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Somalia
Bombing Kills MP, 15 Others
A suicide bombing at a polling station in Beledweyne has left 15 people dead, among them Somali MP Amina Mohamed Abdi, an outspoken government critic and prominent legislator, and former MP Hassan Dhuhul. Abdi had been campaigning for re-election in the rural central Somali town, with a vote planned for later in the week. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Al-Shabab, an Islamic extremist rebel group based in Somalia. The bombing occurred just hours after two Al-Shabab gunmen forced their way into a military camp near the Mogadishu airport and fought African Union and Somali security forces. MP Abdi's actively pursuing an investigation into the death of an intelligence officer had heightened tensions among factions in Somalia's leadership.

This map depicts the site of a suicide bombing at a polling station in Somalia which killed at least 15 people . Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: Agence France-Presse
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Portugal
Quakes Spur Evacuation Plans
The volcanic island of São Jorge in the Azores island chain has recorded over 1,800 earthquakes since last Saturday, spurring local authorities to activate emergency plans, including possible evacuation of the island's populace. Only 94 of the quakes were perceptible to people on the island, and volcanologists from the Centro de Informação e Vigilância Sismovulcânica dos Açores (CIVISA) believe the quakes are related to tectonic plate movement and not volcanic forces. However, researchers are not ruling out the possibility of such tremors pointing towards the island's first eruption since 1808, and have begun taking measurements of the soil across the island for any signs of volcanic gases seeping up from below. Authorities have issued a travel warning to outsiders to only come to the island for essential purposes.

This interactive map depicts recorded earthquakes on São Jorge, in Portugal's Azores islands. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source: Centro de Informação e Vigilância Sismovulcânica dos Açores
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World
Soccer World Cup in Qatar
Qualifier games resume today for the 2022 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup, set to take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. 15 national teams, mostly from Europe, have already locked in their slots, while another 44 teams are competing for the 17 spots that remain. Teams in the European and African leagues play for a guaranteed number of berths, while teams in the leagues governing Asia, South America, North America, and Oceania play for a number of berths that are variable based on the strength of wins. The Russian team was scheduled to compete for one of Europe's final three berths, but was banned due to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has postponed its playoff until June. This year's World Cup is the last 32-team edition before expanding to 48 teams in 2026.

This map depicts which teams have qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar so far. Click on the map to learn more.
Graphic Source:  Al Jazeera
Yesterday's Answer
Q: Just 15 out of the more than 50,000 edible plants across the globe provide 90 percent of the world’s food energy intake. What three food staples make up two-thirds of this? 

A: Rice, Wheat, and Maize (Corn)
Food staples are traditionally dependent on the native plants in a particular region, however with advancements in agriculture and trade, food staples have been shifting. More than 3.5 billion people around the world eat rice, particularly in Asia, Latin America, and in parts of Africa. Growing in warm, wet climates, rice has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years, where it is believed to have first been domesticated. China, India, and Indonesia are the world’s largest producers of rice, with rice production taking up almost 165 million hectares of land. Maize, native to Central America, was domesticated by the Aztecs and Mayans and remains the most widely grown crop in the Americas today. Corn production takes up over 90 million acres of land. The United States is the largest grower of corn, providing over 40% of the world’s corn. Wheat was first domesticated in modern day Iraq, and grows in temperate climates. Today, China, India, the U.S., Russia, and France are amongst the top wheat producers in the world, with over 56 million acres of land dedicated to wheat production.

Source 

Keep up with DG as we examine the vital role geography plays in our food systems and go to geography2050.org to get ready for this year's Geography2050 Symposium: The Future of Food!

 
Today's Question
Q: The prehistoric cave paintings on which Aegadian island reveal Italy's role as a gateway to the European continent for early humans?

 
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