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Why is the smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketing North America?
In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplace in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive" forest fires. The majority of these fires are located in the north of Canada, home to some if the largest and most intact forests on earth. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area has burned this year as compared to the 10-year average. Here are some facts regarding the recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world. It has a total of nearly 10% of the forest area of the planet and 24% of its boreal forests. Most of these forests are not accessible by road, and many are uninhabited. Forest fires are an important part of nature that helps to eliminate pests and unhealthy shrubbery. In recent years, however, both the size and intensity have increased. Climate change and rising temperatures cause drier forest conditions. Fires spread more quickly in drier forests. Lightning or campfires often start fires in more densely populated areas. Mike Flannigan is a professor at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. He noted that the area of land burned in Canada almost quadrupled since 1970. He said that warmer temperatures have extended the wildfire season and increased lightning has also caused fires. WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST WEEK? Smoke follows the wind as fires grow and forest areas are scorched. The world's poorest air quality was brought to Toronto by fires in northern Ontario, western Ontario and northern Minnesota earlier this week. It then spread to New York City and Washington. Detroit and Chicago had the worst air quality by Friday. CAN THE FIRE BE STOPPED? While certain fires cannot be avoided, governments are working to protect their communities by preventing fires caused by humans, utilizing non-flammable materials in high-risk areas, and being more prepared. What has Canada done so far? The federal government has increased funding to fight wildfires. This includes C$316.7 millions ($227million) for aerial firefighting capability over five years, and C$47.8 for Parks Canada National Fire Management Program. Ontario spent C$271 millions on emergency firefighting during 2025-26. This was more than its budget of C$135million. The government has set aside C$150 millions for 2026-2027. WHAT MORE COULD be DONE? Experts and politicians started calling for a National Response Organization after Canada's largest wildfire season in 2023 by area burned. These calls increased after the fires of 2024 destroyed a third of Jasper, a tourist town. Canada is the only Group of Seven nation without a federal agency dedicated to fighting wildfires. The provinces are responsible for a large part of firefighting. The Canadian Senate released a report in?June of 2026 that proposed a federal coordination office for wildfires, emergency response, and funding for a modern fleet of firefighting planes, among other things. The report noted that wildfires have become a crisis, citing the area burned in the past few years. The federal government didn't immediately respond to our request for a comment. Canada has approximately 126,000 firefighters working for towns, cities and villages. About 90,000 of these are volunteers. Ken McMullen is the president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. He said that only 3,000 to 5,000 fire fighters are trained in Canada to fight wildland blazes. McMullen stated that a centralized approach could help coordinate, train, and move firefighters and equipment throughout the country when needed. What are some other areas with wildfires? According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2026 has been a fire-year above average in the United States, with more than 3.7 million acres burning year-to date, compared to a 10-year-average of 2.7 millions acres. According to the U.S. Drought monitor, fires are burning more intensely and consuming more land in the U.S. West after a record low winter snowpack triggered drought conditions across 90% of the region. According to NIFC, the United States has seen 40,000 wildfires this year. This is well above its 10-year average, which was around 31,000 at this time. A wildfire that burned an area as large as San Francisco in northeastern Spain forced thousands of people to flee. This summer, there have been nearly 20 reported wildfires in England and Wales. A historic forest near Paris has also burned and turned the skies black. (Reporting from Nivedita Balu, Toronto; additional reporting by Andrew Hay. Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington and Caroline Stauffer)
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Why is the smoke from wildfires in Canada blanketing North America?
