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Shady chicken run
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Two brothers, M.P.M. and F.P.M. owners of a 1,000-square metre plantation of cannabis sativa (hemp) in Dos Hermanas (Sevilla) claimed in court last week that the bushes, planted in perfectly straight lines and equipped with a drip irrigation system, provided shade for their 80 valuable fighting cocks and chickens. They denied cultivating the hemp for drugs and explained that the plants were both male and female unlike those grown for cannabis, which are exclusively female. The defence counsel for the brothers, also maintained that according to an initial valuation the 1,200 kilos of plants were worth only 231 euros, although a later estimate placed it at 2,800 euros. If found guilty the brothers face sentences of up to nine years.
Bib and toys for minister
Carme Chacón, Minister of Defence in Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s new government made a lightning visit to Spanish troops in Sarajevo on April 29, following previous visits to Afghanistan and Lebanon. The minister is pregnant with her first child - a boy to be named Miguel – and soldiers from the Spanish legion gave her presents for the baby that included a bib, tee-shirt and a soft-toy of the legion’s mascot, a ram. The minister is now in the eighth month of pregnancy and said this would be the last of her visits abroad until after the birth. Nearby Kosovo was not included in her itinerary, almost certainly because the 585 Spanish soldiers attached to the NATO peacekeepers there are defending the political situation arising from its recent independence, which Spain opposes.
McCain would get closer
In declarations to a Spanish news agency, the Republican candidate John McCain said that if he won the presidential election next November he would ‘improve and promote’ the United States’ long-standing relations with Spain. McCain dodged a question asking whether he would arrange an early meeting with the president of the Spanish government Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero if elected and shunned mention of the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq in 2004. Unlike his predecessor Jose Maria Aznar, Zapatero’s relations with George W Bush have been frosty and although the two men have come face to face and spoken, they have never had a personal meeting.
Unfortunate choice of words
Candidates for physiotherapist positions with the Castilla-La Mancha health service (Sescam) complained that one of their exams accepted the term ‘imbecile’ as a valid description for a child with mental health problems. Other options given for Question 82 in the multiple-choice test were ‘idiot’, ‘mentally weak’ and ‘all are false’. The health authorities have now apologised for the blunder, which was caused by a fault in the correction template and said the correct answer was ‘all are false’. This explanation did not appease candidates who protested that all three terms were considered obsolete by the World Health Organisation and should not have been used in the first place.
No invite for royals
It is six years since any member of Spain’s royal family has attended a function organised by Barcelona’s Pompeu Fabra University and, following a decision last week, none is likely to be invited in the future. A meeting of the university council, composed of staff, students and administrators, supported a motion from the Cataluña Students’ Union which rejected royal visits to the university. The proposal was approved with 38 votes in favour, 31 against and 22 abstentions although a university spokesman stressed that neither the rector nor the vice-rector were present at the meeting and they would decide whether or not to implement the council’s resolution.
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