Ontario Premier Doug Ford has criticised U.S. President Donald Trump's comments blaming Canada for wildfire smoke affecting parts of the United States. He called Trump's remarks "absolutely unacceptable" as crews battle hundreds of forest fires across the province.
Ford said Ontario was doing everything possible to contain the blazes and protect communities, adding that Canada would support the United States if the situation were reversed.
Trump said on Friday that poor Canadian forest management was responsible for the smoke blanketing large areas of the U.S. and threatened to add the costs of dealing with the pollution to existing tariffs on Canadian goods.
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Ford said around 655,000 hectares of forest were burning across Ontario and pledged there would be "no limit" on spending to protect residents.
He argued that if Washington wanted Canada to clear more forest, it should remove tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, saying greater access to the U.S. market would help address forestry management challenges.
Canada's federal government said military aircraft were being deployed to evacuate residents from the remote community of Fort Hope in northwestern Ontario, where some of the most intense fires are burning.
The federal Natural Resources Department said 69 new wildfires were reported overnight, bringing the national total to 955 active fires.
Smoke from the fires has spread into the United States, prompting air quality alerts across several states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Ohio and Washington, D.C. Parts of western Pennsylvania recorded "very unhealthy" air quality on Saturday.
Canadian officials said wildfire activity in Ontario had eased over the past 24 hours, with more favourable weather expected in the coming days.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are m...
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday...
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed ...
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the tiny French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada, where he is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday (20 September).
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
A small container of lunar soil travelled more than 380,000 kilometres from the far side of the Moon to Earth two years ago. It recently made one more journey - from Beijing to Vienna, where China officially handed it over to the United Nations.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
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