UK weather: Satellite images show smoke from Canada wildfires across Britain – as fresh alerts issued in US
Satellite images have picked up an area of smoke lying across the UK which can be traced back to wildfires in North America, according to the Met Office.
It said the cloud of smoke has “over the last day or so given us some vivid sunrises and sunsets”.
Forecasters in the US warned nearly a third of Americans will experience poor air quality on Thursday as smoke from the ongoing Canadian wildfires fills the skies over the mid-west and east, causing unhealthy and, in some spots, dangerous conditions.
Pic:Met Office
The National Weather Service in the US said air quality alerts have been issued until midnight – from Wisconsin and northern Illinois to Michigan, and stretching to New York and the East Coast.
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US skies darkened by Canada wildfires
It has led to the cancellation of sports and cultural events – with British actress Jodie Comer halting her Broadway show after experiencing breathing difficulties.
Flights have also been cancelled.
More than 100 million Americans have been warned not to spend long outdoors and to wear a mask if necessary to avoid breathing problems, and children and the elderly have been urged to minimise or avoid strenuous activities.
People watch the sunset as the smoke from wildfires is visible in Toronto. Pic: AP
A man tosses a fishing net into the Ohio River as smoke from wildfires is visible over downtown Cincinnati. Pic: AP
“Take precautions on Thursday. If you have health conditions, including respiratory conditions such as asthma, reduce your time outdoors,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams tweeted.
On Thursday morning, a dull sky hung over Chicago for the third consecutive day.
Smoky haze from the wildfires in Canada blankets Chicago,
The air quality was “unhealthy” – and according to IQAir.com which tracks pollution, it had the poorest air of any major city on the planet.
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Worst wildfires in Canada’s history?
Canadian officials have said this is shaping up to be the nation’s worst wildfire season ever.
The season has begun early on ground that is drier than normal and accelerated quickly – with smoke from the wildfires pouring towards the US east coast.
New York landmarks were shrouded in a yellowy-brown haze earlier this month as smoke from the fires drifted south.
Charlie Kirk has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
The USA’s highest civilian honour was received by the conservative activist’s widow, Erika, at the White House.
Mr Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on 10 September while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University.
He founded Turning Point USA and toured American university campuses, debating students about current affairs.
Erika Kirk at the White House. Pic: Reuters
Erika Kirk and Donald Trump. Pic: Reuters
Addressing those attending the ceremony in the White House rose garden, the US president said they were there to “honour and remember a fearless warrior for liberty” and a “beloved leader who galvanised the next generation”.
He said Mr Kirk’s name was being entered “forever into the eternal roster of true American heroes”.
Mr Trump described Charlie Kirk as an “American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest calibre”.
He said his nation had been “robbed” of an “extraordinary champion”.
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Has Charlie Kirk become a MAGA ‘martyr’?
And Mr Trump said Mr Kirk was assassinated in the “prime of his life for boldly speaking the truth, for living his faith, and relentlessly fighting for a better and stronger America”.
The ceremony coincided with what would have been Mr Kirk’s 32nd birthday.
Mr Trump described Erika Kirk, now head of Turning Point USA, as someone who had “endured unspeakable hardship with unbelievable strength”.
Read more:
What do we know about Erika Kirk?
Charlie Kirk’s movement is growing in wake of his assassination
Charlie Kirk. File pic: AP
A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, from the city of Washington in Utah has been charged with Mr Kirk’s murder. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty.
At a memorial event held at a stadium in Arizona, Erika Kirk told an enormous crowd she forgave her husband’s killer.
“The answer to hate is not hate,” she said.
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