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United States
Navy Seizes More Tankers
The United States military seized two oil tankers yesterday that were allegedly linked to evading international sanctions. The first ship seized was the Marinera, which had previously been called the Bella 1 but only a few days prior was renamed after being re-registered as Russian. The U.S. had been pursuing the ship for weeks after it evaded a blockade of Venezuela, and Russia had reportedly dispatched a submarine to escort it. But no other ship was present when U.S. forces from the Coast Guard and Navy intercepted the ship in the waters of Iceland’s Exclusive Economic Zone with support from the United Kingdom, and the crew offered no resistance when U.S. personnel boarded. The U.S. also seized the unflagged oil tanker Sophia in international waters in the Caribbean yesterday.
This map depicts the recent positions of the oil tanker known as the Bella 1 before December 31 and as the Marinera after, until its seizure by the United States military off the coast of Iceland yesterday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CBS News
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France
Farmers Protest Mercosur Deal
Farmers across France are blocking roads with their tractors and holding symbolic actions in protest of a potential free trade deal between the European Union and the South American economic bloc Mercosur. The protests come as Italy, which had been a holdout along with France, signaled its acceptance of the deal. The deal would open a new market between the European Union and the four members of the Mercosur trade bloc – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Farmers across Europe fear the potential to be undercut by cheaper agricultural products from South America, with over 1,000 Belgian farmers rolling their tractors into Brussels to protest the deal last month. France remains the last holdout on the deal, with the opposing right-wing union Coordination Rurale receiving considerable support in polls ahead of municipal elections in March. If Italy does support the deal, the European Union could pass it without French support.
This map depicts locations at Paris landmarks where French farmers are holding protest actions against a potential free trade deal between the European Union and South America’s Mercosur trade bloc. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BFMTV
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Australia
Intense Heatwave Fans Bushfires
Extreme hot weather conditions are crushing wide areas of Australia, with the worst conditions in the country’s southeast. The overbearing heat has led to Catastrophic and Extreme Fire conditions forecasts across the state of Victoria, the worst since the unprecedented fires of the Black Summer in 2019-20. Two major bushfires blazing in Longwood and near Wodonga have claimed livestock and several structures, and have forced the closure of the main highway connecting Sydney and Melbourne. A high temperature of 107°F (42°C) is forecast tomorrow in Melbourne, with high winds, and with the high possibility of bands of thunderstorms and dry lightning crossing Victoria state. Catastrophic fire ratings are the highest level of fire risk, and government advice is to avoid bushfire risk areas entirely (bushland, grassland, and rural locations), follow guidance from emergency services, and be prepared to leave early before conditions deteriorate.
This map depicts the maximum expected temperatures in Celsius on Friday for selected cities in Australia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: A swift ocean current carrying sands to depths of 2.5 miles (4,000 m), creates the illusion of an underwater waterfall off the coast of what island nation?
A: Mauritius
Some 700 miles (1,126 km) east of Madagascar, situated on a submarine plateau in the Indian Ocean, sits the island nation of Mauritius, which was formed by volcanic activity around 8 million years ago. The island is the second largest of the Mascarene Islands and is home to some of the world’s rarest plants and animals, as well as approximately 1.2 million people. Just offshore, shallow coral reefs appear to give way to an enormous underwater waterfall plunging into the dark blue depths of the ocean. While the coastal shelf does drop off to a depth of 13,123 feet (4,000 m), this underwater waterfall is an optical illusion caused by erosion. As ocean currents move sand and other sedimentary particles over the edge of the shelf, it creates a streaming effect that looks like water rushing over a cliff’s edge.
Source
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Q: Between which two islands can you find the world’s largest underwater waterfall?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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