There is only one problem with the picture of bounty: this province, MURCIA, IS RUNNING OUT OF WATER. Swaths of southeast Spain are steadily turning into desert. The battles of yesterday were fought over land, they warn. Those of the present center on oil. But those of the future - a future made hotter and drier by climate change in much of the world - seem likely to focus on water, they say.

Murcia, traditionally a poor farming region, has undergone a resort-building boom in recent years, even as many of its farmers have switched to more thirsty crops, encouraged by water transfer plans, which have become increasingly untenable. The combination has put new pressures on the land and its dwindling supply of water. THIS YEAR, FARMERS ARE FIGHTING DEVELOPERS OVER WATER RIGHTS. They are fighting one another over who gets to water their crops. And in a sign of their mounting desperation, they are buying and selling water like gold on a rapidly growing black market, mostly from illegal wells.

"Water will be the environmental issue this year - the problem is urgent and immediate," said Barbara Helferrich, a spokeswoman for the European Union's Environment Directorate. "IF YOU ALREADY HAVE WATER SHORTAGES IN SPRING, YOU KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY BAD SUMMER."

"WATER IS ALL WE HAVE," said Gulbakhor, a 55-year-old mother of nine, pointing at swathes of parched land stretching towards the austere mountains of central Tajikistan. She did not want to give her last name. "BUT ALL THE PONDS AND RIVERS ARE DRY. We need to water our crop but we don't have enough even for ourselves." Gulbakhor's despair, shared by millions of Tajiks in this tiny ex-Soviet nation north of Afghanistan, reflects a growing sense of alarm throughout Central Asia where stability depends on the region's scarcest and most precious commodity: water.

Central Asia is one of the world's driest places where, thanks to 70 years of Soviet planning, thirsty crops such as cotton and grain remain the main livelihood for most of the 58 million people. Disputes over cross-border water use have simmered for years in this sprawling mass of land wedged between Iran, Russia and China. Afghanistan, linked to Central Asia by the Amu Daria river, is adding to the tension by claiming its own share of the water.

WATER SHORTAGES ARE CAUSING CONCERN THE WORLD OVER, BECAUSE OF RISING DEMAND, CLIMATE CHANGE AND SWELLING POPULATIONS.

An hour later they were back. They grabbed Dadirai Chipiro and chopped off one of her hands and both her feet. Then they threw her into her hut, locked the door and threw a petrol bomb through the window. The killing last Friday - one of the most grotesque atrocities committed by Robert Mugabe's regime since independence in 1980 - was carried out on a wave of worsening brutality before the run-off presidential elections in just over two weeks. It echoed the activities of Foday Sankoh, the rebel leader in the Sierra Leone civil war that ended in 2002, whose trade-mark was to chop off hands and feet.

About 70 local supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change gathered Wednesday in Patson Chipiro's small yard in Mhondoro to protect him. Inside the hut where his wife of 29 years died, women sang softly to a subdued drum beat next to the cheap wooden coffin. The thatched roof had been destroyed in the fire so they sat under the open sky. The lid could not be closed because Dadirai Chipiro's outstretched arm had burnt rigid. Her charred hand was found as women swept the hut.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the Cedar River in east central Iowa, saying residents should expect "unprecedented river crests," calling the situation serious. One of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, levees has already broken.

"The rest of the levees in the city have not broken down but what the problem is is the water went way up over the top - well over a foot over the top of the levees," said Dave Koch, the city's public information officer told FOX News, adding "it's a 500-year flood and it just overwhelmed us."

"We're just kind of at God's mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start," Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said. "We're going to need a lot of prayers, and people are going to need a lot of patience and understanding. We're in uncharted territory; this is an event beyond what anybody could even imagine."

The EU Parliament's President Hans-Gert Poettering (CDU) is demanding that "politicians of all sides" in Dublin explain the advantages of the EU to the population. Elmar Brok (CDU), a member of the European Parliament, declared that A "DEBATE ON IRELAND'S WITHDRAWAL" FROM THE EU SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED, IF THE TREATY IS REJECTED.

According to opinion polls, the approval sought by Berlin, is in danger and therefore also the EU treaty's coming into force, which would permit the smooth appointment of a EUROPEAN FOREIGN MINISTER and the corresponding European foreign service, ALONG WITH PREPARATIONS FOR ESTABLISHING A EUROPEAN ARMY. These objectives are very important to the German government, as Foreign Minister Steinmeier recently confirmed.

