Latvian diplomat quits amid travel probe
HELSINKI -- Latvia's top diplomat said on Thursday he will step down in the wake of a criminal probe over the use of expensive private flights by his office when he acted as the Baltic country's prime minister between 2019-2023.
Following a meeting with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins told reporters that he will leave his post on April 10, enabling lawmakers at the Saeima, or parliament, to vote on his successor the next day.
Karins, who had previously announced his interest in becoming the next secretary-general of the NATO alliance, offered no explanation or additional comments to the media.
Last week, the prosecutor general's office announced it was launching criminal proceedings over the alleged waste of public money through the use of private aviation services by Karins and accompanying delegations during his time as prime minister.
Public criticism in the case has centered on whether all flights, including chartered private jets used by Karins and his staff, were necessary to fulfill official duties, and whether the use of charter flights -- often substantially more expensive than scheduled flights -- was justified in certain cases.
There are no indications that Karins himself faces charges as part of the probe into the scandal that erupted last year and has caused public outrage in Latvia.
4 deaths off Spain blamed on rough seas
MADRID -- Four people have died in three separate incidents on Spain's Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines after falling into the sea, emergency services said Thursday.
The deaths came amid warnings of strong winds and widespread rain across many parts of the country.
Spanish police said an underage male of Moroccan nationality and a German adult died on the Mediterranean coast near the eastern city of Tarragona. The German man went into the water trying to save the Moroccan youth and both perished, the Civil Guard said.
A man and a woman died after falling into the Atlantic Ocean on Spain's northern coast, emergency services for the region of Asturias said. Spain's EFE news agency quoted local authorities as saying that the man was of British nationality.
Emergency services said that rescuers had recovered the bodies in two separate incidents that occurred around 6 miles apart along a stretch of coast west of the northern city of Gijón.
The man's body was pulled from the sea after emergency services said they were informed that a person had fallen into the sea. The woman, presumably Spanish, was recovered after she had fallen into the sea and been thrown against the rocks by the waves, authorities said.
Abbas names new Cabinet in West Bank
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- The Palestinian Authority has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform.
President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the authority for nearly two decades and remains in overall control, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday. None of the incoming ministers is a well-known figure.
Abbas tapped Mohammad Mustafa, a longtime adviser, to be prime minister earlier this month. Mustafa, a politically independent U.S.-educated economist, had vowed to form a technocratic government and create an independent trust fund to help rebuild Gaza. Mustafa will also serve as foreign minister.
Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Rih is a member of Abbas' secular Fatah movement and held the same portfolio in the previous government. The Interior Ministry oversees the security forces. The incoming minister for Jerusalem affairs, Ashraf al-Awar, registered to run as a Fatah candidate in elections in 2021 that were indefinitely delayed.
At least five of the incoming 23 ministers are from Gaza, but it was not immediately clear if they are still in the territory.
12th suspect held in concert hall attack
MOSCOW -- Russia's top investigative body said Thursday that another suspect has been detained as an accomplice in the attack by gunmen on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 143 people.
A statement from the Investigative Committee said the latest person detained was involved in financing Friday's attack on the Crocus City concert hall in which gunmen shot people who were waiting for a show by a popular rock band and then set the building on fire. It did not give further details of the suspect's identity or alleged actions.
Officials previously said that 11 suspects had been arrested, including four who allegedly carried out the attack. Those four, identified as Tajik nationals, appeared in a Moscow court on Sunday on terrorism charges and showed signs of severe beatings. One appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.
A faction of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the massacre. But Russian officials including President Vladimir Putin have persistently claimed, without presenting evidence, that Ukraine and the West had a role in the attack.
Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 18, 2024. European Union foreign ministers on monday will discuss Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Belarus, and the situation in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 18, 2024. European Union foreign ministers on monday will discuss Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Belarus, and the situation in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, Monday, March 18, 2024. European Union foreign ministers on monday will discuss Russia's aggression against Ukraine, Belarus, and the situation in the Middle East. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins speaks during a joint news conference with French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne, Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vilnius, Lithuania, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)