Venus figurines offered a model for surviving climate change, new theory says


A new theory suggests the earliest Venus figurines were meant to be instructive to women for survival of harsh winters, rather than just artistic odes to female beauty. Photo by Aiwok/Wikimedia

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- According to a new theory, Venus figurines, one of the world's earliest examples of art, weren't symbols of beauty or fertility, as has been previously suggested.

Instead, researchers claim the large-bodied figurines, carved some 30,000 years ago, were models for surviving Europe's increasingly frigid winters.

Researchers detailed their new theory in a new paper, published Tuesday in the journal Obesity.

"Some of the earliest art in the world are these mysterious figurines of overweight women from the time of hunter gatherers in Ice Age Europe where you would not expect to see obesity at all," lead study author Richard Johnson said in a news release.

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"We show that these figurines correlate to times of extreme nutritional stress," said Johnson, a professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Previous studies suggest the first groups of modern humans entered Europe around 48,000 years ago, during a period of warming.

These early hunter-gatherers, known as Aurignacians, subsisted on berries, fish, nuts and plants during the summers. The Aurignacians also used bone-tipped spears to hunt reindeer, horses and mammoths.

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When the dawn of a new ice age brought harsher winters and advancing glaciers, these early hunter-gatherers moved south, sought refuge in forests or died out. As the glaciers advanced, fossil evidence suggests megafauna were over-hunted.

The latest research showed the Venus figurines appeared around the time winters in Northern Europe became unforgiving.

When Johnson and his colleagues plotted the location and size of the Venus figures so far unearthed by archaeologists, they found those with the greatest waist-to-hip and waist-to-shoulder ratios -- the most obese figures, in other words -- were located closest to the region's advancing glaciers.

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"We propose they conveyed ideals of body size for young women, and especially those who lived in proximity to glaciers," said Johnson, who holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology. "We found that body size proportions were highest when the glaciers were advancing, whereas obesity decreased when the climate warmed and glaciers retreated."

The Venus figures show signs of heavy wear, suggesting they were passed down for generations, perhaps from mothers to daughters.

Researchers suggest the figurines may have served as a model for would-be-mothers. In times of scarcity, women with a surplus of stored fat would have been better able to carry a pregnancy to term and nurse newborns.

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"The figurines emerged as an ideological tool to help improve fertility and survival of the mother and newborns," Johnson said. "The aesthetics of art thus had a significant function in emphasizing health and survival to accommodate increasingly austere climatic conditions."

Skeletal trauma reveals inequalities of Cambridge's medieval residents


The remains of a man buried in the graveyard of an Augustinian friary located in Cambridge, England, are among several that researchers say reveals the possibly rough life the city's residents had. Photo by Nick Saffell

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The inequities of medieval society are preserved in the bones of Cambridge's early residents, according to a new survey of skeletal trauma.

For the study, researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed the remains of 314 people dating to between the 10th and 14th centuries, cataloging the levels of "skeletal trauma" exhibited in their bones.

Scientists used skeletal trauma as a proxy for socioeconomic status -- the more wear and tear present on a person's bones, the more likely he or she experienced a life of hardship and poverty.

To ensure their survey captured the full spectrum of medieval society, researchers sourced remains from several burial sites. These included a parish graveyard used by working class residents and a burial site next to a charitable hospital for inmates and the infirm, as well as a graveyard where clergy and aristocrats were buried side by side.

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Researchers found 44 percent of the remains from the working class graveyard featured fractures, while just 32 percent of those from the friary were marred by bone breaks.

The survey -- published Monday in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology -- also turned up evidence of various forms of violence, including a friar that appeared to have been the victim of an ancient hit-and-run accident.

"By comparing the skeletal trauma of remains buried in various locations within a town like Cambridge, we can gauge the hazards of daily life experienced by different spheres of medieval society," lead study author Jenna Dittmar said in a news release.

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"We can see that ordinary working folk had a higher risk of injury compared to the friars and their benefactors or the more sheltered hospital inmates," said Dittmar, an archaeologist at Cambridge.

