society
Uncontrollable Wildfires Rage In Canada As Thousands Evacuate Cities ( video)
Uncontrollable Wildfires Rage In Canada As Thousands Evacuate Cities ( video)
APOCALYPTIC: Canadian wildfire in Kelowna JUMPS lake which emergency services hoped would stop it in its tracks, as the map shows how blazes across the country could blanket US in smog TODAY
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes across several sections of Canada after a series of wildfires that threatened to blanket the US in dangerous smog.
In Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, more than 20,000 people have been ordered to flee their homes amid ‘out of control’ wildfires that now threaten to cut off access to the only highway out of the affected city.
The infernos, which have come during Canada’s worst fire season on record, also threaten to send enormous plumes of toxic smog over the United States. An official forecast map shows smoke is expected to be blown south eastwards throughout Friday and over the Midwest into the eastern United States.
Thousands evacuated Yellowknife on Thursday as wildfires burned across the region, forcing convoys of vehicles to snake south to safety on the only open highway.
Emergency responders were constructing firebreaks, installing sprinkler lines and water cannons, and laying fire retardant in an effort to prevent the blaze from reaching the city – which remains a real possibility in coming days, officials said.
Strong northern winds could push the flames toward the only highway leading away from the fire, officials warned, which was choked with long caravans of cars.
Northwest winds over the next two days will send the fire ‘in directions we don’t want,’ said Mike Westwick, Northwest Territories’ fire information officer.
Across the wider territory, 6,800 people in eight other communities were also forced to evacuate their homes, including the small community of Enterprise, which was largely destroyed.
Without rain, it is possible (the fire) will reach the city outskirts by the weekend.’
‘We’re all tired of the word unprecedented, yet there is no other way to describe this situation in the Northwest Territories,’ Premier Caroline Cochrane posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A state of emergency was declared in Kelowna early Friday, a city about a four-drive drive from Vancouver with a population of about 150,000.
‘Residents under Evacuation Alert are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice,’ the City of Kelowna said in a statement early on Friday, adding people should prepare to be away from their home for an extended period of time.
As of Thursday evening, 1,046 wildfires were burning across the country, more than half of them out of control.
In the Northwest Territories, 268 wildfires have already burned more than 21,000 square kilometres (8,100 square miles).
Crews scrambled to erect fire barriers as one blaze got to within 9 miles (16 kilometers) of Yellowknife. Water bombers were seen flying low over the city, and swooping in to fill up at a nearby lake.
Resident Sylvia Webster said ‘a lot of trees were cut down and sprinkler lines were set up around the city’ to bolster its defenses.
‘We might still lose everything, but that’s okay,’ she told AFP. ‘As long as our loved ones are safe, we can move on from there.’
Several military aircraft have already been dispatched, along with more than 120 soldiers to help beat back the flames.
In what had already been declared the Northwest Territories’ largest-ever evacuation, the emptying of Yellowknife now means half the population of the near-Arctic territory will soon be displaced.
Images shared on social media and on Canadian television showed large swaths of blackened forests. Evacuees reported seeing abandoned vehicles and burned carcasses of wildlife, including bears, on roadsides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcNLHdsgnYs
From Giant to Beggar: The Tragic Collapse of Nigeria Under APC Rule
By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Once hailed as the “Giant of Africa,” Nigeria now limps on broken legs — economically battered, politically rudderless, and morally bankrupt. It is no longer just the brain drain that should worry us; it is the soul drain. Nigerians — students, professionals, entire families — are fleeing not just to Europe or North America, but to Ghana, a nation we once dismissed as “small brother.” This is not just ironic. It is humiliating. And it is a direct consequence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) taking power in 2015.
The APC’s takeover, starting with President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, marked the beginning of a free-fall. What followed was a decade of despair, capped now by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu — another APC patriarch — who has inherited and worsened the crisis. The result? Every airport terminal has become a departure lounge for the talented, the young, and the fed up.
A Decade of Despair: From Buhari
Politics
Pro-democracy group tells Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara over insecurity, political repression
Pro-democracy group tells Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara over insecurity, political repression
The United Democratic Coalition (UDC) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in Zamfara, citing worsening insecurity and a breakdown of democratic order in the state.
The demand was contained in a statement on Friday signed by Abdulrahman Danladi, president of the coalition.
Danladi described Zamfara as “a state under siege,” accusing the state government of abandoning its constitutional duty to protect lives and uphold democratic principles.
“The situation in Zamfara has gone from troubling to terrifying. Armed groups operate freely, citizens are at the mercy of bandits, and yet those elected to speak up are being silenced,” the statement read.
He was referring to the recent suspension of 10 lawmakers in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, whom he said were punished for raising concerns about insecurity and illegal mining in their constituencies.
“What we are witnessing is not just lawlessness — it is executive tyranny. These lawmakers were elected by the people and have a duty to speak out. Instead of listening to them, the state assembly, clearly acting on orders, has shut them down,” Danladi said.
He likened the political tension in Zamfara to the recent situation in Rivers state, where Governor Siminalayi Fubara governed with just four lawmakers after a split in the House of Assembly — a scenario that prompted calls for federal intervention.
“If Rivers with four lawmakers sparked talks of emergency rule, how is Zamfara with 10 suspended lawmakers and spiraling violence, not a national concern?” Danladi asked.
“The same standard must apply. Democracy is being murdered in Zamfara in broad daylight. If the federal government could consider intervening in Rivers, it must not turn a blind eye to the breakdown in Zamfara.”
“We are calling for a six-month state of emergency in Zamfara to allow security forces to take control, restore peace, and return the state to constitutional order.”
The group also demanded the immediate reinstatement of the suspended lawmakers and an investigation into what it called “executive interference” in the legislature.
“This is not the time for political correctness. It is the time for leadership. The people of Zamfara are under siege — both by bandits and by those who should be protecting them,” the statement added.
Zamfara, one of Nigeria’s most troubled states, continues to face persistent attacks from armed groups, with thousands displaced and dozens killed in the past year alone.
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