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Front Page18 current stories · Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Nation · Lead Story · 2026-11-09

Fire crews track a larger footprint at Wyoming’s Foot Creek

The November 9 federal assessment lists 46 initial responses and four uncontained large fires nationwide.

Monday’s national fire report lists Foot Creek in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest at 683 acres, up 151 acres from the previous assessment. Reported containment moved from 41% to 36%, and personnel assigned to the incident fell from 85 to 60. The fire is about ten miles west of Buffalo.

Across the country, the National Interagency Coordination Center recorded 46 initial attacks, twice Sunday’s reported count of 23. The large-fire count remained at four uncontained incidents. The report listed no newly classified large incidents and no newly contained large fires.

The active-incident resource table lists 516 personnel, up 178 from Sunday. That total covers the incidents included in the resource table. It is distinct from both the number of new fires and the count of large fires still uncontained.

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Environment · 2026-11-09

EU and partner countries set a shared COP31 agenda

The November 9 statement sets priorities for adaptation, climate finance and clean electrification ahead of the summit.

A November 9 joint statement sets out where the European Union and its African, Caribbean and Pacific partners want to work together at COP31. It covers the EU’s 27 members and the 77 countries in the partner organisation that are signatories to the Samoa Agreement.

The partners put access to climate finance and preparation for climate impacts on the agenda alongside cleaner electricity and a transition that considers affected workers and communities. They also identify cooperation on climate data, food and water resilience, ecosystems and ocean governance.

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Nation · 2026-11-08

Wyoming incident enters large-fire report as national staffing declines

The November 8 assessment lists Foot Creek, four uncontained large fires nationwide and 338 incident personnel.

A Wyoming fire appears as a new large incident in the November 8 federal situation report, even as reported staffing across active incidents declines. Foot Creek, in the Bighorn National Forest ten miles west of Buffalo, is listed at 532 acres and 41% containment. The report describes threatened residences and road closures.

Nationally, initial attack activity totals 23 fires. Four large fires remain uncontained, and none is newly reported contained. The national preparedness level is 1. The active-incident resource table records 338 personnel, a reduction of 53 from the preceding report; it does not count every firefighter employed across the country.

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Nation & Public Life

Nation ·

Fire crews track a larger footprint at Wyoming’s Foot Creek

The November 9 federal assessment lists 46 initial responses and four uncontained large fires nationwide.

Monday’s national fire report lists Foot Creek in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest at 683 acres, up 151 acres from the previous assessment. Reported containment moved from 41% to 36%, and personnel assigned to the incident fell from 85 to 60. The fire is about ten miles west of Buffalo.

Read article

Nation ·

Wyoming incident enters large-fire report as national staffing declines

The November 8 assessment lists Foot Creek, four uncontained large fires nationwide and 338 incident personnel.

A Wyoming fire appears as a new large incident in the November 8 federal situation report, even as reported staffing across active incidents declines. Foot Creek, in the Bighorn National Forest ten miles west of Buffalo, is listed at 532 acres and 41% containment. The report describes threatened residences and road closures.

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Nation ·

US fire report records fewer starts and a larger personnel total

The November 7 national assessment lists 22 initial responses, four uncontained large fires and 391 personnel.

The latest federal wildfire assessment shows a lighter day of new starts alongside a larger reported workforce. The November 7 situation report lists 22 fires requiring initial attack, down from 57 in the previous report. National preparedness remains at Level 1, while four large fires remain uncontained.

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Nation ·

Eastern Area records 40 of 57 fires in Friday’s national update

Four large fires remained uncontained as the national report showed no new large incidents.

The national wildfire situation report for November 6 lists 57 initial-attack fires, including 40 in the Eastern Area. It recorded no new large incidents or newly contained large fires in the reporting interval. Four large fires were listed as uncontained, down from five in Thursday’s national snapshot.

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World

World ·

Canada adds 62 listings to its Russia sanctions

The November 9 package covers military suppliers, cyber activity and financial channels including cryptocurrency exchanges.

Canada announced 38 new entity listings and 24 individual listings under its Russia sanctions regulations on November 9. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced the measures in Paris alongside the meeting of G7 foreign ministers.

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World ·

Windrush advocacy grants open for another funding year

Community organisations can apply for a share of £600,000 to help people navigate the compensation process in 2027–28.

The Home Office opened a new grant round on November 9 for community groups that help people pursue Windrush compensation. The £600,000 is available for advocacy services in 2027–28. Community organisations apply for the grants; the round is separate from the process by which individuals seek compensation.

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World ·

Remembrance Sunday notice sets out Cenotaph ceremony and veterans’ march

The UK government’s November 8 announcement describes a national silence and participation by military and civilian organisations.

