Water Rain O’er Me

The Spanish government has asked Brussels to speed up the hand over of 5.5 billion euros in aid for drought-related problems, as there has been 50 per cent less rainfall than usual between October 2011 and March 2012. Agriculture funds from the EU account for 40 per cent of the EU’s total budget.

But Brussels has snapped back, “Why don’t you use the desalination plants we paid you 1.5 billion for?” Here the stats get high and dry: Plants currently working are only at 16 per cent capacity (ouch), and only 17 of of 51 are actually operational. Brussels also points out that the price of water in Spain is cheap. These comments are not likely to win over the PP government that is known to be against such plants.

 

Shoot out at the Badajoz Corral

Three people were gunned down by an assailant at a club in Don Benito, Badajoz, one, a waiter, and the other two who were residents at a detox clinic right next door. The shooter fled after the killings, but he was identified soon after and authorities are searching for him; he’s 45, with known antecedents, although police have not yet released his name.

The shooter had left the club in what was described a “violent” manner, then returned with shot gun he had retrieved from his car and began firing indiscriminately. This brings to eleven the number of murders in Extremadura since November.

 

Angie and the Perfect Crime

A Barcelona court has condemned María Angeles Molina, known as ‘Angie,’ to 22 years in the clink for the killing of her friend, Ana Páez. Angie took advantage of her friendship by using her name and documents to set up bank accounts and loan, rent flats, and to procure life insurance for over a million euros whose beneficiary was one Susanna B whose ID Angie got when Susanna had left her ID at a photocopy shop.

Susanna though had nothing to do with any of this. Anyway, Angie invited Ana over for dinner one night in a flat she had just rented in Ana’s name, drugged her, then suffocated her to death by placing a plastic bag over