US Senator Lindsey Graham encourages Trump to move US bases out of Spain
US Senator and staunch Trump supporter Lindsey Graham on Monday said he believed Spain "has lost its way" and that the US should no longer "do business" with Pedro Sánchez’s government, starting by removing US troops from Spain and no longer using its bases on Spanish soil.
Graham’s reasoning is that Spain is not cooperating "to prevent a murderous regime from obtaining nuclear weapons that terrorize the world."
The southern US Senator made similar comments when Spain first announced it would not allow the US to use its bases in Rota and Morón to launch attacks on Iran.
“I have great admiration for the Spanish people and they have been great allies in the past. However, the current government in Spain is becoming the gold standard of pathetically weak European leadership that has lost its moral way, apparently reluctant to condemn the terrorist regime in Iran and have nothing but criticism for the United States," Graham tweeted.
Málaga tourism sector hit hard by rail chaos
Spain’s ongoing railway problem following the deadly rail accident in Córdoba in January has had a very detrimental effect on Málaga’s tourism sector.
According to the latest figures, the Costa del Sol city has posted €300 million in losses and the tourism sector will lose 17 percent of its expected revenue in the first quarter due to the disruption of the AVE high-speed train service.
High-speed trains have not reached Málaga since January 18th, and currently it’s not possible to book a ticket on either Renfe, Ouigo or Iryo before late March.
More rain and strong winds in ten Spanish regions on Tuesday
The week has begun with the arrival of another DANA storm to the Iberian Peninsula, bringing rainfall to much of the country.
Nine regions are under yellow alert this Tuesday for snow, rain, or coastal winds, according to the forecast by national weather agency Aemet. These are Asturias, the Balearic Islands, Castile and León, Castile-La Mancha, Galicia, Madrid, Murcia, the Valencian Region and the Canary Islands.
Andalusia has raised its weather alert level to orange due to the significant risk of snowfall in the province of Granada.
EU lawmakers back 'return hubs' for migrants
EU lawmakers on Monday gave preliminary backing to a tightening of Europe's immigration policy, paving the way for so-called "return hubs" for failed asylum-seekers, after centre-right and far-right deputies saw it through.
The move shows how the growing gap in migration policies between the EU and Spain, with the blanket regularisation of more than half a million undocumented migrants in Spain due to begin in April.
European Union states have already approved measures that respond to pressure across the 27-nation bloc to curb irregular migration -- but have been severely criticised by the left and human rights groups.
A European parliament committee held an initial vote on the package Monday, before a plenary ballot to adopt the text possibly as early as Thursday.
Centre-right and far-right lawmakers clinched a last minute deal, sidestepping a centrist push to approve a compromise text.
The reform would notably allow for the opening of centres outside the EU's borders to which migrants whose asylum applications have been rejected would be sent -- the so-called "return hubs".
With additional reporting by AFP.
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