Dawn

Dawn

Friday, November 27, 2015

The Sp. Military; Fraud news; Bankrupticies; A judicial advance; Never too late; & Nail wars.

THE SPANISH MILITARY: While Spain havers over its initial proposal to send troops to Mali to replace French counterparts, Germany has announced it's sending 650 soldiers to allow some of the latter to return to France for anti-terrorist duties. A bit embarrassing for President Rajoy but, as I've said, he does have a looming general election and this will outweigh all other considerations for the next month.

FRAUD NEWS: The latest - utterly predictable - scandal centres on subsidies for cinemas based on customer numbers. Lo and behold, these were inflated to the tune of many millions of euros. So cheeky/confident were the perpetrators, they reported the numbers before the relevant film was even out.

BANKRUPTCIES: These continue to happen, of course. And Spain's biggest ever is now unfolding before our very eyes. This is of Abengoa, a multinational outfit specialising in renewable energy and 'environmental services'. The government is expected to do whatever it can to prevent it collapsing ahead of the December elections. Though a bank-like bailout is thought to be too sensitive right now. Maybe in January. Abengoa owes huge sums to Spain's banks, with Santander leading the pack, at €1.56 billion. It's reported that none of them have provided for their imminent losses. Taxpayers - with €740 million at stake - can't make such provisions, of course. And we may yet have to fund a bailout.

A JUDICIAL ADVANCE: In a case in which a 90 year old woman sought permission to disinter Republican victims of Franco's murder squads, a judge has surprised everyone by pronouncing that she can go ahead. A first in determined-to-forget Spain. After her the deluge?

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE: Another nonagenarian has been prosecuted for scratching more than 20 cars badly parked in her barrio. A temptation which some of us have to regularly suppress. Especially when you can't park because drivers have left 2 or 3 metres between the cars in front of or behind them.

FINALLY . . . . NAIL WARS: I used to walk past a nail bar in our shopping mall in which an Asian chap occasionally had a customer. Yesterday, I saw it'd closed. I suspect this would have happened anyway but the poor bugger never stood a chance once a snazzy place called something like Global Nails opened right next door. It reminded me of a joke which features Burtons Tailors, Jacksons The Tailors, and 'Main Entrance'. Write for details. Though it's ruined now.


Query: How did my rather-easily-irritated elder daughter get past the 2 PIN numbers on my 'smart' phone to change the Notifications tone which was driving her mad?

No comments: