Live News From Spain As It Happens

MOST of Spain is on yellow or orange alert for high winds today and is expected to be so until at least the other side of the weekend, according to the State meteorological agency, AEMET.

Gales of up to 100 kilometres per hour are forecast for the Comunidad Valenciana, Navarra, Cantabria and the provinces of Huesca and Lleida in Aragón and Catalunya, all of which are tagged as 'high risk'.

'Yellow alerts' have been issued for the Balearic Islands, Madrid, the rest of Catalunya and Aragón, La Rioja, Asturias, Murcia and the Basque Country, and in the southern provinces of Almería and Granada and parts of Castilla y León, particularly the provinces of León itself, Burgos, Palencia, Soria and Zamora.

Tidal surges are a high risk in Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and the coastal provinces of the Basque Country, as well as in Almería and Granada.

The northern strip of the mainland is likely to see torrential rain.

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BRITISH homebuyers in Spain outstripped Spaniards in 2014, and the trend looks set to continue this year, according to new development promoters.

And in fact, more buyers from the UK beat every other nationality for some estate agencies, but northern Europeans in general continue to be the most prolific purchasers.

This is largely helped by the fact Spain is now in the top 10 in the developing world for the cheapest homes, according to figures from the OECD.

Outside the Eurozone, exchange rates pay a major role in decisions to buy property in Spain, and with the pound sterling being at its strongest in nearly a decade - sitting at around €1.32 to the pound - British holiday home owners seeking to buy now are getting more for their money whilst expatriates living off retirement pensions paid in Britain are enjoying a better standard of living than in 2009, when the pound and the euro were nearly equal.

Figures from one leading property developer which is British-run but based in Spain, specialising in new builds on urbanisations - self-contained residential complexes - made up of everything from small flats to luxury villas says 14% of its buyers are Spanish, compared to 15% from the Scandinavian countries and 18% from the UK.

This does in fact suggest that, despite widespread belief, the national homebuying market is not dead yet, as Spaniards made up the third-largest national group in 2014.

Belgians, Germans and Russians followed at 12%, 11% and 9% respectively, the developers reveal, with Dutch buyers making up 6% of the total.

Buyers from the Middle East represented 4% aand from Austria, 3%.

The fastest-growing groups were Dutch and Belgian, say the promoters.

Official figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) largely mirrored the sales breakdown supplied by the developer in question - Brits came out top at 18.06%, Germans at 6.45%, Belgians at 6.19% - but differed markedly in terms of French purchasers who, according to the INE, made up 10.5% of the homebuying market in Spain in 2014.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

PUBLIC transport in Bilbao has been voted the best in Spain, followed very closely by Gijón, Logroño and Pamplona, whilst Murcia's network is considered the worst.

An annual survey by leading consumer protection group, the OCU, asked 2,300 passengers and commuters what they thought of the rail service, metro and inter-city buses.

All those quizzed were based in the provincial capital cities with the highest populations, although Badajoz, in the land-locked western region of Extremadura, was excluded from the results due to a lack of response from residents there.

On a scale of zero to 100, Bilbao in the Basque Country came out top with 73, whilst Gijón, in the northern coastal region of Asturias got a score of 70.

The inland Pyrénéen regions of La Rioja and Navarra did well, with their capital cities – Logroño and Pamplona – scoring 70 and 68 respectively.

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria got 63 out of 100, whilst Valladolid – to the north of Madrid in Castilla y León – scored 62, Santander on the north coast in Cantabria was given a rating of 61 out of 100, and Sevilla got 60.

The average score given was 59.4 out of 100, which means Barcelona and Valencia, with a rating of 59 each, were thought to be slightly below satisfactory standards.

Madrid, at 57, Palma de Mallorca at 54, Albacete in Castilla-La Mancha, 53, and Zaragoza in the region of Aragón, 52.

Vigo, in the north-western region of Galicia only just hit the 'pass mark' of 50, but Murcia was considered to have failed with a score of only 44.

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ONE of Spain's greatest historical mysteries may be about to be solved - the final resting place of Miguel de Cervantes, author of the legendary novel Don Quijote de la Mancha.

Historians say they are looking for 'a man of about 69, with only six teeth, and a paralysed left hand containing lead cannon shrapnel', which the author suffered in the armed forces when fighting in Italy, Portugal and Algeria and in Spain during the Battle of Lepanto.

And they have uncovered a niche in the Trinitarias church in Madrid with the initials 'MC' embossed onto the lid.

They are now attempting to open the niche and examine the remains inside to see whether they do indeed match those of Spain's most famous novelist and playwright.

Said to be the most-edited and translated work in history after the Bible and considered to be a pioneering work of modern literature which kick-started Spain's 'Golden Age', or artistic renaissance, The Ingenious Knight Don Quijote of La Mancha centred on a man driven mad by reading knights' tales, to the point where he believes he is one, and sets off across Spain in search of adventure with his fat, faithful 'page' Sancho Panza and his trusty mare Rocinante.

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SPANISH people have more 'extreme' perceptions of their body size than any other citizens in Europe, with the slim believing they are very thin and the slightly overweight believing they are obese.

Marketing consultancy Nielsen carried out a health and wellbeing survey in which they asked Europeans to give their own opinion on their body size.

Whilst 27% of Spaniards believe themselves to be underweight, only 8% of the rest of Europe thought this about themselves.

But whilst 39% of Europeans considered themselves to be an 'ideal weight', only 28% of Spaniards thought this way.

The Greeks are those who most believe their weight is 'normal', with 53% claiming to be within healthy ranges.

And where Europeans on average think they are overweight in just 5% of cases, a total of 25% of Spaniards asked admitted they believed they were carrying too many kilos.

Only between 1% and 3% of the French, Italians and Portuguese considered themselves overweight.

Spanish people are the second-most diet-conscious, with 56% currently taking steps to lose weight, beaten only by 57% in the Republic of Ireland, whilst citizens in Latvia are the least likely to increase exercise levels and go on diets with a view to slimming down – possibly because they already believe their body weight is healthy enough.

In general, two-thirds of Europeans cut down their fat intake to lose weight, whilst 64% reduce sugar and chocolate consumption, 54% eat more fresh produce, a third eats the same foods but in smaller portions, 29% eat fewer processed foods and 11% cuts down on carbohydrates.