FEARING TO BE DRAWN INTO EUROPE'S FUTURE WARS, MANY IRISH ARE INSISTING ON THEIR COUNTRY'S NEUTRALITY. They are rejecting the "EU treaty", because it would accelerate the EU foreign policy's further standardization and militarization. Giving in to pressure from Berlin, the Irish government is campaigning against a significant portion of its own population, and therefore drawing criticism

The Pope was visited after the general audience by the members of the Islamic-Catholic committee established by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Saudi Arabia-based International Islamic Forum for Dialogue, L'Osservatore Romano reported. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, president and secretary, respectively, of that Vatican dicastery participated.

The committee is meeting through Friday on the theme "Christians and Muslims: Witnesses of the God of Justice, Peace and Compassion in a World That Suffers Violence."

Some Catholics fear the treaty will create loopholes allowing the EU to force Ireland to relax its strict abortion laws, permit same sex marriages and erode what they regard as traditional religious values. "PRAYER CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY," said Murphy, who runs a Catholic centre in the capital Dublin. "We cannot delegate to a more centralised authority our decision-making rights on matters so close to home."

Ireland is the only EU state planning a referendum on the treaty and a "no" vote could sink a treaty designed to end years of diplomatic wrangling over reform of the bloc's institutions. A number of Catholic prayer groups have put rejection of the treaty at the centre of their supplications. Some have sent text messages urging the devout to recite the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, a rosary-like prayer cycle which they believe is especially effective.

Ann Harland, a part-time bank worker, said she was praying about the outcome on June 12. "I WANT THE LAWS OF GOD AND CHRISTIAN VALUES TO BE UPHELD. WITHOUT IT, ANYTHING GOES," SHE SAID.

Local authorities will be urged to consult widely before coming forward, and may win financial support. Ministers hope to have the site open for business within about 20 years. Meanwhile, Business Secretary John Hutton told energy companies that THE UK SHOULD BECOME THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE LOCATION FOR NEW NUCLEAR INVESTMENT. The government is keen to see at least 10 nuclear reactors starting operations around 2020, as existing installations reach the end of their lives, with more to follow.

The community finally chosen to host the waste would gain economically through the creation of new jobs, but could also receive funds from the government - which opponents of the scheme characterise as "bribery. In the surreal world of Labour's nuclear obsession, waste dumps are now being presented as an economic opportunity," said the Scottish National Party's Westminster energy spokesman Mike Weir.

"A NUCLEAR DUMP WILL REQUIRE EXCEPTIONAL LEVELS OF SECURITY FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. What sort of blight and legacy is that for a local community?"

Peers dismissed a Conservative proposal by a margin of 62 votes. The Tories argued the treaty was largely similar to the discarded EU Constitution - on which a referendum was promised by all major parties. But the government and Lib Dems said it was not needed as the treaty would not alter the UK's own constitution. The Lords vote - by 280 to 218 - clears the way for the bill ratifying the EU treaty to become law next week.

However, the treaty - which paves the way for greater European integration, an EU presidency and the abolition of a host of national vetoes - will effectively be killed off if Ireland votes "no" on Thursday, as it must be passed by all 27 member states. The Lords vote came after judgement was reserved in a legal challenge brought by millionaire Tory donor Stuart Wheeler, who claims the government promised a referendum and is now obliged to hold one.

Ministers insist the pledge to hold a referendum - made by all three main parties at the last general election - related only to the EU Constitution, which was abandoned in 2005. They argue that the current treaty is significantly different. But, during the debate, Conservative Lord Howell said: "What has happened is that the treaty drafters and this government have achieved an illusion by using a methodological device which is used to say the constitution position is abandoned."

He added: "The public is being hoodwinked and the public knows that as well."

A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence, he claimed. Professor Lynn, who has provoked controversy in the past with research linking intelligence to race and sex, said university academics were less likely to believe in God than almost anyone else. A survey of Royal Society fellows found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God - at a time when 68.5 per cent of the general UK population described themselves as believers.

A separate poll in the 90s found only seven per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God. Professor Lynn said most primary school children believed in God, but as they entered adolescence - and their intelligence increased - many started to have doubts.

Dr David Hardman, principal lecturer in learning development at London Metropolitan University, said: "It is very difficult to conduct true experiments that would explicate a causal relationship between IQ and religious belief. Nonetheless, there is evidence from other domains that higher levels of intelligence are associated with a greater ability - or perhaps willingness - to question and overturn strongly felt institutions."

While it is too early to say that the fire fighting on Wall Street is over, there is growing evidence that the extended fall in real estate is putting stress on Main Street as well. Commercial banks in the U.S. face a complex and difficult situation: margins are compressed and there is increasing stress on a range of assets, from mortgages to consumer loans to debt backing commercial and residential real estate development.

For bank investors this means that WE ARE ONLY AT THE BEGINNING OF LOWER DIVIDENDS, more dilutive capital raisings and share price falls, as well as the odd failure. This credit crunch will run and run. Unfortunately, the difficulties in real estate seem to have a compounding effect on the way down, just as the bubble was self-reinforcing on the way up.

