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Belgium
Start of EU Accession Talks
This week European Union leaders agreed to officially open accession negotiations for Ukraine and Moldova to join the bloc, an important breakthrough as Ukraine continues to seek support from its allies. Hungary, seen as Russia’s closest ally in the bloc, blocked the EU from approving a financial aid package of 50 billion euros, about $52 billion, for Ukraine. Hungary was the only one of the bloc’s 27 countries that did not back the package. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine recently returned from a visit to the United States, where he petitioned for continued funding for his war effort. That support remains on hold due to political divisions in Congress. Zelensky said this agreement on EU membership serves as a symbolic win against Russia, which sees Ukraine’s European ambitions as an aggression. The Russian government praised the stance taken by Hungary and said the EU decision to open accession talks with Kyiv was politicized and could destabilize the bloc.
This map depicts European Union membership status across the continent. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Bloomberg
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France
Missing British Child Found
Alex Batty, a 17-year-old boy, who disappeared in 2017 when he was 11 while on vacation with his non-custodial mother, was found in France Wednesday morning. Alex was picked up by a delivery driver who discovered him walking on an unlit road in the middle of the night. He then contacted his grandmother Susan Caruana, his legal guardian, through Facebook. Alex told the driver he had lived in a remote “spiritual community” in the Pyrenees but decided to leave. According to Caruana, Alex’s mother and grandfather, Melanie and David Batty, wanted Alex to have an alternative lifestyle and did not want him attending school. They are wanted in the investigation, but their whereabouts remain unknown.
This map depicts sightings of Alex Batty since he went missing six years ago, and the location where he was found on Wednesday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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United States
Private Moon Landing Attempt
Intuitive Machines, a private technology company based in Houston, Texas, is preparing for a January 2024 launch of the world’s first commercial craft to make a soft landing on the Moon. If successful, the mission would mark the first new American mission to the Moon since since 1972. Intuitive Machines confirmed last week that its Nova-C lunar lander arrived at Cape Canaveral in Florida in preparation for launch no sooner than January 12. The mission, named IM-1, is the first from NASA’s 10-year Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative that began issuing orders to private companies in 2019. The IM-1 lander will carry a number of payloads for both NASA and commercial purposes to the Moon’s surface for various research initiatives.
This map depicts the missions to the Moon planned to be undertaken by commercial companies under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative. The first mission planned under that program is set to launch in January. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Where in the world can you find a town that uses a mirror to capture sunlight for three months a year?
A: Viganella, Italy
Located at the side of a steep valley and surrounded by mountains that block the sun’s rays, the Italian town of Viganella is deprived of direct sunlight every year from November until February. The area was settled as far back as the 13th century, meaning generations of locals have spent more than 800 winters in the dark. In December 2006, a local architect and engineer placed a 26ft (8m) wide and 16ft (5m) tall mirror on one of the peaks above the town, reflecting light into its main square. It reflects sunlight for six hours a day, following the sun’s path in the sky using a software program that makes it rotate. The reflected light is not as powerful as direct sunlight, but it warms up the main square and gives the homes some natural sunlight. The idea behind the project stems from a desire to let people socialize in winter when the town shuts down due to the cold and the dark. A similar mirror was installed in Rjukan, a town located in a valley in southern Norway, inspired by Viganella’s success.
Source
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Q: Tulips, associated with the 1630s ‘Tulip Mania’ of the Dutch Golden Age, traveled westward along the Silk Road from their origin point in what mountain range?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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