Losing weight in Spain mainly involves buying low-fat and low-salt produce, and sugar-free soft drinks – but those trying to shed extra kilos do not want to spend any more money doing so, with 80% saying they are not prepared to bear any extra costs in their weight-loss programme.

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A VALENCIA bar has gained entry to the Guinness Book of Records for its huge variety of exotic gins.

The Doce Gin Club ('Twelve Gin Club') in the Cánovas area of the city started off with 112 varieties, then grew to 212 and, by the time it reached 450, had earned its world record.

Now, the bar has 518 varieties, but needs to reach 612 to continue with its 'Doce' or 'Twelve' tradition, says owner Jorge Bataller.

Some of these are extremely rare, others come from unlikely corners of the world, whilst some were created in bathtubs, some at temperatures of double figures below zero, and one is even made with flecks of 24-carat gold.

Barista Javier Borja, who has been preparing cocktails for over 40 years, says there are basically four main families of gin – aromatic ones, made with laurel berries, dry ones, distilled ones, and London Dry Gin which 'appeals to fans of classic gin and tonic'.

But within those four families is a massive range of flavours and blends which means gin and tonic cocktails are 'not just a drink, but a multitude of drinks in one', Borja reveals.

The bar's range includes limited edition Bombay Sapphire and Beefeater which are no longer manufactured, plus the Castellón-made Ginself, made with tiger nuts – the main ingredient in the sweet, milky drink typical of Valencia, horchata, and the Spirit of Hven, which is the only gin on the menu in the Danish Noma Restaurant, considered the world's best eatery in 2014.

Borja says gin and tonic mixers should be made by pouring the gin from a height so as to trap oxygen, and the tonic poured over a spoon to prevent the bubbles from bursting.

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SPAIN has withdrawn 29 prescription and over-the-counter drugs from sale after the European Union found testing at the laboratory had breached safety regulations.

The Spanish Agency for Medication and Healthcare Products (AEMPS), part of the ministry of health, says an inspection at the premises of GVK Biosciences in Hyderabad, India, showed that ECG (electro-cardiogram) results had been 'doctored' during tests for 'bio-equivalence'.

Bio-equivalence means checking that the generic, unbranded format of each medication is identical to the branded version.

Given that the 'doctored' ECGs were carried out for some time, the European Union says it cannot vouch for the reliability of the tests carried out at the firm's laboratory.

This said, there is no evidence as yet that any of the medicines in question have any harmful effects on humans.

Where no possible substitute for a given medication is available, these will remain on the market until further information comes to light.

In the case of the 29 withdrawn in Spain, alternative medication with the same ingredients can be obtained, says the AEMPS.

They include anti-vomiting medication (Metoclopramida); anti-histamines (Desloratadina and Ebastina Brown); drugs for treating high blood pressure (Valsartán and Irbesartán), post-menopausal osteoporosis (Alendronic Acid), migraines (Rizatriptan), dementia or Alzheimer's (Donepezilo) and stomach acid reflux (Esomeprazol); anti-depressants (Escitalopram), and diabetes medication (Repaglinida).

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AN AIR crash at a military base in the province of Albacete has been described as the worst in over 30 years after leaving 10 people dead and 21 injured.

The Greek F-16 plane was taking off on Monday when it lost power and fell into the aircraft parking area, colliding with several other stationary planes and causing four massive explosions.

Witnesses say the craft was flying at a very low altitude and may have crashed into the hangar.

A black column of smoke and even the flames could be seen several kilometres away from the airbase at Llanos.

Two Greek nationals and eight French citizens were killed outright, seven others are in a critical condition and a further 14 escaped with non-life-threatening injuries with five of these having been discharged from hospital.

The injured parties were air-lifted to the major burns unit at Madrid's La Paz hospital.

According to Air Force Head of State Javier García and defence minister Pedro Morenés, two of the deceased were the pilots.

The craft was part of the NATO Leadership Tactics Programme, which has often used the Llanos base as does NATO in general, since it is home to the advanced training school for fighter pilots.

This is the worst military air tragedy on Spanish soil since 1984, when a Hercules from the USA crashed in the province of Zaragoza and all 18 occupants were killed outright.

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GREECE'S ground-breaking election results have thrown Spain into the spotlight as the likelihood of newly-formed left-wing independents, Podemos, netting the lion's share of the votes appears stronger than ever.

Podemos - which translates as 'we can' - started up a year ago in a garage in Madrid at the hands of 36-year-old Pablo Iglesias, a lecturer in politics at the city's Complutense University, where he obtained his PhD in the subject, living in a rented flat with his dog on a salary of less than €1,000 a month.

And Iglesias is a great friend of his Greek counterpart, Alexis Tsipras, leader of Syriza (ΣΥРΙΖΑ), a party which is considered to be very similar to Podemos and which has just won the majority of votes in the country's general elections.

Both parties were formed in response to the 'collective anger' and 'fed-up' sentiments of Greek and Spanish societies, according to analysts, although Syriza has been on the scene for 25 years and Podemos for one - but neither has any experience yet of leading a country.

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A NEW exhibition in Málaga features legendary photos of the late Beatle John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono protesting over the Vietnam war in a hotel room in 1969.

The display, John Lennon & Yoko Ono: Suite 1742 has been opened at the La Térmica cultural centre in the Costa del Sol city and all shots were taken by legendary photographer Bruno Vagnini, who is named as the author.

Black and white snaps of the peaceful protest referred to as a 'Bed-In' show Lennon and Ono, recently married, sitting on a bed in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal, Québéc during their 'peace campaign' which gave rise to the iconic song Give peace a chance.

With these photos and their live performances, Yoko and John started their campaign in Amsterdam and hoped to take it to New York, but President Nixon would not allow them on US soil because of their having been arrested for drug possession in the UK a few months previously.

Lennon said later that he and Ono 'were very naïve' and 'thought they could stop the war'.

Unable to get into the USA directly, the couple travelled to the Bahamas and from there to Québéc, Canada, although authorities told them they were not allowed into the country.

The couple and their manager appealed against what they called a 'persecution', and in the 10 days it took them to get a response to their appeal, they were able to check into the Queen Elizabeth Hotel and stage their protest.

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KING Felipe VI of Spain has become the first Monarch in the world to feature on the cover of a magazine for gay, bisexual and transsexual readers.

The photo on the front page of RAGAP is in recognition of the new King's special award, due to be granted at the LGBT wing of the international FITUR tourism fair held in Madrid at the start of every year.