In recent years, orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests have become commonplace in North America as global warming has contributed to "massive" forest fires. The majority of these fires are located in the north of Canada, home to some if the largest and most intact forests on earth. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area has burned compared to the 10-year average. Here are some interesting facts about recent wildfires and smoke. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world. It has nearly one tenth the total area of forest on the planet and 24% of its boreal forests. Most of these forests are not accessible by road, and many are uninhabited. Forest fires are an important part of nature that helps to eliminate pests and unhealthy shrubbery. In recent years, however, both the size and intensity have increased. Climate change and rising temperatures cause drier forest conditions. Fires spread more quickly in drier forests. Lightning or campfires often start fires in more densely populated areas. Mike Flannigan is a professor at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. He noted that the area of land burned in Canada almost quadrupled since 1970. He said that warmer temperatures have extended the wildfire season and increased lightning has also caused fires. WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST WEEK? Smoke follows the wind as fires grow and forest areas are scorched. The world's poorest air quality was brought to Toronto by fires in northern Ontario, western Ontario and northern Minnesota earlier this week. It then spread to New York City and Washington. Detroit and Chicago had the worst air quality by Friday. CAN THE FIRE BE STOPPED? Although some fires cannot be avoided, governments are working to protect their communities by closing forests to prevent fires caused by humans, using non-flammable materials in high-risk areas and being more prepared. What has Canada done so far? The federal government has increased funding to fight wildfires. This includes C$316.7 millions ($227million) for aerial firefighting capability over five years, and C$47.8 for Parks Canada National Fire Management Program. Ontario spent C$271 millions on emergency firefighting during 2025-26. This was more than its budget of C$135million. The government has set aside C$150 millions for 2026-2027. WHAT MORE COULD be DONE? Experts and politicians started calling for a National Response Organization after Canada's largest wildfire season in 2023 by area burned. These calls increased after the fires of 2024 destroyed a third of Jasper, a tourist town. Canada is the only Group of Seven nation without a federal agency dedicated to fighting wildfires. The provinces are responsible for a large part of firefighting. The Canadian Senate released a report in?June of 2026 that proposed a federal coordination office for wildfires, emergency response, and funding for a modern fleet of firefighting planes, among other things. The report noted that wildfires have become a crisis, citing the area burned in the past few years. The federal government didn't immediately respond to our request for comment. Canada has approximately 126,000 firefighters working for towns, cities and villages. About 90,000 of these are volunteers. Ken McMullen is the president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. He said that only 3,000 to 5,000 fire fighters are trained in Canada to fight wildland blazes. McMullen stated that a centralized approach could help coordinate, train, and move firefighters and equipment throughout the country when needed. What are some other areas with wildfires? According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2026 has been a fire-year above average in the United States, with more than 3.7 million acres burning year-to date, compared to 2.7 million acres on average over ten years. According to the U.S. Drought monitor, fires are burning more intensely and consuming more land in the U.S. West after a record low winter snowpack triggered drought conditions across 90% of the region. According to NIFC, the United States has seen 40,000 wildfires this year. This is well above its 10-year average, which was around 31,000 at this time. A wildfire that burned an area as large as San Francisco in northeastern Spain forced thousands of people to flee. This summer, there have been nearly 20 reported wildfires in England and Wales. A historic forest near Paris has also burned and turned the skies black. (Reporting from Nivedita Balu, Toronto; additional reporting by Andrew Hay. Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington and Caroline Stauffer)
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Why are parts of North America covered in smoke from wildfires in Canada?
In recent years, North America has seen orange-hued skylines, smoke from wildfires and scorched forests as global warming contributes to forest fires. Many are in the north of Canada, home to some world's largest intact forest. Canada is experiencing more wildfires than in the past two years. A larger area of land has already burned this year, compared to the average for the previous 10 years. Here are some interesting facts about recent smoke and wildfires. Why does Canada have so many wildfires? Canada is the second largest country in the world. It has almost a tenth the total area of forest on the planet and 24% of its boreal forests. Most of these forests are not accessible by road, and many are uninhabited. Forest fires are an important part of nature that helps to eliminate pests and unhealthy shrubbery. In recent years, however, both the size and intensity have increased. Climate change and rising temperatures cause drier forest conditions. Fires spread more quickly in drier forests. Lightning or campfires can start fires in populated areas. Mike Flannigan is a professor at Thompson Rivers University, British Columbia. He noted that the area of land burned in Canada almost