"In the night units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a factory in Azov, Rostov Oblast, causing a fire in the foundry.
Equipment in five buildings was damaged; the plant—part of the “Tactical Missile Weapons” corporation—manufactures systems for artillery, missiles, and anti-tank weapons.
This was the second strike on the facility since July 4, 2025; the company is subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the EU, New Zealand, and Ukraine." UN
"British Columbia declared a State of Provincial Emergency after the rapidly expanding Bald Range wildfire pushed into the Summerland area and forced large-scale evacuations across the South Okanagan. By August 9, BC Wildfire Service classified the 10 341 ha (25 552 acres) fire as a Wildfire of Note and Out of Control, with five Evacuation Orders and four Evacuation Alerts associated with the incident. By 21:30 PDT on August 8 (04:30 UTC on August 9), all 5 688 properties in the District of Summerland were under Evacuation Order, while the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen reported another 416 properties under order and 1 100 under alert." W
"A strong magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred in the North Pacific Ocean 123 km (76 mi) from
Canada in the late afternoon at 7.49 pm local time (GMT -9). The depth of the quake could not be determined, but is assumed to be shallow. The quake was reported felt by some people near the epicenter." VD
"A gunman fired at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto on Monday, marking the second time thisyear someone shot at the building, according to authorities.
A single shell casing was found at the scene, and there was damage to the building's facade.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
"The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Canada are open and operating normally, though some routine U.S. citizen services in Toronto are being rescheduled," the consulate said in a statement." msn
"An intern who worked at Nato’s military headquarters has been arrested on espionage charges.
The woman, a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, is accused of spying “on behalf of a third country” and belonging to an unnamed “criminal organization”, prosecutors said.She worked as an intern at Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Shape) in the Belgian city of Mons.
The site is the base of Allied Command Operations, which is responsible for planning and carrying out the operations of the 32-member transatlantic alliance.
The woman was detained after coming to the attention of its security services, who reported her to Belgian intelligence officials. Federal judicial police in Charleroi carried out searches at the suspect’s home and workplace on Thursday.
The woman’s name, what country she was allegedly working for, the criminal organization she is said to have belonged to, and the nature of her alleged spying have not been revealed." msn
"Heavy smoke from wildfires blazing in Canada and Minnesota is engulfing large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. this week, impacting air quality as millions of people are exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution.Hundreds of wildfires are burning in Canada, and winds are carrying the smoke southeast. Multiple wildfires are raging in northern Minnesota.
High levels of fine particulate matter in the air from smoke can be unhealthy, especially for sensitive groups such as children and people with heart or lung conditions.
Detroit and Washington, D.C., ranked among the world's most polluted major cities on Friday, as air quality alerts stretched from Minnesota to parts of the East Coast. Chicago had also been near the top of the list Friday morning before conditions began to improve.
Minnesota officials issued an air quality alert that extends into the weekend for much of the state, with very heavy smoke across the state's northeastern corner. Air quality levels in northeast Minnesota reached hazardous levels, making it unsafe for everyone." CBS
"Up to 150 residents were displaced after flash flooding struck communities across westernManitoba, Canada, following an extreme rainfall event that dropped nearly 150 mm (6 inches) of rain in parts of the Swan Valley region. Local authorities declared states of emergency as floodwaters damaged roads, washed out sections of Highways and bridges, and threatened dam failure near Harvey Lake. Swan Valley West declared a local state of emergency as conditions deteriorated. The town of Swan River also issued an emergency declaration due to a potential dam break in the Alpine Area, which holds back Harvey Lake." W
"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday warned that a referendum vote to separateAlberta from Canada could be a "dangerous bluff" that could backfire.
The referendum, which has been championed by Alberta's premier, Danielle Smith, has echoes to the United Kingdom's Brexit movement. Carney, who was governor of the Bank of England when the U.K. left the European Union, said he knows firsthand how referendum votes can get out of hand.
