19 Jul

England: All COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted









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England
All COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted
Today, England lifted all COVID-19 restrictions. This was originally planned to happen on June 21 but was delayed to give more time for vaccinations. Now 87% of English adults have received their first dose and 67% have received both doses. However many fear this will have fatal consequences for the country. Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, attacked Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to lift restrictions, calling it “reckless” and “dangerous.” Across the U.K., government data shows there were 316,691 cases and 283 deaths. Additionally, hospitalization numbers are slowly rising with 4,313 people admitted over the last week. Both the rise in cases and hospitalization can be attributed to the spread of the Delta variant across the U.K. despite the easing of restrictions.
 
This map depicts COVID-19 cases across England between June 28th and July 4th, 2021. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: AP News, CNBC, BBC, Aljazeera
Graphic Source: Portsmouth City Council
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United States
Shooting Rampage in Tucson 
Police are investigating a shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona on Sunday spanning three crime scenes. The suspect set a residence on fire, where up to three children are missing, and opened fire on nearby neighbors, killing one. The gunman proceeded to open fire in a nearby park, shooting two EMT workers, who are in critical but stable condition. As the attacker fled the scene, the police opened fire and shot the suspect, who is in very critical condition and is believed to have worked alone. An investigation into the motive behind the attack is ongoing. 

This map depicts the crime scenes from the shooting rampage on Sunday. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: CNN, NBC News, USA Today, ABC News
Graphic Source: Daily Mail
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World
Digital Spyware Targets Revealed
Human rights lawyers, activists and dissidents across the globe were selected as possible candidates for invasive surveillance via their phones, leaked data suggests. Their mobile phone numbers appeared in leaked records, indicating they were selected prior to possible surveillance targeting by governmental clients of the Israeli company NSO Group, which developed the Pegasus cyberespionage spyware. NSO has repeatedly insisted that Pegasus is meant to be used only to spy on terrorists and serious criminals. The tool can extract messages, photos and emails, record calls, and secretly activate microphones. The new accusations heightened concerns among privacy activists that no smartphone user — even those using software like WhatsApp or Signal — is safe from governments and anyone else with the right cyber-surveillance technology.

This map depicts some of the countries where journalists were selected as possible targets by NSO Group’s clients. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: The Guardian, New York Times, CNN, Fox News
Graphic Source: Trendsmap

Yesterday’s Answer

Q: Covering 156 square miles (404 km sq) of forested and mountainous terrain, what is the world’s oldest national park?

A: Bogd Khan Uul, Mongolia
The first protections for the area of Bogd Khan Uul can be traced to the thirteenth century when the Tooril Khan forbade logging and hunting there. But recognition of the region as a protected space in the modern sense goes back to 1778, almost 100 years before the establishment of Yellowstone National Park. The Mongolian governor requested permission from the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty to reserve the site for twice yearly ceremonies. The local bureaucracy of the Qing Dynasty formally declared protections for the site five years later.

Source

Today’s Question


Q: Named for a German botanist and climatologist, which climate classification system divides the world’s land areas into five zones based on temperature and aridity? 
 

Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.

 

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