Felipe VI and his wife, Queen Letizia, arranged a national conference for representatives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual communities last June and spoke to leaders of nationwide associations working to support those of minority sexual orientations and people who have undergone, or wish to undergo, gender reassignment surgery.

This is the first time ever that such a meeting has been called by reigning Monarchs – not only in Spain, but anywhere on the planet - and HRHs Felipe and Letizia pledged to help in any way they could to promote equal rights and visibility for these communities.

Now, the King will be given a 'rainbow-coloured' award at the FITUR LGBT fair between Wednesday, January 28 and Sunday, February 1 in recognition of his support.

Prizes will also be given to the US ambassador James Costos, to president Barack Obama for his drive to make same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states, and to the Spanish daily broadsheet El Mundo for its positive image of and regular coverage of real-life stories affecting the homosexual and bisexual community.

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A NEW law regulating voluntary work has been approved in Parliament and will provide extra protection and a helpful legal framework for charitable organisations.

An estimated six million people in Spain are volunteers and include hundreds of thousands of northern European expatriates, among whom are a high number of British nationals.

They range from home nursing and hospital transport services through to animal rescue, supplying and raising money for food and other basics for those in poverty, helping at children's homes, running charity shops, and encompass wider national and international organisations such as the Red Cross, Oxfam and Cáritas.

This is the first time legislation covering such work has been updated in over 20 years, and during that time volunteers have dramatically increased in number and awareness has rocketed.

Problems of many years or decades ago, such as charity shops or home nursing headquarters being visited by the work inspectors demanding to see the unpaid staff's social security details, or checked out to ensure they were not a front for money-laundering are now a distant memory and charities and volunteer associations are a huge part of the fabric of modern society.

In fact, they have become crucial, with soup kitchens, Cáritas, the Red Cross and smaller, similar outfits struggling to keep up with demand for food parcels and donations of clothing.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THE current cold snap affecting most of Spain is likely to be on its way out, with rising temperatures forecast next week.

From Sunday, the mercury is expected to climb by between 2ºC and 3ºC in parts of the country, although it will take until the middle of the week before the chill factor reduces across most of the mainland and islands.

This weekend will still be bitterly cold in many parts of the centre and north, with a 'yellow alert' in force for temperatures below freezing in the Pyrénéen provinces of Huesca, Aragón and Girona, Catalunya, as well as Madrid, Barcelona, the east of Castilla-La Mancha (the provinces of Cuenca, Guadalajara and Albacete), and the inland Catalunya province of Lleida.

Thermometers in many of these areas are likely to plunge to around -6ºC, or even lower, especially overnight.

Strong winds are forecast throughout Aragón, Catalunya, and the province of Castellón just to the south of the latter, and coastal areas of Catalunya and Castellón, as well as the Balearic Islands, may see tidal surges with the Costa Brava and Menorca on 'orange alert'.

Temperatures will rise slightly from tomorrow (Sunday) onwards in the daytime, but continue to be low at night, widening the gulf between minimums and maximums.

The rest of the mainland will take longer to catch up, with the mercury plummeting to between -3ºC and -5ºC in the provinces of Burgos, Soria and Segovia, in Castilla y León, around -1ºC in Ciudad Real, Granada and Albacete, and 0ºC in Madrid, León and La Rioja, particularly in the centre of the latter region's capital, Logroño.

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SPANISH communications giant Telefónica is about to sell its British holding, O2, and will leave the UK market altogether.

Initial talks with potential O2 buyer, the Hong Kong-based Hutchinson Whampoa Group, have taken place and Telefónica is expected to agree on a sale price of €13.5 billion.

Telefónica's shares went up by over 2% today at the opening of the IBEX-35 as a result of the news, and the purchase is said to have been approved by the Spanish stockmarket regulatory body, the National Values Market Commission (CNMV).

The aim of the sale is for Telefónica to continue to reduce its debts, increase its financial flexibility and consolidate its presence in Europe and Latin America.

CEO César Alierta refers to a 'profound strategic transformation' Telefónica is currently undergoing in a bid to 'consolidate itself as a digital telecomms market leader' whilst 'maintaining an attractive remuneration policy' for shareholders.

Telefónica has already branched out into Germany through its acquisition of E-Plus, and Brazil, through the purchase of GVT.

The Spanish telecommunications firm acquired O2 in 2006 for the sum of 18 billion pounds sterling (€23.7bn in accordance with current exchange rates).

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A FATHER from Lorca (Murcia) stabbed his 11-year-old daughter's rapist in the early hours of Wednesday morning and left him fighting for his life in hospital, National Police inform.

Officers heard that the child's parents, both Ecuadorian, had left the house for work on Tuesday half an hour before their daughter was due to set off for school and that the accused, of the same nationality (pictured here being taken away by police), had taken advantage of their absence to gain entry to the family home.

He claimed he was a family friend and had been sent round to look after the schoolgirl while her parents were at work and until she set off for school.

The 36-year-old man then raped her and left the property.

He returned the same time – around 08.00hrs – the next morning, believing the parents to be out of the house and with the intention of repeating the attack, but the mother and father were at home and had been told by their daughter what had happened.

The girl's father stabbed him in a fit of rage.

Whilst the rapist is being treated in hospital, National Police are investigating the incident, but the 11-year-old's father has not been arrested as yet.

When the news broke, another girl, aged nine, recognised the same rapist from a photo supplied by the police as the man who had also sexually assaulted her in November, also in Lorca.

She said the accused had approached her near the school gates, claiming to be a friend of one of her teachers, and had taken her to a park nearby.

The nine-year-old, also Ecuadorian, was attacked, but she managed to wriggle free before the man could rape her and ran away shouting for help.

Another 'parental revenge' case sees fresh appeal launched

Whilst it is not known what the latest victim's father's fate will be, another high-profile case of a parent attacking a child rapist has hit the headlines again...

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SCIENTISTS from Barcelona and Madrid have discovered a way of reducing the risk of osteoporosis and slowing down the process in the early stages following diagnosis by reinforcing bone mass.

Researchers from the National Cardio-Vascular Investigation Centre (CNIC) in the two cities, together with their counterparts in Belgium and France have discovered a way of monitoring the cells which 'eat' bone mass.

They are studying the use of a drug normally employed in treating surface lymphomas - Bexarotene - as a way of blocking the formation of osteoclasts, the cells which 'attack' bone mass.