The vote, which is scheduled for later this year, is only a question of whether to hold a future vote on separation." msn
"The United Kingdom, France, and other NATO states have blocked a plan under which eachmember would contribute 0.25% of their GDP to military aid for Ukraine.
Rutte did not name the members blocking the proposal, but a NATO source told the Telegraph that the opponents were the U.K., France, Canada, Italy, and Spain. "They’re not very enthusiastic about the idea," the source said.
The news comes on the heels of the U.K.'s surprise easing of Russian oil sanctions, dealing a further blow to London's image as one of Ukraine's most steadfast partners." KI
"Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has branded Kiev “a haven for neo-Nazis” after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky appointed Chrystia Freeland, a Canadian-born descendant of a documented Nazi collaborator, as his economic development adviser.
Freeland, a leading figure in Canadian politics for over a decade and a virulent Russia critic, has served as Canada’s special envoy for Ukraine’s reconstruction since September. On Monday, Zelensky announced her appointment on Telegram hailing her as an “expert” in economy and finance.
Freeland, however, has a controversial family history. Archival evidence and research show her maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, was editor-in-chief of Krakivski Visti, a Ukrainian-language newspaper in occupied Poland and Austria that published Nazi propaganda and anti-Semitic material during World War II. Freeland has long rejected knowledge of these facts." RT
"A powerful windstorm left over 120 000 customers, an estimated 300 000 people, without power after winds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) hit parts of the Lower Mainland." W
"A strong magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit Canada: 137 km W of Haines Junction, YT, in the
early afternoon at 3.34 pm local time (America/Whitehorse GMT -7). The quake had a very shallow depth of 8 km (5 mi)." VD
"A new and potentially more severe variant of the flu, known as H3N2 subclade K, has reached the United States, prompting heightened vigilance from public health officials as the holiday season and winter travel approach.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) flu report, there have already been at least 650,000 illnesses, 7,400 hospitalizations, and 300 deaths from flu this season, ending the week of November 15.“There is basically a new variant of influenza circulating that has mutated a little bit,” Caitlin River, epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins told NPR. “And that means that it’s just different enough from what your body or the vaccine may recognize that it can kind of get around those protections.”
The emergence of the H3N2 subclade K variant has led experts to warn that this flu season could be particularly severe.
The strain, which has dominated outbreaks in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada, is showing signs of spreading rapidly in the U.S. where vaccine uptake is also lagging.
The H3N2 subclade K strain first appeared in Japan and the U.K. before spreading rapidly throughout Canada, where it is now the dominant flu subtype and responsible for a rise in hospitalizations, particularly among the elderly and children.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the strain has been detected on all continents since May 2025 and accounted for nearly half of H3N2 cases in the European Union (EU) by November.
Flu activity in the U.S. has increased quickly in recent weeks, with most current cases attributed to Influenza A H3N2, and about half linked to subclade K.
The symptoms of H3N2, including its mutated subclade K, are similar to typical flu infections—fever, cough, runny nose, fatigue, muscle aches, and chills. However, reports from international outbreaks show this variant tends to cause more severe illness, particularly among the elderly and young children, sometimes resulting in higher fevers and more frequent complications." msn
"A record-breaking bomb cyclone ripped through Newfoundland from November 4 through 5, 2025 bringing along Category 2 hurricane force winds, coastal flooding, and causing widespread damage across the region.
A powerful fall storm underwent rapid intensification phase as it swept into Newfoundland, Canada, on November 4–5, deepening by more than 60 hPa within 24 hours.
.... the system reached a minimum mean sea-level pressure of 944.7 hPa at Marticot Island in Placentia Bay—the lowest ever recorded in the province during November—and 950.5 hPa at St. John’s International Airport, setting a new local record for the month." W
"A sudden stratospheric warming event is unfolding over Antarctica in early September 2025, rapidly weakening the southern polar vortex. Forecast models indicate potential downstream effects on the Northern Hemisphere jet stream, with implications for winter 2025/26 in the USA and Canada.
