Week In Review: The United Kingdom expels suspected Russian spies

Following the nerve gas agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the expulsion of over 20 Russian diplomats who are suspected to be spies thus placing the full blame on the Russian government.

According to the prime minister, the Putin’s Kremlin did not take the 24-hour deadline for explaining the attack seriously. She told the House of Commons that Russia responded with “sarcasm, contempt and defiance.”

She said, “Their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of this events-There is no alternative conclusion other than the Russian state was responsible for the attempted murder of Mr. Skripal and his daughter.”

Adding that the attack was an “unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom”

In addition to expelling 23 Russian diplomats, May pronounced that the U.K government will cut off high-level diplomatic contact which means that the Russian foreign minister, Sergey, Lavrov, is disinvited from a planned state-visit.

Russia retorted by expelling 23 U.K diplomats from Moscow.

U.S high-schoolers commemorate the Parkland shooting

In an act of solidarity with the victims of the last mass school shooting, thousands of students across the United States staged walkouts. Exactly one month after 17 people were killed inside Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida.

These acts of protest lasted 17 minutes, one minute for each victim, and took place at 10 a.m in each time zone.

Student protesters

With the current political discourse on gun control, organizers intended for the walkouts to keep the conversation in the center stage with the special purpose of highlighting that “Congress’ inaction against gun violence (is) plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.”

Though there is larger, more mobilized protest occurring later this month- March For Our Lives on March 24- it seems as though the nation’s high-schoolers felt compelled to commemorate the tragedy that occurred on February 14th. “That could have been us. We were the same age as the Parkland kids,” said a senior from Warwick.

Continue this story here.

Trump’s military parade would cost $30 million

Besides the most recent exits, one of the latest focuses of the Trump White House is the possibility of a military parade. President Trump reportedly asked the Pentagon to begin considering plans for a parade in honor of the American military.

According to the Washington Post, he expressed a desire to have the parade be similar to a French Bastille Day march that he attended during his Trip to Paris last year. “I want a parade like the one in France” he reportedly said in a January meeting at the Pentagon.

Bastille Day march in Paris

The parade is back in the news because, this week, during a meeting with the House Budget Committee to defend the administration’s $4 Trillion budget request. Though the parade was not factored into the original document, White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, estimated that such a parade could cost between $10-30 million. Some, especially Trump’s opposition, are saying that a parade would be frivolous.   

When asked to defend the reasoning behind having a parade, Mulvany responded “We actually have had military parades in this country before” and that the cost will depend on the length “Obviously, an hour parade is different than a 5-hour parade,”

This military parade is merely an idea, for now. As Mulvaney himself explained, “We’ve not done much research on it yet,”

Nigeria’s deputy senate president claims that the Military will soon take over

The Nigerian Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekeweremadu has said that it is likely that the military takes over power in Nigeria soon.

The deputy senate president made the statement during plenary while reacting to an issue raised by one of the senators at the upper chamber.

In his comment, Ekweremade said the Nigerian democracy is quickly dismantling; therefore the military may take over soon.

New recruits for the Nigerian military

While also reacting to Senator Ahmed Ogembe’s report of how the Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello allegedly organized thugs to disrupt an empowerment program he organized for his constituents, Ekweremadu said Governor Bello should retrace his steps, otherwise, he will not return to power in 2019.

“So today I am advising the governor again, that road he is traveling will not lead him to anywhere. Ultimately, these people he is seeing here will be back here and he will leave office. If he doesn’t stop, there is no how he will come back in 2019, never, no he will not. God will show him that he is a God of justice and this is a message to all those people who have caused all kinds of problem in Nigeria at a different level. The problem in Nigeria is that our democracy is receding. Who says army cannot take over, let us not joke with our democracy that is the issue.”

Continue this story here.