Category: Life & Style

A Nepali sherpa guide climbed Mount Everest for the 26th time on May 14, becoming the world’s second person to accomplish the feat. Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, now shares the record with Kami Rita Sherpa, said Bigyan Koirala, a government tourism official. Dawa reached the top of the 8,849-m (29,032-ft) peak with a Hungarian.

Sherpas are known for their climbing skills and make a living primarily by guiding foreign clients in the mountains.

Many foreigners aim for the Everest summit during the climbing season, which runs from March to May. Nepal has issued a record number of 467 permits this year for foreign climbers seeking to reach the summit of Everest. Each climber is usually accompanied by at least one sherpa guide, fuelling fears that a narrow section below the summit, known as the Hillary Step, could get crowded.

In 2021, Nepal’s Department of Tourism issued 409 Everest permits. The number dropped to 325 in 2022 as the Russia-Ukraine war prevented potential climbers from Russia, Ukraine, Poland and some European countries from coming to Nepal.

Mount Everest has been climbed more than 11,000 times since it was first scaled by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, with about 320 people dying in the effort, according to a Himalayan database and Nepali officials.

Denmark and Germany will be linked by an 18-kilometre-long underwater tunnel by 2029. The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will be the longest combined rail and road tunnel anywhere in the world. The €10 billion project, which crosses a stretch of the Baltic Sea, will connect Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland and Puttgarden in northern Germany.

The tunnel, officially called the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, will have two double-lane motorways and two electrified rail tracks. The journey through it will take seven minutes by train and 10 minutes by car, avoiding a 160-kilometre detour across the Danish mainland. Rail travel times from Hamburg, Germany to Copenhagen, Denmark will be cut from around five hours to less than three. A road link will replace a busy ferry service that carries millions of passengers a year, reducing commutation time by almost an hour.

The tunnel will be put together 40 metres below the Baltic Sea using 89 massive concrete sections. These sections will be pre-built on land and then lowered into the water. The state-owned Danish company in charge of the project hopes to immerse the first of these sections by 2024. Once in place, the concrete sections will be fitted together, and other elements such as railway tracks, ventilation and cameras will be installed.

Elon Musk on May 12 said that Linda Yaccarino will be the new CEO of Twitter, and will primarily focus on business operations, while Musk will focus more on product design and new technology. In the next six weeks, Musk will step down as the Twitter CEO to make way for the new leader.

Yaccarino has been with NBCUniversal for more than 20 years and has held many leadership positions. Currently, she is responsible for NBCUniversal’s global advertising and partnerships businesses. She is the first female Twitter CEO and the first to come from a non-tech background. All ex-Twitter CEOs were from a tech background. Earlier on Friday, she announced that she was leaving her role as chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal.

As CEO, Yaccarino will face a variety of challenges such as an advertiser exodus, service disruptions, regulatory scrutiny, and a growing list of rivals. Musk’s controversial policy changes and statements have also alienated some long-time Twitter users.

Even as Musk steps back from the CEO role, he will likely still maintain significant control over the future direction of the company. Musk previously said he would serve as the company’s executive chairman and CTO, as well as being the owner of the platform.

India’s air force has sent a team of its latest Rafale fighter jets, along with a C-17 transport aircraft, to participate in ‘Exercise Orion’, a joint military exercise with the French Air Force. The exercise took place in France from May 17 to May 21, 2021.

This joint exercise provided an opportunity for both countries to strengthen their bilateral defence ties and to enhance their interoperability. The Indian Air Force (IAF) team participated in various complex and challenging missions, including air-to-air refuelling, offensive and defensive counter-air operations, and air defence operations.

The Rafale fighter jets, which were recently acquired by India, are among the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. These jets are equipped with state-of-the-art weapons systems, including the Meteor beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile and the Scalp air-launched cruise missile. The C-17 transport aircraft is also a highly capable asset, capable of carrying heavy loads over long distances.

The exercise was conducted under strict COVID-19 protocols, and the Indian team was lauded for its professionalism and dedication. The IAF’s participation in ‘Exercise Orion’ highlights the close defence cooperation between India and France and demonstrates the capabilities of India’s modern air force.

In conclusion, the participation of India’s Rafale jets and C-17 transport aircraft in ‘Exercise Orion’ is a testament to India’s growing military capabilities and its commitment to building strong defence partnerships with friendly nations. The exercise has further strengthened the ties between the Indian and French air forces and is a positive step towards enhancing interoperability in joint military operations.

The Indian community in Sydney, Australia, is set to host a reception for Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) summit. The event is expected to be attended by Indian diaspora members and community leaders from across Australia.

The reception is a significant gesture of support for the Indian Prime Minister and highlights the close ties between the Indian community in Australia and India. The QUAD summit, which brings together leaders from India, Japan, the United States, and Australia, is a key platform for advancing regional security and economic cooperation.

The reception will provide an opportunity for the Indian community in Australia to showcase their culture and traditions and to express their support for India’s strategic objectives. It will also provide an opportunity for community leaders to discuss issues of importance to the Indian diaspora with the Prime Minister.

The Indian community in Australia has a long and proud history, and their contribution to the development of Australia is significant. The reception for Prime Minister Modi is a reflection of the strength of the relationship between the Indian community in Australia and India and the importance of the QUAD summit for the region.

In conclusion, the reception for Prime Minister Modi hosted by the Indian community in Sydney is a significant event and highlights the importance of the QUAD summit. It is a demonstration of the close ties between India and Australia and the role of the Indian diaspora in promoting cultural and economic ties between the two countries. The event is a testament to the strength of the Indian community in Australia and their support for India’s strategic objectives.