quadrupled since 1970. He said that warmer temperatures have extended the wildfire season, and "more lightning" is also contributing to fires. WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE LAST WEEK? Smoke follows the wind as fires grow and forest areas are scorched. Toronto, New York and Washington were affected by the worst air pollution in the world earlier this week due to fires that started in Ontario and Minnesota. Detroit and Chicago had the worst air quality by Friday. CAN THE FIRE BE STOPPED? While certain fires cannot be avoided, governments try to protect their communities by closing forests to prevent fires caused by humans, using non-flammable materials in high-risk areas and being more prepared. What has Canada done so far? The federal government has increased funding to fight wildfires. This includes C$316.7 millions ($227million) for aerial firefighting capability over five years, and C$47.8million for Parks Canada National Fire Management Program. Ontario spent C$271 millions on emergency firefighting during 2025-26. This was more than its budget of C$135million. The government has set aside C$150 millions for 2026-2027. WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE? Experts and politicians started calling for a National Response Organization after Canada's largest wildfire season in 2023 by area burned. These calls increased after the fires of 2024 destroyed a third of Jasper, a tourist town. Canada is the only Group of Seven nation without a federal agency dedicated to fighting wildfires. The provinces are responsible for a large part of firefighting. The Canadian Senate released a report in June 2026 that proposed funding for a modern fleet of firefighting planes, as well as a federal coordination office for wildfires. The report noted that wildfires have become a crisis, citing the area burned in the past few years. The federal government did not respond immediately to a comment request. Canada has approximately 126,000 firefighters working for towns, cities and villages. About 90,000 of these are volunteers. Ken McMullen is the president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs. He said that only 3,000 to 5,000 firefighters in Canada are trained to fight wildland fires. McMullen stated that a centralized approach could help coordinate, train, and move firefighters and equipment throughout the country when necessary. What are some other areas with wildfires? According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 2026 has been a fire-year above average in the United States, with 3.7 millions acres burning?year-to date compared to a 10-year-average of 2.7million acres. According to the U.S., fires are burning in the U.S. West with greater intensity. They have also charred more acres. This is because a record low winter snowpack has spread drought conditions to 90% of the area. Drought Monitor. According to NIFC, the United States has seen 40,000 wildfires this year. This is well above its 10-year average, which was around 31,000 at this time. A wildfire that burned an area as large as San Francisco in northeastern Spain forced thousands of people to flee. This summer, there have been nearly 20 reported wildfires in England and Wales. A historic forest near Paris has also burned and turned the skies black. (Reporting from Nivedita Balu, Toronto; additional reporting by Andrew Hay. Editing by Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington and Caroline Stauffer)
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Israeli strikes kill Palestinians at Gaza funeral of earlier strike victim
Gaza health officials reported that an 'Israeli airstrike' killed eight Palestinians, and injured 20 others who were attending a funeral for a victim killed earlier in the day by another strike. The death toll on Friday was at least 12 according to medics, including at least 3 Palestinians who were killed by Israeli airstrikes in other parts of the enclave. Hamas has condemned Nuseirat's strike against Gaza mourners as a "brutal massacre" and called on mediators as well as the United Nations to take action to stop Israeli attacks. When asked about the attack on Nuseirat by the Israeli military, it said that they struck a "cell" belonging to the Islamic Jihad militants group. This group holds sway over parts of the enclave, along with Hamas. The military said that it was "aware" of claims that uninvolved people were injured as a result. ISRAEL ORDERS EVACUATIONS AFTER?CEASEFIRE Residents of an area east Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, said that Israeli forces used drones in order to broadcast audio messages telling them to leave their home. This forced some families to flee to safety. Gaza health officials report that the deaths bring to more than 1,100 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks, mostly civilians. Since an October ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas militants, Gaza health officials say. Hamas doesn't usually reveal its losses. The ceasefire has stopped major fighting, but not daily Israeli attacks. Israel claims it is targeting militants. In the same time period, militants have killed four Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Conflict?monitor ACLED is a U.S. research group that tracks political violence. It said Israeli airstrikes against Hamas and?other?militants grew to over 40 in June. This was the highest monthly total ever since the ceasefire. It said that other strikes killed and injured civilians near the line that divides?the sides. This included women and children. According to Israeli statistics, the war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led forces attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, and taking 250 hostages. Gaza health officials report that Israel's offensive has killed over 73,000 Palestinians. Hamas controls a small strip of land on the coast where nearly all Gaza's two million residents live, mostly in tents and damaged buildings.
