An Indian tourist was killed after two helicopters collided in the Everest region, in Nepal, today (Tuesday), police said.
The accident occurred when the rotor blades of the two helicopters collided with each other upon landing in the Vertchi area at around 8:11 local time (02:26 GMT), Assistant Sub-Inspector Mukesh Singh told the German News Agency.
The 47-year-old Indian tourist, from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, was on board the Vishtal Air helicopter, which was carrying two passengers and a pilot.
He died on the spot, while the other passenger, from New Zealand, was transferred to Kathmandu for treatment, Singh said.
It is noteworthy that Nepal has witnessed dozens of aviation accidents in recent years, largely due to the rugged terrain and its poor aviation safety record.
British adventurer Carl Bushby arrived on foot at his mother's home in the city of Hull, northeastern England, on Monday, concluding an epic journey around the world that he had begun in South America 28 years ago, specifically in 1998, according to what was reported by the Associated Press.
Bushby was twenty-nine years old when he set out on his journey, and he is fifty-seven today.
Bushby traversed expanses of moving ice across the Bering Strait, and swam across the Caspian Sea and the English Channel. But the bulk of his journey was overland; His feet led him through dangerous jungles, rainforests, deserts, and frozen tundra, under extremely diverse climatic conditions.
Here's a look at Bushby's adventure in numbers:
75 million steps
If fitness trackers had been around when Bushby started his journey, they likely wouldn't have been able to keep up with his cumulative step count.
50 thousand kilometers
The total distance he covered, amounting to about 50,000 kilometers, is equivalent to running 10,000 road races, each five kilometers long.
10229 days
Bushby initially estimated he could go the distance in five years.
He said that later, “he thought it would take 12 years or more... but we never imagined, even in our wildest imaginations, that it (the journey) would take 28 years.”
This equates to 10,229 days.
31 days
When geopolitical disputes blocked his path through Russia and Iran, Bushby decided to swim across the Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water in the world.
During the 31-day crossing, he used a technique called “floating,” which combines floating and swimming. He was wearing a buoyancy vest and a wetsuit, and pushed himself back by moving his arms in the water.
30 countries
He departed from Chile and ended his journey in the UK, entering or passing through 30 countries before returning home.
10 years
It took no longer to cross any country than it did to cross Russia, and his journey spanned nearly a decade.
He was detained and faced deportation on charges of illegal entry after crossing the Bering Strait in 2006, harsh weather allowed travel only for a few months each year, and bureaucratic delays repeatedly forced him to leave the country.
After Russia refused to grant him a visa in 2012, he spent a year walking 3,500 miles, or about 5,600 kilometers, from Los Angeles to the Russian embassy in Washington in protest against the decision. The embassy then provided him with the necessary papers.
Four continents
The journey took Bushby through South America, North America, Asia, and Europe; That is, four continents out of the seven continents of the world.
Two love stories
He fell in love twice, and had his heart broken both times. He had two long relationships with a woman from Colombia and another from Japan, but neither of them withstood the pressures imposed by his trip.
“many” shoes
Bushby estimates he wore out 10 pairs of shoes in the Americas before he stopped counting. That was 20 years ago.
In its 23rd session, the Marrakesh International Film Festival in Morocco is betting on stories of steadfastness in the face of war and exile, through selections that trace the impact of major crises on the details of daily life. This interest is divided between films that approach the population stuck under siege, and others that pursue the dreams of refugees and the relationships of families separated by migration.
The festival, scheduled to be held from November 20 to 28, brings together 76 films from 39 countries, including 10 films being shown for the first time globally, while 12 films benefited from the support of “Atlas Workshops,” its program dedicated to the film industry and talent development, according to a statement issued by the festival on Monday.
The selections are divided into the official competition, the festive screenings, the “Horizons”, “The Eleventh Continent”, the “Panorama of Moroccan Cinema” and “Emerging Audiences and the Family” sections, in addition to tribute films.
