Highlights of the week of July 10-16
The middle of July was full of world news. Natural disasters and strikes are in the spotlight.
Flooding in South Korea
The rainy season has wreaked havoc in Asia, killing at least 100 people. A few days ago, Seoul and other parts of Korea were hit by heavy rains. On Saturday, more than 300 mm of rain fell. The massive amount of water did not have time to soak into the ground. It caused landslides.
Dozens of houses in the North Gyeongsang region were destroyed by the landslides. The death toll is expected to be the highest. The water also flooded a tunnel in the town of Osong. It was so fast that dozens of vehicles were submerged. Rescuers have already pulled out several bodies from the flooded overpass.
There are massive power outages throughout the country. Almost all passenger trains have been cancelled. Residents of dangerous regions are being evacuated with the help of the military.
20 cyclists were involved in an accident because of a fan
Another incident occurred during the 15th stage of the Tour de France. A massive collision was caused by an enthusiastic cycling fan who wanted to take selfies with the legendary riders. In the confusion, 20 cyclists fell from their saddles as the usual line of cyclists got mixed up.
Fortunately, none of the riders involved in the crash were seriously injured and were able to continue the race. Among them was the winner of 2019, Egan Bernal.
It should be noted that such accidents are not uncommon. Spectators are often the cause of various collisions. The most serious incident at the Tour de France took place in 2021. As a result of the accident, 2 cyclists refused to take part in the race and several others were seriously injured.
The Organizing Committee has even issued a summary of the updated rules, calling for more caution and not to provoke potentially dangerous situations.
Actors are striking in the USA
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) started their strike three months ago and it looks like they are not going to stop. Now the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) have joined them. The main demand is simple and clear — the strikers want a fair distribution of income.
The problems began with the development of streaming services. Actors used to receive a fee for their work and then deductions from theatrical showings and television broadcasts. Sometimes that was enough for industry veterans to support themselves and their families. Now, streaming is effectively depriving actors and screenwriters of their primary source of income — percentages of box office receipts.
The first major case came during the pandemic when Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for releasing Black Widow simultaneously on the big screen and Disney+. This cost the actress an impressive share of the profits and the company itself a total of 40 million dollars.
Now the phenomenon has gone mainstream. Neither actors nor writers are allowed to promote projects, let alone create content for consumers. It is not yet clear how long the strike will last, as both sides are in no hurry to negotiate. One thing is clear — do not expect a Hollywood movie in the near future. All production is on hold.
