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United States
New York City Schools Close
New York City public schools are closed today, and all teaching and learning are to happen remotely after a surge in cases of COVID-19 brought the city’s weekly infection rate above 3%. The shutdown, which sees school buildings temporarily closed, takes effect for more than 1,700 schools and impacts 1.1 million students enrolled in the city’s public school system. There are currently no planned dates for reopening. This map by the NYC Department of Education shows all known cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. A red dot indicates a building that was closed prior to the temporary city-wide closure. A blue dot indicates one or more classrooms in a building had been closed. A gray dot indicates a member of the school community has tested positive, but the school community was not exposed.
This map depicts all known cases of COVID-19 at New York City public schools. Click on the map to learn more.
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Syria
Israeli Air Raids
Israel launched air raids on Syria on Wednesday, killing three soldiers and injuring another. The Israeli army stated that the air raids were a retaliatory attack after they found explosive devices along their northern border. The strikes were aimed at Syrian and Iranian targets. Israel stated that Iran had sponsored the operation in which Syrians planted explosives near an Israeli military base in occupied Golan Heights. Israeli forces have frequently attacked Iranian targets in Syria in recent years, something Western intelligence calls a “shadow war” in an effort to minimize Iran’s influence. However, Wednesday’s airstrikes encompassed a far wider range of targets than usual, suggesting Israeli forces were trying to send a public message. The raids came just hours before U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, landed in Israel for talks including discussing Iran.
This map depicts the location of occupied Golan Heights in Syria. Click on the map to learn more.
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Iraq & Saudi Arabia
Border Crossing Reopened
On Wednesday, Iraq and Saudi Arabia reopened the Arar border crossing for trade between the two nations after three decades of closure. The crossing had been closed since 1990 after the two countries cut ties following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Diplomatic ties were restored in 2015 when Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad following a 25-year break. Officials hoped the Arar’s reopening would represent a key step toward firming relations and deepening Iraq-Saudi economic cooperation. Top officials, including the Iraqi interior minister and the Saudi ambassador to Iraq, traveled from Baghdad to formally open Arar, where a line of cargo trucks had been waiting since Wednesday morning to cross. Previously, the crossing would open just once a year for the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
This map depicts the location of the Arar border crossing site. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: With an area of 5,440,000 square miles (14,090,000 square km), which world ocean is the smallest?
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