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What Nigerians In US, Canada, Mexico Should Not Do During Solar Eclipse In April 8

As the total solar eclipse is going to happen on April 8, 2024, in North America, Nigerians living in Mexico, the United States (US), and Canada, are enjoined to take note of certain things to avoid.
The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean, which will occur when the moon passes between the sun and the earth, blocking out the sun’s light partially or entirely.
The solar eclipse has always been seen as an important celestial event and has thrilled human beings for centuries.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon, in its orbit around the Earth, places itself directly between the Earth and the Sun.
Meanwhile, as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare for the solar eclipse, there are precautions for the people who will experience it including Nigerians residing in these North American countries.
A report said, “The Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The total solar eclipse will begin over the South Pacific Ocean.
“Weather permitting, the first location in continental North America that will experience totality is Mexico’s Pacific coast at around 11:07 a.m. PDT. The path of the eclipse continues from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
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“Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16 p.m. NDT.”
Meanwhile, below are the things to do and not do during an eclipse in the US, Canada, and Mexico:
Use eye protection
Staring directly at the sun, even during an eclipse, can cause permanent eye damage. People to experience it are advised to use specially designed solar viewing glasses or handheld solar viewers to protect their eyes from harmful rays.
Take care of your pets
While humans now have access to abundant information, animals may become confused or agitated during an eclipse due to the sudden change in light. So, Nigerians in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, are enjoined to keep their pets indoors or in a secure location to prevent them from harming themselves or running away.
Take photographs with safety
If you have decided to capture the eclipse with your camera or your smartphone, make sure to take proper precautions with that too. Make sure you have a solar filter to protect your device’s lens and your eyes. Never look directly at the sun through a camera or binoculars without appropriate filters.
Enjoy the moment
A solar eclipse is a rare and awe-inspiring event. And so if your thoughts and beliefs allow you to, take the time to appreciate this beauty of nature and the wonders of the universe, but with proper protection.
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What to NOT do during the eclipse
Don’t look directly at the sun
Citizens and foreigners like Nigerians in the US, Mexico, and Canada should not look directly at the sun during the total eclipse. Myths, beliefs and superstitions apart, staring at the sun during an eclipse, even for a few seconds, can cause severe eye damage or blindness. Always use proper eye protection or indirect viewing methods.
Don’t use unfiltered devices
Seeing the eclipse through smartphones, cameras, or telescopes without adequate solar filters can result in irreversible damage to the equipment and pose a risk to your eyesight as well. So, make sure to have the right equipment.
Don’t look for do-it-yourself options
While it is tempting to explore and experiment, try not to when your eyesight and your camera or other device are at stake. Homemade filters, such as smoked glass, CDs, or sunglasses, are not safe for viewing a solar eclipse and these makeshift filters do not provide sufficient protection from the sun’s harmful rays.
Don’t panic
Although there are many different myths and beliefs associated with the Solar eclipse, in the age of information, it is better to not panic. There is no need to panic or fear during an eclipse. As long as you follow certain safety guidelines and stay informed, no harm can happen due to the moon blocking the sun.
VANGUARD
Headline
Welcome Home, Israel Confirms Return Of 20 Hostages From Gaza

Israel said that the last 20 living hostages released by Hamas on Monday had arrived in the country.
“Welcome home,” the foreign ministry wrote in a series of posts on X, hailing the return of Matan Angrest, Gali Berman, Ziv Berman, Elkana Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Nimrod Cohen, David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Evyatar David, Guy Gilboa Dalal, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Segev Kalfon, Bar Kuperstein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Yosef Haim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or and Matan Zangauker.
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AFP
Headline
20 Members Of Gang Blacklisted By US Escape Guatemala Prison

Twenty members of a gang designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States have escaped from detention in Guatemala, a prison chief said Sunday.
The members of the Barrio 18 gang “evaded security controls” at the Fraijanes II facility, prison director Ludin Godinez said at a news conference.
He received “an intelligence report” on Friday warning about the “possible escape” from the prison, which is southeast of the capital, Guatemala City.
Godinez said they were investigating possible acts of corruption.
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Washington last month blacklisted Barrio 18, an El Salvador-based gang which has a reputation for violence and extortion, as part of its crackdown on drug trafficking.
The US embassy in Guatemala condemned the prison escape as “utterly unacceptable.”
“The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who has provided, provides, or decides to provide material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said on X.
It called on the Guatemalan government to “act immediately and vigorously to recapture these terrorists.”
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According to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez, there are about 12,000 gang members and collaborators in Guatemala, while another 3,000 are in prison.
The country’s homicide rate has increased from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 this year, more than double the world average, according to the Centre for National Economic Research.
According to the Salvadoran government, the gangs Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS-13, are responsible for the deaths of about 200,000 people over three decades.
The two gangs once controlled an estimated 80 percent of El Salvador, which had one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Headline
South Africa Bus Crash Kills 40 Including Malawi, Zimbabwe Nationals

At least 40 people, including nationals of Malawi and Zimbabwe, were killed when a passenger bus rolled down an embankment in South Africa, a provincial transport minister said Monday.
The bus travelling to Zimbabwe crashed around 90 kilometres (55 miles) from the border on Sunday after the driver apparently lost control, Limpopo province transport minister Violet Mathye said.
“They are still working on the scene, but 40 bodies have already been confirmed to date,” Mathye told the Newzroom Afrika channel. The dead included a 10-month-old girl, she said.
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Thirty-eight people were in hospital and rescuers were searching for other victims, she told eNCA media.
The bus was travelling from the southern city of Gqeberha, around 1,500 kilometres away, and its passengers included Malawians and Zimbabweans who were working in South Africa. The crash may have been caused by driver fatigue or a mechanical fault, the minister said.
South Africa has a sophisticated and busy road network with a high rate of road deaths, blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving and unroadworthy vehicles.
AFP
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