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Melvin Jerusalem vows to end PHL’s world title drought in boxing
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Before Filipino boxers lost devastatingly in Japan, there was one who stood out and went on to become a world champion. He’s no other than Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem, who wrested the World Boxing Organization (WBO) world minimumweight title in the hands of erstwhile champion Masataka Taniguchi. Jerusalem did it in a.....»»
PLDT, Choco eye share of PVL lead
PLDT and Choco Mucho aim to regain a share of the lead when they face Farm Fresh and Akari, respectively, today in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City......»»
Panghulan s Hail Mary shot lifts Top Flight past Arellano in NBTC Division 2 finals
Joey Panghulan’s last-gasp half-court heave towed Top Flight Sports Canada into the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) Division 2 finals over the Arellano Braves, 87-84, Friday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
OFW aspirants told: Engage with licensed recruitment agencies only
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The regional director of the Department of Migrant Workers in Central Visayas (DMW-7) warned aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to engage with only legitimate and licensed recruitment agencies. Lawyer Karl Arriola, DMW-7 director, told CDN Digital that even if he was a lawyer, he still subscribed to the doctors’ advice: Prevention.....»»
Makati mall to hold Pabasa
The Filipino Lenten tradition of pabasa or chanting the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will be held at a shopping mall in Makati City......»»
Canadian embassy owes Mindanawons explanation on ‘harsh’ travel advisories
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 22 January) – The Embassy of Canada to the Philippines owed Mindanawons an explanation regarding its travel advisories that depicted the entire island as “unsafe,” a business leader said Monday. Asserting that the peace and order, as well as the security, conditions in Mindanao have improved, Antonio S. Peralta, executive director of […].....»»
Canada urged to reconsider travel advisory
Canada should reconsider its travel advisory for its nationals regarding security risks in some parts of Mindanao, as it is inaccurate and unfairly affects the entire region, Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said yesterday......»»
Canada’s travel advisory doesn’t reflect situation in Mindanao, say officials
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 20 January) – Officials and other stakeholders have expressed dismay at and disagreement with the travel advisory issued by the Canadian Embassy warning its citizens against traveling to several provinces in Mindanao. The advisory cited “serious threat of terrorism, kidnapping, high levels of crime, and violent clashes between the security forces […].....»»
OCD welcomes partnership with Canada on disaster risk reduction
The Office of Civil Defense and officials of the Canadian embassy held a dialogue on areas of cooperation, focusing on OCD’s priority programs in civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management on Dec. 21, 2023, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City......»»
International community condemns Marawi bombing
The US, Canada, European Union, France and Japan condemned the bombing incident that killed four people and left 45 injured during a Catholic mass gathering inside the Mindanao State University (MSU) gymnasium in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur yesterday morning......»»
Jose Mari Chan and The CompanY make successful Christmas tour in Canada
Jose Mari Chan and The CompanY (composed of Moy Ortiz, Annie Quintos Uy, Sweet Tiongson and OJ Mariano) enchanted audiences throughout their five-city Canada concert tour titled Christmas In Our Hearts — Ilang Tulog Pa Ba? Pasko Na......»»
