Nepal’s ‘Everest Man’ claims record 30th summit/node/2515171/world
Nepal’s ‘Everest Man’ claims record 30th summit
Nepali mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa poses during an interview at Everest base camp in the Mount Everest region of Solukhumbu district on May 2, 2021. (AFP)
KATHMANDU: A 54-year-old Nepali climber known as “Everest Man” reached the peak of the world’s highest mountain for a record 30th time on Wednesday, three decades after his first summit.
Kami Rita Sherpa, who broke his own record after climbing the 8,849-meter peak for the 29th time earlier this month, has previously said that he was “just working” and did not plan on setting records.
“Kami Rita reached the summit this morning. Now he has made a new record with 30 summits of Everest,” Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summit Treks, his expedition organizer, told AFP.
But celebrations were overshadowed after a Romanian mountaineer was confirmed dead, and a British climber and Nepali guide were reported missing — the latest casualties highlighting the risks of the sport.
Sherpa first stood on the top of Mount Everest in 1994 when working for a commercial expedition.
Since then he has climbed Everest almost every year, guiding clients.
“I am glad for the record, but records are eventually broken,” he told AFP after his 29th climb on May 12.
“I am more happy that my climbs help Nepal be recognized in the world.”
Nepal has issued more than 900 permits for its mountains this year, including 419 for Everest, earning more than $5 million in royalties. Around 500 climbers and their guides have already reached the summit of Everest after a rope-fixing team reached the peak last month.
This year, China also reopened the Tibetan route to foreigners for the first time since closing it in 2020 because of the pandemic.
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 typically calm.
Last year more than 600 climbers made it to the summit of Everest but it was also the deadliest season on the mountain, with 18 fatalities.
Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire at industrial site in Russia’s Ryazan region, governor says
Updated 27 sec ago
Reuters
Feb 24 : Falling debris from destroyed Ukrainian drones sparked a fire at an industrial enterprise in Russia’s Ryazan region, the governor of the region southeast of Moscow said on Monday.
“According to preliminary information, there were no injuries, material damage is being assessed,” Governor Pavel Malkov said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
Malkov did not say what enterprise was on fire. Baza, a news Telegram channel that is close to Russia’s security services, reported that Ukrainian drones targeted the Ryazan oil refinery, which is owned by Rosneft.
There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Reuters could not independently verify the Baza report. (Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Philippines, Japan agree to further enhance defense partnership
Japan, Philippines to enhance military exchanges and strategic dialogue
Security ties strengthened amid shared concerns over China’s regional actions
Updated 3 min 14 sec ago
Reuters
MANILA: Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen defense ties in the face of an “increasingly severe” security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese defense minister Gen Nakatani said on Monday.
Nakatani met his Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro in Manila for a meeting in which the two ministers tackled regional security issues, including the maritime situation in the East and South China Seas.
“The security environment surrounding us is becoming increasingly severe and that it is necessary for the two countries as strategic partners to further enhance defense cooperation and collaboration to maintain peace and stability in Indo-Pacific,” Nakatani said through a translator.
Nakatani said the Philippines and Japan have agreed to deepen cooperation on military exchanges, establish a high-level strategic dialogue among its military and deepen information sharing.
Security ties between the two US allies have strengthened over the past two years as Japan and the Philippines share common concerns over China’s increasingly assertive actions in the region.
Last year, Manila and Tokyo signed a landmark military pact allowing the deployment of their forces on each other’s soil.
Japan and China have repeatedly faced off around uninhabited Japanese-administered islands that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu.
The Philippines and China have also clashed frequently in the South China Sea around disputed shoals and atolls that fall inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
Nakatani visited military bases in the northern Philippines on Sunday, including a naval station that houses a coastal radar that Japan donated as part of its 600 million yen ($4 million) security assistance in 2023.
Manila was one of the first recipients of Tokyo’s official security assistance, a program aimed at helping boost deterrence capabilities of partner countries.
In December, the two countries signed a second security deal in which Japan agreed to provide the Philippine navy rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB) and additional coastal radar systems.
