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Finland
NATO Fleet to Protect the Baltic
The Finnish navy has taken a Russian tanker under detention as NATO has announced a new mission to protect undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Finland seized the tanker Eagle S carrying Russian oil on December 26, under suspicion it had dragged its anchor across the seabed for more than 60 miles (100 km), damaging the Estlink 2 power line between Finland and Estonia, as well as four telecommunications cables. Finnish investigators believe the ship was preparing to intentionally damage the Estlink 1 power cable at the time it was captured. In response to increasing attacks on undersea infrastructure, NATO announced the mission Baltic Sentry this morning, which will send frigates, maritime patrol aircraft, and naval drones to monitor the Baltic and deter further attempts at sabotage. Military analysts believe Russia and China are increasing their attacks on undersea infrastructure as a form of “gray zone operations,” or acts which fall below the threshold of war.
This map depicts the network of undersea cables beneath the Baltic Sea which have come under increasing threat from damage after several cables were cut by ships allegedly acting under Russian direction. Click on the map to learn more.
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The Philippines
Chinese Ships Closer to Shore
Manila has denounced the weeklong presence of China’s coastguard in the Philippine exclusive economic zone and territorial waters around the Scarborough Shoal. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. The Philippines said China’s deployment this month of a “monster” coast guard vessel demonstrated Beijing’s “increasing aggression” in the disputed waterway. The 540-foot (165 m) “monster ship” was last located 89 miles (143 km) west of Capones Island in Zambales province. The Philippine Coast Guard has deployed vessels to pressure the Chinese ship to move further away from the coast of Zambales. While Philippine officials have expressed alarm and called the latest movements by the Chinese coast guard “intimidation tactics” against Filipino fishing, China’s foreign ministry said their coast guard is in accordance with the law and “beyond reproach.”
This map depicts China’s claims with no legal basis in the South China Sea. The map also shows military bases where the US has access. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ThinkChina
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Antarctica
Ancient History from the Ice
Scientists in Antarctica have managed to drill out an ice core sample 1.7 miles (2.8 km) long, offering an unprecedented opportunity to examine atmospheric samples as old as 1.2 million years. The core was retrieved at the remote Little Dome C Field Camp, where the team used radar to examine the subsurface and modeled the ice flow to find what they hoped would be the oldest ice sample. Previous ice cores dated back 800,000 years. Trapped within the layers of ice are air bubbles that allow researchers to directly confirm the make-up of various gases in Earth’s atmosphere at the time when the ice was frozen. Previous sampling has confirmed that carbon dioxide levels in the current atmosphere are the highest they’ve been in the last 800,000 years. This new ice core will allow scientists a first look at atmospheric composition from the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a period lasting some 900,000 to 1.2 million years ago.
This map depicts the Little Dome C camp in Antarctica, where scientists successfully retrieved an ice core sample going 1.7 miles deep and carrying ice frozen 1.2 million years ago. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Ceuta and Melilla are European autonomous cities bordering what African country?
A: Morocco
The tiny Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla sit on the northern shores of Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. Together they form the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. They are part of the EU, but they are excluded from the common agricultural and fisheries policies as well as the customs union and value-added tax (VAT) area. The Strait of Gibraltar between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula is an important military and commercial chokepoint. Within the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Melilla, a trade establishment since antiquity, lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Historically, both port cities developed as military and trade centers linking Africa to Europe.
Source
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Q: What was the last country to be colonized by Britain?
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