Foreign media review: coronavirus in Wuhan and the flight of a dummy on the ISS
The authorities of the Chinese city of Wuhan will test the entire 11 million population for coronavirus. This decision was made after the outbreak of the “delta” -strain, according to BBC News. Earlier in Wuhan, seven cases of internal transmission of the virus were reported. These are the first local infections in the past year. Over the past 10 days, more than 300 infected have been identified in China. The spread of the new outbreak began at the airport in Nanjing. In a few days, the coronavirus penetrated 15 provinces and reached Beijing. The authorities attribute this to the rise of domestic tourism.
Boeing is planning a test launch of the Starliner space capsule. The ship will leave for the International Space Station on August 3 without a crew, CNN reports. Only a mannequin named Rosie will be on board. The previous attempt was made 18 months ago and ended in failure – the ship went off course and could not reach the ISS. The Starliner test launch is one of the most important missions of the year for Boeing and NASA. It will be the “answer” to the SpaceX Dragon project, during which people have already been successfully delivered into orbit. The capsule should dock to the ISS and spend several days next to it. She will then return to Earth and land in the New Mexico desert.
Bill Gates officially divorced his wife Melinda after 27 years of marriage. The divorce is confirmed by an official court document, according to The Guardian. The couple filed for divorce on May 3, but promised to continue their joint charity work. The Gates have already reached an agreement on the division of property, but the details of this agreement have not been disclosed. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the largest in the world. Over the past 20 years, he has channeled nearly $ 50 billion into the fight against poverty and disease. The Gates have supported widely recognized programs for malaria and polio eradication, baby food and vaccines. Last year, the Foundation allocated $ 1.75 billion to fight the coronavirus.
The Big Island of Hawaii has been hit by a record fire. Thousands of people have been evacuated, ABC News reports. The combustion area was 160 square kilometers. Firefighters managed to take control of the fire, but in the near future the situation may worsen due to strong winds. Experts noted that Hawaii's humid climate saved them from massive fires. But in recent years, precipitation has become less and less. In 2021, severe drought was established in some areas. It increases the risk of fires and makes it difficult to fight them. People can suffer not only from fire, but also from the smoke that envelops the settlements.
Track and field athletes Karsten Warholm (Norway) and Rye Benjamin (USA) held “the best race in Olympic history”. They both broke the world record in the 400 meters hurdles, according to Reuters. Warholm covered this distance in 45.94 seconds and won gold, Benjamin – in 46.17 seconds and finished second. Bronze went to Brazilian Alison dos Santos (46.72 seconds). In Oslo last month, Warholm broke the record set by Kevin Young at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Many expected him to surpass his achievement in Tokyo. “This is one of the most outstanding world records, and I'm pretty sure this world record will outlast me,” said Colin Jackson, former 110m hurdler world record holder.