According to the team led by Dr Mercedes Ricote, whose main researchers are Dr María Piedad Menéndez and Dr Tomás Roszer, the formation and spread of osteoclasts can be controlled by a protein found in the bone cells known as a retinoid X-receptor, or RXR, which carries vitamin A derivatives and lipids, or fat cells.

RXR controls the development, immunity and metabolism of bone cells as well as the presence of a key molecule, known as a MAFB, which generates osteoclasts.

Laboratory tests on genetically-modified mice has shown that the loss of RXR gives rise to 'gigantic' osteoclasts, and have worked out how to control the 'bone-eating' function in these by doctoring the amount of RXR fed into them.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPANISH investigators are taking part in a new NASA mission to Mars with a view to studying whether or not the red planet is habitable.

The scientific and technical team for the Mars 2020 project, led by Roger Wiens of Los Álamos National Laboratory, includes members of the French Space Agency (CNES), whose main investigator is Sylvestre Maurice, plus the universities of Hawaii and Valladolid in central Spain.

Professor Fernando Rull of Valladolid University is leading the Spanish team, which is made up of researchers from the universities of Madrid-Complutense, Málaga, Valencia and the Basque Country.

Their job is to test the calibration of the instrument which will be fitted to the outside of the NASA vehicle that will be left on Mars, both from Earth and later from the red planet itself.

The instrument is known as a SuperCam, and will analyse the materials on the surface of Mars from a distance using a spectroscope with laser-induced plasmas, a system known as LIBS, according to Dr Javier Laserna from Málaga University.

The techniques involved are aimed at studying the interaction between the electro-magnetic radiation of the material analysed by the SuperCam, using the LIBS system plus other types of spectroscope - Raman, fluorescent, infrared and visible - and then examining the high-definition colour images produced, plus the chemical makeup of the rocks.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

PLANS to apply speed limits to cyclists and pedestrians and to breathalyse and drug-test walkers have been branded 'absurd' by the Council of State.

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) wants to put a limit on cycling speeds to 'that of a human walking' when using town roads or in built-up areas, and even ban those on foot from going too fast.

Running along roads or pavements could lead to fines if the amendment to the traffic law is approved.

And pedestrians found to be over the drink-drive limit, even if they are not driving, or who refuse to be breathalysed or drug-tested can face fines of up to €1,000.

The Council of State says this is 'ridiculous' and will lead to practically everyone boycotting fiestas, weddings or parties in case they are caught 'drink-walking' home.

Testing will not be random and only if a pedestrian is considered to have been involved in a road traffic accident, but in the event of a person merely walking past the site of the crash he or she could be breathalysed as a matter of course - and possibly fined.

The Council of State also points out that members of the public who have taken prescription or over-the-counter medication such as codeine, benzodiazepam, lorazepam or many other stimulants or tranquillisers would show a positive result in a drug test - and certain strong tranquillisers show up as alcohol in a blood test.

Speed limits for pedestrians and cyclists would 'lead to gridlocks' in towns, would cost a fortune in new warning signs and pavement or cycle-lane markings and could result in a revolt from town councillors who do not want to make the taxpayer fork out for measures they do not agree with.

"The public has not requested these speed limits, and it is absurd to impose them on bicycles and people who do not have speed-o-meters," the Council of State's response says.

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Monday, January 19 - is scientifically proven to be the 'most depressing' day of the year, but experts in Spain have offered advice on how to get through it and insight into why the northern hemisphere is plunged into doom and gloom at this time of year.

A mathematical formula devised by Cardiff University (Wales) researcher Cliff Arnall shows that the third Monday in January - which he calls 'Blue Monday' - is the most miserable of the year north of the equator, based upon the weather, finances, Christmas and motivation levels.

With the excitement of the festive season now a distant memory, the credit card bills from the extra expense it involved and the extra pounds on people's waistlines remain and have to be dealt with - but payday is a long way off and, three weeks into January, the majority of New Year's resolutions about dieting, exercising, giving up smoking or cutting down on alcohol have gone by the wayside.

Along with the 'flat' feeling of the celebrations being over and the aftermath to repair, the weather is usually cold and grey in Europe and most of North America by this point in January.

Arnall's mathematical formula uses 'W' to denote the weather, 'd' to denote debt left behind by Christmas and 'D' for income or money in the bank, 'T' for time since Christmas, 'q' (shown here as º) for 'time since failing New Year's resolutions', 'M' for motivational levels, and Nª for low motivational levels....

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SPAIN'S property price freefall is over and home values are likely to start going up, according to the International Monetary Fund (FMI).

A report by the organisation presided by Christine Lagarde says the same is true for house prices in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands and Denmark, all of which have also experienced a property value 'boom and bust' since the Millennium, and that collectively, the five countries have seen a fall averaging around 25%.

But current analyses of the markets in all five EU member States suggest home values 'have either reached rock bottom or are about to', says the FMI.

The report differentiates between the markets in each of the countries, saying the economic crisis, combined with over-building leading to excess supply caused the market to crash much more violently in Spain and the Republic of Ireland than anywhere else, bringing with it a sharper decline in employment and bringing the construction industry to a complete standstill.

Spain and Ireland also saw a much higher level of debt defaults, including bank loans to construction companies and private mortgages which, combined with high unemployment and the impossibility of those affected being able to keep up repayments, has left 'a private sector debt which is hampering recovery'.

The FMI recognises that all five countries have 'taken important steps to aid the recovery' of their housing markets, but 'new ideas may help to continue and accelerate the process', including, in Spain's case, intensifying changes to mortgage laws to allow for the renegotiation of debts and to prevent the debtor from continuing to owe the money once their property has been repossessed.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

EIGHT in 10 Spaniards prefer reading books in paper format rather than on Kindles or other e-books – and, in fact, 15.5% say they do not even know what a Kindle is.

According to a survey on reading habits by the Sociological Investigation Centre (CIS), a total of 79.7% still like 'turning pages' rather than reading off a screen.

In fact, two-thirds – 66.3% - say they have never read using an e-book, only 15.2% say they preferred digital over paper but just 11.1% called themselves 'habitual' e-book readers.

The research also shows that 35% of the population never reads for pleasure and only 29.3% do so daily.

About 16% read once or twice a week.

