Things Could Be Worse…

Spanish police arrested a man whom they suspect hired a contract killer to murder his boss (and did so successfully) in a desperate bid to avoid being laid off as part of company restructuring, Reuters reports.

The murder marks one of the most extreme actions by Spaniards who fear losing jobs, homes and businesses during a recession in which unemployment is rising faster than in any other developed country. Other cases have included an indebted Spanish builder who kidnapped his bank manager at gunpoint, and the head of a construction firm who threatened to set himself on fire unless debts he was owed were paid.