Canada's Niagara Region in State of Emergency Over Influx of Eclipse Viewers

A view of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is shown, Friday, March 29, 2024, as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press via AP)
A view of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is shown, Friday, March 29, 2024, as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press via AP)
TT
20

Canada's Niagara Region in State of Emergency Over Influx of Eclipse Viewers

A view of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is shown, Friday, March 29, 2024, as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press via AP)
A view of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, is shown, Friday, March 29, 2024, as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y. (Carlos Osorio/The Canadian Press via AP)

Ontario’s Niagara Region has declared a state of emergency as it prepares to welcome up to a million visitors for the solar eclipse in early April, The Associated Press reported.
The total solar eclipse on April 8 will be the first to touch the province since 1979, and Niagara Falls was declared by National Geographic to be one of the best places to see it.
The city is in the path of totality, where the moon will entirely block the sun's rays for a few minutes. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said earlier in March that he expects the most visitors his city has ever seen in a single day.
The regional municipality of Niagara is proactively invoking a state of emergency to prepare for the event, AP said. The declaration announced Thursday sets in motion some additional planning tools to prepare for the day, which could involve major traffic jams, heavier demands on emergency services and cell phone network overloads.
The eclipse will reach Mexico’s Pacific coast in the morning, cut diagonally across the United States from Texas to Maine, and exit in eastern Canada by late afternoon. Most of the rest of the continent will see a partial eclipse.



Solar Becomes Europe's Main Energy Source in June

Solar had never before been Europe's top energy source, consultants say. Damien MEYER / AFP/File
Solar had never before been Europe's top energy source, consultants say. Damien MEYER / AFP/File
TT
20

Solar Becomes Europe's Main Energy Source in June

Solar had never before been Europe's top energy source, consultants say. Damien MEYER / AFP/File
Solar had never before been Europe's top energy source, consultants say. Damien MEYER / AFP/File

Solar power became the European Union's biggest single energy source for the first time in June, an energy think tank said Thursday.

The Ember group that researches the clean energy transition said that 22.1 percent of Europe's power in June came from solar panels, reported AFP.

That came ahead of nuclear power on 21.8 percent and wind turbines on 15.8 percent, according to the British-based institution. Gas accounted for 14.4 percent and hydropower 12.8 percent.

Ember said that at least 13 countries beat their national record for solar power production.

Wind power production also hit a new record for Europe and coal has never accounted for such a low proportion of Europe's electricity output -- Ember estimated it at 6.1 percent across the continent, down from 8.8 percent in 2024.

But with demand for electricity rising, the use of coal in the first half of 2025 was still higher than the same period in 2024, Ember said. Electricity demand in the first six months was more than two percent higher than last year.