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MADRID: Firefighters battled a wildfire Wednesday near the southern Spanish tourist town of Tarifa, where more than 1,500 people had to be evacuated as shifting winds hampered efforts to control the blaze.
Although fire crews managed to secure areas near hotels and tourist accommodation, the fire remained active and uncontained, said officials.
“What concerns us most right now is the wind — whether it shifts between the west and east,” said Antonio Sanz, interior minister for Andalusia’s regional government.
The wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon near La Pena, a wooded area close to a beach just outside Tarifa. The town of about 19,000 residents on Spain’s southernmost coast, is known for its strong winds, which draw kite- and windsurfers.
Spanish public broadcaster TVE reported that the fire had started in a camper van at a local campsite, with strong winds spreading the blaze quickly.
The fire forced the evacuation of 1,550 people from campsites, hotels, and homes, as well as about 5,000 vehicles, mostly belonging to beachgoers, said Sanz.
Emergency crews worked overnight to prevent the fire from reaching coastal resorts, but residents and tourists evacuated have not yet been allowed to return, he added.
Spain is currently experiencing a heatwave, with temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius in many regions.
Civil protection authorities have warned that wildfire risk remains “very high” or “extreme” across much of the country.

LONDON: Britain is losing its reputation for being a safe education and travel destination, the uncle of a Saudi student who was stabbed to death in Cambridge has told .

Mohammed Yousef Al-Qassem, 20, was killed in the city’s Mill Park last Friday in what police described as an “unprovoked attack.” 

He was on a 10-week placement course at EF International Language Campuses Cambridge, a private English-language school.

Chas Corrigan, 21, was charged with murder and possession of a knife in a public place.

Corrigan denied the charge against him in a court appearance on Wednesday and claimed he was defending himself, Al-Ekhbariya TV reported. He will next appear in court on September 8.

Majed Abalkhail, Al-Qassem’s uncle, said family members have traveled to Cambridge to repatriate his body.

“Mohammed’s father is in Cambridge, accompanied by some of his brothers, to follow up on the procedures for bringing Mohammed home, in coordination with the Saudi Embassy,” he added.

In comments to The National, Abalkhail conveyed his “deep frustration and growing anger” over the state of law and justice in Britain.

The country, long viewed by Saudis as a top destination for education and tourism, is quickly gaining a reputation for lawlessness and insecurity, he said.

“People from various countries, including many in the Arab world, are seriously rethinking any plans to visit or study in the UK,” Abalkhail added.

“This is the hard truth being spoken in private conversations and social circles — and it’s time it was said out loud.

“Britain is rapidly losing its global reputation, not just as a center of education, but even as a travel destination.

“Sadly, Britain is becoming a symbol of lawlessness, insecurity and government failure, and this perception is spreading fast among people of all backgrounds.”

He paid tribute to the deceased and said the 20-year-old, a “calm, kind-hearted young man,” had dreamed of becoming a doctor.

Al-Qassem’s killing follows the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Mohammed Afzal in the town of Bury last week.

Abalkhail said the fatal attacks reveal a “dangerous environment plagued by theft, stabbings and violent crime” in Britain.

Al-Qassem’s school said it is “deeply saddened” by his death.

Various police statistics, particularly those for London, have shown a rise in crime in recent years, amid growing public anger over the state of law and justice in the country.

In the year to March 2025, authorities recorded 6.6 million crimes, up from 4.2 million a decade ago.

There were 22,000 knife-related crimes in the same period, a notable increase from 14,000 in 2015.

In 2024, there were almost 17,000 knife offenses, a figure that has almost doubled in a decade.