Two cities in northern Spain introduce tourist taxes, Spain’s PM welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace plan, 124 arrested for appointment scam affecting foreigners and more news on Tuesday September 30th.
Sánchez bans passage of US weapons to Israel through US bases in Spain
The Spanish government continues to take measures to prevent the shipment of weapons to Israel.
Last week, they confirmed the cancellation of multi-million-dollar contracts with the country and the arms embargo.
Now, Spanish authorities have prohibited the United States from using its military bases in Rota (Cádiz) and Morón (Seville) to send weapons, ammunition and military equipment to Israel, according to a report from the Joint Spanish-American Committee covered in leading daily El País.
A few months ago, six F-35 aircraft delivered to Israel by the Trump administration avoided flying over Rota or Morón bases, instead using the US military base in the Azores (Portugal) before then going to Gibraltar.
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124 arrested for appointment scam affecting foreigners
The Spanish government has reported the arrest of 124 people involved in the illegal sale of appointments for immigration procedures.
This is the total number of people arrested for a scam which Spanish authorities cannot seem to put a stop to, as every time a gang gets busted another one appears.
For years now, criminal groups have been using bots to block out all residency appointments (citas previas) on the government website the moment they are published, making it impossible for foreigners to book a spot.
The criminals then sell them to desperate applicants for €90 or higher, even though they are a public service that should be completely free.
The cita previa scandal has been getting worse this year and now affects other government administrations such as the DGT traffic authority or the social security system.
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Two cities in northern Spain introduce tourist taxes
The Galician city of A Coruña launched its tourist tax this Monday, becoming the first municipality in the northwestern region to implement it.
Its Galician neighbour Santiago de Compostela will follow suit by launching its own tourist tax this Wednesday.
The new levy means tourists staying in the city’s hotels will pay between €1 and €2.5 per person per night, with those staying in five-star or four-star accommodation paying the highest rate and holidaymakers in tourist apartments paying the lowest.
Spain’s PM welcomes Trump’s Gaza peace plan
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday welcomed the peace plan presented by Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to end the ongoing slaughter and destruction of Gaza.
“Spain welcomes the US-backed peace proposal for Gaza,” Sánchez wrote on X.
“We must put an end to so much suffering. It’s time for the violence to cease, for the immediate release of all hostages, and for humanitarian aid to be granted to the civilian population.
“The two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only possible one.”