The United Arab Emirates’ first “gaming” resort will open in four years and cost $3.9 billion to build, said US casino operator Wynn Resorts, while sharing details of the flamboyant project. Wynn operates casinos in Las Vegas and Boston as well as Macau.

The resort will feature “exceptional entertainment and gaming amenities,” the operator said. Preliminary construction work has begun on Wynn Al Marjan Island, set on a man-made, hotel-studded promontory off Ras Al-Khaimah. The resort, with 1,500 rooms, 24 dining and lounge areas, spa facilities, high-end shopping and nightly laser and light shows, will open in early 2027.

Artists’ impressions of the site, which is about an hour’s drive from the commercial hub of Dubai, showed a brown-gold high rise towering above a beach area and circular marina, as well as a luxuriously appointed lobby.

Foreigners make up 90 percent of UAE’s population. The country has made a series of liberalising moves in recent years. Gambling is generally prohibited under Islamic laws in the oil-rich Gulf state, but Ras Al-Khaimah’s tourism development authority last year announced a new body to regulate “integrated resorts,” including gaming facilities.

Turkey has gifted the Mexico army a new search puppy after the death of a Mexican rescue dog that helped in finding survivors of February’s massive earthquake.

Mexico deployed rescue dogs to Turkey after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook a huge area near the southern border with Syria, causing at least 54,000 deaths across both nations.

The three-month-old German Shepherd will join Mexico’s famous canine unit specialised in helping locate survivors in a country prone to earthquakes and other natural disasters. After an online vote, the black and beige canine was named Arkadas, which means ‘friend’ in Turkish. Arkadas will be trained by the same trainer who cared for Proteo, the German Shepherd rescue dog that died on mission in Turkey. Mexico paid homage to Proteo at a military funeral earlier this year.

Wearing a padded green harness with a tiny Mexican flag on it, Arkadas was welcomed to the force in a formal ceremony at a military base in Mexico City on May 3. The excited pup barked as Mexico’s national anthem played.

“Thanks to my friends from Mexico who welcomed me with great affection, I promise to do my best to be a great search and rescue dog,” the Mexican defense ministry tweeted on behalf of Arkadas.

King Charles’ and his wife Queen Consort Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. Charles III was on Saturday crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth nations after a lifetime as heir apparent to his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Camilla, his wife, was crowned immediately after.’

The coronation — a symbolic coming together of the monarchy, church and state — was attended by dignitaries from around the world, and thousands of people gathered in London to take in all the pageantry. It was Britain’s first coronation in 70 years.

Cries of “God Save the King” rang out from the 2,300-member congregation, which included foreign royalty and political leaders. Trumpet fanfares sounded along with gun salutes across Britain and beyond. King Charles III and Queen Camilla greeted rain-drenched crowds with smiles and waves, alongside other British royals from the balcony of Buckingham Palace shortly after their coronations. Rishi Sunak — Britain’s first prime minister of colour, who gave a reading from the Bible at the service — has described the coronation as “a proud expression of our history, culture and traditions”. On May 7, thousands of events took place across the country as part of the Coronation Big Lunch.

The Coronation of King Charles III will serve as an “enormous economic boost to the nation”, Buckingham Palace had said earlier. A spokesperson said that the global interest in the celebration would more than repay the money spent on the occasion. According to reports, more than £1 billion is expected to flow into UK’s economy as a result of Coronation.

An ancient structure, which provides an evidence of a “modern society” that existed thousands of years ago, has been discovered from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India

In a survey that started on April 1, archeologists found many archaeological treasures from the national park. The researchers found paintings from the past, man-made water bodies used to collect rainwater, and a few other pieces of evidence to suggest that a modern society once existed here. The team said that the famous tiger reserve was once most likely part of an old trade route where travelling traders used rock-cut caves as shelters. It found evidence that there was some renovation 1,000 years ago to the 1,800-2,000-year-old water bodies. The team also discovered a roughly 1,500-year-old rock painting, possibly depicting an animal.

The discovery is the latest in a series of discoveries made at the Bandhavgarh National Park. Last year, The Archaeological Survey of India shared the information of unearthing 26 Buddhist caves here after a long summer exploration. It was noted that the caves would date back to the 2nd-5th century BCE.

Researchers have discovered an over 900-foot-deep ‘blue hole’ in the Western Caribbean off the Mexican coast. Spread over an area of 13,660 square meters, the giant, underwater cavern is located in Chetumal Bay and has been named Taam Ja’, which means ‘deep water’ in Mayan.

Taam ja’ Blue Hole is now the world’s second-deepest known blue hole, after the Great Blue Hole in Belize. The newly discovered blue hole has a nearly circular shape at its surface.

The blue holes found on coastal karst platforms around the world, including the Caribbean Sea and the Yucatán Peninsula, contain unique environments within them. The new, massive sinkhole off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico has a nearly circular shape at its surface with steep sides that form a large conic structure covered by biofilms, sediments, limestone, and gypsum ledges.

The blue hole first discovered in 2021 could offer a glimpse of how life evolved through the millennia in the marine world. In the past, researchers found bacteria at such depths in blue holes in the Caribbean, where no other life form was found, indicating the evolution of life at those depths. A series of irregular terraces were detected at water depths, near the eastern and northwestern walls of the blue hole before developing steep and almost vertical slopes.

Researchers from the Department of Observation and Study of the Land, the Atmosphere, and the Ocean, Chetumal, Mexico have published their findings about the blue hole in Frontiers in Marine Science.