Such events are rare in the Southern Hemisphere, and can weaken the vortex, while sending ripples across the entire atmospheric system.
Forecast models suggest that within two weeks the strength of the vortex could be cut nearly in half, even without a full reversal of winds, a threshold that typically defines a SSW event.
The anomaly is expected to peak by late September, with temperatures in the stratosphere rising as much as 50°C (90°F) above seasonal norms.
Unusually, this warming is also projected to descend to lower levels of the stratosphere, down to around 19 km (12 miles), which highlights the extraordinary strength of this event. When warming propagates downward in this way, the chances of it influencing surface weather increase significantly.
At the surface, the South Pole pressure index is forecast to turn negative and stay that way, signaling disrupted polar circulation and the development of high-pressure ridging around Antarctica.
Such blocking patterns are known to push cold polar air outward, raising the risk of sudden cold surges into mid-latitude regions.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the disruption is expected to affect spring weather in South America, Australia, and New Zealand, potentially altering storm activity, rainfall distribution, and seasonal transitions.
“When the Southern Hemisphere’s tropospheric polar vortex is stronger than usual, cold air and powerful winds surrounding Antarctica typically contract towards the south,” said Ben Domasino of Weatherzone.
“The Southern Hemisphere’s polar vortex always weakens during spring as part of its normal seasonal cycle,” Domasino said.
“However, the stratospheric polar vortex has started to weaken faster than usual over the past week due to abnormally warm air entering the polar stratosphere. Some forecast models suggest that further stratospheric warming could occur through the middle of September as well.”
Domensino added that it is difficult to predict how each stratospheric warming episode will impact weather patterns closer to the ground, because such events are rare in the Southern Hemisphere and no two are the same. However, if the tropospheric polar vortex does weaken in the coming weeks, it will increase the likelihood of more frequent and stronger cold fronts over Australia during mid-to-late spring.
The impacts of this stratospheric warming may not be confined to the Southern Hemisphere as the two poles are connected through the Brewer–Dobson circulation, and disturbances in one can propagate into the other.
Extended high-pressure anomalies over the South Pole from August to October have also been associated with colder-than-average winters in the United States during December to February, while Europe often experiences the opposite effect, with warmer conditions than usual." W
"A violent long-track supercell storm tore across southern Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan leaving a nearly 400-kilometre swath of damage in its wake and prompting critical alerts across the Prairies.
The Alberta storm that tore through the province is being called one of the worst weather disasters of the year. Packing hailstones up to 5 cm wide and winds near 90 km/h, the Alberta storm smashed windows, pummeled cars, and tore through entire neighborhoods, leaving them looking like disaster zones. This extreme Alberta storm also triggered flash flooding, uprooted trees, and caused major infrastructure failures across multiple communities. Meteorologists say the Alberta storm formed as cold northern air collided with warm southern fronts, fueling an explosive system that turned deadly." SW
"More than 60 hikers were airlifted from Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia, at
around 08:00 local time (LT) after a glacial lake outburst flood blocked exit routes. More than 60 hikers were airlifted from Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia, at around 08:00 local time (LT) after a glacial lake outburst flood blocked exit routes." W
"The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has issued a RED ALERT following the discovery of new fractures beneath the Cascadia Subduction Zone, one of the world's most dangerous fault lines. This gigantic geological phenomenon, which stretches from Northern California to British Columbia, has the potential to cause a cataclysmic megaquake and a devastating tsunami, affecting millions of people." YT
"The 2025 European heatwave claimed 2,300 lives, with science linking two-thirds of deaths to rising global temperatures. From scorching forests in Canada to flooded streets in Dubai and heatwaves baking Europe, Asia, and America...." WION
"A violent storm swept through Cochrane, leaving behind flooded streets, damaged homes, and a community shaken by nature’s fury. Local resident.....A severe storm risk will extend from southern to western Alberta on Friday, extending to other parts of the Prairies into Saturday. While the rainfall from the storms will be welcome in Saskatchewan, as parts of the province experience extreme drought during a dangerous wildfire season." ND
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