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Gold to experience its biggest weekly decline since early June due to inflation and rate hike worries
Gold prices rose Friday, but were on track for their biggest weekly drop?in the past six weeks as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated. This fueled inflation fears while also reinforcing expectations that interest rates will be raised in the U.S. By 11:50 am EDT (1550 GMT), spot gold had risen 1.2% to $4,017.09 an ounce. Prices fell to their lowest levels since July 1, earlier in the day, and are down about 2.5% for the entire week. U.S. Gold?futures delivered in August fell by 0.5%, to $3973.10. The U.S. Dollar rose for the second consecutive session, increasing the price of bullion for foreign buyers. Chris Gaffney is president of EverBank's world markets. He said that the main reasons for gold's decline were a stronger U.S. Dollar and increased global inflation fears. The U.S. escalated its renewed bombing campaign against Iran by hitting bridges and airports. Tehran responded by launching strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East. Brent crude oil was up by more than 14 percent in the week after the attacks. The price of gold has dropped by about 25% since U.S.-backed Iran's war began in late Feburary, due to expectations that inflation-driven war could cause interest rates to rise for longer. Gold is often seen as an inflation hedge, but higher interest rates can have a negative impact on this non-yielding metal. "Recent data has decreased the likelihood of a rate increase at the next FOMC Meeting, but global interest levels continue to rise and the recent 'increase in oil price could lead the Federal Reserve to adopt a more hawkish stance with regard to?U.S. Gaffney stated that interest rate policy was a priority. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders see a 53.3% probability of an interest rate increase in September. Philip Jefferson, Fed vice chair, said on Thursday that he was "open" to raising interest rates if inflation did not improve in the near future. Goldman Sachs stated in a report that "gold's percentage in private portfolios is still low. Recent?geopolitical events, such as the Iranian nuclear deal and wider tensions? may accelerate diversification to private investors beyond central banks." Spot silver increased 1.1% to $66.09; platinum fell 1.3% to $1.597.13 and palladium remained steady at $1.249.81. All three metals are headed for weekly losses. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey in Bengaluru, Noel John from Bengaluru)
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Israeli strikes kill Palestinians at Gaza funeral of earlier strike victim
Gaza health officials reported that an Israeli airstrike on Friday killed eight 'Palestinians' and injured 20 others who were attending a funeral for a victim whose body was buried in Nuseirat, a central Gaza Strip area. The person had been?killed earlier by another Israeli attack on the?area. The death toll on Friday was at least 12 according to medics, including at least 3 Palestinians who were killed by Israeli airstrikes in other parts of the enclave. Hamas has condemned Nuseirat's strike against Gaza mourners as a "brutal massacre" and called on mediators as well as the United Nations to act in order to stop Israeli attacks. The Israeli military stated that it would check a request for a comment, but did not provide one immediately. ISRAEL ORDERS EVACUATIONS EVACUATED CEASEFIRE Residents of an area east of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, said Israeli forces broadcasted audio messages ordering them to leave their homes. Some families were forced to flee to safety. Gaza's health officials say that the deaths "add to a total" of more than 1100 Palestinians killed by Israelis since a ceasefire was signed between Israel and Hamas militants in October. Hamas doesn't usually reveal its losses. Israel continues to launch daily strikes despite the ceasefire. Israel claims it is pursuing militants. In the same time period, militants have killed four Israeli soldiers. Conflict monitor ACLED (a U.S. research group that tracks political violent) said Israeli airstrikes on Hamas and militants grew to over 40 in June. This was the highest monthly total since the ceasefire. It said that other strikes killed and injured civilians near the line dividing both sides, including women?and children. According to Israeli statistics, the war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led forces attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, and taking 250 hostages. Gaza health officials claim that Israel's "subsequent" offensive has resulted in the deaths of more than 73,000 Palestinians. Hamas controls a small strip of land on the coast where nearly all of Gaza's two million residents live, mostly in tents and damaged buildings.
