Wildfires, Protests, and Political Shuffles: Global Overnight Updates

• Fires in Canada. Authorities issued an evacuation order. In western Canada, the first severe fires of the season were reported. On Sunday, the fire covered about 100 square kilometres - reports the Reuters Agency. Thousands of residents of the Northern Rockies municipality, including the community of Fort Nelson in British Columbia province, were evacuated. Northern Rockies Mayor Rob Fraser informed the media that most of the 3,500 residents of Fort Nelson and its surroundings had been evacuated. Residents of Alberta province were asked to prepare for evacuation. The alert was announced for, among others, the localities of Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates, and Gregoire Lake Estates. On Sunday, more than 40 fires were recorded in Alberta, including two extreme ones that got out of control. The fire was suppressed. According to Reuters, there is currently no direct threat in Alberta. However, the warning remains in effect. Authorities expect the situation to change with the temperature rise.

• Georgian parliament blocked—tension in Tbilisi. The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs called on protesters against the foreign agents law to clear the entrances to the parliament. Many Georgians spent the night on the streets of Tbilisi after one of the largest demonstrations in the country's history. Special units are being drawn to the site. Early Monday morning, the media reported that many Georgians blocked the entrances to the parliament, where the legal committee was due to discuss the bill on the transparency of foreign influences, also known as the "foreign agents law" or Russian law.

• Demotion of Shoigu. World media about the dictator's unexpected decision. Vladimir Putin removed Sergey Shoigu from the position of Minister of Defense after 12 years to be replaced by civilian Andrey Belousov. "The Russian president is dissatisfied with the handling of his two-year invasion of Ukraine" - writes the "Financial Times". "And by installing an economist, he tacitly acknowledged the importance of industrial might to any military victory." - adds "The New York Times". Vladimir Putin, who at the beginning of the week extended his quarter-century rule at least until 2030, moved Sergey Shoigu, the defence minister since 2012, to the head of the Russian Security Council.

• Lithuania. A pro-Russian candidate wins in a region inhabited by Poles. In the first round of the presidential elections held on Sunday in Lithuania, a candidate with pro-Russian views, Eduardas Vaitkus, won the most votes in the Šalčininkai region, where most residents are Poles. He won there with 40 percent of the vote. Eduardas Vaitkus, a doctor from Kaunas who ran in Sunday's presidential elections, is a known critic of NATO, which he calls an "aggressive military bloc". He also promotes friendship with Russia and Belarus.

• Dozens of victims in Belgorod. A 10-storey building collapsed. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported overnight from Sunday to Monday that the body of the 15th victim was pulled from the rubble of the building in Belgorod. Part of the building collapsed on Sunday afternoon. It is still unknown what caused the collapse of the high-rise. The Kremlin accused Ukraine of the attack, which has been silent. 15 people died, and at least 20 were injured. Services are still searching through the rubble. It is known that about 16 apartments were destroyed.

Source: Reuters Agency, WP News