US pressures Ukraine to nix its UN resolution demanding Russian forces withdraw
But Kyiv refused to pull its draft resolution, and the UN General Assembly will vote on it Monday
Trump administration is seeking a vote on its proposal in the more powerful UN Security Council
Updated 21 min 33 sec ago
AP
UNITED NATIONS: The US has pressured Ukraine to withdraw its European-backed UN resolution demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine in favor of an American proposal that does not mention Moscow’s invasion, a US official and a European diplomat said Sunday.
But Ukraine refused to pull its draft resolution, and the UN General Assembly will vote on it Monday, the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two European diplomats said.
The 193-nation General Assembly then is expected to vote on the US draft resolution, according to the diplomats and the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because private negotiations are still ongoing.
The Trump administration is also seeking a vote on its proposal in the more powerful UN Security Council. China, which holds the Security Council presidency this month, scheduled a vote on the US resolution for Monday afternoon.
The dueling resolutions – the first since the invasion – highlight the tension between the US, Ukraine and European countries in the five weeks since President Donald Trump took office and has opened talks with Russia after years of isolation in a bid to end the war. European leaders were dismayed that they and Ukraine were left out of preliminary negotiations between the US and Russia last week.
The General Assembly has become the most important UN body on Ukraine because the Security Council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.
There are no vetoes in the General Assembly, and its votes are closely watched as a barometer of world opinion. However, its resolutions are not legally binding, unlike those adopted by the Security Council.
Since Russian forces crossed Ukraine’s border on Feb. 24, 2022, the assembly has adopted half a dozen resolutions condemning the war and demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.
The assembly votes have shown strong global opposition to Russia’s conflict, and the votes on the rival resolutions Monday will be closely watched to see if that support has waned – and to assess support for Trump’s effort to bring a speedy end to the war.
One European diplomat said there has been intense lobbying and arm-twisting on the rival resolutions. The US official said the US is trying to get Ukraine and the Europeans to back down on their draft. It comes as Trump plans to host French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday in Washington.
The United States believes “this is the moment to commit to ending the war. This is our opportunity to build real momentum toward peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement late Friday.
He said that “while challenges may arise, the goal of lasting peace remains achievable” and that the resolution would “affirm that this conflict is awful, that the UN can help end it, and that peace is possible.”
The Ukraine resolution, co-sponsored by the 27-nation European Union, refers to “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation” and recalls the need to implement all previous assembly resolutions “adopted in response to the aggression against Ukraine.”
It singles out the General Assembly’s demand that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders” and its demand to immediately halt all hostilities.
And it calls for “a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine.”
The very brief US draft resolution acknowledges “the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict” and “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.” It never mentions Moscow’s invasion.
Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, told reporters last week that the US resolution was “a good move.”
Russia also suggested an amendment, seeking to add the phrase “including by addressing its root causes” so the final line of the US resolution reads, “implores a swift end to the conflict, including by addressing its root causes, and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”
Trump administration eliminating 1,600 USAID jobs in the US
USAID said on its website that all direct hires except essential workers will be put on leave
An earlier notice sent to staff said about 2,000 US positions would be eliminated
Updated 32 min 23 sec ago
Reuters
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration said on Sunday it was placing all personnel at the foreign assistance agency USAID, except leaders and critical staff, on paid administrative leave and eliminating 1,600 positions in the United States.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has led an effort to gut the US Agency for International Development, the main delivery mechanism for American foreign assistance and a critical tool of US “soft power” for winning influence abroad.
“I regret to inform you that you are affected by a Reduction in Force action,” said an email sent to one of the workers being fired that was reviewed by Reuters. Those who got the note will be let go from federal service effective April 24, the email said.
USAID said on its website that just before midnight on Sunday US Eastern Time, all direct hires except essential workers will be put on leave and 1,600 USAID personnel in the US would be cut.
An earlier notice sent to staff and reviewed by Reuters said about 2,000 US positions would be eliminated.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Friday, a federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to put thousands of USAID workers on leave, a setback for government employee unions that are suing over what they have called an effort to dismantle it.
