International
More defence spending needed to face Russia threat: Spain
AFP
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called for increased military spending in light of the security threat posed by Russia as Spain marked 40 years since joining NATO.
“The war in Ukraine has opened the eyes of European society, including in Spain,” said Sanchez at a commemorative event at Madrid’s Teatro Real attended by King Felipe VI and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“Many have understood that our security is no longer guaranteed,” he added.
“Today, our security is under threat from the regime of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Sanchez said, making it “essential” that “we reinforce our deterrence capabilities”.
That would “require military capabilities that were modern, viable, and deployable, which can only be acquired through increased investment in defence,” he said.
“The cost of doing nothing would be far higher,” he added.
Spain invested 1.03 percent of its gross domestic product on defence spending in 2021, one of the lowest figures among members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Only Luxembourg invested less, according to data from the military alliance.
Sanchez pledged to increase Spain’s investment to the 2.0 percent required by the alliance, but he is likely to face opposition from his hard-left junior coalition partner Podemos, which refused to join Monday’s event.
On June 29 and 30, Madrid will host the NATO summit, which comes at a crucial time following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting bid by Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, ending decades of military non-alignment.
Their request to join NATO is one of the most significant changes in Europe’s security architecture in decades, not least because Finland shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Russia.
Stoltenberg said it would be “a historic summit”.
“At the Madrid summit, we will chart the way ahead for the next decade,” he said, referring to plans to revise and update NATO’s strategy, which was last reset in 2010.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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