Main reasons for not reading were because they did not enjoy it or were not interested, in 42% of cases, whilst 23.2% cited lack of time to do so and 12.9% said they had health problems such as poor eyesight which prevented them from doing so.

More than six in 10 – 61.6% - said if they did read, it was for pleasure, but 12.8% did so to educate themselves.

Little information has been given about favourite genres of fiction – 23.6% like historical novels the best and 17.9% said they enjoyed 'a bit of everything' or fiction 'in general'.

Adventure stories appealed to 9%, whilst detective novels were the favourites in 7.6% of cases and 6% tend to opt for romantic fiction.

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SPAIN'S richest man Amancio Ortega has just bought an office block in central London for 265 million pounds (€335 million).

Owner and founder of the Inditex empire which includes interiors firm Zara Home, budget clothing chains Zara, Bershka, Stradivarius and Pull&Bear, mid-range fashion stores Massimo Dutti and Uterqüe and underwear outlet Oysho, Ortega continues at the top of the Forbes list with total assets of €46 billion.

His latest investment is the former head office for the multinational mining company Río Tinto, an 11,000-square-metre block in St James' Square, according to the British estate agency journal Property Week.

Río Tinto will continue to rent 70% of the office space, the publication says.

Ortega bought the building through the investment company he owns, Pontegadea S.L.

The clothing chain boss is streets ahead in terms of wealth of his nearest 'rival', Spain's joint second-richest men – Rafael del Pino and his brothers, maximum shareholders in the national transport company Ferrovial with €5.3bn in assets.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ANOTHER cold snap is set to hit Spain today (Sunday) and will see snow even in southern and eastern provinces which habitually enjoy mild winters.

Mountainous areas will get up to six inches (15 centimetres) of the white stuff, and four centimetres (just under two inches) is expected today and tomorrow in metropolitan zones in the north and centre of the country.

Regions facing a deep freeze include the Comunidad Valenciana, Castilla-La Mancha, La Rioja, Castilla y León, the Basque Country – except for the coastal province of Vizcaya – Madrid, Aragón, Asturias, Navarra and Cantabria, plus the provinces of Almería, Granada, Jaén, Cáceres in the western region of Extremadura, and Lugo and Ourense in north-western Galicia.

The south-western provinces of Cádiz and Huelva, as well as the coastal areas of Galicia – except the province of Ourense – and the regions of Cantabria and Asturias are on 'yellow alert' for tidal surges.

'Orange alerts' for snow have been issued by the State meteorological agency, AEMET in Cantabria, Navarra and Asturias, as well as the province of Álava in the Basque Country, ad León and Palencia in Castilla y León.

Cádiz, Huelva and Sevilla provinces are on yellow alert for gale-force winds of up to 80 kilometres per hour (50mph) and torrential rain, whilst inland and northern Catalunya – the provinces of Girona and Lleida – and the island of Mallorca are set to see exceptionally cold climates with the mercury plummeting to -6ºC tonight or in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

Rain is expected throughout the country, but may be limited to drizzle in the east of the mainland and the Balearic Islands, whilst downpours and possible thunder storms are likely in the south-west.

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GRANADA'S iconic Alhambra Palace had a 'record year' in 2014 with the highest number of sightseers ever and has retained its honour as the most-visited attraction in Spain.

With over 2.4 million people visiting the Palace last year, representing an increase of 3.78% on 2013 – or an extra 87,500 tourists – the Mediaeval Arab complex once owned by the Nazari dynasty is not only immensely popular with foreign tourists and residents in Spain taking a weekend break, but is also a place where visitors return year after year.

The best month for tourist numbers was May, with a total of 260,727 visitors, and the best day of the year was May 1 when 9,329 people went to explore the Palace.

And the worst day for tourists last year was December 11, when 'only' 2,212 sightseers went along.

Normally, January and February are the quietest months, but in 2014 their visitor figures went up by 20% and 9.68% respectively.

Last year was the first time ever that the Alhambra Palace broke the 2.4-million-visitor barrier – in fact, the total number was 2,402,473.

In addition to visiting the main monument, or in some cases instead of, the shows and exhibitions at the Alhambra were more highly-attended in 2014 than ever before.

Art displays, music and dance festivals, a Japanese garden exhibition in the Generalife – as the landscaped grounds of the Alhambra are known – and the permanent displays at the Alhambra Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts attract literally hundreds of thousands of visitors, bringing the total number of people who went to the complex last year up to 3,113,485.

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A WOMAN who claims she is the illegitimate daughter of the abdicated King Juan Carlos I has had her case accepted by the Supreme Court.

Belgian national Ingrid Sartiau says she has DNA evidence to show that she and Barcelona resident Alberto Solá Jiménez share the same father, and that it is 91% reliable.

Alberto's paternity suit against the former King has not been admitted, but his own DNA sample, he claims, shows a 99% reliability and is a match for Juan Carlos I.

Both the plaintiffs say their mothers told them they had had 'flings' with the Monarch, who was known to have 'sown his wild oats' in his younger days, leading to a breakdown of his still-current marriage to Queen Sofía, from whom he lives separately.

Spain's prosecution board said they did not believe the claims and tried to stop the case going to court, without success.

As King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofía, the current reigning Monarchs King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia and their eldest daughter, Princess Leonor of Asturias are 'legally immune', any legal cases against them have to go straight to the Supreme Court, the highest in the land.

So far, Alberto Solá has been unable to get his heard as lower courts were not authorised to examine the claims and the Supreme Court has consistently rejected the case since the 1990s.

But if Alberto's paternity claim were to be found in his favour, the implications would be far more earth-shattering for the Royal family than if Ingrid turned out to be the King's daughter.

Alberto is older than Felipe VI, meaning the illegitimate son would automatically become King of Spain and Felipe VI would be forced off the throne.

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AN OUTPOST of the Russian State Museum in Saint Petersburg is due to open in Málaga just two days before the red tape is cut on the Costa del Sol branch of Paris' Centre Pompidou in March.

Five centuries of Russian art from Mediaeval icons through to surrealist painters such as Kandinsky, Chagall and Malevich will be on display permanently in the old Tabacalera building, with three different exhibitions per year.

The contract with the 'original' State Museum of Russian Art, led by director-general Vladimir Gusev, runs for 10 years but will hopefully be renewed in 2025.

To celebrate the gallery's grand opening, the first exhibition will be of Russian art from the 15^th to 20^th century and feature 100 or so works, on display all year.

