Royals pay annual Christmas tributes

British Queen Elizabeth II paid tribute in her annual Christmas Day broadcast on Thursday to the "selflessness" of medical staff and aid workers fighting the Ebola epidemic.

"I have been deeply touched this year by the selflessness of aid workers and medical volunteers who have gone abroad to help victims of conflict or of diseases like Ebola, often at great personal risk," the 88-year-old queen said.

The virus has killed more than 7,500 people, the vast majority in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Written by herself

People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected with Ebola are especially exposed to the virus, and 365 healthcare workers have died, most of them local staff.

The queen's message is an annual event, broadcast on BBC television and radio after lunch and watched by millions of people in Britain and across the commonwealth.

It is one of the few speeches that she writes herself, rather than with officials.

Spain's new King Felipe VI insisted in his first Christmas Eve speech on Wednesday that the seemingly endless examples of corruption that are angering voters must be stamped out.

He did not mention his recently indicted sister, Princess Cristina, by name but stressed that Spanish public figures don't have a right to use their position "to profit or become rich".

The speech, watched by millions on TV, is the most important national address by Spanish kings, and Felipe gave his first after his father Juan Carlos abdicated in June - putting his own stamp on the monarchy.

Just two days before Felipe spoke, Cristina was indicted on two counts of tax fraud that could land her in prison.

She faces up to eight years if convicted in an alleged scheme that funded a lavish lifestyle for her and her husband at their Barcelona mansion.

Felipe told Spaniards they should take heart that some Spanish luminaries accused of "irregular conduct" are being held accountable in legal proceedings that are riveting and outraging citizens as the media publicize cases affecting many politicians, his sister and her husband.

Cascade of corruption

"There must not be favored treatment for those occupying a position of public responsibility," Felipe said. "Public office must not be a means to profit or become rich."

Although the king did not mention his sister by name, Fernando Rayon, an author and royal-watcher, said there was no doubt that Felipe was singling her out.

"Logically, his sister and brother-in-law are included in the references to corruption," said Rayon, the author of four books about Spain's royal family.

Besides Cristina, Spain has seen a cascade of corruption cases hitting politicians from most of the country's political parties, plus Rodrigo Rato, the Spaniard who headed the International Monetary Fund from 2004 to 2007.

Cristina, 49, is the first royal family member ordered to trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975. She could end up in court toward the end of next year along with her husband Inaki Urdangarin, an Olympic handball medalist turned businessman, and 15 others targeted in the case.

AFP - AP

(China Daily 12/26/2014 page11)