The origins of the University of Cambridge can be traced to the year 1205, but the academic institution remained in its infancy during the Middle Ages.

Cambridge was mostly a town of artisans, merchants and farmhands, and while working class residents were more likely to experience skeletal trauma, the results of the latest survey suggest life was hard for almost everyone.

RELATED Venus figurines offered a model for surviving climate change, new theory says

In fact, the most traumatic injury uncovered by the researchers was suffered by a friar -- the man's position revealed by his burial place and belt buckle.

"The friar had complete fractures halfway up both his femurs," said Dittmar. "Whatever caused both bones to break in this way must have been traumatic, and was possibly the cause of death."

The femur, or thigh bone, is the largest in the body. Dittmar said today's emergency room doctors would be familiar with the kind of fracture suffered by the friar. Pedestrians hit by cars often suffer a double femur break.

"Our best guess is a cart accident," Dittmar said. "Perhaps a horse got spooked and he was struck by the wagon."

Researchers also found evidence of domestic abuse. The bones of elderly woman buried beside the parish showed signs of a lifetime of injuries.

"She had a lot of fractures, all of them healed well before her death. Several of her ribs had been broken as well as multiple vertebrae, her jaw and her foot," said Dittmar. "It would be very uncommon for all these injuries to occur as the result of a fall, for example. Today, the vast majority of broken jaws seen in women are caused by intimate partner violence."

Work in the field was the more common source of injury for those buried in the parish of All Saints by the Castle.

Though the remains of the church itself has never been found, the graveyard was discovered and first excavated in the 1970s. The parish graveyard housed the remains of Cambridge's poorest citizens.

Men would have earned a meager living hauling heavy stones and lumber or guiding heavy ploughs across the fields of the hinterland, the uncharted land beyond the town center.

"Many of the women in All Saints probably undertook hard physical labors such as tending livestock and helping with harvest alongside their domestic duties," Dittmar said. "We can see this inequality recorded on the bones of medieval Cambridge residents. However, severe trauma was prevalent across the social spectrum. Life was toughest at the bottom -- but life was tough all over."

U.S. military uses 3D printing to make N95 respirators

Air Force Maj. Daniel Williams demonstrates the fit of an N95 elastomeric half-mask respirator, which is among the designs that the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity has been testing after 3D printing them. Photo by Jeffrey Soares/U.S. Army

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is using 3D printing technology to produce N95 respirators, the chief of the Defense Department's medical technology office said on Monday.

Air Force Maj. Gen. Daniel Williams, of the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity's Warfighter Expeditionary Medicine and Treatment Project Management Office, said his primary task involves assisting Defense Department commercial partners in producing respirators that comply with military needs.

While the companies have experience in 3D modeling of products, many have "never manufactured medical devices," Williams said in a press release.

The N95 masks fit more closely to the face, and are more effective, than standard surgical masks, or face masks known as filtering facepiece respirators, in wide use to prevent COVID-19 infection.

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"Our group has been working on what is called an elastomeric half-mask respirator, which is a reusable frame produced by a 3D printer, with a disposable media or cartridge that filters at the 95% level," Williams said of efforts to quickly produce N95 respirators,

Eighteen variants of the N95 have been developed and tested by the team, he said.

"The primary purpose of the N95 working group is to develop N95 respirators to supplement existing supplies of respirators, as well as to develop new manufacturing capabilities within the DOD's organic industrial base, which consists of military arsenals, maintenance depots and ammunition factories," Williams added.

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"Ensuring the DOD has the capability to independently manufacture protective respiratory devices will help to protect frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it will also help to maintain our military readiness in the face of future pandemics or biothreats," he said.

N95 respirators are among the most effective facemasks, filtering out at least 95% of small particles, and are largely used by doctors, nurses and other medical professionals.

Williams cited large-scale manufacturers, as well as the U.S. Navy Underwater Warfare Center-Keyport, U.S. Forces Korea, Defense Logistics Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy as organizations with expertise to design and produce the N95 respirator.

