Moscow has denied any involvement in the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. The diplomats are due to leave London on March 20, RIA news agency quoted Russia's ambassador to Britain as saying. Asked by a Reuters reporter in the Kazakh capital Astana if Moscow would expel British diplomats, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov smiled and said: "We will, of course." Britain, the United States, Germany and France jointly called on Russia on Thursday to explain the attack. Russia offered some cooperation to British authorities after the 2006 London murder of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko too.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 16, 2018 23:12 UTC