NewsCalifornia blaze forces 19,000 evacuations as winds fan flames, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries ruled by military juntas: This is what happened in the news overnight
California blaze forces 19,000 evacuations as winds fan flames, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries ruled by military juntas: This is what happened in the news overnight
While you were sleeping, global agencies reported the following events overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
- Nineteen thousand residents of Southern California received evacuation orders on Wednesday following the eruption of the uncontrolled Hughes Fire near Castaic, in the northern part of Los Angeles County. The fire spread rapidly, covering approximately 8,030 acres in just five hours. It affected not only Los Angeles County but also Ventura County. As noted, around 19,000 people were forced to evacuate, while 16,000 others were warned of potential evacuation. A section of Interstate Highway 5, which connects Northern and Southern California and passes through Los Angeles's northern suburbs, was closed. The fire spread swiftly due to winds reaching speeds of 30-40 mph, heightening the threat.
- In a shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, a student was killed, another student was injured, and the 17-year-old shooter committed suicide, media sources reported on Wednesday. According to police, 17-year-old Solomon Henderson, armed with a pistol, fired multiple shots in the school cafeteria. After shooting at his classmates, he took his own life. Another student sustained facial injuries but was not shot. The SWAT team arrived after the shooting had concluded. This tragedy was the first school shooting in the U.S. this year. According to CNN's database, there have been 83 similar incidents in 2024, the highest number for a single year.
- U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned two Washington police officers on Wednesday, who were convicted of killing 20-year-old Black man Karon Hylton-Brown, 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 October 23, 2020, resulting in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown in northwest Washington, the Justice Department reported last year. Both officers remained free pending the appeal consideration, Reuters reports.
- On Wednesday, police in the state of San Luis Potosi, central Mexico, seized a camera system used by a drug gang to monitor regional security services. Milenio television, citing police authorities, reported that the operation to locate all surveillance points was supported by the state gendarmerie, federal police, and the Mexican army. In a statement on Wednesday, the San Luis Potosi gendarmerie did not specify the number of cameras seized but showed a few devices in a photo. Mexican television, citing police sources, reported that several hundred cameras have been found 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 in the first two weeks of 2025. Seven out of Nigeria's thirty-six states have confirmed cases of this viral disease, primarily affecting young people aged 21 to 30, according to the NCDC. The agency warned on Wednesday that the situation is critical. The Lassa fever epidemic in Nigeria has been ongoing since last year, with more than 1,187 confirmed cases reported. The WHO has also confirmed cases in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
- Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three West African countries governed by military juntas, have decided to establish a joint force of 5,000 soldiers to combat jihadist groups that they have struggled to control for years. The joint effort was announced during a television interview on Wednesday by Nigerien Defense Minister General Salifou Mody. "This joint force will be equipped with air, ground, and intelligence assets, as well as a coordination system," stated Mody. He added 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 operational in the coming weeks.
