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Saudi Arabia
Hundreds Killed at Yemen Border
A Human Rights Watch report has exposed that between March 2022 and June 2023, Saudi border guards killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants attempting to cross the border from Yemen into the oil-rich kingdom. Over the past few months, reports have been mounting of violent clashes on the migration track known as the “Eastern Route” or the “Yemeni Route”, which runs from the Horn of Africa, across the Gulf of Aden, through Yemen and into Saudi Arabia. The rocky, mountainous region around Sadaa – northern Yemen, by the Saudi border – has turned into lethal terrain, according to human rights groups. Bodies of dead or seriously wounded migrants, mostly from Ethiopia, have been spotted in satellite imagery and social media posts from the border. In October 2022, the UN published its Expert Communications by special rapporteurs and working groups, highlighting cross-border killing. These reports come as Saudi Arabia implements an anti-migrant policy or “Saudization” at home and a campaign to boost its image abroad.
This map depicts the “Eastern Route” that East African migrants take across Yemen to reach the Saudi border, where a new report has exposed mass violence inflicted against Ethiopian migrants by Saudi border guards. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC News
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Canada
Worst Wildfire Season on Record
Canada is in the midst of its worst-ever wildfire season, with more than 5,700 fires recorded so far this year. More than 52,895 square miles (137,000 km sq) have been burned from one end of Canada to the other, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. A state of emergency has been declared in British Columbia and a ban on non-essential travel is in place, as the fires have forced over 50% of people living in Canada’s Northwest Territories (over 30,000 people) to evacuate and are threatening British Columbia’s third-largest metropolitan area. Canada is sending in the army to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia. Canadian officials warned earlier this week that the country’s crisis is expected to deepen into the fall, even though wildfires have already collectively smashed all-time records for acres burned and carbon dioxide emissions.
This map depicts the wildfires currently raging throughout Canada, with historic evacuations in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CTV News
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The Moon
Russia’s Luna-25 Crashes
The landing craft for Russia’s Luna-25 mission crashed into the Moon’s surface yesterday, destroying it. The mission launched on August 11, and entered lunar orbit on August 16, with a target date of August 21 or 22 to land on the Moon’s surface. Luna-25 was Russia’s first attempt to send a lander to the Moon since 1976. Russia’s space administration, Roskosmos, reported that an “abnormal situation” emerged as mission control attemtped to maneuver the craft into a pre-landing orbit, and communication with the craft was lost. The Russian mission was concurrent with a similar lunar-landing mission from India, Chandrayaan-3, which is still preparing to touch down near the Moon’s south pole on Wednesday, and recently transmitted images from the far side of the Moon.
This map depicts the flight paths of the two lunar landing missions which were taking place this month, India’s Chandrayaan-3 and Russia’s Luna-25. Yesterday, the Luna-25 mission failed after the landing craft crashed into the Moon’s surface. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What state contains 70 percent of the brown bear population in North America?
A: Alaska
Alaska contains about 98% of the U.S. brown bear population and 70% of the total North American population. Alaska has three kinds of bears: black bears (Ursus americanus), brown bears (Ursus arctos) including grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis), and polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Black bears are the smallest North American bear. While black is a common color of their coat, the color can range from black to white, with brown, cinnamon, and even bluish shades. The brown bear is the top predator in Alaska. Brown bears and grizzly bears are the same species. The term “brown bear” is generally used to describe coastal bears. Polar bears are considered marine mammals because they spend the most of their time on or near sea ice and are excellent swimmers.
Source National Park Service
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Q: What city built upon 118 islands was once an independent maritime empire?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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