International

U.S. assumed “temporary custody” of Venezuelan diplomatic headquarters

February 10 |

The United States government assumed “temporary custody” of Venezuela’s diplomatic headquarters in that country on February 6 and will have under its control the real estate and assets until the Venezuelan mission “resumes operations”, confirmed a US State Department spokesperson.

“This action is consistent with the Department’s authorities under the Foreign Missions Act and with U.S. obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to ‘respect and protect’ the facilities and property of a diplomatic mission that has been suspended,” a State Department spokesperson responded to Voice of America.

The spokesperson recalled that the Venezuelan embassy in the United States announced the closure of the bilateral mission on January 5 of this year, the date on which Carlos Vecchio ceased to act as diplomatic representative of the interim government, after Parliament of 2015 decided to dissolve the interim that was presided by Juan Guaidó.

The U.S. official reiterated that the United States continues to recognize the 2015 Parliament as the “last” democratically elected institution left in Venezuela.

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The opposition-majority Parliament, which for the third consecutive time extended its mandate, left in office a five-member Council of Administration and Protection of Assets, a body competent to protect all Venezuelan goods or assets abroad.

One of the members of the Council is Fernando Blasi, who was appointed as representative of the 2015 Parliament in the United States. At the moment it is not clear how he will exercise his functions in view of the taking of custody of the diplomatic offices in the United States.

However, Dinorah Figuera, president of the 2015 Parliament clarified that the action of the US government was “done in a coordinated manner” with Blasi, who, she said, “coordinated the whole process with the State Department”.

“It was not a surprise procedure. We were all officially informed (…) it was what corresponded according to the Vienna Convention. There was presence of members of the mission in the procedure”, states a press release of the NA.

Figuera denied that there were people working in the diplomatic offices and that they were not allowed to enter, as was reported by some media.

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Neither the government nor the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry have reacted.

Venezuela has been going through a complex institutional crisis since 2019 when, arguing that the 2018 elections, in which President Nicolás Maduro was reelected were “fraudulent”, Guaidó, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela and was recognized by dozens of countries that imposed sanctions and supported the strategy of “asset protection” abroad, but in practice, Maduro never ceased to exercise power.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.