They will cover the period from the Middle Ages through to the Soviet era, with a sample selection of paintings by Wassily Kandinsky, Alexey Venetsianov, Carl Brulov, Alexander Ivanov, Isaak Levitan, Vassily Vereschagin, Ilja Repin, Peter Konchalovsky, Tatlin, Olga Rosanova, Marc Chagall, Alexander Rodchenko, Nathan Altman, Pável Filonov, Kazimir Malevitch and Alexander Deineka.

A temporary exhibition running from March to September this year will be on Sergei Diaghilev, said to be the founder of the Russian Ballet and a great friend of Málaga-born surrealist painter Pablo Picasso, featuring stage designs, sculptures and figurines as well as paintings by Bakst, Vrubel, Golovin, Goncharova, Levitan and Larionov.

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SPAIN has once again broken world records for the number of organ transplants carried out.

For the year 2014, surgeons in the country carried out transplants on an average of 12 people per day - and on February 20, managed as many as 45 in one day.

A total of 22 hospitals in 11 of Spain's 17 autonomously-governed regions achieved this feat between them, thanks to finding 16 new donors, of whom two were still alive.

A total of 4,360 transplants were carried out in Spain in 2014, thanks to 1,682 donors, breaking the country's own record.

Spain has held the number one spot for organ transplants for several years, and donor numbers currently sit at an average of 36 per million inhabitants - nearly double the European average of 19 per million, according to figures released by the National Transplant Organisation (ONT).

Heart transplants have gone up by 6% and kidney transplants by 5% in the past 12 months, although the number of pancreatic, intestinal and liver transplants decreased.

Live kidney donors rose in number by 11%, reaching 423 in total.

Kidneys are among the very few organs which can be taken from living donors - as is bone marrow, where Spain reached a new record last year of 33,506 donors.

Most organs used for transplant in Spain either come from people whose cause of death is considered to be cardiac arrest, or kidneys from living donors, and the majority are aged over 60, with 40% being women and 60% men.

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ANYONE who ill-treats animals will be placed on an official register and banned from having pets or livestock of any kind for between one and three years, according to an amendment to Spain's Penal Code.

Until now, neglect or abuse of animals merely meant the offender was unable to trade or work with animals.

The number of species protected by the law has increased and will include ferrets, iguanas, pigs, snakes and tarantulas, provided they are within the custody and care of a human.

Daily fines of between one and six months will apply to anyone who dumps an animal on the street or in the wild, or abandons it, to the point where it could threaten the creature's life or health.

This does not only cover cats, dogs, horses or other 'traditional' pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs and rabbits, but also cases where turtles or tortoises are dumped in rivers.

Environmental and animal protection groups in the provinces of Alicante and Valencia, home to some of Spain's largest and most valuable wetlands, say children are given turtles as pets when they are babies and, once they have grown too big for their tanks, are poured into the rivers.

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A VILLAGE in the north-western region of Galicia is seeking tenants for €100 a month to 'repopulate' it, since nearly three-quarters of the population has left.

A Xesta, a hamlet which belongs to the larger village of A Lama, has 176 houses but only 50 residents – 27 of the properties stand empty all year round and the rest are only weekend or summer homes.

Only two children are registered on the padrón, or census, and there are no births, since residents of working age have had to move elsewhere to be nearer bigger towns with jobs available.

And those left, retirees, are gradually dying off from old age with each decade that passes.

In light of the ever-declining population, the comfortably-sized stone houses in this picturesque location are up for rent for just €100 a month.

Owners, mainly younger adults who live elsewhere and have inherited the properties from parents or grandparents, are keen to keep the village from crumbling and becoming deserted, and say they do not want to make a significant income from their homes – rather, just keep them in use.

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COCA-COLA has announced plans to make up to 1,800 workers redundant worldwide in light of falling consumption of the planet's most famous fizzy drink.

Although the largest cull is expected in the Atlanta head office, where up to 10% of staff could lose their jobs, employees in Spain may be affected.

Already, redundancies and forced relocations at Spain's four main Coca-Cola bottling plants - in Alicante, Fuenlabrada (Madrid) and Asturias - have led to protests and a court case brought by unions which led to the firm being obliged to give everyone their jobs back.

These job losses had been due to 'restructure' plans aimed at 'centralising operations', but the Spanish courts found this to be illegal since redundancies for non-disciplinary purposes are only permitted by law where the company is either facing financial struggles or the actual roles in question disappear with no possible feasible alternatives for those occupying them. 

This time, however, the distribution and bottling departments - which account for 85% of Coca-Cola's personnel - are not likely to be severely affected, and most of the company's workers in Spain are in these areas.

In total, Coca-Cola has around 136,000 employees worldwide

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HUNDREDS of people including French expatriates and tourists, Jews and Muslims joined in protests in Madrid and Valencia today (Sunday) to show their condemnation of the Charlie Hebdo massacre and the terrorist hijacks of a shop and a printing firm in Paris.

Whilst Spain's president Mariano Rajoy was in the French capital along with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian president Matteo Renzi and other European leaders at a massive demonstration taking over the city, smaller versions were held throughout Spain at the same time.

At least 400 people each joined the marches in Valencia and Madrid, with the first of the gatherings in the capital seeing a group of French students in the central Puerta del Sol square.

A later demonstration took place at 13.30hrs today at Atocha station, organised by the Arab Culture Foundation (FUNCA), and involved French students, tourists and expatriates, some of them second-generation Algerians born in France, as well as a sizeable number of Muslims and their Imams, and a large number of Jews, given that the second massacre in Paris took place in a Jewish bakery. 

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HYPERMARKET Carrefour is offering 3,000 permanent jobs across Spain this year, mainly aimed at young adults.

The group, which has 41,000 employees of whom 86% are on fixed contracts and the remainder seasonal workers drafted in at peak times of the year, took on 2,000 first-jobbers in 2014 in permanent positions and plans to employ another 3,000 this year.

They are seeking anyone from school-leavers to graduates who have good customer service and team-working skills, either demonstrated through previous experience or through having the right disposition to develop these skills quickly.

Applicants are also expected to have great potential for future career development.

Carrefour is concentrating heavily on employing young adults, especially those who are straight out of school, college or university and have not yet had a 'proper' job, or have been out of work for some time and whose experience of employment is limited.

