POWER CUT CAUSES PANIC IN PYRENEAN SKI RESORT

As flights to New York from London and Paris were being suspended over Christmas and the New Year because of fears of a major terrorist attack, it has now been revealed that President Jose Maria Aznar was stranded for 10 hours on 29 December because of a blackout at the Pyrenean ski resort of Beret, where he was on holiday with his family. Ironically, the Endesa electricity company's president, Manuel Pizarro, was also staying at the resort with his family. Sr Aznar's bodyguards delayed the installation of emergency lighting for several hours while they went over the area with a fine toothcomb, fearing that the blackout was simply the prelude to an attempt to kidnap or assassinate the president. In the photo, the president's wife, Ana Botella, enjoys a break from skiing with Tania Paessler, her oldest son's fiancée. King Juan Carlos's oldest daughter, the Infanta Cristina, was also at the ski resort with her husband, Iñaki Urdangarín, and their three children. The house they were staying at was not affected by the blackout. Meanwhile, thanks to a new system of floodlights, skiers can now enjoy the slopes of the Sierra Nevada near Granada well after their usual closing time of 5 pm.