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In part because of involvement of the Defense Department's COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force, director Stacy Cummings told the House Armed Services Committee in June 2020 that N95 production would be ramped up to production levels of 800 million masks per year by January 2021.

"Starting in 2021, we anticipate our total domestic production to be in excess of a billion per year," Cummings said.

One DoD partner, manufacturer 3M, predicted in November it would manufacture 95 million respirators by the end of 2020, citing an increase in production capacity prompted by a 20-fold increase in demand.

Supreme Court issues order against Texas abortion ban


The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order Monday vacating a lower court ruling that upheld Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's abortion ban amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court issued an order Monday vacating a lower court order upholding a Texas abortion ban.

At issue was Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's order in March to place a ban on abortions in the state to preserve hospital resources amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans upheld the ban, overturning the decision of a lower court that found the order was too broad and lifted the ban. Planned Parenthood petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case.

"The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with instructions to dismiss the case as moot," the Supreme Court said in its order Monday.

The Texas abortion ban was "a transparent attempt to chip away at access to reproductive healthcare by exploiting a public health crisis," and it was "important we took this procedural step to make sure bad case law was wiped from the books," Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Lawyering Project said in a statement to NBC News.

The Supreme Court order follows Abbott tweeting a day earlier that Texas would fully end taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood by Feb. 3.

"Innocent lives will be saved," Abbott added in the tweet with a link to Corridor News article citing the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision siding with his order to ban abortions amid the pandemic.

SUSAN PAGE BIO OF BARBARA BUSH 

Seoul court says life-size sex dolls don't corrupt morals, allows imports

Yonhap News Agency



Sex dolls also made headlines in Seoul in May when they were used to fill seats for a soccer match during the COVID-19 pandemic. That incident was described as a "misunderstanding." File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE


SEOUL, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A Seoul court has allowed the import of life-size dolls, saying such sex toys for personal use do not corrupt public morals.

According to the Seoul Administrative Court on Monday, it has recently overturned a decision by Gimpo International Airport's customs office to block the import of a mannequin.

In January 2020, a local company tried to import one sex doll from China through the airport in Gimpo, western Seoul. But the gateway's customs authorities put the entry on hold, saying that the material would harm public morals.

It took legal action against the decision as its petition to the Korea Customs Service has been shelved.

"We don't see this item as explicitly depicting body parts or sexual conduct that it gravely damages or distorts human dignity," the administrative court said in its ruling. "It is not an example of materials that corrupt public morals."

It said sex toys are used in a personal area and the state should not interfere with one's private life to protect dignity and freedom.

The customs office said it will file an appeal against the court decision, saying that it is still keeping the stance of not permitting their customs clearance.

But the agency added it is in talks with the justice and gender equality ministries over the permissible standard of importing sex dolls as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a sex doll importer in a separate clearance deferral case in June 2019.

The ruling had sparked a heated debate on whether sex dolls should be treated as a type of ordinary sex toy. Between July and August of that year, over 200,000 people agreed with the petition on the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae's website, asking for an import ban on sex dolls.

GOT TRUMP SPECIAL COCKTAIL 

Gorilla treated with antibodies recovering from Covid, says US zoo

HUMAN TO PRIMATE TRANSMISSION

Issued on: 25/01/2021 

Winston, 48, was one of several gorillas among the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's troop who were confirmed positive for the virus Ken Bohn San Diego Zoo Global/AFP

Washington (AFP)

An elderly gorilla was recovering from a serious case of Covid-19 after he was treated with cutting-edge synthetic antibodies, the San Diego Zoo said Monday.

Veterinarians are now identifying which animals to inject with the zoo's limited supply of vaccines.

Winston, 48, was one of several gorillas among the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's troop who were confirmed positive for the virus on January 11, based on fecal samples.

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It was the first known case of natural transmission of the virus to great apes, and was suspected to have occurred because of contact with an asymptomatic staff member, despite the use of personal protective gear.

