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Canada – United States
Wildfire Smoke Returns
Wildfires burning in Canada’s vast northern forests are once again sending massive plumes of smoke southwards into the United States, recalling events of one year ago that brought unprecedented air pollution to New York City and as far away as Florida. Monday saw air quality alerts in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and parts of Wisconsin and Iowa. As of this morning, smoke from Canada was confirmed in Houston, Texas. Unusually warm spring weather in western Canada and a drought entering its third year have provided the ideal conditions for the fires to make a resurgence, with most of the fires being carryovers from last fire season that smoldered through the winter under the snowpack. Without any major changes, 2024 is on track to repeat or surpass the damages of the fire season in 2023, Canada’s worst on record with 6,551 fires that burned almost 46 million acres (18.6 million hectares).
This map depicts the locations of active wildfires in western Canada as of May 13, which are causing hazardous smoke conditions in the United States. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ABC News
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France
Manhunt for Fugitive Drug Boss
An international arrest warrant has been issued in an “unprecedented” manhunt for escaped inmate Mohamed Amra, nicknamed ‘The Fly.’ Interpol issued a ‘Red Notice’ search warrant for the fugitive on Wednesday. The suspected drug boss was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail in Evreux when his prison van was ambushed by four gunmen Tuesday morning. Two policemen were killed on the motorway in Val-de-Reuil, Normandy, with three other guards seriously injured. Amra, who has a total of 13 convictions and is known to the police as the boss of a narcotics network based in Marseille, fled with the attackers in vehicles later found abandoned and burned. Around 450 officers have been mobilized across northern France on a massive manhunt. This attack came on the same day as the release of a report from France’s Senate highlighting the increasing dangers of violence from the drug trade. The attack also spurred protests by the prison officers’ unions to underline the increasing dangers of their work.
This map depicts the location of a prison van ambush by gunmen that freed Mohamed Amra, a suspected drug boss with ties to organized crime in Marseille. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Spain
Orca Attacks Continue in Gibraltar
Spanish authorities have advised small boats to stick closer to shore this summer following a string of orca attacks near the Strait of Gibraltar. In the most recent incident, a 50-foot yacht was sunk by a pod of whales, stranding two people who were later rescued by a passing oil tanker. Last year, a group of killer whales intercepted a global sailing competition, attacking the vessels for 15 minutes straight. According to the conservation group GT Orca Atlantica, there were 207 killer whale interactions in the area in 2022. Interactions have ranged from repeatedly approaching boats to causing damage by ramming into the hull. Experts say the reason for the attacks is unclear but hypothesize orcas could be targeting boats for sport. No one has been hurt in the attacks, and there has never been a documented case of orcas killing humans in the wild.
This map depicts the area of reported orca interactions that boats are advised to avoid. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to the world’s highest unclimbed mountain?
A: Bhutan
Gangkhar Puensum is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, with an elevation of 24,836 ft (7,570 m). Gangkhar Puensum lies on the border between Bhutan and Tibet. In the Dzongkha language of Bhutan, its name means “White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers”. Several attempts to climb the mountain in the 1980s failed, and only a subsidiary peak was reached in the late 1990s. The mountain is considered sacred by the local people and the climbing of mountains higher than 20,000 ft (6,000 m) has been banned in Bhutan since 1994. Many Bhutanese believe Gangkhar Puensum is home to the mythical Yeti and other spirits and deities.
Source
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Q: What island chain separates the Bering Sea from the Pacific Ocean?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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