US aircraft leave Spain after government says bases cannot be used for Iran attacks
The Straits Times
MADRID, March 2 - Fifteen U.S. aircraft have left the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain since the U.S. and Israel launched weekend attacks on Iran, maps by flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed on Monday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
MADRID, March 2 - Fifteen U.S. aircraft have left the Rota and Moron military bases in southern Spain since the U.S. and Israel launched weekend attacks on Iran, maps by flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed on Monday.
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Spain would not allow its military bases, which are jointly operated by the U.S. and Spain but under Spanish sovereignty, to be used for attacks on Iran, which Spain has condemned.
At least seven of the aircraft were shown on FlightRadar24 as having landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Britain had also initially refused to allow the use of its bases for an attack on Iran, but on Sunday Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorised their use for "collective self-defence".
Spain's stance and the emphatic condemnation of the U.S-Israeli actions in Iran by Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez once again make it an outlier in the region, potentially straining its relationship with Washington further.
"Spanish bases are not being used for this operation, and they will not be used for anything not included in the agreement with the United States or for anything that is not in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations," Albares said, speaking to Spanish broadcaster Telecinco.
More than 15 cremation urns were allegedly stolen from niches at a memorial park columbarium. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The measure is intended to prevent potential terrorism and accidents during the concert on March 21. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - A Russian attack damaged industrial, port and energy infrastructure facilities in Ukraine's Odesa region on the Black Sea overnight, causing disruption to power supplies in separate settlements in the southern part of the region, a local official said on Tuesday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Some parents believe the dangers remain unavoidable for a generation growing up online. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Tuesday to agree a deeper defence and industrial partnership, the British government said. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The new austerity measures will apply to schools and universities, and remain in place indefinitely. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - The International Monetary Fund has raised concerns that Ukraine may be unable to tap its $8.1 billion aid as lawmakers stall on measures to release the funding, Bloomberg News said on Tuesday, citing an IMF representative familiar with the matter. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Roughly 10 per cent of gas stations had shut down due to shortages, according to a survey. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The pipeline had been shut down since 2015, after one of the worst oil spills in state history. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Two French nationals and an Italian were arrested. Read more at straitstimes.com.
The outbreak is believed to be linked to a nightclub in Canterbury. Read more at straitstimes.com.
March 17 - U.S. President Donald Trump accused some Western allies of ingratitude after several countries rebuffed his demand to send warships to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran continued to target oil facilities in the Gulf. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Officials have unveiled a series of price hikes across a range of local transport. Read more at straitstimes.com.