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A SUSPECT package has reportedly been found in the centre of Valencia just hours after one was seen on the metro in Madrid, and Valencia's mayoress has received an anonymous parcel containing a bullet.

Police and the Armed Forces were reported to have filled the main shopping street, the C/ Colón, and comments flooded social networks today (Friday) warning visitors to and residents in Valencia city centre to 'be careful'.

But National Police say the rumours are 'false' and there is no such suspect package, the metro is running normally through Xàtiva and Colón stations – the nearest to the street in question – and no security forces have been drafted in.

However, reports of the mayoress, Rita Barberá, receiving a bullet in the post have been confirmed.

It arrived via standard mail in a padded 'Jiffy-bag'-type envelope, with the address written in black marker pen, and was identified as a nine-millimetre Parabellum – the type normally used by the Basque terrorist cell ETA.

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CHEAP rail tickets on sale this month mean passengers can travel between Madrid and Valencia on the high-speed network for just over €20.

Transport board RENFE has slashed prices by up to 70% on a total of 750,000 tickets, which can be purchased between today and Sunday, January 18.

They are valid for single and return trips on the long-distance connections and high-speed AVE networks, among others.

A single to Barcelona from Valencia on the AVE will cost around €32 even at peak times, or between Madrid and Sevilla a single ticket is just €22.65.

The AVE connection between Valencia and Madrid, which covers the 400-kilometre journey in just over two hours costs around €21.70 each way.

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AN ILLEGAL five-day rave in an airfield near Valencia could see the organiser fined between €30,000 and €90,000 - and he is said to have gone on the run.

Between 3,000 and 4,000 people went along to the party in the hangar in Benagéber, which started late on New Year's Eve and did not break up until after dawn on Monday, January 5.

Given the likely complications evacuating the site would involve, the Guardia Civil opted to surround the rave zone - which was occupied illegally and without any of the required health and safety measures in place, nor alcohol or music permits issued - and monitor those going in and out.

They identified 1,633 people and 561 vehicles, and filed 18 sanctions for unlawful possession of firearms, six for possession of drugs, 27 for road traffic offences, 64 relating to countryside and conservation legislation, 85 for illegal camping and four for breaches of animal protection rules.

Officers drug-tested everyone they identified and 60% of them were found to have taken some substance or another including ecstasy, speed, cocaine or cannabis.

The organiser's identity has not been revealed, although police are aware of who he is and hint that he may be Italian, and an international arrest warrant has been issued.

It is thought he may have been behind illegal raves in the past - one in Siete Aguas, inland of Valencia and to the west of Benagéber, over New Year's Day 2014 and one several years ago in Buñol, also inland of Valencia but further east.

These claims have not been confirmed.

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WINNING numbers for the El Niño national lottery – always drawn on January 6 – were 55.487 this year, and practically every jackpot ticket was sold in the Madrid district of Leganés.

Some of the jackpot winners say they bought their décimo, or 10^th of a ticket, at the last minute after finishing their present-shopping for the Three Kings and 'nearly didn't'.

A few others who hit the jackpot say they almost decided not to buy their décimo because at €20 each – being €200 for a full ticket – they could not really afford to.

Residents of the working-class neighbourhood, most of whom come from families of labourers, have seen their lives turned around by their winnings.

One woman said she did not win anything but that her two adult children took the top prize of €200,000 for a décimo (being €2million for a full ticket), and that she was 'happier this way'.

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HOLIDAYS for young revellers in Magaluf are set to be very different from those they have experienced in the past - councillors and MPs have launched a series of rules of conduct in light of the string of scandals which hit the resort district last summer.

No pub crawls, no drinking alcohol in the street, no ticket touts, tough sanctions for bars who serve alcohol to under-18s, stay open too long, make too much noise or allow too many people in, and more police presence are on the cards for summer 2015.

The local council of Calvià, the inland town which the coastal enclave of Magaluf comes under - as it is not a town in its own right - has called for the central government's interior ministry to send in riot police for the forthcoming beach season.

Authorities also want British police on duty, since most of the young holidaymakers are from the UK, do not speak the language and are more likely to pay attention to officers of their own nationality, the council believes.

A bye-law banning the consumption of alcoholic beverages outside of bars, restaurants or residential homes will be passed ahead of the summer, and it looks likely pub crawls - organised by excursion companies or otherwise - will become illegal.

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THIS year’s Three Kings celebrations are set to be some of the coldest on record with sub-zero temperatures predicted across the country.

Although the south and east coasts, from Castellón down to Cádiz, are expected to see the mercury rise to as much as 21ºC briefly in the middle of the day, the mornings and early evenings will be chilly for the foreseeable future and night temperatures will plummet to around 2ºC or even less.

The provinces of Alicante and Murcia have seen thermometers plummet to as low as -4ºC in the last two or three days, but although the cold snap is predicted to continue until after the bank holiday for the Magi on Tuesday, January 6, it will remain above freezing along the Mediterranean and the Strait of Gibraltar.

Highs will go up slightly on the eve of the Three Kings in provinces bordering the Cantabrian Sea, the High Ebro delta and the Pyrénées, but a minor cold front will enter the mainland from the north-west at around the same time bringing down temperatures in Galicia and then extending across the rest of the country, with the exception of the Canary Islands.

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BOARD games have come back into fashion in Spanish households as a result of the financial crisis, say experts in retail.

Monopoly, which came about in 1929 in Spain during the country’s worst recession until now, and Trivial Pursuit, which was borne out of the oil crisis are frequently seen back on the table at gatherings of friends and family, especially on winter weekends or over Christmas, New Year and the Three Kings.

And Ludo – known as Parchís in Spanish – is seeing a revival, having always been immensely popular in the country before television became mainstream.

Dominoes, chess and cards have always been ‘bar favourites’, especially among the older generations of men, but are now becoming regular features in family homes.

Sales of board games in Spain have increased a hundred-fold, with around half a million sold per year – compared to between 5,000 and 10,000 nationwide about four or five years ago, experts say.

They believe that the financial crisis has created new generations of board-game fans, many of whom say they are fun, social and help improve memory.

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KING Juan Carlos I decided to see in the New Year in one of the most glamourous settings in the world – at The Ivy in Beverly Hills.

The abdicated Monarch, whose son is now King Felipe VI, was spotted eating at the luxury locale which is famous for feeding more celebrity customers per table than anywhere else on the planet.

