International

The United States will compensate the victims of former doctor Larry Nassar with 138.7 million dollars

The United States Department of Justice confirmed that it has reached a conciliation agreement worth 138.7 million dollars to resolve the 139 claims of victims of sexual abuse by the former doctor of the U.S. gymnastics team. Larry Nassar.

“These agreements will resolve administrative claims against the United States” since the FBI “did not carry out an adequate investigation of Nassar’s conduct,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.

For almost two decades and until 2016, when he was arrested, Nassar sexually abused hundreds of victims under the pretext of performing medical treatments.

In July 2021, the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Justice issued a report in which it criticized certain aspects of the FBI’s response and the investigation of the accusations against Nassar.

“For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those who were under his medical care and supervision and escading accountability,” the interim deputy attorney general, Benjamin C., said in the statement. Mizer.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The accusations, he added, “should have been taken seriously from the beginning.”

“While these agreements will not remedy the damage that Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help provide the victims of their crimes with some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” he said.

Nassar, 60, worked as a doctor on the United States sports gymnastics team for 18 years and also served at the University of Michigan.

In 2013, the United States sports gymnastics federation informed the FBI that three athletes had declared themselves to be abused by Nassar, but the agency decided not to carry out a formal investigation.

In 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to abusing 10 of the more than 265 athletes who reported abuse.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Among its victims are prominent athletes such as Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, Sabrina Vega, Ashton Locklear, Kyla Ross and Alyssa Baumann.

Michigan State University, at whose clinic Larry Nassar worked, already agreed in 2018 to a payment of 500 million dollars for the women and girls who reported sexual abuse.

For their part, the federation and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic committees reached a conciliation with the victims in 2021 for 380 million dollars.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”