Fashion mogul categorically denies serial rapes accusations
Finnish-Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, on trial in Toronto for alleged serial rapes, categorically denied any sexual misconduct as he wrapped up several days of defense testimony on Friday. The 82-year-old founder of Nygard International has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexually assaulting four women and a 16-year-old girl in Canada's largest city between 1988 and 2005. In court, defense attorney Brian Greenspan asked Nygard how he could firmly reject the allegations given that he could not recall dealings with any of his accusers. "The type of allegations that were said and were described is the type of conduct that I know that I have never done, I never would do," Nygard replied. On the stand, he also disputed elements of the complainants' testimonies including that he attended a Rolling Stones concert with one of them, offered an emergency birth control pill to a girl after allegedly raping her, or called another from a plane to arrange a date. Nygard said he didn't own a private jet in the late 1980s and said phones on commercial aircraft "in those years, to my recollection, were almost nonexistent. In other words, you couldn't even do that." He took issue also with characterizations of him as "always being with young women. Well, well, it isn't true." He pointed to a one-time travel companion in the late 1980s who was six years older than him, as an example. The prosecution has accused Nygard of having used his "power and status as a wealthy fashion designer to lure and sexually assault young women." Nygard is to face cross-examination next week. He also faces sexual assault charges in Quebec and Manitoba, as well as extradition to the United States, where he has been accused of raping dozens of women and girls, racketeering and trafficking. The post Fashion mogul categorically denies serial rapes accusations appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Scores killed in Gaza strikes as new aid convoy arrives
Scores of Palestinians were killed in central Gaza on Sunday after Israel stepped up its strikes on the war-torn enclave and another convoy of 17 aid trucks arrived as the Hamas-run territory faces "catastrophic" shortages. With the violence raging unchecked, Iran said the region could spiral "out of control". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Lebanon's Hezbollah, saying getting involved would be "the mistake of its life". Washington warned any actors looking to inflame the conflict that it would not hesitate to act in the event of any "escalation". Hamas militants in Gaza stormed across the border into Israel on 7 October, launching a raid that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated, or burnt to death on the first day, according to Israeli officials. They also seized more than 200 hostages in the worst-ever attack in Israel's history. Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign that has so far killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Officials said the central town of Deir al-Balah had been particularly badly hit overnight from Saturday to Sunday. The ministry said at least 80 people had been killed in the overnight raids on central Gaza, which destroyed more than 30 homes. At the hospital morgue, an AFP journalist saw the bodies of many children on the bloodied floor, where distraught families wept as they identified the victims. Among them was a man clutching his dead toddler and a young boy who pulled back a blanket over his little sister's body. "My cousin was sleeping in his house with his daughter in his arms. He was a man with no record, nothing to do with the resistance," said Wael Wafi, gazing at the body of his cousin, his arm still wrapped around his three-year-old daughter Misk. Also Sunday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that 29 of its staff had been killed since the start of the war in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying half of them were teachers. On Saturday it had given a toll of 17. The scale of the bombing has left basic systems unable to function. The UN said dozens of unidentified bodies had been buried in a mass grave in Gaza City because cold storage had run out. Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed near the Gaza border by an anti-tank missile fired by militants inside the enclave, the army said. 'Accident' as Israel hits Egypt post Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned the war with Hamas could take months. "It will take one month, two months, three months, and at the end, there will be no more Hamas," Gallant said. A second convoy of 17 trucks of aid entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday following an initial delivery of 20 trucks on Saturday after intensive negotiations and US pressure. Separately, an AFP journalist saw six trucks leaving Rafah after filling up from dwindling fuel stocks held at the crossing as the enclave faces catastrophic shortages after Israel cut off supplies of food, water, fuel, and electricity. It later resumed water supplies to the south on 15 October. Although Egyptian media said another 40 trucks would enter Gaza on Monday, the UN says the enclave needs 100 trucks per day to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.4 million residents. And so far, there have been no deliveries of fuel, with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warning Sunday that supplies would run out "in three days". "Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals, and... aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need," he said. The Hamas government said 165,000 housing units -- half of those in the entire Gaza Strip -- had been destroyed in the raids. With fears growing that the conflict could spread, Israel on Sunday admitted accidentally hitting an Egyptian border post, apologizing for the incident which Cairo said had left an unspecified number