This is the first time HRH Juan Carlos has spent New Year in the USA and was his first festive season off the throne in 40 years.

He was not with his wife, Queen Sofía, from whom he has lived separately for many years.

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HIGH-STREET bank La Caixa has bought out the Spanish arm of UK firm Barclays for the sum of €820 million.

This means CaixaBank will take over the 262 branches of Barclays and its 555,000 customers in Spain, handling its retail banking.

BarclayCard and Barclays investment banking will remain in the hands of the British-based arm of the company.

The price is based upon Barclays’ closing assets for 2014, standing at €1.71 billion.

CaixaBank, whose CEO is Isidre Fainé, intends to carry out a ‘restructure’ of the payroll, of 2,400 employees.

It is not known whether this will mean redundancies or relocations, or merely re-ordering of teams and roles.

As at the second quarter of 2014, Barclays Bank Spain had €8.4bn in loans, €9.9bn on deposit and was handling customer assets of €4.9bn.

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ROAD traffic law changes due to come into force in the early part of 2015 include speed limit reductions, minimum distances and safety and liability regulations.

Although not yet given the ‘Royal assent’ in Parliament, the motoring legislation will bring down the speed limit on roads in non-built up areas from 100 kilometres per hour to 90km/h where the hard shoulder is at least 1.5 metres (4’11”) wide, and from 70km/h down to 50km/h on roads of less than 6.5 metres (just over 21’0”) wide.

Speed limits in built-up areas will remain at 50km/h, but will fall to 30km/h on single-carriageway one-way streets and to 20km/h on streets where the pavement and road Surface are level with each other.

Motorway speed limits will remain at 120km/h but may go up to 130km/h for cars, motorbikes and three-wheeled vehicles on a temporary basis where the section of the highway in question is considered to be in perfect conditions of safety and repair, and the weather is ideal for driving.

Other matters include companions of learner drivers – who, at present, may only be qualified driving instructors in the course of duty and only in a dual-control driving school car – who will be considered 100% liable for any accidents caused by a pupil.

Law changes also affect the use of cycle helmets, obligatory for riders aged 16 or under at all times, and motorcycle and moped helmets, where only approved helmets can be used and riders will no longer be able to refuse to wear them on medical grounds, even if they have a note from their doctor.

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FOUR earthquakes have been registered in the Valencia region in the first two days of 2015 in all three provinces.

A tremor measuring 2.6 on the Richter scale was felt at 23.43hrs exactly on the night of Thursday, January 1, in Mislata, just outside Valencia city, but was not intense enough to cause damage or injury.

It was followed before daybreak on Friday by another measuring 1.6 in Torrevieja, in the south of the province of Alicante and a third in Morella (Castellón province) of 2.2 on the Richter scale.

Then, at exactly 16.48hrs in Aldaia, just outside Valencia city on Friday, January 2, a fourth tremor was recorded at 1.6 on the Richter scale.

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CHILDREN in Spain are more excited about the Three Kings bringing them presents than Santa Claus, according to a survey by the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ).

The group, based in the village of Ibi (Alicante province), where practically every resident lives off the toy-making industry, interviewed 23,500 parents and young people via social networks.

Whilst in the rest of Europe and the Anglo-Saxon world, Father Christmas brings the presents and fills stockings on Christmas Eve – between tea-time and the early hours – and these are unwrapped either on the night of December 24 or Christmas Day morning, in Spain it is the three Wise Men from the East who bear gifts, delivering them on the night of January 5.

In Spain, the Magi are known as the Three Kings, and January 6 is a bank holiday in their honour and the only chance Spanish children get to play with their new toys before going back to school on January 7.

Father Christmas does not even visit some children, but in most cases, where he does, he only leaves a few token gifts.

The study by the AEFJ found that two-thirds of children look forward to Casper, Melchior and Balthazar visiting them, and only 27.48% uphold the tradition of Santa Claus.

Other festive gift-bearing figures in different regions in Spain include the Tío de Nadal and, in the Basque Country, Olentzero, who are the preferred mythical faces of 2.7% and 2.8% of children respectively.

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NATIONAL Police in Spain have warned of a ‘powerful’ virus sent via text message and affecting Android mobile phones.

According to the Technology Investigation Unit, the message reads: “Is this your photo?” [¿Es esto tu foto?] with the link http://url7.me/[mobile user’s name].

Once the phone user clicks on the link, they are asked for ‘permission’ to install an App called PhotoViewer.apk.

If the App is downloaded, it will allow access to the mobile owner’s address book and their location via GPS.

Downloading the App means a message will automatically be sent to all contacts in the phone owner’s address book, infecting their mobiles with the same virus.

The App does not have an icon, meaning if it is downloaded, the user needs to go into ‘applications’ and delete it.

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THE first baby to be born in 2015 is a little girl named Noelia (pictured) who came into the world at 32 seconds after midnight in Tortosa (Tarragona province).

Mother and baby are doing well after a caesarean section operation.

And the second baby of this year is a little girl whose parents have not chosen a name yet, in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid) at seven minutes past midnight.

Other recent arrivals were a little boy born at 21 minutes past the chimes in San Sebastián and another boy at 01.35hrs in the Bilbao area.

Valencia’s first baby of this year was a girl born to a Spanish mother at nine minutes past midnight at La Fe hospital in the city.

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NEW Year’s night in Madrid left 54 people hospitalised with alcohol poisoning, 58 fires including 41 wheelie-bins, 277 calls to the police over noise nuisance, 13 brawls and 24 tonnes of rubbish, of which nearly half was in the central Puerta del Sol square.

A total of 24 people suffered minor injuries in unarmed fights, two people are critical in hospital after one, a man of 58, fell down the steps of a bar and another after trying to climb into his flat through a window, landing 10 metres down on an air-conditioning unit which broke his fall.

He had locked his keys indoors, and the 35-year-old victim sustained a serious abdominal injury but is now stable and conscious.

The man who fell down the bar steps went into cardiac arrest, but was revived and taken to the 12 de Octubre hospital in the capital.

Between 20.00hrs last night (Wednesday) and 08.00hrs this morning (Thursday), ambulance and Civil Protection workers attended 226 incidents, of which 54 involved alcohol poisoning mostly affecting young adults aged between 18 and 25.

Emergency services took 4,735 calls on the 112 hotline, twice as many as on the first morning of 2014.

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