NewsSouthern California evacuates amid rapid Hughes Fire spread, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries ruled by military juntas: This is what happened in the news overnight
Southern California evacuates amid rapid Hughes Fire spread, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries ruled by military juntas: This is what happened in the news overnight
It happened while you were sleeping. Here is what global agencies reported overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
- 19,000 residents of Southern California were issued an evacuation order on Wednesday after the uncontrolled Hughes Fire eruption near Castaic, located in the northern part of Los Angeles County. The fire spread at lightning speed, covering nearly 3,250 hectares within just five hours. The blaze engulfed not only Los Angeles County but also Ventura County. As mentioned, about 19,000 people were forced to leave their homes, and 16,000 others received warnings of possible evacuation. A section of Interstate Highway 5, which connects Northern and Southern California and runs through the area of Los Angeles's northern suburbs, was closed. The flames spread at breakneck speed, with winds in the area reaching speeds of about 48-64 km/h, increasing the threat.
- In a shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville (USA), a student was killed, one student was injured, and the 17-year-old assailant committed suicide, media reported on Wednesday. According to the police, 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, armed with a pistol, fired multiple shots in the school cafeteria. After opening fire on his classmates, he committed suicide. Another student suffered facial injuries but was not shot. The SWAT team arrived after the shooting had ended. Wednesday's tragedy was the first school shooting to occur in the USA this year. According to CNN's database, there have been 83 similar incidents in 2024, the most in a single year.
- US President Donald Trump pardoned two Washington police officers on Wednesday who were convicted of killing 20-year-old Black man Karon Hylton-Brown, an incident which occurred in 2020, the White House announced. In September 2024, Terence Sutton Jr was sentenced to 66 months in prison, while Andrew Zabavsky received 48 months. The conviction was for an unauthorized police chase that ended in a collision on 23 October 2020, resulting in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown in the northwest part of Washington, the Justice Department reported last year. Both officers remained free pending their appeal's consideration, Reuters reports.
- The police from the state of San Luis Potosi, in central Mexico, seized on Wednesday a camera system through which one of the drug gangs was monitoring the work of regional security services. Milenio television, citing police authorities, reported on Wednesday that reaching all the places criminals were surveilling officers' actions was made possible with the support of the state gendarmerie, the federal police, and the Mexican army. In a Wednesday statement, the San Luis Potosi gendarmerie did not specify the number of cameras seized, showing only a few devices in a photo. Still, Mexican television, citing police service sources, reported that there are already several hundred in total.
- The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed on Wednesday the deaths of 22 people and 143 diagnosed cases of Lassa fever reported within the first two weeks of 2025. In Nigeria, seven out of thirty-six states have already reported confirmed cases of this viral disease, which, according to the NCDC, primarily affects young people aged 21 to 30. The NCDC warned on Wednesday that the situation is critical. The Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria has been ongoing since last year when more than 1,187 confirmed cases were reported. WHO has also confirmed cases in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
- Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries ruled by military juntas, decided to establish a joint unit consisting of 5,000 soldiers to fight jihadist groups, which they have been unable to tackle for years. The joint venture was announced in a television interview on Wednesday by the Nigerien Defence Minister, General Salifou Mody. This joint force will be equipped with air, ground, and intelligence assets, as well as a coordination system," stated Mody, adding that the unit, formed by countries that have been under continuous jihadist attacks allied with Al-Qaeda or the Islamic State for a decade, should be ready to operate in the coming weeks.
