May's ultimatum to Putin, Hammond's spring statement, and more trending news

Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “highly likely” Russia was responsible for the Salisbury poisoning attack and gave Vladimir Putin's government until midnight tonight to explain itself. Failing that, May said she would conclude to an "unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom" and promised "much more extensive" sanctions against the country. Communications regulator Ofcom also said it could revoke Russia Today's TV license, while the Kremlin-owned station said it was being treated as a “political pawn” and sanctions would undermine “any concept of press freedom in the UK”.

Short and sweet, today’s spring statement on Britain’s economy will last just 15 minutes. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will for the first time deliver a short economic forecast as opposed to a more comprehensive “mini-budget”, as has been past tradition. Hammond is expected to unveil slightly higher than anticipated growth predictions, but make no new policy or spending announcement. The BBC reports, however, that senior government leaders were discussing a push to increase NHS funding. The spring statement is due at 12:30pm.

The rollout of the millennial railcard today has already crashed its website. The card costs ￡30 a year and offers 26- to 30-year-olds one third off most rail fares in the country. When it was announced in the autumn budget, 4.5 million Britons were deemed eligible for the new railcard, but only 10,000 were made available in a trial release today. National Rail has not said whether the experiment would be continued.

University lecturers could end their strike as early as tomorrow morning. A pension deal was offered that includes a new, independent assessment of the size of the funding gap and temporary measures to bridge it. The deal still needs to be agreed by unions in a vote today. In its fourth week, the industrial action at more than 60 UK universities has disrupted coursework for hundreds of thousands of students and threatens to disrupt end-of-year exams.

Sadiq Khan used the stage at SxSW to read out racist tweets he’s received, as he called on social media platforms to do more to stop it. The Mayor of London told attendees at technology conference South by Southwest of the death threats, racist abuse and slurs he was sent on Twitter. He criticised governments for failing to regulate the industry and not keeping up with technological change. Khan said it was an issue for future generations, asking: “What happens when young boys and girls from minority backgrounds see this kind of thing on their timelines or experience it themselves?”

Idea of the Day: “We live in a country where often CEOs and other executive leaders have held mythic status in the public mind,” writes New Profit Chairman Jeffrey Walker. But the challenges of today require leaders who focus on collaboration and “collective purpose” — on building successful teams, not individual glory.

“Heroes are essential, but they are not enough.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

From earlier: Britain will lean on its close relationship with the US when asking for a steel tariff exemption. The bailiffs may soon come after train operator Greater Anglia, which failed to pay compensation to a commuter for tardy trains.

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