Putin critic Navalny was poisoned with Novichok nerve agent, Merkel says

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday.

She said Berlin now expected Moscow to explain itself and that Germany would consult its Nato allies about how to respond, raising the prospect of new Western sanctions on Russia, sending Russian asset prices tumbling...