Costa Blanca

Alicante’s Half Marathon is run by thousands

The 10K Aguas de Alicante Half Marathon took place yesterday, and thousands took part. The race happened at the same time as the last stage of the 9th Women’s Cycling Week-Volta of the Valencian Community. Mayor Luis Barcala and Councillor for Sports Toni Gallego went to the start of the athletics event together. Mayor Barcala said, “Sporting events like these two events support the goal of de-seasonalizing the tourism sector.” This is supported by the fact that 80% of hotels are full this weekend in mid-February and that it has a big effect on other parts of the city’s economy, like bars and hotels.

The mayor also talked about how important it is for both events to promote Alicante: “It is very important that about 8,000 people from 43 countries or different provinces of Spain come to Alicante to compete in or watch the Half Marathon. This includes athletes and their families.” Also, that pictures of Alicante can be sent abroad now that La Volta is here, which is good for tourism.

Moroccan Youness Belyamna won the men’s division of the International Half Marathon with a time of 1h 08′ and Welsh Sioned Howells won the women’s division with a time of 1h 20′. People from Poland, Bartolomé J. Falkowski and Natalia Gasnk, were the first to cross the finish line at Pier 12 in the Port of Alicante for the 10 km race. Their times were 31 minutes and 57 seconds and 38 minutes and 55 seconds.

A singer named Mario González played the “Hymn of Alicante” before the 5,300 people who signed up for the race. Before getting to the Explanada promenade, the first few miles of the course were the same for both the Half Marathon and the 10k. People who had signed up for the 10 km race turned left at this point to go back to the finish line at Muelle 12. People who had signed up for the 21.095 km race went through different streets in the city centre until they reached Avenida de Lóring, Paseo de los Mártires de la Libertad, and then continued to the finish line.

At one of the Runner’s Fair stands near the finish line, people who wanted to could have their names and times engraved on race medals after the race. The Plaza de los Luceros pond can be seen in front of them. A few weeks ago, people who used the race organization’s social networks voted on whether to copy this famous spot in Alicante.

The Volta for Women

After that, Gallego went to the awards event for the 9th Setmana Ciclista-Volta Feminina de la Comunitat Valenciana. The council member said, “The City Council has made clear its support for cycling, and in this case, women’s cycling.” In 2024, Alicante was the site of a stage start for the same event. This year, it is being touted as the finish of La Volta. Cycling is a good way to get people to visit the city. The category of a race on the calendar of the International Cycling Union (UCI) also helps spread the word about Alicante as a tourist location at this time of year.

More than 300 local police and Civil Guard officers have been on duty to keep everyone safe on this “super sporting Sunday.” Along the coast and in the city centre, traffic had to be shut down at different times and places to make sure both events ran smoothly. More than 200 helpers have joined them. Also, more than sixty physiotherapy students from CEU San Pablo, Elche, and the European University were stationed at the finish line to touch athletes who needed it.

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Costa Blanca

Sextortionists caught by the National Police

Several members of a Nigerian criminal organisation that threatens Spanish citizens with the publication of pornographic videos have been apprehended by the National Police during Operation Teknon.

In particular, victim complaints have been found in Valladolid, A Coruña, Gijón, Albacete, Alicante, Cáceres, and Las Palmas Gran Canaria.

According to the Canary Islands Police Headquarters, this group made phoney social media profiles featuring pictures of gorgeous women and then reached out to individuals, asking for intimate images and videos once they had gained some trust.

After claiming to have access to all of their contacts because they had previously taken the material from their social networks, they demanded payment in order to keep the files private and avoid being reported to the authorities for paedophilia (identifying themselves as minors).

Sextortion

In particular, victim complaints have been found in Valladolid, A Coruña, Gijón, Albacete, Alicante, Cáceres, and Las Palmas Gran Canaria.

The National Police noted that in certain instances, the victims paid to keep their private photos hidden.

When victims lacked the financial means to pay, they were compelled to work as mules for the organisation. They accept money from other victims and transfer it to the criminal organization’s wallets, thereby participating in the original crime and possibly committing another money laundering crime.

Lastly, using specialised applications for tracking cryptocurrency assets, the National Police’s Economic and Tax Crime Unit was able to identify the ultimate destination of the illicitly transferred funds, which were always wallets belonging to Nigerian nationals aged 20 to 35.

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In Alicante, a motorcyclist runs over a pedestrian and a worker falls from scaffolding

Numerous incidents that necessitated the involvement of emergency services have occurred in the province of Alicante yesterday. The initial incident happened in Elda’s Calle Padre Manón. A call regarding a worker falling from a scaffold was received by the Emergency Information and Coordination Centre (CICU) around 8.40 am. The 38-year-old victim was taken to Elda Hospital with multiple bruises after an ambulance from the Basic Life Service (SVB) was sent out almost away.

Twenty minutes later, at approximately nine in the morning, the CICU got another call, this time from Alicante’s Avenida Conde de Lumiares. A man, age 21, sustained bruising after being involved in a car-motorbike collision. After treating the victim at the scene of the accident, the Emergency Medical Service (SAMU) medical team took him to Alicante General Hospital.

The hectic day ended at 2:00 pm when a new warning was issued on a hit-and-run incident on Avenida Joan Fuster in Dénia in which a motorbike had ran over a pedestrian. According to the Emergency Information and Coordination Centre, the motorbike rider and the pedestrian were both hurt in the double accident.

The 65-year-old woman who was driven over had a fracture and a head injury, while the 16-year-old biker sustained a head injury. Due to the severity of both situations, the victims have been sent to the Dénia Hospital and are being cared for by the SVB and SAMU.

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Alicante couple jailed for offering drugs to a minor in exchange for sex

The Alicante Court sentenced a 35-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man to two and one year in prison, respectively, for the crime of corruption of children, which involves giving a kid a dose of a drug in exchange for sexually abusing her.

Following an agreement with the prosecutor’s office that eliminated a claimed criminal against public health, the two defendants confessed the facts at the start of the hearing, indicating that the trial did not need to be continued.

Both defendants were found guilty of the crime of corruption of children by the Second Section court that heard the case. They were also ordered to pay the victim 6,000 euros in joint and severally compensation.

According to the sentence, both approached the girl, who was 17 at the time, and offered to have her as the victim of the attack in exchange for a dose of an unidentified narcotic on March 29th, 2022, in Alcoy.

The penalty includes a five-year restraining order of 500 meters from the victim, six further years of supervised release, a 12-month fine for the accused at the rate of four euros per day, and a two-year prison sentence for the lady and a one-year sentence for the male.