Latest news with #English-language
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Chinese paraglider reaches near-record heights, over 28,000 feet, by accident
A paraglider in China who had intended to simply test some equipment instead ended up unwittingly reaching barely survivable heights last week. Peng Yujiang, a 55-year-old paraglider in Gansu province, on Saturday morning flew nearly 8,600 meters above sea level -- more than 28,200 feet, or about 5.3 miles -- in the Qilian mountain range of northwest China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces, according to state media. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The episode was captured on a camera attached to his equipment and showed the harrowing conditions he experienced. Peng rose to a level almost on par with Mount Everest's summit and aviation flight paths. His face and body are covered in frost and ice in the video, which was originally posted to social media and later shared by Chinese state media. "I felt the lack of oxygen. My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio," Peng said in a video recorded after the incident, according to Sixth Tone, an English-language, Chinese state-owned outlet. According to local news media, Peng was testing equipment as part of "ground handling training" -- a step that paragliders say is critical to managing safe launches -- at an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, or about 10,000 feet. But a strong wind suddenly lifted him into the sky. He could not control the glider or land as the draft grew stronger and he was pulled up above the clouds. Peng was apparently the victim of a potentially dangerous phenomenon that paragliders call "cloud suck," in which a pilot is rapidly drawn upward into a cloud. At extreme altitudes, people risk hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, because of the thin air. Severe hypoxia can cause organ damage or death. Still, Peng managed to land about 20 miles away from where he took off. In stable health and recovering from his surprise flight, he has since said, "Thinking about it still makes me quite scared," China Daily reported Thursday. The local sporting authority in Gansu province said Wednesday that Peng, who is a licensed paraglider, would be barred from the sport for six months; it also noted that flying activities at sites in the area would be suspended for an unspecified period, local news media reported. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But the association deemed Peng's incident an accident, based on his statement that he did not have a flight planned and was doing ground handling training, which does not require participants to register plans in advance, the reports said. A second pilot was also banned from flying for six months, because he released footage of the incident without permission, the authority's report said, according to the South China Morning Post. Peng was not the first paraglider to accidentally reach such extreme heights. In 2007, Ewa Wisnierska, a champion Polish paraglider who competed on the German national team, reached around 10,000 meters, or over 32,000 feet, accidentally breaking the paragliding height record on a practice flight in Australia, just days before the World Paragliding Championships. Her 6-mile ascent was treacherous, and she passed out in the air, eventually landing more than 50 miles away from where she took off, on a farm. Another paraglider who was caught in cloud suck that day did not survive. "Today, I still fly -- but just for pleasure and to give courses to the people who come to my paragliding school. Competing no longer makes any sense to me," Wisnierska told People magazine last year. "This definitely changed a lot of priorities and made me realize that there are much more important things in life than championship cups and medals. I often ask myself why was it that I survived and this other pilot did not?"
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Zelenskyy-Putin-Trump meeting may take place after second Istanbul talks, says Turkish Foreign Ministry
During his visit to Kyiv on Friday 30 May, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that Türkiye is proposing to host a meeting between the leaders of the United States, Russia and Ukraine to bring the war in Ukraine closer to an end after potential second talks in Istanbul. Source: European Pravda, citing Hurriyet Daily News, a Turkish English-language newspaper Details: Fidan said Türkiye believes negotiations involving the three leaders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could occur following possible second talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, which may take place next week. Quote from Fidan: "We sincerely think that it is possible to cap the first and second direct Istanbul talks with a meeting between Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy, under the direction of Mr. Erdoğan. Progress is certainly possible if we remain at the negotiating table." Background: Earlier this week, Fidan held talks with senior officials in Moscow, particularly Putin. The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin would consider a summit with Zelenskyy, Trump and Erdoğan only if talks with Kyiv yielded results. Moreover, Fidan said in Kyiv that the Russo-Ukrainian war is approaching a turning point. Earlier, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry noted that in Kyiv, Fidan had shared the results of his visit to Moscow. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
The Star
17 hours ago
- The Star
Abdullah Ang, inmate who had water bed in Kajang Prison, has died
PETALING JAYA: Ang Swee Kang, a former managing director of the now-defunct Malaysian Overseas Investment Corporation who sparked national outrage in 1989 for receiving luxury and privileged treatment while jailed in Kajang Prison, has died. Better known as Abdullah Ang, 79, he breathed his last on Wednesday (May 28) after a long illness. Ang, who was sentenced to eight years' jail and fined RM100,000 in 1986 for criminal breach of trust involving over RM338,000, was embroiled in another scandal just three years later during incarceration when an English-language daily revealed he was receiving special treatment in Kajang prison. It was reported that unbefitting for a prisoner, Ang's cell Was furnished with a carpet, refrigerator, TV, video player and a water bed. The newspaper also revealed that investigations revealed Ang, who was said to be close to the then-prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamed, also frequently left prison grounds to manage his business in Kuala Lumpur. This triggered public uproar over preferential treatment for wealthy or well-connected inmates. Soon after, several prison officials faced inquiries and a shake-up of the Prisons Department followed. Ang's former legal adviser, Selva Sugumaran, who worked for Ang for over 25 years, told The Star that the businessman had been unwell for eight years and was frequently hospitalised. He said Ang had ventured into business soon after his release from prison and ran a latex glove manufacturing company. Selva, 64, said he and Ang stayed in touch over the years until his demise on Wednesday. Ang's funeral is scheduled for this coming Monday (June 2) in Kuala Lumpur.
