal Navy submarine is taking part in Ice Exercise 18, a major operation in conjunction with US forces. It is the first time in a decade a Navy submarine has practiced beneath the ice amid increasing tensions with Russia. The Arctic region has become an increasing focus of competition. Russia is believed to hide its ballistic missile submarines there while NATO nations are developing skills to locate and destroy them. It comes as Britain is braced for a reaction to Theresa May's decision to expel 23 diplomats. A tit-for-tat reaction is expected and Moscow is also plotting a response to the United States after Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on Ru...

    Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said London must clarify its position on the poisoning of a former double agent in the UK before any discussion with Moscow, agencies said. Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you, the Russian president said in response to a question from a BBC journalist, Interfax news agency reported. Senior British politicians have pointed the finger at Russia for trying to kill Sergei Skripal, who sold secrets to Britain and later moved there in a 2010 spy swap, prompting repeated denials from Moscow. Prime Minister Theresa May is set to address the House of Commons later Monday, after receiving an update on the investigation into the attack on Skripal and his daughter Yulia this month. If we get to a pos...

    European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker warned President Trump that Europe will respond to his tariffs with reciprocal measures, blasting the U.S. tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum as stupid. In a statement to The Economist, Juncker said that we can also do stupid, seemingly warning that the European Union (EU) could pass trade measures designed to hurt the U.S. economy. Trump announced Thursday that his administration was officially implementing tariffs targeting steel and aluminum imports in an effort to save America's faltering steel industry, a major campaign promise that drew praise from union groups such as the AFL-CIO but harsh criticism from House and Senate Republicans. France regrets announcements of @realDonaldTrump on steel ...

    The Government has promised a "robust" response if Russia is behind the Salisbury nerve agent attack but what could be imposed on Vladimir Putin's regime? :: Expelling diplomats There have been calls to expel Russia's ambassador to the UK if the Kremlin ordered the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Sir Christopher Wrey, the former UK ambassador to the US who has previously worked in Moscow, told Sky News: "You could, if this is proven, take advantage of this horrible case and not only expel the ambassador, but drain the swamp of all these guys MI5 are tagging around the streets of London and wherever." He added that the UK's response after the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 - when four Russian diplomats were e...

      Vladimir Putin very well may be the richest man in the world. But it's impossible to say for sure. According to the Kremlin, the Russian president earns around $133,000 (£96k) a year and lives in a small apartment. • Vladimir Putin may be the wealthiest man in the world. • Forbes won't even estimate his net worth, because it can't verify his financial assets, Newsweek reported. • The Russian president does indulge in some displays of immense wealth, however. • Putin is reported to own luxury watches, a fleet of yachts, and multiple expensive properties, including a $1 billion palace. • American financier Bill Browder estimated that Putin had "accumulated $200 billion (£144bn) of ill-gotten gains," according to the Atlantic. That description doesn't ji...

    A French couple have been reported to the courts for deciding to name their baby girl Liam. In many Western countries unisex names are on the rise with monikers like Alex, Bailey, River and Charlie used for both boys and girls. But when an unnamed couple tried to give their third child, who was born in November, a traditionally male name, French prosecutors intervened. This, they say, is because it “would be likely to create a risk of gender confusion” and “therefore contrary to the interest of the child and could harm her in her social relations”, The Local reports. As a result, the prosecutor has asked the courts to ban the parents from using the name Liam and force them to give the child another name chosen by the parents and, failing that, by the judge. To su...

    A teacher is facing four years jail after she was caught having sex with a 15-year-old boy she was tutoring privately. Natalya Nikandrova was caught by the boy's mother performing a sex act on the teenager at his home in St Petersburg, Russia. The 35-year-old teacher, who was friends with the mum, had been taken on to teach the boy at his home, reports the Daily Mail. According to local media, the teenager comes from a wealthy family. He often posts photos of himself on social media with beautiful women, and expensive cars. His father, an oil tycoon, and mother decided to have him home-educated with some of the best teachers in the city. But after taking on a family friend, the horrified mum walked in to find the woman seducing her son. A police spokesman sai...