Mountaineers from around the world travel to Nepal every spring to tackle Everest. AFP
Mountaineers from around the world travel to Nepal every spring to tackle Everest. AFP
Mountaineers from around the world travel to Nepal every spring to tackle Everest. AFP
Mountaineers from around the world travel to Nepal every spring to tackle Everest. AFP

Nepal issues record 463 climbing permits for Mount Everest


Taniya Dutta
  • English
  • Arabic

Nepal has issued 463 climbing permits for Mount Everest for this year’s summit season — the most in its history — despite fears of overcrowding on the world’s tallest mountain that has resulted in deaths in the past.

The Nepal Tourism Board said permits were issued to 367 male and 96 female climbers from 65 countries, including one each from the UAE, to scale Sagarmatha — the Nepalese name for Mount Everest.

The reason given for the record number of permits is the easing of restrictions imposed when the Covid pandemic broke out three years ago.

Mountaineers from around the world travel to the small Himalayan nation every spring to attempt to climb the 8,849-metre mountain which lies between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China.

Trekking begins in March but hundreds of mountaineers arrive in May, when temperatures are warmer on the highest section of the mountain, usually offering a couple of windows for good weather for climbers to reach the summit.

The climbers along with their Nepalese guides, or Sherpas, spend nearly two weeks hiking to the Everest base camp, which sits at an altitude of almost 5,200 metres.

There, they acclimatise for two weeks while waiting for good weather before continuing on to higher camps en route to the summit.

But the record number of permits this year has raised concerns about adding to overcrowding on the mountain.

Mountain climbers wait in line to stand on the summit of Everest in May 2019. AFP
Mountain climbers wait in line to stand on the summit of Everest in May 2019. AFP

In 2019, when 380 permits were issued, overcrowding caused “traffic jams” on Everest that forced climbers to wait for hours in freezing temperatures to make the summit.

The delay caused their oxygen levels drop, leading to sickness and exhaustion.

At least seven climbers including three Indians died during their descent because of delays caused by long queues as hundreds lined on the route to the mountain top.

Mountaineering in Nepal, home to eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world, has become a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953.

It generates employment for large number of people including guides, hoteliers and restaurateurs and revenue for the government. Each permit costs $11,000.

Three Sherpa climbers died this month after falling into a deep crevasse when an avalanche struck between the mountain's base camp and Camp I.

A search for three Nepali climbers who went missing on Everest this month. Their bodies were later found at the bottom of a crevasse. AFP
A search for three Nepali climbers who went missing on Everest this month. Their bodies were later found at the bottom of a crevasse. AFP
Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

England Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.

 

There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.

 

More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.

 

The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.

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UAE squad

Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.

Predictions

Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:

  • Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
  • Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
  • Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
  • Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
  • Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai

Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore

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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

SM Town Live is on Friday, April 6 at Autism Rocks Arena, Dubai. Tickets are Dh375 at www.platinumlist.net

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm) 
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm) 
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm) 
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn  (4.30pm) 
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm) 
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: N2 Technology

Founded: 2018

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Startups

Size: 14

Funding: $1.7m from HNIs

The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4

Price, base: Dh145,000

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km

Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

LA LIGA FIXTURES

Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)

Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)

Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)

Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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Updated: April 27, 2023, 2:41 PM