Новости за 31.03.2017

Russian Finance Minister Siluanov welcomed on Friday the decision by Fitch ratings agency to affirm Russia's long-term currency ratings at the investment level.

Japan has drawn global outrage after their whaling fleet killed 333 minke whales during their annual Antarctic hunt, in defiance of international laws.

After the partial collapse of Atlanta Interstate 85 on Thursday during a massive fire, the highway is to undergo lengthy and extensive repairs.

Russian poet Yevgeniy Yevtushenko has been hospitalized in the United States and is in a serious condition, Yevtushenko’s wife Maria Novikova told Sputnik on Friday.

The fifth round of the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva wrapped up Friday with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura metaphorically characterizing the latest round as a "train that started slowly to move."

Information about salaries of UK lawmakers as well as some personal data leaked due to a technical error, the chief executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), Marcial Boo, said on Friday in a statement.

On Thursday the US Air Force announced that former 12th Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Jose A. Barraza had been charged with 15 Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) violations.

Moldova’s Deputy Economy Minister Valeriu Triboi was detained in relation to a corruption case, Press Secretary of the country’s National Anti-Corruption Center Angela Starinschi told Sputnik Friday.

Turkey opposes an initiative by Iraqi Kurdistan authorities to hold a referendum on the region’s independence, Turkey’s presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Friday.

Two journalists are suing US President Donald Trump and other American officials and agencies as they believe they have been erroneously placed on a "kill list" compiled by the Obama administration and which the current administration has maintained. They are asking to be removed from the list immediately.

Russia urges all political parties in Venezuela to engage in a constructive dialogue, mediated by regional and international officials, in order to defuse the unstable political situation in the country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Friday.

As part of an endless effort to modernize and enhance the capabilities of the US armed forces, the US Marine Corps is considering upgrading the multirole V-22 Osprey with high intensity directed energy weaponry – or, more simply, lasers.

A California bill aiming to criminalize election-related “fake news” was pulled by its author at the last minute amid massive outcry from free speech advocates.

Today’s headlines include: Could the US be considering a first strike nuclear attack on North Korea? And, EU Council President Tusk reveals the draft negotiation guidelines for Brexit.

On Friday, North Korea appealed to the people, organizations and political parties of South Korea to join them in their “anti-war” effort against the US.

The FBI has released formerly classified photographs from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon more than 15 years ago.

Ding … ding … ding!

The US Senate Intelligence Committee has held the first public hearing on alleged Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election. Two-time US Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich discussed the hearing with Radio Sputnik.

Moscow is being forced to assume a confrontational stance in relations with NATO, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

President Donald Trump thinks his former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn should testify before the US Senate and House of Representatives intelligence committees that are investigating alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in his press briefing.

In a daily news conference on Friday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer stated plainly that the United States "needs to accept" the political realities on the ground in Syria, namely, that Bashar al-Assad is the sovereign country's president and leader. Rather, the US must concentrate on ousting Daesh from the region, Spicer added.

On April 2, Serbian voters will elect their next president for a five-year term. The election can be attended not only by ordinary Serbian citizens, but also by celebrities who recently acquired Serbian passports.

The fact that the Bundeswehr is involved in the operation of the US-led international coalition against Daesh is not new. The shocking revelation, however, is that German forces could be involved in the bombings that deliberately target the civilian population.

Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska on Friday said he was prepared to counter any false anti-Russian narratives in US media, such as the recent Associated Press story about his alleged ties to US President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort in furthering the Kremlin's agenda abroad, and would even do so on a daily basis.

With a paintbrush in its mouth, this talented pig creates true masterpieces of abstract expressionism.