Mount Everest pioneer George Mallory’s final letter to wife revealed 100 years after deadly climb: “Vanishing hopes”

In his final letter to his wife before he vanished on Mount Everest a century ago, George Mallory tried to ease her worries even as he said his chances of reaching the world’s highest peak were “50 to 1 against us.” The letter, digitized for the first time and published online Monday by his Cambridge … Read more

From Barcelona to Hanoi, travel hotspots levy tourist taxes and take other steps to curb crowds, pollution, bad behaviour

Then, in a bid to attract culturally sensitive sightseers, the “Renew Your View” campaign was launched to encourage the appreciation of the city through the eyes of locals rather than as part of the mass-tourism phenomenon. These initiatives come on the heels of a ban on cruise ships entering the city centre, a decision that … Read more

Toddler girl from Bhopal reaches Mt Everest Base Camp

Bhopal: Siddhi Mishra, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl from Bhopal, has become one of the youngest children to conquer the Mt Everest Base Camp Trek at a towering 17,598 feet above sea level. The news was confirmed by a statement released by a private trekking company on Tuesday. Accompanied by her mother Bhavna Dehariya, who successfully scaled … Read more

Poo bags and trackers: Nepal orders new Everest rules

KATHMANDU: Nepal has ordered Everest mountaineers to carry mandatory trackers after one of the deadliest seasons last year – and remove their excrement using compostable bags similar to those used for dog waste. Eighteen climbers were killed last year, including at least five bodies unrecovered on the highest mountain in the world, where authorities are … Read more

World’s scariest lab ‘The Pyramid’ 16,000ft up Mount Everest now lies abandoned – with just ex-school teacher to run it

THE world’s scariest lab 16,000ft up Mount Everest now lies abandoned with just an ex-school teacher running it. The research facility, known as The Pyramid, is said to be vital for research on climate change and biodiversity. 6 Funding for the site was cut a decade agoCredit: Alamy 6 The lab is the highest in … Read more

Commentary: How young is too young for extreme challenges?

Adults take up extreme challenges at their own risk. With children, it gets complicated. Firstly, they are not at legal age to make key decisions, and their parents undertake the responsibility instead. Secondly, their physiology is different from adults. In some respects, they are superior to adults. Their ligaments and tendons are stronger, they have … Read more

Lunar lander issue complicates privately-led U.S. moon mission

A robotic lander built by a private company suffered a technical problem on its way to the moon on Monday, threatening to upend the first U.S. soft lunar landing in over 50 years. The issue with the lander’s propulsion system followed a successful launch of a new Vulcan rocket debuted by a joint venture of … Read more

Earth: ‘Devil comet’, bigger than Mount Everest, racing towards Earth and is set to explode soon

NEW DELHI: The “Devil Comet,” officially known as 12P, is currently making its way towards Earth and is anticipated to undergo a significant eruption soon. This comet, which is nearly three times the size of Mount Everest, is classified as a cryovolcano, which means it erupts due to the build-up and ignition of gas and … Read more

This 5-year-old is training to be the youngest Singaporean to reach Everest base camp

One complication of training a kindergartener is that it can’t be too intense, said Mr Zikri. “We can’t go too fast, and I need to tone down the intensity for him so that it’s still fun for him … (so the challenge is) keeping it fun for him and getting him to stay motivated.” Ms … Read more