Just under 2.5 percent of mortgages are now in foreclosure, the most since records began the early 1970s. This is sure to pressure prices further, as lenders seek a clearing price to just get the stuff off their books. Unemployment is rising too, which will heighten pressure on commercial and residential real estate. DON'T BE TOO SURPRISED IF MORE BANKS FAIL, AND IF THE NAMES BECOME A BIT MORE FAMILIAR.

The Beijing Olympic organizing committee issued a stern, nine-page document Monday that covers 57 topics. Written in Chinese only and posted on the official Web site, the guide covers everything from a ban on sleeping outdoors to the need for government permission to stage a protest.

Visitors also should know this:
Those with "mental diseases" or contagious conditions will be barred.
Some parts of the country are closed to visitors - one of them Tibet.
Olympic tickets are no guarantee of a visa to enter China.

Fearing protests during the August 8-24 Olympics, China's government has tightened controls on visas and residence permits for foreigners. It has also promised a massive security presence at the games, which may include undercover agents dressed as volunteers. The guide said Olympic ticket holders "still need to visit China embassies and consulates and apply for visas according to the related rules."

The government hopes to keep out activists and students who might stage pro-Tibet rallies that would be broadcast around the world. It also fears protests over China's oil and arms trade with Sudan, and any disquiet from predominantly Muslim regions in western China.

The document also warns foreigners that not all areas of the country are open to visitors. One such area is Tibet, which is also off limits to journalists. "Not all of China is open to foreigners, and they shall not go to any venue not open to them," the statement said. Foreigners staying with Chinese residents in urban areas must register at a local police station within 24 hours of arriving. For those planning on sleeping outdoors to save a little money - forget it. This is banned to "maintain public hygiene and the cultured image of the cities."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi long ago declared the prospects for impeachment proceedings "off the table." Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, insists that his resolution deserves more consideration. He spent more than four hours Monday night reading his 35 articles of impeachment into the record, including charges that Bush manufactured a false case for going to war against Iraq.

Kucinich's articles also charge Bush with failing to provide troops with vehicle armor, illegally detaining both foreign nationals and Americans, condoning torture, mishandling the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and undermining efforts to address global warning.

"It is imperative that members of Congress have a thorough opportunity to read the articles of impeachment and study the documentation," Kucinich said in a statement.

The article's tone was mocking and biting, but it said nothing that conservative magazines and blogs in the United States did not say every day without fear of legal reprisal. Things are different here. The magazine is on trial. Under Canadian law, there is a serious argument that the article contained hate speech and that its publisher, Maclean's magazine, the nation's leading newsweekly, should be forbidden from saying similar things, forced to publish a rebuttal and made to compensate Muslims for injuring their "dignity, feelings and self respect."

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal, which held five days of hearings on those questions in Vancouver last week, will soon rule on whether Maclean's violated a provincial hate speech law by stirring up animosity toward Muslims.

In his opening statement in the Canadian magazine case, a lawyer representing the Muslim plaintiffs aggrieved by the Maclean's article pleaded with a three-member panel of the tribunal to declare that the article subjected his clients to "hatred and ridicule" and to force the magazine to publish a response. "You are the only thing between racist, hateful, contemptuous Islamophobic and irresponsible journalism," the lawyer, Faisal Joseph, told the tribunal, "and law-abiding Canadian citizens."

Steyn, the author of the Maclean's article, said the court proceeding illustrated some important distinctions. "The problem with so-called hate speech laws is that they're not about facts," he said in a telephone interview. "They're about feelings. WESTERN GOVERNMENTS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY COMFORTABLE WITH THE REGULATION OF OPINION."

Spurred by the weak dollar and the strong euro, European travelers to the U.S. have been lapping up everything from Gap boxers to iPhones to luxury condos in Palm Beach.

Among the first and, at the time, tallest of New York City's signature skyscrapers when it was completed in 1902, the 22-story Flatiron is instantly recognizable for its triangular shape at the intersection of Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and 23rd Street. Though it was dwarfed 30 years later by the Empire State building, 11 blocks up Fifth Avenue, the Flatiron is a favorite of architecture buffs and a lasting star in the skyline, featured in the opening credits of the David Letterman show and serving as the fictional headquarters for the Daily Bugle in the recent Spider-Man movies.

It has been a National Historic Landmark since 1989. Though not quite the shock of the Mitsubishi Group's purchase of Rockefeller Center, the FLATIRON'S FALLING INTO FOREIGN HANDS NEVERTHELESS CARRIES SYMBOLIC WEIGHT as international investors take advantage of the upheaval in the real estate market and weakness of the U.S. dollar. The euro closed Monday at $1.56.