Smoke from wildfires in Canada cloaks New York

Tens of millions of people in the region were issued pollution warnings after the smoke moved south, including NY, where residents were advised to avoid outdoor activities.

It is an “alarming example of the ways in which the climate crisis is interfering with our lives,” declared the White House on Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden urged Americans in poor health to take precautions to protect themselves from air pollution, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Hugh Hill, a 43-year-old lawyer walking his dog in Central Park wearing a mask, said his eyes and throat were “burning” from the fog, the smell of which he likened to that of a fireplace.

“I don’t know if it’s psychological or physical, but I know there is some benefit to wearing a mask. Obviously, it won’t prevent everything, but I need to walk the dog,” he told AFP.

The dense cloud of smoke enveloped the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, which was normallyariam resplendent under the blue summer sky in the northern hemisphere.

The city and much of New York state were under a health alert for air quality, which remained in place until Wednesday evening. Warnings were also issued in the capital, Washington.

All outdoor activities in New York public schools have been suspended and Mayor Eric Adams has asked residents to limit time outdoors to only “absolutely necessary.”

Pollution monitor IQAir.com reported that the metropolis' air quality index was 158, considered unhealthy, on Wednesday morning.

According to the website, the concentration of small particles known as PM2.5 was 14 times higher than World Health Organization guidelines.

IQAir pointed out that, on Tuesday night, New York had the worst air quality of any major city in the world. It typically falls outside the 3.000 worst in terms of pollution, according to the website.

In the capital of the United States, the population also woke up this Wednesday to a strong smell and a cloudy sky, despite the sunny weather.

Washington officials warned that air quality was “harmful for people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers.” They also canceled all outdoor activities at schools.

The pollution is expected to last until Thursday.

On the floor of the US Senate, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, said the haze was “a wake-up call from nature that we have a lot of work to do to reverse the destruction of climate change.”

Scientists say rising temperatures raise the risk of hot, dry weather conditions that often fuel wildfires.

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Voting on the time frame in the STF: Mendonça asks for views and decision is suspended

Frustrating expectations, the decision on the time frame for the demarcation of indigenous lands in the Federal Supreme Court was once again blocked. Minister André Mendonça asked for a review shortly after Alexandre de Moraes voted against the issue. The voting score was stopped at 2 votes against the adoption of the time frame and 1 vote in favor.

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