Poland showcases its military might in Warsaw parade
Canadian military mobilizes to help fight wildfires
YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories – Members of the Canadian Armed Forces were set to mobilize in the Northwest Territories on Tuesday, as wildfires threatened communities including the territorial capital, and hundreds of people were airlifted to safety.
The military was expected to send a helicopter and Twin Otter airplane along with 124 soldiers, with 100 set to help with firefighting tasks such as dousing hot spots and clearing areas, and the other 24 coordinating logistics. The city of Yellowknife, the territorial capital, declared a local state of emergency Monday night, citing an imminent wildfire threat.
As of Tuesday, there were over 230 active wildfires in the territory, and five communities had been evacuated. Hundreds of northerners were being airlifted from at least three communities in the face of wind-whipped wildfires.
Massive explosion in Russia’s Dagestan kills 35, injures more
MOSCOW – A massive explosion at a gas station in Russia’s southern republic of Dagestan killed 35 people and injured scores more, Russian officials said Tuesday.
Russia’s Health Ministry said 115 people were injured in the blast and subsequent fire, and 35 of them died.
A total of 65 of those injured, including 16 children, remained hospitalized as of midday Tuesday, the ministry said. Eleven people, including two children, were in grave condition.
The explosion occurred Monday night on the outskirts of Makhachkala, the region’s capital. A fire started at a car repair shop and spread to a nearby gas station, triggering the blast.
Australian ex-priest has prison sentence extended to 40 years
MELBOURNE, Australia – An Australian ex-priest convicted of sexually abusing children had another 12 months added to his 39-year prison sentence on Tuesday for molesting a 72nd victim.
Gerald Ridsdale, 89, has been in prison since 1994 for a series of convictions for abusing children between 1961 and 1988 while he worked as a Roman Catholic priest in churches and schools across his home state of Victoria.
He was sentenced in the Ballarat Magistrates Court to an additional year after he pleaded guilty in June to indecently assaulting a 13-year-old boy while he worked at a Catholic school in Horsham in 1987.
It was his 193rd conviction for child abuse. Ridsdale appeared in court via a video link from a hospital prison bed. He kept his eyes closed throughout the hearing.
WARSAW, Poland – NATO member Poland staged a massive military parade on Tuesday to showcase its stateof-the-art weapons and defense systems, as war rages in neighboring Ukraine and ahead of parliamentary elections on Oct. 15.
President Andrzej Duda, the chief commander of the armed forces, said in his opening speech that the protection of Poland’s eastern border is a key element of state policy. He also noted that Poland is supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia’s aggression of almost 18 months.
“The defense of our eastern border, the border of the European Union and of NATO, is today a key element of Poland’s state interest,” Duda said.
Crowds waving national whiteand-red flags gathered in scorching temperatures that reached 95 degrees.
MINISTRY OF EMERGENCY SITUATIONS PRESS SERVICE VIA AP