of border guards with "minor injuries". Risk of regional escalation There were fresh exchanges of fire over Israel's northern border with Lebanon as fears grew that Hezbollah, a close ally of Hamas and Iran, could enter the conflict, prompting Israel's Netanyahu to warn it would be "the mistake of its life". "We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating," he said. Iran also warned about the conflict spreading on Sunday, with top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian cautioning that if Washington and Israel did not "immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza.. the region will go out of control". But Washington said it wouldn't hesitate to act in the event of any "escalation", just hours after the Pentagon moved to step up military readiness in the region. "If any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is: don't," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on ABC News. On Sunday, Pope Francis used his weekly Angelus prayer in Rome to plead for an end to the bloodshed. "War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop!" he said. He later held a 20-minute conversation with US President Joe Biden about "conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace", the Vatican said. Biden later discussed with war with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, the White House said. The US president also held talks with Netanyahu, said the White House, adding: "The leaders affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza." In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced he would be traveling to Israel on Tuesday for talks with Netanyahu. Protesters marched in several European capitals on Sunday. At least 10,000 people rallied in support of Israel in Berlin as Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to stamp out a resurgence of anti-Semitic incidents linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Thousands gathered in Paris to demand an end to Israel's operation in Gaza, the first pro-Palestinian rally in the French capital that wasn't banned on security grounds. The post Scores killed in Gaza strikes as new aid convoy arrives appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl, Canada to deepening bilateral defense cooperation
The Philippines and Canada have committed to an increased bilateral engagement, particularly in bilateral defense cooperation. This came after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. met with Canadian Ambassador, David Bruce Hartman and Vancouver His Majesty's Canadian Ship commander Meghan Coates earlier this week at the Department of National Defense headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the HMCS Vancouver is set to participate in the humanitarian assistance and disaster response, particularly in the Search and RescueTraining component of Exercise SAMASAMA 2023, an annual joint naval exercise between the Philippines and the United States. During his meeting with the DND officials, Coates conveyed that the Canadian crew “is happy to be in the country, and looks forward to the upcoming activity.” Meanwhile, Hartman highlighted the increase in engagements between the Philippines and Canada since his last meeting with Teodoro last 4 August this year. Hartman said that Canada, as a stalwart of international order, remains committed to supporting the rules-based order of the Indo-Pacific region, and is looking towards broadening the scale of interoperability between the Philippine Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy. Both sides expressed their strong and resolute commitment to enhancing Philippines-Canada bilateral defense relations with the purpose of maintaining peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. At the sidelines, Teodoro awarded Col. Stewart Taylor, outgoing Canadian Non-Resident, Defense Attachè to the Philippines, the first-ever SND Plaque of Merit, given to a Foreign Armed Forces Attachè for his extraordinary and outstanding performance. Teodoro said Taylor was highly instrumental in advancing Philippines-Canada defense cooperation. He also recognized Taylor’s active role in accelerating the finalization of the proposed Philippines-Canada Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation. The post Phl, Canada to deepening bilateral defense cooperation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
October is A’TIN month as SB19 celebrates 5 amazing years
P-pop mega-group SB19 has claimed October as theirs ahead of their fifth anniversary, with multiple activities that will keep their fans, known as A’TIN, bristling with joy and excitement. “Kalahating dekada na tayo A’TIN! Maraming salamat sa patuloy na pagsuporta at pagtangkilik sa aming musika at mga kwento (We’re half a decade, A’TIN! Thank you for continuing to support our music and our journey.) And with that, we’ve prepared a month-long celebration para sa inyo. Mark your calendars for all these activities you won’t want to miss!,” said the group’s announcement online. For starters, SB19 revealed that they will be launching a podcast called Atin Atin lang on 9 October, with new episodes to be released every Monday. Apart from the podcast, which promises “heart-to-heart and intimate talks” with the group’s members Josh, Stell, Pablo, Justin and Ken, a new episode of their ardently followed web series Show Break 5 will drop 19 October. Biggest milestone But the biggest milestone the P-pop powerhouse unveiled was the launch of their own company, IZ Entertainment, which they presented to the public in a livestream on 1 October. “Siguro five years ago when SB19 was just starting, together we had a dream: That dream was to have Filipino music, Filipino talent, the whole Filipino culture pinned on the world map,” Pablo, the group’s leader and now CEO of IZ Entertainment, said. In June, SB19 transitioned to being a self-managed group. “It all started as a crazy idea during trainee days. Nagbibiruan kami na ‘Balang araw, gagawa tayo ng sarili nating company, our own management (We were just telling each other in jest that we would create our own company.) We’ll [choose] the people na pagkakatiwalaan namin,” Josh said. And now look where they are — the group that started from nothing, busking on the side of malls to sparse crowds and slaving away at endless training days for four years, the owners of their own newly minted entertainment company and the undisputed P-pop Kings increasingly acknowledged and acclaimed around the world. The group, in fact, is set to resume their world tour with new performances announced for Asia after successful, sold-out concerts in the Philippines, Canada and the United States. The boy band will be performing at Singapore’s Capitol Theatre on 15 November, Thailand’s KBank Siam Pic-Ganesha Theatre on 19 November and Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid Auditorium on 24 November, with more tour dates to be announced in the future. Josh also announced that they will represent the country at the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival Round on 21 October in Indonesia, performing alongside popular K-pop idols and artists from ASEAN countries. Fan meet The month-long celebration will not be complete, of course, without a special gift for their hometown fans. This time, the quintet said that instead of a concert for Filipino A’TIN, they will host an intimate fan meet, called Half a Decade Celebration, on 28 October at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. “Magkakaroon po kami ng fan meet na puno ng malulupit at masasaya na performances, fun games at interactions kasama kayong A’Tin,” Ken said. Fans joining them at the fan meet will go home with special-edition merchandise and cherished “experiences” with the group, added Justin, promising a more up-close and personal encounter than is usually experienced in their concerts. With the global-level career milestones the group has achieved in five years, SB19’s members have nothing but gratitude for everyone supporting them. “Gusto ko magpasalamat sa A’TIN for supporting us ever since. Kung hindi dahil sa inyo, hindi mangyayari ang ginagawa natin ngayon (If not for all of you, we won’t be able to do what we’re doing now),” Justin said. “We believe that we’re just starting. This is just the starting line for all of us, so we’re proud and I hope na proud rin kayo sa amin (We’re proud [of what we’ve accomplished], and I hope you’re also proud of us),” Ken added. A’TIN can only nod and say: We are, Ken. We sure are. The post October is A’TIN month as SB19 celebrates 5 amazing years appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of New York on Sunday, calling for increased action against climate change ahead of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Taking up multiple city blocks, protesters from some 700 organizations and activist groups carried signs reading "Biden, end fossil fuels," "Fossil fuels are killing us" and "I didn't vote for fires and floods" in a demonstration that came on the heels of a summer marked by multiple climate change-linked disasters. US President Joe Biden is among the world leaders set to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which is scheduled to formally open on Tuesday. "We are here to demand that the administration declare a climate emergency," said Analilia Mejia, director of the activist group Center for Popular Democracy. "We must wake up and take immediate action," she told AFP. A UN climate report released this month named 2025 as the deadline for global greenhouse gas emissions to peak -- followed by a sharp drop thereafter -- if humanity is to cap global warming in line with Paris Agreement targets. The 2015 Paris Treaty has successfully driven climate action, but "much more is needed now on all fronts," said the report, which will underpin a crucial climate summit in Dubai at the end of the year. Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 -- another Paris goal -- will also require phasing out the burning of all fossil fuels whose emissions cannot be captured or compensated. Mejia, 46, pointed to recent extreme weather events -- from fires in Canada, Hawaii, and Greece to flooding in Libya -- as demonstrating the seriousness of the "existential crisis" posed by climate change. Another activist, Nalleli Cobo, 22, told AFP she'd like to see political leaders "come to my house" in the western US state of California and "spend the night living next to an oil and gas well." Cobo, who has worked with Sweden's Greta Thunberg on climate campaigns, blames the "toxic air" she has been exposed to at her home for the ovarian cancer she contracted at 19. "Our lives are on the line," she said. Biden has made a historic push for green manufacturing, offering billions of dollars for clean energy projects, but some young activists say he has not acted forcefully enough to lead the United States off dependence on fossil fuels. California filed a lawsuit Friday against five global oil majors, alleging the firms caused billions of dollars in damages and misled the public by minimizing the risks from fossil fuels. Top world scientists warn that the world is likely to experience new record heat in the next five years and that global temperatures are more likely than not to breach a crucial threshold of an average 1.5 degrees Celsius rise. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has organized a Climate Ambition summit for Wednesday, during the General Assembly, at which he hopes to accelerate the ongoing work to counter climate change by governments as well as private sector organizations and financial institutions. "History will remember their action, or inaction," said Mejia. "And if we're lucky, human beings will be around to remember what (world leaders) did in this summit." The post Climate protesters throng New York, demand end to fossil fuels appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Canada outlasts USA in OT, wins FIBA World Cup bronze
