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Russia

This Happened - April 12: Yuri Gagarin's Historic Flight To Outer Space

Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut became the first human ever to travel into outer space on this day in 1961.

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How long was Yuri Gagarin's space flight?

Yuri Gagarin's space flight on Vostok 1 lasted 108 minutes from launch to landing. During his flight, he orbited the Earth once, reaching a maximum altitude of about 200 miles (327 kilometers) above the Earth's surface.

How did Yuri Gagarin become the first human to travel into outer space?

Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in the village of Klushino, Russia. He was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1960 and underwent rigorous training, including centrifuge tests, weightlessness simulations, and parachute jumps. On April 12, 1961, he was launched into space aboard Vostok 1 and orbited the Earth once before re-entering the atmosphere and parachuting to the ground. He died in a plane crash on March 27, 1968, during a routine training flight.

What were the reactions to Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight?

Yuri Gagarin's space flight was a major propaganda victory for the Soviet Union, which was engaged in a Cold War space race with the United States. The achievement was celebrated worldwide, and Gagarin became an international celebrity. His flight also inspired a generation of young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.

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Geopolitics

Why The World Still Needs U.S. Leadership — With An Assist From China

Twenty years of costly interventions and China's economic ascent have robbed the United States of its global supremacy. It is time for the two biggest powers to work together, to help the world.

Photograph of Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden walking side by side in the Filoli Estate in the U.S. state of California​

Nov. 15, 2023: Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden take a walk after their talks in the Filoli Estate in the U.S. state of California

Xinhua/ZUMA
María Ángela Holguín*

-Analysis-

BOGOTÁ — The United States is facing a complex moment in its history, as it loses its privileged place in the world. Since the Second World War, it has been the world's preeminent power in economic and political terms, helping rebuild Europe after the war and through its growing economy, aiding the development of a significant part of the world.

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Its model of democracy, long considered exemplary around the world, has gone through a rough patch, thanks to excessive polarization and discord. This has cost it a good deal of its leadership, unity and authority.

How much authority does it have to chide certain countries on democracy, as it does, after such outlandish incidents as the assault on Congress in January 2021? The fights we have seen over electing a new speaker of the House of Representatives or backing the administration's foreign policy are simply incredible.

In Ukraine's case, President Biden failed to win support for the aid package for which he was hoping, even if there is a general understanding that if Russia wins this war, Europe's stability would be at risk. It would mean the victory of a longstanding enemy.

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