Two former senior USAID officials estimated that a majority of some 4,600 USAID personnel, career US Civil Service and Foreign Service staffers, would be placed on administrative leave.
“This administration and Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio are shortsighted in cutting into the expertise and unique crisis response capacity of the US,” said Marcia Wong, one of the former officials. “When disease outbreaks occur, populations displaced, these USAID experts are on the ground and first deployed to help stabilize and provide aid.”
Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on January 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe.
The administration has approved exceptions to the freeze totaling $5.3 billion, mostly for security and counter-narcotics programs, according to a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters that included limited humanitarian relief.
USAID programs got less than $100 million in exemptions, compared to roughly $40 billion in programs it administered annually before the freeze.
3 years after Russia invasion, UN faces difficult votes on Ukraine
To the delight of Russia, US under Trump calls for “swift end” to conflict but makes no reference to Ukraine's territorial integrity
To be adopted, a resolution needs the votes of at least nine of the 15 Security Council members
Updated 24 February 2025
AFP
UNITED NATIONS: Defying Kyiv and its European allies, Washington plans on Monday to submit to the UN Security Council and General Assembly a draft text that calls for a “swift end” to the Ukraine conflict but makes no reference to its territorial integrity, in an early test of Donald Trump’s muscular approach to the crisis.
Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine three years ago, the balance of power at the United Nations has been clear: the General Assembly, representing all members, has clearly and overwhelmingly supported Ukrainian sovereignty, while the 15-member Security Council has been paralyzed by Russia’s veto power.
But Trump’s return to the White House last month has brought a dramatic reshuffling of the diplomatic cards, as he undertakes a clear rapprochement with the Kremlin while dismissing his Ukrainian counterpart, the severely pressured Volodymyr Zelensky, as a “dictator.”
Against this tense diplomatic backdrop, Ukraine and more than 50 other states are planning on Monday — the third anniversary of the Russian invasion — to introduce a text before the General Assembly saying it is “urgent” to end the war “this year” and clearly repeating the Assembly’s previous demands: an immediate cessation of Russian hostilities against Ukraine and an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.
Amid heated speculation that the United States might abstain from the General Assembly vote — expected around midday — Washington generated widespread surprise Friday by proposing a competing text.
The US resolution is “simple (and) historic,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late Friday, as he urged member states to approve it.
A group from the Russian community in Australia hold placards during a demonstration in central Sydney on February 24, 2025 marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
The tersely worded US draft “implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia.”
It makes no reference to Ukrainian territorial integrity, a cornerstone of the previous resolutions passed by the Assembly, with the United States under former president Joe Biden among its strongest supporters.
For Vassili Nebenzia, the Russian ambassador to the UN, the American resolution is “a good move,” though he believes it should also “address the root causes” of the war.
According to diplomatic sources, the American delegation plans to submit that text to a Security Council vote set for 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) Monday, according to the Chinese presidency of the Council.
The vote will place European delegates in an awkward position.
To be adopted, a resolution needs the votes of at least nine of the 15 Security Council members — while not being vetoed by any of the five permanent members (the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China).
Even if the EU members (France, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece) along with Britain were to abstain, the resolution could still pass.
Would France or Britain be prepared to cast their first vetoes in more than 30 years — even as their respective leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer, are expected this week at the White House for key talks on Ukraine?
“I do not see how Paris and London can support a text that is so far from their stated positions on Ukraine, but I also do not see how they can veto it,” Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP.
Predicting the outcome of the diplomatic confrontation in the General Assembly is not easy: While some Europeans are deeply unsettled by the American approach, several UN member states have grown tired of the constant attention to Ukraine, and some Arab countries have not forgotten Kyiv’s refusal to support their resolutions on Gaza.
For the Europeans, the competing votes will be “a test of their standing in the multilateral system.” At the same time, Kyiv could be left “increasingly isolated” if it draws too little support, Gowan said.
The votes also constitute “an early test of the Trump administration’s strong-arm approach to UN diplomacy,” he added.
With core principles of international law at stake, UN chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday called for a peace that “fully upholds Ukraine’s territorial integrity” and respects the UN Charter.