"The troop was infected with a new, highly contagious strain of the coronavirus, recently identified in California," San Diego Zoo Global, the nonprofit that operates the zoo and safari park said in a statement.

Two research groups in California have identified a homegrown strain that they believe was driving the Golden State's year-end surge in infections.

The troop remained under close observation following the diagnosis, with some of the gorillas showing symptoms including mild coughing, congestion, runny noses and bouts of lethargy.

Because of his advanced age, his symptoms and concern about underlying conditions, Winston was examined under anesthesia.

Veterinarians confirmed the silverback had pneumonia and heart disease, and initiated a treatment that included heart medication, antibiotics, and monoclonal antibody therapy.

Monoclonal antibodies are a lab-made version of the body's natural infection-fighting proteins, and they are delivered by intravenous infusion.

Covid-19 monoclonal antibodies have been approved for emergency use in the US, and were notably used to treat former president Donald Trump.

But Winston's treatment came from a supply not permitted for human use, the statement said.

"The veterinary team who treated Winston believe the antibodies may have contributed to his ability to overcome the virus," it added.

Winston, a critically endangered western lowland gorilla, arrived at the San Diego Safari Park in 1984 and will celebrate his 49th birthday on February 20, according to the website.

He is considered to be one of the oldest breeding male gorillas in a managed care setting, and is the leader of his troop.

San Diego Zoo Global has also been provided with some Covid-19 vaccines and is in the process of identifying suitable animal candidates at the zoo and safari park.

The statement didn't identify which vaccine it was, but said it was based on synthetic versions of a surface protein of the virus, and was intended for animal use.

Veterinarians routinely vaccinate wildlife against a range of diseases, both in captivity and in their natural environment.

© 2021 AFP

Pfizer or Sinopharm? 

'Vaccine diplomacy' in Middle East

Issued on: 26/01/2021

An Israeli health worker prepared a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Clalit Health Services in Jerusalem earlier this month as part of a vaccination campaign considered one of the largest in the world to date MENAHEM KAHANA AFP

Jerusalem (AFP)

Pfizer or Sinopharm? The US or China? In the Middle East and North Africa, novel coronavirus vaccine orders are driven by diplomatic and logistical considerations, reflecting Beijing's growing regional influence.

In recent days, the Israeli government made documents public that showed the extent of its collaboration with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer in its vaccination campaign, one of the largest in the world to date, with more than a quarter of its nine million inhabitants already vaccinated.

In return for swift delivery, Israel -- with its vast digitised medical databases -- is giving the company data on the efficacy and potential side effects of the vaccine based on indicators such as age and medical history.

This extensive cooperation is no surprise given Israel is Washington's main strategic ally in the region.

The Jewish state has also ordered millions of doses of the vaccine developed by fellow US firm Moderna, the least ordered vaccine in the region so far.

Other countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, are also relying heavily on the Pfizer vaccine, developed by the US company in partnership with Germany's BioNTech.

Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, on the other hand, hedged their bets by ordering from both Pfizer and Sinopharm, with the Chinese vaccine now deemed "completely safe" by the UAE.

- 'Health silk road' -

For Yahia Zoubir, a specialist in relations between China and the Arab world, vaccine choice rests on considerations such as price and cold storage requirements -- -70 degrees Celsius for Pfizer (-94 Fahrenheit), but two to eight degrees Celsius for Sinopharm.

But politics are never far away, says the professor at Kedge Business School in France.

Since the start of the pandemic, the administration of former US president Donald Trump "closed in on itself, while China has deployed health diplomacy", he told AFP.

"The Chinese have been much more active and much more cooperative."

Beijing has exported millions of masks and gowns to the Middle East and North Africa and elsewhere, as well as providing respirators and holding online seminars with medical authorities in various countries.

"Today, with the new silk road, there is also a health silk road," Zoubir said, referring to China's globe-spanning infrastructure push -- the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Health is becoming a part of China's foreign policy, allowing it to expand its circle of friends" in a region that accounts for half of Beijing's oil imports.

