Portugal’s PM Costa resigns over corruption probe

STORY: Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa suddenly stepped down on Tuesday, hours after his chief of staff was detained and their offices searched by police. It was part of a wider corruption probe with Costa’s majority Socialist administration accused of improperly handling lithium mining and hydrogen projects. Prosecutors say Costa is the target of a related investigation. He told reporters Tuesday his conscience was clear, but that he would not stand as candidate for a fourth time as premier. "The dignity of the tasks of a Prime Minister are not compatible with any suspicion about integrity, good behavior and even less to any kind of criminal act." Costa’s chief of staff, Vitor Escaria, was among five people detained by police. And Infrastructure Minister Joao Galamba was named a formal suspect. Portugal is Europe's biggest producer of lithium and the probe targeted two lithium exploration concessions in northern Portugal. Both faced strong opposition from local communities and environmental activists. Major Portuguese producer Lusorecursos planned to invest nearly $430 million in the sites. The investigation also scrutinized deals linked to a green hydrogen plant and large-scale data center in the town of Sines.