NEWS BRIEFING
Putin: U.K accusations over ex-spy poisoning ‘nonsense’
In his first comments on the incident, Putin referred to the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter as a “tragedy” but added that if the British claim that they were poisoned by the Soviet-designed nerve agent were true, the victims would have been killed instantly.
Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer convicted in his home country of spying for Britain, and his daughter have remained in critical condition following the March 4 poisoning.
“It’s quite obvious that if it were a military-grade nerve agent, people would have died on the spot,” he said. “Russia doesn’t have such means. We have destroyed all our chemical weapons under international oversight unlike some of our partners.”
Putin’s comments came a few hours after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he has evidence that Russia has been stockpiling a nerve agent in violation of international law “very likely for the purposes of assassination.”
Johnson said the trail of blame for the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury “leads inexorably to the Kremlin.”
Johnson told reporters that Britain has information that within the last 10 years, “the Russian state has been engaged in investigating the delivery of such agents, Novichok agents very likely, for the purposes of assassination.”
GOP Sens. Graham, Paul at odds on Pompeo nomination
A leading GOP hawk on Sunday praised Mike Pompeo’s nomination to lead the State Department, while Congress’ most libertarian-minded senator slammed it.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called Pompeo a “highly qualified person” to be secretary of state and suggested that he is better aligned with President Donald Trump’s views about world affairs and diplomacy than Rex Tillerson, the oil executive the president ousted last week. Pompeo is “close to the president,” Graham said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think he can do an outstanding job to the world explaining President Trump’s foreign policy.”
But Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., expressed disappointment at Trump’s nomination. Paul said the president was undermining his expressed opposition to the Iraq War by nominating Pompeo.
Obama to visit Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Japan
Obama’s office says he’ll be in Singapore on Monday for an Obama Foundation discussion with young adults representing Southeast Asian nations. Obama will also participate in the Bank of Singapore’s Thought Leadership Series and visit with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Obama will spend Wednesday to Friday in New Zealand. He’ll meet with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and participate in separate moderated conversations.
On Friday and Saturday, Obama will visit Sydney, Australia, for another New Zealand-United States Council conversation and to meet with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
British art teacher wins $1M prize for work in inner-city
Andria Zafirakou, 39, beat out some 30,000 applicants from around the world to win the Global Teacher Prize, which honors one exceptional teacher a year who’s made a significant contribution to the profession.
The Alperton Community School teacher was awarded for her work in the London borough of Brent, one of the most ethnically diverse places in the country. Her students come from some of the poorest families in Britain with parents who don’t necessarily speak English.
Lawmakers say U.K. should mull a Brexit delay
The House of Commons Exiting the EU Committee said if major aspects of the future relationship with the EU remain unsettled by October, Britain should seek a “limited extension” of its EU membership.
Britain and the EU want a deal on future relations settled by the fall.
In a report published Sunday, the lawmakers said a proposed transition period of about two years should be able to be extended if needed.
The two sides have agreed in principle that Britain will continue to remain part of the bloc’s structures and rules until the end of 2020.
Palestinian stabs Israeli in Jerusalem, is killed by police
The attack Sunday occurred in Jerusalem’s Old City, home to sensitive holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Shin Bet said the attacker was from the West Bank city of Nablus.
There has been a spike in violence since President Donald Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as their future capital and view Trump’s decision as siding with Israel.
On Friday, a Palestinian killed two Israeli soldiers and badly wounded two others when he drove his car into them in the West Bank.
The Monroe County sheriff told local news outlets that the girl wouldn’t give up the video game controller Saturday. Her condition wasn’t immediately known.