According to Jonathan Fulton, a specialist in Chinese-Middle East relations at Zayed University in the UAE, "there is a lot of pressure on (US) allies and partners not to cooperate with China".

Despite this, he added, as the US floundered in its own response to the pandemic, a "transition took place from China as a victim" to China as a supportive and "credible actor".

With its Belt and Road project, Beijing is "looking to build a forward-looking Middle East presence" but not necessarily to replace the US, he said.

- 'Devalued science' -

Sinopharm jabs also feature in the vaccine orders of other US allies in the region, like Egypt and Morocco.

Analysts say collaboration could be aimed at ensuring Chinese vaccine production and distribution centres for the region and Africa are established in their territories.

"It seems obvious that Beijing's prestige is on the upswing in an area that has long been one of American dominance," said Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"People in the Middle East have always looked to the United States as the global technological powerhouse and problem solver," he said.

But so far the US "has been mostly absent when it comes to 'vaccine diplomacy'... mostly because of President Trump's America First agenda, which eschewed international cooperation and devalued science," he added.

- Sputnik landing -

Also in the "vaccine diplomacy" field are the United Kingdom, relying on an AstraZeneca-Oxford University jab that has been ordered by a clutch of countries in the Middle East and North Africa, while Russia promotes its own vaccine, Sputnik V.

Algeria, a longstanding Moscow ally, ordered the Sinopharm jab as well Russia's, which costs less than those of its Western rivals but has had its reliability called into question, with one local media outlet alluding to "Russian roulette".

In Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority, which cut ties with the US under the Trump administration, many are awaiting the delivery of Sputnik V doses, while 2.5 million Israelis have already received at least one Pfizer-BioNTech jab, a disparity criticised by rights groups.

Iran, arch-enemy of Israel, has refused Western vaccines and said it will rely on jabs from India, China or Russia, while also working to produce a homegrown shot, as it battles the region's deadliest Covid-19 outbreak.

Even if China appears to be out ahead in "vaccine diplomacy", factors including a new US policy direction under President Joe Biden, an avowed multilateralist, could shift the playing field, according to Fulton.

"I don't think the game is over," he said.

gl-burs/gk/sw/dwo

© 2021 AFP

VOA, Radio Free Asia get editors back post-Trump but worry about damage

Issued on: 26/01/2021 

Former Radio Free Asia journalists Oun Chhin (right) and Yeang Sothearin arrive at a court in Phnom Penh in August 2019, one of a number of cases of governments acting against the US-based broadcaster TANG CHHIN Sothy AFP/File

Washington (AFP)

Voice of America and Radio Free Asia are getting back experienced editors who were shoved aside by Donald Trump's appointees as the outlets say they hope the tumult will not tarnish their credibility.

Michael Pack, a producer of conservative films whom Trump tapped to head the agency that oversees taxpayer-supported media, resigned hours after President Joe Biden was sworn in last week.

Pack had vowed to break down the legally guaranteed firewall against meddling in editorial decisions.

In his final days, he invited Trump's secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, who berated VOA and said it should broadcast how the United States "is the greatest nation in the history of the world."

Biden named Kelu Chao, a veteran journalist for Voice of America, as interim director of the US Agency for Global Media until the Senate approves a permanent replacement.

Radio Free Asia, whose mission is to report accurately on nations including China, Vietnam and North Korea that restrict press freedom, noted that its journalists face threats, with China detaining relatives of Uighur reporters.

"Our success relies on establishing trust with audiences and sources alike," said Rohit Mahajan, RFA's vice president of communications and external relations.

"There were serious concerns about the damaging effects of losing that trust. It could hurt not just our reputation but also further endanger our reporters and their ability to do their jobs," he said.

Bay Fang, who has overseen RFA investigations into North Korean forced labor and China's massive detention camps for Uighurs and other mostly Muslim people, was given back her job as the news outlet's president Sunday after being fired by Pack in June.

Conservative author Robert Reilly was ousted as the short-lived director of VOA and replaced on an interim basis by Yolanda Lopez, a longtime journalist whom he had removed from a senior position days earlier.