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Ontario buys 11 new aircraft to fight'very difficult' fires
Premier Doug Ford announced at a Friday press conference that Ontario would spend C$650 million ($465million) to purchase 'five new helicopters' and six new water-bombers in order to fight wildfires spreading quickly. On Thursday, heavy smoke from Canadian fires covered a large area of the U.S., from the Midwest up to the Northeast. Officials warned residents to stay inside whenever possible. Ford has not said when the planes will arrive. He said: "We won't put a price on the safety of our communities... We will spare no cost." Ontario has so far deployed 150 fire crews to the ground, and more than 80 water bombers and helicopters. Fires are mainly concentrated in the sparsely-populated and remote northwest region of the province where air travel is the only mode of transportation. Ford said, "This is an extremely difficult situation. Even flying into these communities using dirt runways is very difficult when there is fire." As of today, 650,000 acres (26,300 sq km) have been set ablaze, compared with 600,000 acres last year. (1 Canadian dollar = 1.4012 dollars) (Reporting and editing by Deepa Babyington, David Ljunggren)
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Ambani's Reliance outperforms the profit forecast on oil-tochemicals and telecom strength
Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire Indian, and his Reliance Industries beat market expectations on Friday for its first-quarter profit, thanks to strong performance in their oil-tochemicals, retail, and telecom businesses. The results showed the resilience of Reliance’s diverse businesses during a quarter that was marked by?elevated oil prices, geopolitical conflicts and supply-chain interruptions. Reliance’s operating performance improved across its?three main verticals. The oil-to chemicals business, including its'refining operations', saw a 17.2% increase in core earnings from the previous year. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of O2C Business, said that the business had a strong performance in the quarter. This was supported by record-high middle distillate cracks and improved downstream petrochemical deltas. Jio Platforms continued to be the key growth driver in the telecom sector, with a core earnings increase of 15.1%. It has 533 million subscribers and average revenue per user at 215.6 rupees. Investors are awaiting the IPO, which may be India's biggest ever. Jio Platforms could raise up to $3.8 billion. Mukesh Ambani pledged to 'tighten the grip of Jio Platforms on India's data market and push into foreign markets. According to LSEG, Reliance’s consolidated net income fell by 22.4%, to 209.46 billion rupiahs ($2.18 billion) for the three-month period ended June 30. This was higher than analysts' average estimates of 185.5 billion rupiahs. The decline in net profit was primarily due to an 'unique gain' from the sale of a stake in Asian Paints during the previous quarter.
Gold to experience its biggest weekly decline since early June due to inflation and rate hike worries
Gold was up on Friday, but it is 'on track to its biggest weekly loss in six years as rising energy prices fuel inflation fears. This also reinforces expectations for interest rate increases by the U.S. By 2:20 pm EDT (1820 GMT), spot gold had risen 1% to $4,011.29 an ounce. Earlier in the session, prices fell to their lowest levels since June 30, and have fallen around 2.6% for the entire week. U.S. gold futures for August delivery settled at $4,018.80, up 0.7%.
The U.S. Dollar rose for the second consecutive session, increasing the price of bullion for foreign buyers. Chris Gaffney is president of EverBank's world markets. He said that the main reasons for the gold selloff were a stronger U.S. currency and higher inflation fears. The U.S. escalated?its renewed campaign against Iran by hitting bridges, and an airport. Tehran responded by launching'strikes against U.S. bases in the Middle East. Brent crude oil prices rose by around 16% in the week after the attacks.
The price of gold has dropped by about 25% since U.S.-backed Iran's war began in late Feburary, due to expectations that inflation-driven war could cause interest rates to rise for longer.
Gold is often seen as a hedge to inflation. However, higher interest rates can have a negative impact on this non-yielding metal. Gaffney stated that "recent data has decreased the likelihood of a rate increase at the next FOMC Meeting, but global interest rate are continuing to rise and the recent increase in oil prices may drive the Federal Reserve into a more hawkish policy on U.S. interest rate policy." According to the CME FedWatch Tool, traders see a 58% likelihood of an interest rate increase in September. Fed Vice-Chair Philip Jefferson said on Thursday that he was 'open' to raising interest rates if inflation did not improve in the near future.
Goldman Sachs stated in a report that "gold's share of private portfolios is still low and recent geopolitical developments, such as Iran and broader tensions may?accelerate the diversification beyond central bankers to private investors." Spot silver increased 1% to $60.06, platinum fell 1.4% to $1.595.64, while palladium remained steady at $1.249.63. All three metals are headed for losses this week. Noel John, reporting from Bengaluru and Jan Harvey and Chizu Nomiyama editing the report)
(source: Reuters)