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Israel
Hospital Blast Kills Hundreds
An explosion at a the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, where thousands of displaced people were taking shelter from Israeli air attacks, has resulted in hundreds of deaths and led to competing claims of responsibility between Hamas and the Israeli government. Hamas claims the blast was from an Israeli airstrike, but the Israeli Defense Forces stated it was a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) armed group, who also denied responsibility. World leaders have denounced the bombing, with leaders from across the Middle East issuing the firmest statements against Israel and cancelling planned meetings with US President Joseph Biden during his visit to the region.
This map depicts the location of the hospital in Gaza City where Tuesday’s explosion occurred. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AP News
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Ukraine
Arrival of ATACMS Missiles
The Ukrainian government confirmed on Tuesday it has received long-range ATACMS missiles from the United States and successfully used those missiles to strike Russian military targets in occupied territory. ATACMS, some of which are able to reach a maximum range of about 300 km, grant Ukraine’s military the opportunity to hit Russian targets that were previously out of reach. Ukraine used the ATACMS to attack airfields used by Russian military in Berdyansk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian special forces said they destroyed nine helicopters, an air defense launcher, and an ammunition warehouse.
This map depicts the ranges of standard HIMARS missiles in green and two varieties of ATACMS missiles in yellow and red, to show Ukraine’s hypothetical reach to attack Russian-controlled territory. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Kyiv Post
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Venezuela
Maduro Promises Freer Election
Venezuela’s government and the opposition signed partial agreements on Tuesday in Barbados to pave the way for presidential elections in Venezuela. Delegations of the administration of Venzuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the Unitary Platform signed a document with commitments for competitive, internationally-monitored presidential elections in late 2024. US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, along with British, Canadian and EU counterparts, welcomed the agreement as a “necessary step” in the “restoration of democracy in Venezuela.” If the new electoral provisions are followed and a deal is secured, the US government is prepared to announce the lifting of certain oil sanctions against Venezuela. The United States has imposed sanctions against the Venezuelan government and/or Venezuelan individuals for more than 15 years, but significantly tightened them in early 2019 after declaring Maduro’s 2018 victory illegitimate.
This map depicts the Orinoco Oil Belt Assessment Unit, which is surrounded by the East Venezuela Basin Province. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to 13th to 14th century monasteries perched atop towering natural sandstone pillars?
A: Greece
Metéora is a group of monasteries on the summits of vertical rock formations in Thessaly, Greece. The name was derived from a Greek contraction meaning “suspended in the air.” Rising high above the Thessalian plain, the sandstone megaliths on which the monasteries were built average 1,000 feet (300 metres) in height, with several reaching 1,800 feet (550 metres). The rock masses were formed some 60 million years ago, their distinctive and varied shapes sculpted over time by earthquakes, rain, and wind. In the period of Ottoman rule over Greece (1453–1832), the sultans left the Orthodox religion intact, and the monastic communities at Metéora thrived; several more monasteries were erected in the 15th and 16th centuries. During the last hundred years of Turkish occupation, these monasteries offered asylum to persecuted Greeks and independence-seeking rebels. Although 24 monasteries were built, each containing a church or two, monks’ cells, and a refectory, only 6 remain. The monasteries are accessible by bridges and stairs cut into the rocks, although before the 1920s ascending the rock columns involved the perilous enterprise of climbing ladders or being hauled up by ropes and nets.
Source
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Q: The world is divided into six Floral Kingdoms, recognized by plant geographers for their distinctive plant life. What country is home to the smallest—by far—and possibly most unique Floral Kingdom?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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