The UK government’s November 8 notice sets out arrangements for the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in London. It identifies the King as leading the two-minute silence, with members of the Royal Family, senior politicians and faith representatives taking part in the commemoration.

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World ·

Canada housing plan links construction funding with ongoing support

A November 7 ministerial briefing describes the proposed homelessness package and how governments would divide responsibilities.

Canada’s latest homelessness plan combines the construction of supportive housing with funding for rent assistance and services. In a November 7 briefing in Brampton, Minister Rechie Valdez outlined a Budget 2026 package of nearly C$30 billion aimed at ending homelessness within ten years. The stated objective is a policy target, not a measured result.

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Business & Economy

Business ·

EU ministers agree on a wider import VAT portal for online sales

The agreement would cover higher-value parcels and certain warehouse sales, with application planned for July 2028.

An EU agreement reached November 9 would let online suppliers use one import VAT registration for goods across price bands. Today, the Import One Stop Shop lets sellers account for VAT through one member state, but its use is limited to low-value parcels. The agreement would lift that value restriction and bring certain goods sold from EU customs warehouses into the system.

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Business ·

Canada seeks parliamentary authority for C$22.1 billion in additional spending

The November 6 estimates distinguish proposed spending ceilings from the accounts showing money actually spent.

Canada’s government requested parliamentary approval for C$22.1 billion in new voted spending when it tabled Supplementary Estimates (B) on November 6. The proposed funding spans defence, Coast Guard icebreakers, housing, child care, dental care, Indigenous services and assistance for sectors affected by tariffs.

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Business ·

Canada separates immediate hiring changes from proposed regional rules

Low-wage worker-program changes took effect November 6; a further provincial opt-in framework is proposed for March 2027.

Canadian employers using the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program face two immediate changes announced November 6. Labour Market Impact Assessment applications submitted from that date can have a maximum duration of two years, previously one. Early childhood educators also join occupations excepted from the processing restriction in metropolitan areas with unemployment of at least 6%.

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Business ·

October payrolls rise by 165,000 in first U.S. estimate

The November 6 report puts unemployment at 4.1 percent and revises the previous two payroll gains higher.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that U.S. nonfarm payrolls expanded by 165,000 in October. Professional and business services, health care, and transportation and warehousing all added jobs. The separately measured unemployment rate moved from 4.2 to 4.1 percent, a change the agency characterized as small.

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Business ·

More job seekers lift Canada’s October unemployment rate

Statistics Canada reported a 6.7 percent unemployment rate as employment was little changed.

Canada’s unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points in October as about 33,000 more people searched for work. The November 6 Labour Force Survey release put employment at about 21.1 million, with a monthly decline of 4,700 that the agency described as little change.

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Science & Technology

Science ·

NASA expands lunar delivery framework and plans a polar rover

November 7 selections combine future delivery competitions with development of the nuclear-powered PROMISE mission.

NASA is preparing a nuclear-powered rover to examine the Moon’s south polar surface and subsurface. The agency’s November 7 announcement targets a late-2028 launch for PROMISE and an 18-month mission. A drill would sample material about one metre below the surface, alongside instruments measuring composition, temperature and radiation.

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Technology ·

UK veterans can add service identification to their phones

A November 7 government update reports more than 23,000 digital cards downloaded, with the physical card still available.

UK veterans considering a digital service card must first complete the physical-card process. Once that application has been processed and the card dispatched, they can request the phone version through the GOV.UK One Login app. The digital option is voluntary, and the physical card remains usable.

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Science ·

Station crew combines health measurements with post-spacewalk servicing

NASA’s November 6 operations report documents biomedical work and equipment checks after the final solar-array installation.

Biomedical monitoring continued aboard the International Space Station on November 6 while other crew members serviced equipment after the previous day’s spacewalk. Sergey Teteryatnikov took blood-pressure measurements with cuffs on his arm, wrist and finger, then exercised on a treadmill with electrodes recording heart and breathing rates.

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Environment

Environment ·

EU and partner countries set a shared COP31 agenda

The November 9 statement sets priorities for adaptation, climate finance and clean electrification ahead of the summit.

A November 9 joint statement sets out where the European Union and its African, Caribbean and Pacific partners want to work together at COP31. It covers the EU’s 27 members and the 77 countries in the partner organisation that are signatories to the Samoa Agreement.

Read article

Environment ·

Severn Stoke puts flood bank and drainage works into operation

The November 6 completion announcement says landscaping will continue after the core flood scheme becomes operational.

Severn Stoke in Worcestershire has an operational flood scheme ahead of winter, according to the Environment Agency’s November 6 announcement. The completed core works combine a bank west of the village, surface-water drainage and a raised road section at the bank crossing. They address flood risk to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

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