The Egyptian presence is highlighted with the selection of the film “The Weakest of His Creatures” by Egyptian director Omar Hilal, to be shown for the first time in the world as part of the festive screenings. The film brings together Ahmed Helmy and Hend Sabry for the first time on the big screen, along with Mahmoud Hafez, Karim Kassem, Mohamed Radwan, and Laila Ezz Al Arab, in an adventure that mixes black comedy with suspense, with a joint production between Britain, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
The Egyptian presence in the official competition extends through the film “In the Shadows of Cairo,” by Rani and Salem Masalha, which is also witnessing its world premiere. The film's events take place in the heart of the Egyptian Coptic community, as part of an intimate thriller starring Hassan Malek, Tara Emad, Kamel Al-Basha, Hamza Al-Aili, Jihad Hossam El-Din, and Karim Adriano.
The “Horizons” section includes the psychological suspense film “Safe Exit” by Egyptian director Mohamed Hammad, while Egyptian-Dutch director Ashjan Al-Hams participates in the film “Al-Baraniya” in the “Eleventh Continent” section. The final section also includes the documentary “Edward Said: Between Two Worlds” by Danish-American director Maiken Bird.
The official competition includes 14 feature films representing the first or second works of their directors, competing for the gold star in front of a jury headed by French actress Marion Cotillard. Its themes reveal the preoccupation of a new generation of filmmakers with a world in which spaces of safety are declining, and in which wars, economic crises, and social transformations leave profound effects on relationships and personal choices.
Palestinian director Abdullah Al-Khatib presents the film “Chronicles of the Time of Siege,” approaching the details of the daily lives of residents caught in the middle of war.
The impact of violence extends to memory and attempts at restoration in “Benimana,” by Rwandan director Marie-Clémentine Dosabigambo, which deals with reparations after the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda.
Migration is viewed from multiple angles, starting with the tragedy of crossing and reaching the life that takes shape after it. In “Congo Boy” by Congolese director Rafiki Faryala, a young refugee in the Central African Republic aspires to become a musician. The artistic dream gives the character a special horizon, and opens the way for his ambition and ability to imagine the future, thus expanding the discussion of the refugee experience to include the desires that continue despite the harsh circumstances.
In “The House of the Wind” by Cameroonian director Auguste Bernard Koimo Yango, attention shifts to a mother trying to maintain her connection with her children who left for Europe. The story allows us to get close to the impact of migration on those who remained.
Migration intersects with working conditions in “Tout of the Earth” by Moroccan director Laila Marrakchi, which deals with the lives of seasonal workers in Spain, and is shown as part of the festive performances. The presence of women expands with the film “Roses of Marrakesh,” in which Italian director Ginevra Elkan brings together Fanny Ardand and Nesrine Radi, in a story about solidarity between women that was filmed in Morocco. Meanwhile, in “The Station,” Yemeni-Scottish director Sarah Ishaq presents a feminist vision of a bleak imagined world in Yemen.
The economic collapse finds its place in the competition through “Anger” by Lebanese director Rami Kodeih, which starts from a bank robbery at the heart of the Lebanese crisis.
Saudi critic Ahmed Al-Ayyad believes that the choices of the new edition of the festival reflect an interest in the value of films and the specificity of their experiences, and the ability to attract important works from different countries and cultures, giving the program a rich diversity of topics and methods of expression. He added to Asharq Al-Awsat, “Combining the first experiences and new works of prominent directors creates a space for interaction between multiple cinematic generations, and allows the audience to discover voices that have their own vision and offer different angles to understand the transformations the world is experiencing.”
Al-Ayad points out that the presence of stories of war, exile, and migration complements the program’s interest in the human details of these experiences, through characters trying to preserve their dreams, relationships, and ability to continue. He considers that the value of this approach is related to the multiplicity of artistic treatments, and giving each experience an opportunity to express its environment and its privacy.