Lopez had been reassigned along with one of VOA's White House reporters, Patsy Widakuswara, after Widakuswara tried to ask Pompeo a question when he delivered his address at the headquarters.

Widakuswara was also allowed to return to her beat after her punishment drew outrage -- even among some Republicans.

But effects could remain from Trump's brief takeover of the US Agency for Global Media, which also oversees Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Cuba-focused Radio and Television Marti, and Arabic-language Alhurra.

In the funding agreement in force this fiscal year for Radio Free Asia, the agency reserved the right for background checks on all personnel down to interns and restricted the news outlet's ability to communicate directly with Congress.

© 2021 AFP

CASABLANCA EAST WITH JET LI

How Shanghai saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust

Issued on: 26/01/2021 

Six million Jews perished during the worst genocide in human history but thousands were able to escape to Shanghai because it was one of the very few destinations in the world that did not require an entry visa STR AFP

Shanghai (AFP)

As an infant Kurt Wick escaped almost certain death in a Nazi concentration camp by taking refuge in Shanghai, a little-known sanctuary for thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.

Now 83, he has spent the last two decades spreading the word about how the Chinese city became an unlikely safe haven from Adolf Hitler's "Final Solution".

"They saved 20,000 Jews and if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be able to talk to you now," says Vienna-born Wick, who was taken by his parents on a ship from the port of Trieste for the long voyage east.

"I would have been one of the ashes in Auschwitz, like my other family."

Wednesday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.

Six million Jews perished during the worst genocide in human history but Wick and six other members of his family were able to escape Europe for Shanghai because it was one of the very few destinations that did not require an entry visa.

"People should know about it because it was the only place in the world in 1939 that opened its gates," Wick said by telephone from his home in London.

"Even many Jews don't know about it."

Shanghai was a strange and faraway land for the European Jews, and would soon be completely occupied by an increasingly aggressive Imperial Japan.

They got support from a small but wealthy number of Jews who had been in the city since the 19th century and helped build a bustling community.

Historical accounts likened the atmosphere to a small town in Austria or Germany.

Life was nevertheless hard and after World War II ended in 1945, Shanghai's Jewish population declined sharply as they returned home or embarked on new lives elsewhere.

- 'Special relationship' -

Chinese authorities are clearly eager for Shanghai's history as a safe harbour for Jews to get more exposure.

In 2007 the government-run Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in Hongkou, a district that once contained the so-called "Shanghai Ghetto".

The site of a former synagogue, the museum reopened last month after a major expansion that tripled its size.

The centrepiece of the museum is a wall listing the names of thousands of Jews who temporarily made the city home in the 1930s and 1940s.

Much is made at the museum of how the Jews and Chinese, themselves suffering the ravages of war, helped one another get by during the Japanese occupation.

It also highlights how the Jews never faced any prejudice from the Chinese -- an assertion backed up by Wick.

But he is also keen to stress that the Japanese, although allied to Nazi Germany, were also not anti-Semitic and it was "mainly the Japanese" who allowed them refuge.

Chen Jian, the museum's curator, said there was a "special relationship" between Shanghai and the Jews which pre-dates the refugees and continues to this day.

"Although decades have passed and this period of history is a long time ago, some of the refugees and their descendants have maintained... the very deep friendship between us," he said.

- Untold story -

Rabbi Shalom Greenberg, co-director of the Shanghai Jewish Center, said the story of Jews finding shelter in Shanghai remained untold for decades and still receives little attention.

"The story that was told was about those who did not survive, about their terrible situation, the terrible thing that happened in Europe," said Greenberg.

"The story of the survivors, in general, was almost not told."

None of the refugees remain in Shanghai but there is still a small yet active Jewish community of about 2,000 people.

Prejudice of any kind against them is unheard of, says Greenberg, 49, at the century-old Ohel Rachel Synagogue.

"This is one of the very few places in the world that when you walk on the street and you hear two people behind you saying in the local language, 'This person is Jewish', you are not afraid." he said.

