Author: Carlton Simpson

State and federal firefighting agencies have been providing reports on wildfire smoke blanketing Interior Alaska over the past few weeks. Agency officials say the public has shown a lot of interest in the reports so they may become a regular feature, during especially smoky fire seasons in Alaska. Seth Morphis is a U.S. Forest Service air-resources adviser from Montana who’s been compiling reports on the smoke we’ve all been putting up with since late last month, when dry-lightning thunderstorms rolled through the Interior, sparking dozens of wildfires. He says firefighting agencies brought him up here when smoke from the surge in wildfires began…

Two years ago, when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy in Kabul closed and the U.S. military evacuated more than 100,000 Afghans in a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. A significant number of evacuees who worked for the U.S. government during the war are still going through immigration proceedings to allow them to permanently live in the United States. For those still waiting in third countries, if they have an immediate family member who has legal U.S. status, that person can petition to have their relative resettle in the U.S. Others can take advantage of pathways within the…

Just over 11,000 acres have burned in Alaska this year, marking a huge increase from the roughly 2,000 acres we were at early this week. The surge of activity is thanks to the hot and dry conditions through Interior Alaska, combined with an increased chance for thunderstorm activity. Just this week, the state has seen well over 20,000 lightning strikes, leading to 18 new fires reported in the last 24 hours. Most of the thunderstorms have been through the Interior, although few have been a bit further west across the state. In addition to the wildfires, abnormally dry conditions continue…

As co-captain of the United States, Lindsey Horan is setting a feisty tone for the team at the Women’s World Cup. Lindsey Horan is setting a feisty tone for the United States at the Women’s World Cup. Horan, the U.S. co-captain, steadied herself after an angry exchange with Dutch midfielder Danielle van de Donk and scored to give the United States a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands on Thursday. Frustrated by the Netherlands’ first half lead, Horan went from exasperation with van de Donk to elation for her tying goal in a span of just two minutes in the second half. “To…

For Putin, the problems posed by the mercenary Wagner Group – and the subsequent challenges to his rule – remain frustratingly present. President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to bring to heel the Wagner Group mercenary front have not succeeded in the weeks since its bellicose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marched his forces on Moscow in an apparent challenge to the Russian leader. Efforts to defang Prigozhin and undercut his ability to lead have – for reasons that are not immediately apparent – largely failed. The most recent example comes amid reports, which the Kremlin on Monday confirmed, that Putin met in Moscow…

More young Arabs see China as an ally of their countries than the United States, a survey of regional youth has found. The US ranks seventh among nations considered as friendly, compared to China, which ranked second in the Arab Youth Survey conducted by Dubai-based public relations firm ASDA’A BCW. The findings show that support for China has gradually risen over the years as Beijing expands its footprint in the region. But they also reveal that as much as Arabs want the US to play a smaller role in the Middle East, many believe the superpower will continue to be the most influential actor. Eighty percent…

The award-winning film “20 Days in Mariupol” made its premiere in Ukraine on Saturday, when it was seen for the first time by some of the Ukrainian medics and first responders who were chronicled in the documentary about how Russian forces bombed and blasted their way into the port city last year. Repeated standing ovations in a packed Kyiv cinema, mixed with tears and hugs, greeted the civil servants who toiled nearly non-stop in and around a Mariupol hospital that was a centerpiece of the film that documented the early days of the fight for the city, which eventually fell to Russian hands. For…

Three decades after the US closed its last military base in Southeast Asia, the tide is turning in favor of a greater American presence in the region, spurred by mounting tensions with China. That’s particularly evident in the Philippines, where Rodrigo Duterte, the former firebrand president, had made a habit of casting doubt on the future of defense ties with the US, usually in response to what he perceived as slights or meddling in domestic affairs from Washington. But under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who succeeded him last year, the US is getting several new footholds in the country —…

WASHINGTON — The Navy earlier this month completed a service life extension for the Los Angeles-class submarine Alexandria (SSN-757), extending its life by three years out to September 2025, the service said this week. Earlier this month the Navy said that the sub “undocked and departed the West-coast’s only U.S. Navy-operated floating dry-dock, ARCO (ARMD-5) April 5, following a seven-month maintenance period.” That maintenance period also included the three-year service life extension, Naval Sea Systems Command, the agency responsible for managing the service’s submarine maintenance schedule, told Breaking Defense. The Navy for several years now has been evaluating each of…

The Biden administration has been asking Ottawa to consider reimposing visa requirements for Mexican nationals visiting Canada, CBC News has learned. At issue is the sharp increase in illegal crossings from Canada into the United States: Mexicans don’t need a visa to travel to Canada, while the U.S. requires a visa for Mexicans to enter. American border officials say some Mexican nationals are using Canada’s visa-free rule to fly into the country and then cross south illegally into America. The Conservative government under Stephen Harper created a visa requirement in 2009 for Mexicans to stem the flow of asylum claims…