Headline

US Climber Dies On Everest

Published

2 years ago

May 2, 2023

A United States mountaineer has died on Everest in the fourth fatality on the world’s highest peak this climbing season.

Jonathan Sugarman, 69, was on an acclimatisation rotation at around 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) when he died on Monday, his expedition organiser said.

“He was feeling unwell and passed away at Camp 2. Efforts are underway to bring (back) his body,” Pasang Tshering Sherpa of Beyul Adventure told AFP.

“We are trying to send a helicopter but it is snowing and the weather is not favourable,” he said.

Beyul Adventure is a local partner of US-based expedition organiser International Mountain Guides, which confirmed “with deep sorrow” Sugarman’s death.

“We can confirm that this event was not the result of a climbing accident or route condition that would be of potential impact or safety concern to any other teams on the mountain,” IMG chief Eric Simonson said in a statement on the company’s website.

Last year, Sugarman reached Camp 3 on Everest before abandoning a climb.

This year’s spring climbing season on Everest had a tragic start last month with the death of three Nepali climbers.

The trio were crossing the treacherous Khumbu icefall as part of a supply mission when a block of glacial ice fell and swept them into a deep crevasse.

Nepali guides — usually ethnic Sherpas from nearby valleys — are essential to the multimillion-dollar industry, bearing huge risks to prepare climbing routes and carry food and equipment.

– Traffic jam –

Nepal has issued 466 permits to foreign climbers, and since most will need a guide, more than 900 people will try to summit this season, which runs until early June.

This could result in heavy traffic and bottlenecks en route to the summit, especially if there is a shorter climbing window because of unfavourable weather.

On average, around five climbers die every year on the world’s highest peak.

But in 2019, 11 people died, with four of the deaths blamed on overcrowding.

It is possible that climate change is exacerbating the risks, with climbers reporting widening crevasses, running water on previously snowy slopes and more glacial lake formation.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm.

More than 600 climbers are aiming to summit other Himalayan mountains this season.

Last month Northern Irish climber Noel Hanna, 56, died on Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain, which has an even higher death rate than Everest.

The 56-year-old adventurer was returning after a successful summit of the 8,091-metre (26,545-foot) peak when he died at Camp 4.

A day later, record-holding Indian climber Baljeet Kaur, 28, and compatriot Arjun Vajpai, 30, were both rescued from Annapurna after a search lasting hours.

Later, a third Indian climber, Anurag Maloo, 34, was rescued alive after falling 300 metres (985 feet) into a crevasse.

AFP

Headline

NAFDAC Warns Against Use Of Excess Hydroquinone In Cosmetics

Published

10 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned users of bleaching creams to refrain from using products containing excessive hydroquinone to safeguard their health.

NAFDAC Bauchi State Coordinator, Mr Hamis Yahaya, advised in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi on Tuesday.

Hydroquinone is a skin-lightening agent used to treat hyperpigmentation, such as melasma and age spots.

Yahaya said that the approved quantity of the chemical substance in cosmetics was only two per cent.

According to him, NAFDAC conducts checks on market products to ensure public health and safety.

“The black colour provides natural protection against harmful radiation due to melanin content.

“Applying creams with hydroquinone contents more than two per cent is harmful. Mixing creams by non-experts is wrong.

“Hydroquinone affects the health of the users gradually, including causing cancer,” he said.

Yahaya urged the media to raise awareness about the dangers of cosmetics that could endanger consumer lives.

Headline

AU Helicopter Crashes In Somali Capital – State Media

Published

15 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

An African Union helicopter crashed Wednesday at the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu with eight people onboard, state media said.

The aircraft was part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with fighting the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The state media agency Sonna said the AUSSOM helicopter, carrying eight people, “crashed during landing at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde Airport this morning after departing Balidoogle”.

“The fire has been contained, and authorities are assessing the situation,” it said in a post on X.

Sonna quoted the country’s civil aviation authorities as saying that “flight operations remain normal”.

There were no further details given, but unverified clips and images shared online showed a plume of black smoke over the city.

The AUSSOM mission faces funding difficulties, even as fears of an Al-Shabaab resurgence are stoked by attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.

Headline

Australia Cancels Kanye West Visa Over ‘Heil Hitler’ Song

Published

15 hours ago

July 2, 2025

Editor

Australia has cancelled US rapper Kanye West’s visa over his song glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, the government said Wednesday.

The 48-year-old musician, who has legally changed his name to Ye, released “Heil Hitler” on May 8, the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

West — whose wife Bianca Censori is Australian — has been coming to Australia for some time because he has family in the country, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said.

“He’s made a lot of offensive comments. But my officials looked at it again once he released the ‘Heil Hitler’ song and he no longer has a valid visa in Australia.”

Burke said the rapper’s cancelled visa was not intended for holding concerts.

“It was a lower level, and the officials still looked at the law and said: You’re going to have a song and promote that sort of Nazism — we don’t need that in Australia,” he told public broadcaster ABC.

Asked if it was sustainable to bar such a popular figure, the minister said: “I think what’s not sustainable is to import hatred.”

But he said immigration officials reassess each visa application.

Australian citizens have freedom of speech, Burke added.

“But we have enough problems in this country already without deliberately importing bigotry.”

AFP