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United Kingdom
New EU Deal on Fishing & Trade
The United Kingdom and the European Union have reached a new deal covering fishing rights, trade, defense, energy, and policy alignment on various other issues in the largest agreement between the two parties since the U.K.’s departure from the bloc in 2020. One of the most important elements of the agreement is the extension of fishing rights for the E.U. to British waters through 2038. In exchange, controls over the movement of food and drink exports and imports have been significantly loosened. On defense, the new agreement gives the U.K. access to participate in a proposed cooperative defense fund with the E.U. and for British arms manufacturers to bid for defense contracts in the E.U. The U.K.’s separation from the E.U., or “Brexit,” caused a tumultuous period in U.K. politics. While polling indicates 55% of U.K. citizens regret the separation, Reform U.K., the party most in favor of the break, is leading electoral polls.
This map depicts fishing zones surrounding Great Britain. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Telegraph
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United States
Severe Storm Systems Kill 28
Storm systems sweeping across the U.S. Midwest to the South left at least 28 dead in Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia. The storms were part of a weather system on Friday that killed seven people in Missouri and two in northern Virginia and spawned more than two dozen tornadoes in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana. Kentucky was hardest hit, as a devastating tornado damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles about, and left many homeless. At least 19 people were killed, most of them in southeastern Laurel County. In Missouri, the mayor of St. Louis, Cara Spencer, confirmed five deaths in her city and said more than 5,000 homes had been affected, estimating over $1 billion in damages. Experts are voicing concerns about the ability of the National Weather Service to issue warnings about severe weather after regional offices saw large-scale staffing cuts in the preceding months.
This map depicts the states where tornadoes swept through this past weekend, killing 28 people. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Anadolu Agency
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China
Oldest Star Chart Debated
In an intersection of Archaeology and Astronomy, researchers are debating the age of a Chinese star chart, with the history of world astronomy on the line. Researchers claim the “Star Manual of Master Shi” dates back to 355 B.C., which would make it the world’s oldest star chart – predating the work of Greek astronomer Hipparchus by more than two centuries. At issue were discrepancies in star positions on the chart. Because of the motion of the Earth and the stars themselves, the position of stars in relation to each other from our perspective is constantly changing. Closer examination of the Master Shi star chart indicates it had been created in the fourth century B.C., then revised hundreds of years after, resulting in the anachronistic data on the chart. While the Master Shi chart and Hipparchus’ star map are the oldest known depictions of the stars, the oldest textual descriptions of the positions of the stars were written by the Babylonians around four hundred years before the Master Shi chart.
This map, from the “Star Manual of Master Shi” depicts the positions of constellations as seen from Earth as many as 2,300 years ago.. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What South American river basin was the contested frontier between the Portuguese and Spanish Empires?
A: Río de la Plata (River Plate)
The Río de la Plata’s drainage basin (sometimes called the Platine basin or Platine region) includes areas of southeastern Bolivia, southern and central Brazil, the entire country of Paraguay, most of Uruguay, and northern Argentina. During the colonial era, the Río de la Plata was made the center of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata. The Río de la Plata region, particularly Buenos Aires, was a significant site of trade throughout the 17th century. Conflict in the region intensified after the independence of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the first quarter of the 19th century. Interests in the territories and the navigation rights over the Platine region played a major role in many armed conflicts throughout the century, including the Argentine civil wars, the Cisplatine and Platine wars, and the Paraguayan War. The river was blockaded by Brazil from 1826 to 1828, by the French from 1838 to 1840 and by an Anglo-French alliance from 1845 to 1850.
Source
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Q: What U.S. state is home to the longest cave system in the world?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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