Canada brought home the FIBA World Cup bronze medal against a depleted Team USA, 127-118, in an overtime thriller Sunday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
Phl must ‘seriously consider’ banning TikTok for gov’t security officials — NSC exec
The National Security Council warned that Philippines should “seriously consider” banning Chinese social media app TikTok for security sector officials, an executive from the National Security Council said on Saturday. Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the NSC, raised the suggestion in a news forum in Quezon City noting that the council is yet to conduct a full study on whether or not the TikTok application in the Philippines is being used for Chinese propaganda. “We should seriously consider for the security sector alone, not for the civilian agencies of government,” Malaya said. “Siguro (Maybe) if there is a need for banning, it will not be for public school teachers, it will not be for the civilians, but it will be for the armed personnel,” he added. Malaya noted there’s a thorough discussion with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año in regards to the matter. “We will need to study this very carefully, based on national security considerations. We will discuss this with the National Security Adviser if it will be proper for the Philippines to take this step,” he said. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines assured that measures are in place in lieu of protecting the national security from internal and external threats. “The AFP initiated professional measures so that we can be insulated from the spyware in these kinds of applications,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in the same news forum. According to Aguilar, there are certain instances in military camps where officials and visitors are required to surrender their mobile devices. Also, video recording when inside the camps’ critical areas is prohibited. “There is a policy already on the use of social media platforms to make sure the security of the organization is not exposed or compromised and the credibility of the Armed Forces is not also compromised,” Aguilar said. Tiktok became the third most used social media platform in the Philippines in January 2023 as mentioned in a study by Meltwater. Countries, including the United States and New Zealand, earlier banned the TikTok app on government-issued devices due to concerns it could be circumvented for spying or propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party. The European Commission and Canada also banned the use of TikTok in its devices. The owner, Chinese tech giant ByteDance, repeatedly denied accusations that it shares data with the Chinese government. The post Phl must ‘seriously consider’ banning TikTok for gov’t security officials — NSC exec appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US, Chinese and Russian officials gather at Southeast Asia summit
US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend an East Asia summit in Indonesia on Thursday, offering an opportunity for direct, high-level diplomacy between the rivals. The 18-nation meeting will bring Washington and Beijing into contact a day after Premier Li Qiang warned major powers must manage their differences to avoid a "new Cold War", ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi this week where Chinese President Xi Jinping will be absent. Interactions between the officials from the world's top two economies will be closely watched as they seek to control tensions that risk flaring anew over issues ranging from Taiwan to ties with Moscow and the competition for influence in the Pacific. "To keep differences under control, what is essential now is to oppose picking sides, to oppose bloc confrontation, and to oppose a new Cold War," Li told regional leaders on Tuesday. Harris held her own talks with Southeast Asian leaders on "the importance of upholding international law in the South China Sea", according to a statement from her office, the disputed waterway where Chinese claims have angered several Southeast Asian nations. Thursday's summit will be the first time top US and Russian officials have sat around the same table in almost two months after US and European officials condemned Lavrov at a July ministerial meeting over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $1 billion in new assistance to Ukraine in a surprise visit to Kyiv on Wednesday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Canada's Justin Trudeau, and Australian PM Anthony Albanese will attend the summit, as well as leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. G20 host Modi addressed ASEAN leaders on Thursday morning, telling them it is essential to "build a post-Covid rules-based world order" and make collective efforts to ensure a "free and open Indo-Pacific", using another term for the Asia-Pacific region. Thursday's talks come several months after Blinken traveled to Beijing, the first visit by the top US diplomat in nearly five years, where he met Xi as well as former foreign minister Qin Gang. - 'Broken' - The meeting was not expected to be a fiery affair despite the differences between the major powers, according to a Southeast Asian diplomat who will attend. "They will state their positions, these meetings are not tense. Especially at the leaders' level where some degree of decorum will be observed." The group will issue a negotiated joint statement after the summit. While the gathering can bring major players together, its ability to help resolve a range of regional and global disputes is limited, experts say. "It's a sign of the ASEAN convening power but lately we can say that the East Asia summit is broken. It has been turned into a forum for talking points," said Aaron Connelly, senior fellow at Singapore-based think tank IISS. While Thursday's meeting will be more geopolitical in scope, big powers used earlier talks in Jakarta to shore up alliances and lobby the Southeast Asian bloc. Li traveled on a Chinese-funded high-speed train project between the capital Jakarta and the Javan city of Bandung with a senior Indonesian minister on Wednesday. Harris held separate meetings with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. -- both ASEAN members -- on the sidelines of the summit. "The Vice President reaffirmed the United States' ironclad alliance commitment to the Philippines, and highlighted the role the US-Philippines alliance plays in ensuring a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific," her office said in a statement. South Korea's Yoon reportedly pushed for the bloc to counter North Korea's nuclear threats, calling for any military cooperation with the country to stop. