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Belgium
EU Approves Migration Deal
The European Union reached an agreement today on new rules to share the cost and work of hosting migrants more evenly and to limit the numbers of people entering. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum should take effect next year, with laws covering the screening of irregular migrants upon arrival to the EU, procedures for handling asylum applications, and rules on determining which EU country is responsible for handling applications. This pact contains a solidarity mechanism to reduce the pressure on southern countries by enacting rapid asylum screening of all arrivals in frontline states, and the choice for inland countries to either accept refugees or make a financial or material contribution into a joint EU fund. Human rights groups condemned the new measures, stating they undermine asylum seeker and refugee protections and put newcomers at even greater risk.
This map depicts migratory routes from Western Asia and Africa to the Schengen Zone of European Union member states. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Red Sea Naval Force Announced
The US government has announced the formation of a naval coalition to protect shipping activity from escalating attacks by Houthi rebels operating in the southern Red Sea out of Yemen. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the initiative, called “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” would be joined by naval forces from Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The partnership does not include assistance of either Egypt or Saudi Arabia, which are the two countries with the longest Red Sea shorelines and have ships already regularly stationed in the area. The Houthis, a Yemeni religious-military group backed by the Iranian government, initially indicated they would attack only Israeli-connected shipping in response to the Israel-Gaza war. However, they have since attacked Red Sea shipping more broadly, prompting a number of global shipping companies to stop passing through the area.
This map depicts naval security incidents that have taken place in the southern Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden over the past month. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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United States
Covid-19 Subvariant JN.1 Spreads
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the coronavirus sub-variant JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new Covid-19 infections in the nation and is the fastest-growing strain of the virus. It has already begun to dominate the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections. JN.1 has only one change to its spike protein count compared to its predecessor, BA.2.86, but it has still become a much stronger and faster virus. The CDC estimates the prevalence of JN.1 more than doubled in the US between late November and mid-December. Its spread can at least in part be attributed to the rise in holiday travel and waning immunity. The World Health Organization named it a variant of interest on Tuesday because of its “rapidly increasing spread” but noted that the additional public health risk remains low.
This map depicts the Covid-19 community risk level by county across the United States. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What location in the New World is named after a famous European port city because an explorer observed local houses on stilts over water on its northern coast?
A: Venezuela
Venezuela was named by an Italian cartographer and navigator, Amerigo Vespucci, who arrived on the Venezuelan coast on an expedition under Alonso Ojeda in 1499. The stilt homes in the region around Lake Maracaibo reminded Vespucci of Venice, Italy, therefore, he named the place “Little Venice” or Veneziola, which translates to Venezuela in Spanish. Lake Maracaibo is a brackish lagoon located in northwestern Venezuela, between the states of Zulia, Trujillo, and Mérida. It is one of the oldest lakes on earth, formed 36 million years ago. The aboriginal Añú people who lived on the banks of the lake refer to it as Coquivacoa. The lagoon is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela to the north by a narrow spit. It is fed by numerous rivers, the biggest being the Catatumbo River. It is Venezuela’s main oil producing area and an important fishing and agricultural region.
Source
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Q: The Indian Ocean maritime trade network connected India, China, Indonesia, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa, and led to Austronesian colonization of what country?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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