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Ukraine
EU Unlocks €50bn Aid Package
All 27 leaders of the member states of the European Union have agreed to a €50 billion ($54 billion) aid package for war-ravaged Ukraine after Hungary lifted its veto. The aid package will pay pensions, salaries, and other costs to sustain Ukraine over the next four years. The prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, had previously blocked a similar aid package in December amidst a conflict with the European commission over alleged democratic backsliding in the country. The EU had withheld €20bn of funds from Hungary due to such concerns. It is unclear if any of the frozen funds have been unlocked as a result of the deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the announcement, framing the aid as investment in the broader security of Europe. The deal comes while a US aid package for Ukraine remains stalled in congress.
This map depicts the cost of damage to Ukraine in billions of US dollars. Click on the map to learn more.
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Myanmar
State of Emergency Extended
Yesterday, the military junta government of Myanmar extended the country’s state of emergency by another six months, further delaying elections the military has promised to hold. The current leadership took power in a coup three years ago today, when it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and it has maintained a state of emergency in response to opposition to the coup since that time. The United Nations estimates that two-thirds of Myanmar is mired in conflict. More than 2.6 million people are displaced, including hundreds of thousands who fled after an alliance of resistance groups launched Operation 1027, a series of coordinated attacks in late October which seized key trading posts. The junta has been forced onto the defensive, now increasingly reliant on bombing and shelling. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) estimates a death toll of at least 47,000 due to violence in Myanmar since 2021, including at least 8,000 civilians, a figure it says is conservative.
This map depicts towns lost by Myanmar’s military junta to opposition groups. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Nikkei Asia
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Germany
Cave Find Shows Early Humans
The discovery of bone fragments from Homo sapiens, modern humans, in a cave in Germany has pushed estimates of human habitation of northern Europe to around 45,000 years ago – at least 5,000 years older than previously believed. As detailed in an article in the journal Nature, scientists confirmed the skeletal remains of at least 13 different individuals in Ilsenhöhle cave in central Germany through DNA analysis. The bones could date from as far back as 47,500 years ago. Animal bones and stone tools found with the remains reveal the group would have hunted large mammal game in a frozen steppe-like environment much colder than the area is today. Besides pushing estimates of Homo sapiens’ presence in northern Europe earlier, the discovery has also apparently settled a long-running debate over whether a previously-known form of stone blades was fashioned by modern humans or Neanderthals. No Neanderthal remains were found in the area, narrowing the blades’ origin to modern humans.
This map depicts the location in central Germany where the discovery of early modern human bone fragments in a cave has pushed estimates of human habitation in northern Europe earlier than previously believed. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which country has the most bird species?
A: Colombia
Colombia is one of seventeen megadiverse countries in the world. One in every 10 species of flora and fauna can be found in the South American nation. As of 2021, around 63,000 species are registered in Colombia, of which 14% are endemic. The richness of birds in Colombia puts this country in first place in terms of the number of bird species. It holds approximately one-fifth of all the birds in the world. It also boasts the highest number of orchids, and the second highest number of plants, amphibians, butterflies, and freshwater fish. Colombia’s proximity to the equator, two oceans (the only country in South America), and multitude of ecosystems all contribute to Colombia’s high biodiversity. The six natural regions of Colombia – Andean, Caribbean, Pacific, Orinoquía, Amazon, and Insular – are home to practically every type of habitat, from tropical rainforest and Andean cloud forest to open savannahs and high-altitude moorland.
Source
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Q: What Incan innovation made life in Machu Picchu sustainable?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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