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United States
Shutdown Drives Flight Cuts
The record-length shutdown of the United States federal government has reached a new milestone with the announcement of hundreds of flight cancellations to take the pressure off air traffic controllers who have already been working for a month without pay. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had warned that it would seek to cut 10% of flights, a target that would mean roughly 1,800 flights cancelled. Airlines have been given limits to the number of flights they can operate on a daily basis, with the threat of a $75,000 fine for each flight over the limit. As of this morning, FlightAware.com reported 824 cancellations within, into, or out of the United States and 1,142 delays. Travelers who are already at the airport are advised to seek an alternative flight immediately upon notification of their original flight cancellation, and that airlines are obligated to provide a full refund for cancelled flights when an alternative flight isn’t feasible.
This map depicts United States airports affected by sweeping cuts of flights by the Federal Aviation Administration due to the ongoing shutdown of the federal government. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Reuters
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Indonesia
Explosion at Jakarta Mosque
Dozens of people were injured Friday after two explosions shook a mosque during Friday prayers inside a high school complex in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. Authorities identified a 17-year-old student from the school, who is currently in surgery, as the suspected perpetrator. The blasts caused panic among worshippers, with 55 people admitted to hospital with injuries ranging from minor to serious, including burns. No fatalities were reported. A bomb disposal team has been deployed to the state-run high school complex to collect evidence and ensure there are no other explosive devices. Officials cautioned against speculation as investigations continue into the incident on largely navy-owned land, home to many military personnel and retired officers.
This map depicts the location of an explosion that occurred during Friday’s prayers at a mosque in a school complex in Jakarta, Indonesia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Albania-Greece
Spider Megacity Discovered
Scientists have discovered a spider “megacity” in Sulfur Cave on the border between Albania and Greece The spider commune consists of a webbed wall roughly 1,140 square feet (106 sq m) that shelters about 69,000 domestic house spiders and 42,000 sheet weavers. This is the first documented case of true communal web living for either species and a rare example of typically solitary spiders sharing a single, multilayered structure. DNA tests reveal that the cave spiders are distinct from their nearby surface relatives, suggesting they are adapting to life underground. The cave is dark and laced with hydrogen sulfide gas, so the food chain runs on sulfur-eating microbes rather than sunlight. Those microbes feed swarms of nonbiting midges that hatch inside the cave, providing a steady buffet that keeps the massive web thriving. Researchers say the unusual abundance of food likely prompted both species to tolerate one another and weave an interconnected city of silk.
This map depicts the explored extent of Sulfur Cave, where the communal spiders were found living. The location of the commune is marked in the lower right. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Approximately 85 miles (137 km) long, which U.S. river is known as the “river that caught fire” and helped start a nationwide environmental movement in the late 1960s?
A: Cuyahoga River
The city of Cleveland, Ohio was a major industrial center from the later 19th century and into the first half of the 20th, and its steel and machinery industries enjoyed a long period of prosperity following the Second World War. But the industrial activity meant the Cuyahoga River, which runs through the heart of Cleveland, became so polluted that large stretches near manufacturing centers were completely devoid of animal life. Due to oil and debris in the river, the Cuyahoga caught fire at least 13 times, most famously on June 22, 1969, a blaze that was widely publicized by Time magazine. Since that fire, more than $3.5 billion has gone toward river cleanup efforts and the development of new sewer systems in the city.
Source
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Q: The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland stretches across what three South American countries?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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