20: The centrist
Rodrigo Paz and the conservative
Jorge Quirogaadvanced to Bolivia’s presidential runoff election after winning the most votes in Sunday’s first round, ensuring that a left-wing politician won’t occupy the country’s presidency for the first time in 20 years. The Latin American country faces an economic crisis, with inflation at a 40-year high. The Bolivian left’s defeat could be a harbinger of things to come in South America, with left-wing leaders in Chile, Colombia, and Brazil facing tough reelection races in the coming 18 months.
2,500: Over 2,500 migrants have left France and crossed the English Channel to the United Kingdom in the 11 days since the “one in, one out” deal between the two countries went into effect, the terms of which require the UK to deport one migrant to France before they accept another asylum case. However, removal of these migrants from the UK hasn’t begun yet, and could take up to three months.
10,000: More than 10,000 Air Canada flight attendants are striking over pay despite government back-to-work orders. Canada’s largest airline has begun gradually suspending operations since Thursday as absences surge during peak travel season. The disruption could impact up to 130,000 travelers daily.
14: On most maps, Africa appears roughly the size of Greenland, when in reality it is
14 times bigger, because the standard Mercator map distorts continents further away from the equator. The African Union – a group representing 55 African countries – is taking issue with this, and has backed a plan to replace the standard Mercator map with the Equal Earth Projection map, which accurately reflects Africa’s size as the second-largest continent. On an accurate map other continents appear to shrink in size, and Africa’s spatial dominance greatly increases.
