Oil Prices Hit 5-Month Highs
In the oil market, the upward trend continues at the beginning of the new week, with prices rising to nearly 5-month highs due to increasing geopolitical risks related to supply disruptions
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
Former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia, Theresa May has told MPs, according to BBC.
The PM said it was "highly likely" Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack.
The Foreign Office summoned Russia's ambassador to provide an explanation.
Mrs May said if there is no "credible response" by the end of Tuesday, the UK would conclude there has been an "unlawful use of force" by Moscow.
The chemical used in the attack, the PM said, has been identified as one of a group of nerve agents known as Novichok.
Mrs May said: "Either this was a direct action by the Russian state against our country, or the Russian government lost control of its potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.
She said Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had told the ambassador Moscow must provide "full and complete disclosure" of the Novichok programme to international body the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Mrs May said the UK must stand ready to take much more extensive measures, and these would be set out in the Commons on Wednesday should there be no adequate explanation from Russia.
Retired military intelligence officer Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city centre on Sunday 4 March. They remain in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Det Sgt Nick Bailey, who fell ill attending the pair, remains seriously ill, but has been talking to his family.
Mr Skripal was convicted by the Russian government of passing secrets to MI6 in 2004, but given refuge in the UK in 2010 as part of a "spy swap".
Home Secretary Amber Rudd will chair a meeting of the government emergency committee Cobra on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments in the case.
Addressing the Commons following a meeting of the government's National Security Council, Mrs May said: "This attempted murder using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town was not just a crime against the Skripals.
"It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk."
She told MPs the positive identification of this chemical agent was made by experts at the UK's Porton Down laboratory.
She said Russia has previously produced the agent and would still be capable of doing so.
The decision to point the finger at Moscow was also based on "Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations", the PM added.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Amidst growing pressure from farmers and member states, the European Union is poised to reverse tariffs on grain imports from Russia and Belarus
The Belgian Presidency of the EU is spearheading efforts to fully integrate Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area
In February 2024, the euro area witnessed a decline in its annual inflation rate, dropping to 2.6% from January's 2.8%
According to Eurostat's latest publication, in the fourth quarter of 2023, the euro area witnessed a job vacancy rate of 2.7%, marking a decline from 2.9% in the preceding quarter and 3.1% in the same period of 2022
The most recent data from Eurostat, released on Thursday, indicates that in 2022, life expectancy at birth within the European Union is on an upward trajectory compared to the years preceding the pandemic
In a move underscoring its commitment to upholding European Union regulations, the European Commission has intensified its scrutiny of Bulgaria, pressing the nation on various fronts ranging from counterterrorism measures to environmental protectionр BTA
Norwegian Inspiration: Bulgaria's Move Towards Environmentally Friendly Prisons
Nexo Is Suing Bulgaria For Over $3 Billion