Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian mountaineer banned for six years for faking Mt Everest summit, climbs it for real

Narender Singh Yadav achieved the feat on May 27

Indian mountaineer banned for six years for faking Mt Everest summit, climbs it for real

An Indian climber, who was earlier banned from mountaineering in Nepal for allegedly faking a climb to Mount Everest, has reached the summit.

Narender Singh Yadav achieved the feat on May 27, less than a week after the six-year ban ended. He said he proved himself beyond doubt this time.

The son of an army man said he climbed the world’s tallest mountain in less than a week without acclimatisation whereas the average time taken by mountaineer is two months.

He denied his previous ascent was fake, saying it was his second climb to the summit of the 8,848-metre tall mountain.

Yadav and another climber Seema Rani Goswami said they had reached the top of the world's highest mountain in the 2016 spring season, and Nepal's tourism department certified their claim at the time.

But their photos with an oxygen mask not connected to an oxygen tank led to doubts and outrage erupted after Yadav was listed for the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.

An investigation, according to the Nepal government, revealed that the duo "never reached the summit".

It said they couldn't produce any evidence of their ascent to the peak and failed to submit reliable photos.

The two climbers and their team leader Naba Kumar Phukon were banned from climbing Nepal's mountains for six years retroactively from May 2016.

In the same year, another Indian couple - both police constables - were banned for 10 years after they faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Everest.

The current system demands photos, and reports from team leaders and government liaison officers stationed at the base camp. But it has been open to attempts at fakery.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks and foreign climbers are a major source of revenue and some 800 people climb Mount Everest every year.

More For You

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less