Word: centralizes
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...looked to be a good year in Carpio. Throughout central Spain, a mild winter had protected sprouting plants from frostbite while cool summer temperatures had kept roots from scorching under the Castillian sun, and this farming town, located two hours northwest of Madrid, expected an abundant crop. But then came the voles. By harvest time in late August, Margarita Alonso's hope had turned to despair. "Look at this!" she exclaimed disgustedly as she discarded gnawed potatoes from atop the family combine. "They've eaten half the crop...
...irksome E.U. regulations - add the humble mountain vole. Few worried when the furry rodents first appeared on the plains of Castilla-León last fall. But by summer, a curious nuisance had become a devastating plague. These days, an estimated 750 million voles are marauding their way through central Spain's alfalfa, beets, potatoes and even vineyards. According to figures released by the regional government at the start of August, they have ravaged some 260,000 hectares (more than 1,000 sq. mi.) and caused at least 30 million euros worth of damage. And no one knows exactly...
...areas aren't simply external forces the government must bring under control - they are, in essence, the government. SIIC and the Sadrists dominate Maliki's increasingly tenuous parliamentary majority. And, while the militias had more than enough fighters on hand in Karbala to spark serious violence, the central government had to bring in reinforcements from outside the area to reassert control...
...officials - is probably impossible. There is probably no one who can reconcile with Sunni nationalists while simultaneously disarming militias tied to Shi'ite Iran. There is no one who can assert control over militia-dominated government ministries while simultaneously asserting control over Sunni communities that remain antagonistic towards the central government. As a senior Western diplomat observed earlier this month, there is no knight in shining armor waiting in the wings to solve the country's problems if and when Maliki finally succumbs...
...According to official statistics, 42 gangs have been demobilized and almost 4,000 of their members have been reintegrated into society. Of the 62 gangs that existed here four years ago, only 20 remain, with a total of 363 still-active gang members. Those are impressive figures in a Central American region where total gang membership is estimated at around...