International
No signs of influence peddling in the case that made António Costa resign in Portugal
The Lisbon Court of Appeal did not appreciate signs of influence peddling in ‘Operation Influencer’, the judicial case that led to the resignation of former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, and rejected the appeal filed by the Prosecutor’s Office to the precautionary measures applied to the suspects.
The facts investigated “are not, by themselves, integrative of any type of crime,” which means that he has not appreciated indications of a crime of influence peddling, according to a statement from the Court cited this Wednesday by local media.
The Court rejected the appeal filed by the Portuguese Prosecutor’s Office and agreed with the two main suspects in the case, Vítor Escária – former chief of staff of Costa – and Diogo Lacerda Machado, businessman and friend of the former socialist prime minister.
In that sense, he annulled the preventive measures applied against both, including a bail of 150,000 euros and the prohibition of leaving the country, considering that there is no type of risk that justifies them.
The judges considered that “none of the facts advanced resulted in the commission of crimes and the development of the functions of each of the interveners was not overcome, since all of them acted within the scope of them.”
The ‘Operation Influencer’ jumped in November 2023 and revolves around irregularities in lithium and hydrogen projects and in the construction of a data center.
The Prosecutor’s Office then reported that several suspects spoke of Costa’s involvement in the case for “unblocking procedures” and that these allegations would be analyzed in an autonomous investigation.
That same day, Costa submitted his resignation, although he assured that he had not committed illegal acts.
Since the resignation of the Prime Minister, the country’s attorney general, Lucília Gago, and the body she heads have been criticized for not having given further explanations about Costa’s alleged involvement in those irregularities and not having made public evidence against him.
Following Costa’s resignation, legislative elections were held in Portugal on March 10, which resulted in the coming to power of a center-right government headed by Luís Montenegro.
Earlier this month, after ceding the witness to the new Government, Costa told the press that, after leaving office, he had asked his lawyer to send a petition to be heard before Justice.
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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