( AFP ) - A British woman died after being stabbed in the heart overnight allegedly by her German partner in Spain, a country which has seen a rise in domestic violence, reports said Friday.
Police detained the 59-year-old man Friday at his house in the southern town of Coin near the Mediterranean port city of Malaga, private television Antena 3 reported citing local officials.
The woman was killed on her 42nd birthday, public radio RNE said.
A total of 71 women were killed in Spain last year by their partners or ex-partners, three more than in 2006, according to official figures.
In his yearly televised Christmas address, Spain's King Juan Carlos said the country's record on violence against women "denigrate us as a society".
Spain in 2005 set up a system unique to Europe of special courts and care for battered wives.
In November the Spanish government said it had reached an agreement with private television broadcasters on new media measures to fight violence against women.
The accord came after a man allegedly stabbed his estranged girlfriend to death when she rejected his surprise marriage proposal on a popular daytime talk show. The incident sparked a national outcry.