Exchange rates of the euro and dollar in the first minutes of trading on the Moscow Exchange on March 4 fell by a quarter of the ruble. The cost of the European currency dropped to 49.9 rubles, and the American currency to 36.25 rubles. The day before, at the beginning of the session, the euro exchange rate exceeded 52 rubles, and the dollar reached 37 rubles. The official euro exchange rate was first set by the Bank of Russia at a level exceeding 50 rubles.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a press conference dedicated to the events in Ukraine, said that at present Russian troops will not be introduced into the territory of Crimea. “There is no such need yet,” the head of state emphasized. Putin said troops could only be sent into a neighboring country “as a last resort” if its citizens needed protection.

Physicists from Harvard University have proposed obtaining electrical energy through infrared radiation of the Earth's heat into space. In an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists calculated the amount of energy available in this way and proposed two types of devices that could harvest it.

On the East Coast of the United States, schools and a number of government agencies were closed due to a snowstorm on Monday, March 3. reports this Agence France-Presse . The states of New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi and Tennessee declared a state of emergency due to the snowstorm and frost. Their schools and local government offices were closed. Freeze warnings were in effect throughout the eastern United States, from the Canadian border to Texas.

The microblogging service Twitter mistakenly sent emails to some of its users asking them to change their passwords. The online publication The Next Web reported this on March 4, citing the words of a representative of the social network. “The sending of letters was unintentional. By mistake, some users received notifications about the need to change their account password,” Twitter said, noting that they apologize for the inconvenience.

Activists of the radical nationalist organization Right Sector are collecting data on military personnel in Russian regions located near the border with Ukraine. reported this on March 4 ITAR-TASS , citing a source in the Russian special services. According to the source, members of the group are also “trying to obtain information” about border guards, police officers, as well as representatives of administrations in the Kursk, Voronezh and Belgorod regions.

Midfielder of the Krasnodar football club Roman Shirokov retained the captain's armband in the Russian national team. He will be the captain in the friendly game with Armenia, which will take place on March 5. This was reported by the website of the Sport-Express publication. National team head coach Fabio Capello said that Shirokov will be captain on a permanent basis. “If Shirokov takes to the field, he will wear the captain’s armband,” the R-Sport agency quotes Capello as saying .

Prime Minister of Crimea Sergei Aksenov promised to create his own Ministry of Defense in the republic. reported on March 4 As RIA Novosti , the head of the regional government made this statement at a press conference in Simferopol. Aksenov previously announced the creation of his own naval forces in the republic, which were headed by the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Navy Denis Berezovsky, who swore allegiance to the Crimean people.

Stark County, Ohio, will pay $2 million in compensation to orphans forced to sleep in cages by their foster parents. Three of the 11 children who lived in the family of Michael (Michael Gravelle) and Sharen Gravelle (Sharen Gravelle) will receive the money, the Associated Press reported on March 3 . The amount was agreed upon pre-trial by attorneys for the three abused children and county officials. The agreement must be approved by a judge soon.

Turkish authorities have banned Lars von Trier's latest film, Nymphomaniac, from showing in cinemas across the country, reports Agence France-Presse . The reason is the nudity and explicit sex scenes present in the film. The premiere of the first part of “Nymphomaniac” in Turkey was supposed to take place on March 14, the second – on the 21st.

Chelyabinsk “Traktor” forward Evgeny Kuznetsov will join the NHL club “Washington Capitals” after the end of the KHL regular season. agency reports this The R-Sport with reference to its own sources. The Russian does not intend to participate in the Cup of Hope, a tournament in which clubs that did not make it to the playoffs participate. A source from R-Sport reported that Kuznetsov has already purchased tickets to the USA.

“Lenta.ru” presents a new video from the Belarusian group “Lyapis Trubetskoy” - for the song “Warriors of Light”, included in the album “Matryoshka”, already the 13th in the “Lyapisov” discography. Although the album was released on March 1, 2014, the group’s leader Sergei Mikhalok argues that it is incorrect to directly link its contents with the latest socio-political events in the post-Soviet space.

The Dozhd TV channel was on the verge of closure. reported this on March 4 Interfax with reference to the general director of the channel Natalya Sindeeva. “Today we have one month left to live,” Sindeeva said at a meeting of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, dedicated, in particular, to the situation around the TV channel.

Barcelona football captain Carles Puyol will leave the club at the end of the 2013/2014 season. He stated this at a specially convened press conference on March 4, reports Agence France-Presse . Puyol explained that the reason for this decision was the frequent injuries that have plagued him lately: in the player’s opinion, they do not allow him to perform at an acceptable level.

Minister of Sports Vitaly Mutko and President of the Russian Hockey Federation (RFH) Vladislav Tretyak will hold negotiations with Dynamo Moscow coach Oleg Znarok. The Sport-Express publication reports this with reference to its own sources. The meeting will take place on March 5 after the FHR executive committee, at which the fate of the current national team coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov should be decided.