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1 - 7 December 2016 / Costa del Sol
www.euroweeklynews.com
Let there be light CHRISTMAS SPARKLE: In Fuengirola as the lights are switched on.
By Sam Croft THE holiday season has officially begun in Fuengirola now that the town’s Christmas lights are twinkling on high. The inauguration took place on November 24 at 6.30pm. Mayor Ana Mula joined other members of the council in the Plaza Reyes Catolicos where hundreds of well-wishers gathered to watch as the lights sprung to life.
There are 1,511,792 Christmas lights scattered around the city, 86,811 more than last year. The company that manufactures the lights has been so successful that the lights have even made their way across the pond to New York City. In addition to the lights, Fuengirola’s official Belen (nativity scene) has been unveiled to the public. The spectacular Christmas montage contains more than
600 figures, and occupies 30 metres square inside of a huge glass case. As usual, the Belen includes several tips of the hat to Fuengirola itself, including model versions of well-known landmarks like the Armada Bridge or the old market on Calle EspaĂąa. More than 60 activities are scheduled to take place in Fuengirola before the Three Kings Parade brings the festivities to a close on January 6.
NEWS
Woman accused of false rape and kidnapping claims A YOUNG Nigerian woman has been arrested for allegedly pretending that she had been kidnapped and raped repeatedly by a group of men. The police investigation began when a health centre in Malaga City reported a young patient had checked in, claiming she had been raped. The woman went to the police station and told officers she had been kidnapped for 17 days and raped multiple times by five men. She explained she had voluntarily got into a car with the men, but they then drove her to an isolated farmhouse in the countryside and took her phone. She claimed she had only managed to escape weeks later by convincing one of the men to let her go. She also said there had been two other women locked in the basement. Due to the seriousness of the accusations and the possibility that other women were in danger, the police immediately launched an investigation. They organised a reconstruction of the event in the company of the victim, which was when they began to notice potential holes in her story. The most conclusive evidence the woman may have been lying was related to her mobile phone records. The police determined she had allegedly used the phone in the time she had supposedly been kidnapped. They also determined she had apparently been in the company of an acquaintance during this time. The officers have arrested the woman, who is accused of fabricating a false crime. The police have indicated they suspect the woman allegedly lied in an attempt to become a Spanish citizen, as she is currently living here illegally.