10/10/2024

THURSDAY | OCT 10, 2024

/thesuntelegram FOLLOW / Malaysian Paper

ON TELEGRAM m RAM

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Nepali youngest to scale world’s 14 highest peaks

Most Taiwanese believe China unlikely to invade: Poll TAIPEI: Most Taiwanese believe China is unlikely to invade in the coming five years but see Beijing as a serious threat to the democratic island, a poll by Taiwan’s top military think tank showed yesterday. Over the past five years or so, China’s military has significantly ramped up its activities around Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, over the strong objections of the government in Taipei, and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. The survey of around 1,200 residents conducted last month by the Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR) showed 61% think it was “unlikely or very unlikely” that China would attack Taiwan in the coming five years. “Most people do not think China’s territorial ambitions will manifest in the form of attacking Taiwan,” said Christina Chen, an INDSR researcher. Taiwan’s residents are also concerned about other Chinese threats, including military drills and propaganda campaigns, she said. “Most people see China’s territorial ambitions as a serious threat,” Chen said. The poll presents a contrast to a warning by the head of US Central Intelligence Agency, who said last year that Chinese President Xi Jinping had ordered his military to be ready to conduct an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. “That means Taiwanese people are aware of the threat but remain calm and rational with the expectations of an imminent war,” said INDSR. More than 67% of respondents said they would fight back if China attacked, but were split almost evenly on whether Taiwan’s armed forces were capable of defending the island, with half expressing confidence. Lee Kuan-chen, another INDSR researcher, said Taiwan’s military should continue to boost its defence capacity to build public trust. The poll also showed a split in opinion on whether the United States would help defend Taiwan. – Reuters North Korea to shut off southern border SEOUL: North Korea’s army said yesterday it was moving to “permanently shut off and block the southern border” with the South and had informed the US military to prevent an accidental clash. Pyongyang said in a statement it would “cut off roads and railways” that might have made travel between the two Koreas possible. However, it was largely a symbolic gesture because cross-border exchanges and travel between North and South Korea have been halted for years. Inter-Korean relations are at one of their lowest points in years, with Pyongyang closing agencies dedicated to reunification and declaring South Korea its “principal enemy”. Some analysts thought the announcement could be a potential first step towards more serious action, such as amending the North’s constitution to declare a new maritime border south of the current de facto line. Pyongyang has named No Kwang Chol as its new defence minister, replacing Kang Sun Nam. That announcement came a day after Seoul’s defence chief said North Korean soldiers were likely fighting in Ukraine alongside Russian troops, with some believed to have been killed and more expected to be deployed. – AFP

o Mountaineer pays tribute to Sherpa climbers

13th mountain, Kanchenjunga, the third highest in the world. “This is a proud moment for our country,” said Nima Nuru Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. “Nima Rinji broke all the stereotypes, and his success has given a message that nothing is impossible if you have strong determination.” Nepali climbers, usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest, are considered the backbone of the climbing industry in the Himalayas. They carry the majority of equipment and food, fixing ropes and repairing ladders. Long in the shadows as supporters of foreign climbers, they are slowly being recognised in their own right. In 2021, a team of Nepali climbers made the first winter ascent of K2, the world’s second highest – the notoriously challenging 8,611m “savage mountain”. – AFP

“This summit is not just the culmination of my personal journey, but a tribute to every Sherpa who has ever dared to dream beyond the traditional boundaries set for us,” Nima said in a statement. “Mountaineering is more than labour, it is a testament to our strength, resilience and passion.” Nima is no stranger to the mountains, hailing from a family of record-holding mountaineers, who also now run Nepal’s largest mountaineering expedition company. The record was previously held by another Nepali climber, Mingma Gyabu ‘David’ Sherpa. He achieved it in 2019, at the age of 30. Nima, who already holds multiple records from his ascents of dozens of peaks, started high-altitude climbing at the age of 16, by climbing Mount Manaslu in August 2022. By June this year, he had climbed his

KATHMANDU: An 18-year-old Nepali mountaineer yesterday broke the record for the youngest person to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks, his team said. Nima Rinji Sherpa reached the summit of Tibet’s 8,027m Shisha Pangma yesterday, completing his mission to stand on the world’s highest peaks. “He reached the summit this morning. He had trained well and I was confident he would do it,” said his father Tashi Sherpa. Summiting all 14 “eight-thousanders” is considered the peak of mountaineering aspirations. Climbers cross “death zones” where there is not enough oxygen in the air to sustain human life for long periods.

Businesses board up in preparation for Hurricane Milton in Orlando, Florida. – AFPPIC

Floridians flee looming hurricane catastrophe TAMPA: Floridians yesterday had one final day to evacuate or hunker down ahead of the Category 5 Hurricane Milton , potentially one of the most destructive ever to hit the Gulf Coast of Florida. the storm makes landfall today. The storm is on a rare west-to-east path through the Gulf of Mexico and is likely to bring a deadly storm surge of 3m or more to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Milton is expected to maintain hurricane strength as it crosses the Florida peninsula, posing storm surge danger to the state’s Atlantic Coast as well. About 2.8% of US gross domestic product is in the direct path of Milton , said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics. Airlines, energy firms and a Universal Studios theme park were among the companies beginning to halt their Florida operations as they braced for disruptions. Milton became the third-fastest intensifying storm on record in the Atlantic, growing from a Category 1 to a Category 5 in less than 24 hours. – Reuters

Officials from US President Joe Biden to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned people in evacuation zones to get out or risk death. Milton packed maximum sustained winds of 260kph, the US National Hurricane Centre said, putting it at the highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. While wind speeds could drop and downgrade Milton to a lower category, the size of the storm was growing, putting ever more coastal areas in danger.

With more than one million people in coastal areas under evacuation orders, those fleeing for higher ground clogged highways and petrol stations ran out of fuel, further rattling a region still recovering from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene less than two weeks ago. The storm was on a collision course for the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, home to more than three million people, although forecasters said the path could vary before