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also give an address on the sidelines of the summit later on Thursday. ASEAN members are holding bilateral meetings with India, Australia, and the UN on Thursday. The post US, Chinese and Russian officials gather at Southeast Asia summit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Western Canada wildfires force tens of thousands to flee
Officials in western Canada's British Columbia implored tens of thousands of residents to heed warnings and evacuate Saturday as "severe and fast-changing" wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna. The situation in the popular boating and hiking destination was "highly dynamic," said Bowinn Ma, the province's minister of emergency management. Around 30,000 people were under evacuation orders while another 36,000 were under alert to be ready to flee, she said. "We cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders when they are issued," Ma said at an afternoon news conference. "They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave." Kelowna, a city of 150,000, was choked with thick smoke as it became the latest population center hit in a summer of dramatic wildfires across Canada that has left millions of acres scorched. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had spoken with British Columbia Premier David Eby about the "rapidly evolving and incredibly devastating wildfire situation" and pledged federal resources in responding to the disaster. Blazes far away in the neighboring Northwest Territories have meanwhile prompted the evacuation of regional capital Yellowknife, leaving the remote city of some 20,000 largely a ghost town. Winds have been fanning the wildfires toward Yellowknife, but Saturday saw some relief after overnight rain brought a sharp dip in temperatures. Since the evacuation was ordered Wednesday, most people have fled by road with several thousand taking emergency flights, Northwest Territories environment minister Shane Thompson said Saturday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "Approximately 1,000 essential staff remaining in the city and surrounding area," he added. Those crews were remaining to erect defenses from the flames, while water bombers have been seen flying low over the city, with the Canadian military also helping out. - 'Incredible' exodus - Tony Whitford, a former commissioner for the Northwest Territories and a longtime resident of Yellowknife, arrived in the city of Calgary on one of the first flights out and gave the evacuation high marks. "My compliments to them all," Whitford, who is 82 and wheelchair-bound, said of the organizers. "It's so complex -- 20,000 people -- it's incredible. It went smoothly." Several towns and Indigenous communities were evacuated earlier. The exodus from Yellowknife means half the population of the near-Arctic territory has been displaced. The ongoing fires have caused "terrible loss," Trudeau told reporters after meeting Yellowknife evacuees Friday as they arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, with no idea when they may return home. Martha Kanatsiak, who has lived in Yellowknife for 28 years, arrived late Friday in Calgary. "I'm okay, but I feel sad and depressed and worried. I never saw something like this," the 59-year-old Inuit retiree told AFP. Some 40 flights carrying around 3,500 passengers from Yellowknife have arrived in Calgary, said officials in the city, which has made nearly 500 hotel rooms available. - Northwest US threat - In British Columbia, blazes have already destroyed several properties in West Kelowna, separated by Okanagan Lake from its larger, eponymous neighbor. Among them is the Lake Okanagan Resort, according to local media, which is known for having hosted high-profile politicians such as British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Eby on Saturday announced an emergency order halting non-essential visits to the area. The order, which bans visitors from checking in at hotels and other temporary accommodations, covers Kelowna and the nearby towns of Kamloops, Oliver, Penticton and Vernon as well as Osoyoos near the US border. "If you are currently in accommodations in these areas, we are asking you to voluntarily check out early and free up those spaces for evacuees and responders," Ma added. Meanwhile across the border in the United States, several thousand people were forced to flee wildfires in Washington state, with at least one death reported, local media said. An evacuation was ordered for Medical Lake, a town outside Spokane and next to a US Air Force base, while a section of the vital I-90 highway was closed, authorities said. Canada is experiencing a record-setting wildfire season, with official estimates of over 14 million hectares (34.6 million acres) already burned -- roughly the size of Greece and almost twice the area of the last record of 7.3 million hectares. Four people have died so far. Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them both more frequent and more deadly. bfm/bbk/des/acb The post Western Canada wildfires force tens of thousands to flee appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»