"This land never, never had anti-Semitism."

© 2021 AFP

High time: Nepali climbers step out of the shadows for K2 triumph

Issued on: 26/01/2021 

Nepali mountaineer Mingma Gyalje Sherpa said future generations could "be proud" of his country's climbers after this month's historic K2 ascent Aamir QURESHI AFP


Kathmandu (AFP)

Nepali mountaineers have for decades toiled in the shadows as foreign climbers win accolades for conquering the world's most treacherous peaks, but now a team has carved the Himalayan nation a place in history by achieving the first-ever winter summit of K2.

Their ascent in mid-January of the world's second-highest mountain -- the notoriously challenging 8,611-metre (28,251-feet) "savage mountain" of Pakistan -- shone a much-deserved spotlight on their own climbing prowess.

"This is not just our success -- it is for all Nepalis, so that our future generations can look back and be proud about achievements of Nepali climbers," one of the 10 summiteers, Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, told AFP.

Kami Rita Sherpa, who has climbed Everest a record 24 times, said the recognition was long overdue.

"The Western climbers did not set the records without the help of Sherpas," he told AFP in Kathmandu.

"All the routes are set by us, the food is cooked by us, their loads are carried by our brothers -- they haven't done it alone."

To reflect their immense pride in making the achievement in their country's name, the team sang the Nepali anthem, with their distinctive national flag fluttering in one of their hands, as they neared K2's savage summit.

- Invisible climbers -

Since the first British teams set their sights on summiting Everest in the 1920s, Nepali climbers -- mostly from the Sherpa ethnic group -- have been by their side.

But they did not aspire to reach for the heavens -- among Nepal's poorest communities, they risked life and limb to help foreign climbers achieve their life-long ambitions because they needed to feed their families.

Ang Tharkay, who was part of the successful 1950 French expedition to Annapurna -- the first recorded ascent of a peak above 8,000 metres -- refused to be part of the summit team.

For him, being part of the record books was less important than running the risk of losing his fingers and toes to frostbite, which would jeopardise his livelihood.

The industry has since grown into a lucrative sector, attracting hundreds of foreign climbers each year and bringing in millions of dollars in revenue for the government.

An experienced guide can make up to US$10,000 -- many times the country's average annual income -- for several months of hazardous work.

The risks remain high despite the commercialisation of the sector, with Nepalis hired by foreign climbers making up a quarter of deaths on Himalayan mountains, according to the authoritative Himalayan Database.

In 2014, an avalanche killed 16 Nepalis who were hauling gear up Everest, triggering an unprecedented shutdown of the season and demands for better compensation and benefits.

- Taking control -

The exploits of the K2 team, which included Nirmal Purja, who last year smashed the speed record for summiting the world's 14 highest peaks, reflect the changing approach of modern-day Nepali climbers.

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa achieved international recognition when he completed the first summit of Everest with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary.

But in the following decades, only four other Nepalis have claimed first summits of the 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, compared to nearly 70 mostly European mountaineers.

In recent years, however, climbers like Purja have set record after record, and are hopeful their feats will inspire the next generation of Nepali mountaineers.

Meanwhile, local expedition groups -- instead of playing second fiddle to foreign climbing agencies -- now bring the bulk of paying clients into Nepal.

Italy's legendary Reinhold Messner has seen the transformation first-hand.

"When I heard the K2 news I thought 'finally!'," Messner told AFP, recalling that in his first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978, the Sherpas would follow him as he navigated upwards.

In contrast, today's Sherpas are in front of the climbers, setting routes and guiding them.

"It is an evolution... and this is also important for the future economy of the country."

Alpine journalist Ed Douglas, who has called for better protections for the high-altitude workers, said the climbers deserve credit for "taking control of their own industry".

The K2 winter summit showed that Nepalis "are now mountaineers in their right", added Dawa Steven Sherpa, who runs Asian Trekking, an expedition company.

"There is no question about whether they deserve to have that place on the podium with all the other celebrated mountaineers that have come before us."

© 2021 AFP