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Perth Now
Oxford Street sweet shop caught selling drug-infused confectionery
A sweet shop on Britain's busiest shopping strip has been caught selling drug-infused treats. The Londenro store, located on Oxford Street, was found to be selling desserts laced with illicit substances, including cookies containing psychedelic mushrooms. The discovery was made after Westminster Council launched a probe following a report that a shopper had been hit with an £899 bill for trying to buy two packs of sweets. The investigation revealed that the shop was stocking products like 'Magic Dragon' cookies — which, far from being innocent snacks, were found to include magic mushrooms. Boxes marked 'Game Over' were also seized. On April 25, officers carried out a raid at the shop. As they entered, two workers bolted to the basement and made their escape through a concealed exit hidden behind a wall panel. But when the panel was moved, authorities found a secret room holding counterfeit items worth an estimated £80,000. The shop's director, Ahmad Yar Jan, later told the court he had no issue with the confiscated products being destroyed. Meanwhile, a neighbouring store styled as a 'Harry Potter'-themed shop was also caught up in the operation. Authorities say it had been selling cannabis-derived items including Hashish and White Widow CBD, without the proper licensing. The store is operated by 5IVESTAR Limited, and an individual connected to it appeared in court with Yar Jan. Many of the seized products didn't include English-language labelling, raising serious safety concerns over unknown ingredients and potential allergens. Council leader Adam Hug didn't mince his words, saying: "It is rather ironic that a shop calling itself a Harry Potter store appears to have been selling products that claim they would get the user higher than a Quidditch player. "The food products here were part of a raid at two addresses on Oxford Street which have taken thousands of items worth £80,000 off the streets." He added: "One of these 'magic cookies' products was labelled game over – however the only game over will be for unscrupulous traders who sell illegal goods to the public. We have known for a long time that US candy stores rip off customers, but charging £900 for two packets of sweets is a new low, even for the unscrupulous people who run these rackets. "Our job is to protect people who visit the West End from being exploited and continuing raids and court appearances will ensure life is sour for the rogue US sweet shop trade."
The Star
21 hours ago
- Climate
- The Star
Chinese paraglider reaches near-record heights, over 8,500m, by accident
Paraglider Peng Yujiang's face and body were covered in frost and ice as he rapidly rose to nearly 8,600m above sea level. - Visuals_China/Instagram via ST/ANN BEIJING: A paraglider in China who intended to simply test some equipment instead ended up reaching barely survivable heights last week. Peng Yujiang, a 55-year-old paraglider in Gansu province, early on May 24 flew nearly 8,600m above sea level in the Qilian mountain range of north-west China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces, according to state media. The episode was captured on a camera attached to his equipment and showed the harrowing conditions he experienced. Peng rose to a level almost on a par with Mount Everest's summit and aviation flight paths. His face and body are covered in frost and ice in the video, which was originally posted to social media and later shared by Chinese state media. 'I felt the lack of oxygen. My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio,' Peng said in a video recorded after the incident, according to Sixth Tone, an English-language, Chinese state-owned outlet. According to local news media, Peng was testing equipment as part of 'ground-handling training' – a step that paragliders say is critical to managing safe launches – at an altitude of 3,000m above sea level. But a strong wind suddenly lifted him into the sky. He could not control the glider or land as the draft grew stronger, and he was pulled up above the clouds. Peng was apparently the victim of a potentially dangerous phenomenon that paragliders call 'cloud suck', in which a pilot is rapidly drawn upwards into a cloud. At extreme altitudes, people risk hypoxia, or oxygen deprivation, because of the thin air. Severe hypoxia can cause organ damage or death. Still, Peng managed to land about 32km away from where he took off. In stable health and recovering from his surprise flight, he has since said: 'Thinking about it still makes me quite scared,' China Daily reported on May 29. The local sporting authority in Gansu province said on May 28 that Peng, who is a licensed paraglider, would be barred from the sport for six months. It also noted that flying activities at sites in the area would be suspended for an unspecified period, local news media reported. But the association deemed Peng's incident an accident, based on his statement that he did not have a flight planned and was doing ground-handling training, which does not require participants to register plans in advance, the reports said. A second pilot was also banned from flying for six months because he released footage of the incident without permission, the authority's report said, according to the South China Morning Post. Peng was not the first paraglider to accidentally reach such extreme heights. In 2007, Ewa Wisnierska, a champion Polish paraglider who competed on the German national team, reached around 10,000m, accidentally breaking the paragliding height record on a practice flight in Australia, just days before the World Paragliding Championships. Her ascent was treacherous, and she passed out in the air, eventually landing more than 80km away from where she took off, on a farm. Another paraglider who was caught in cloud suck that day did not survive. 'Today, I still fly – but just for pleasure and to give courses to the people who come to my paragliding school. Competing no longer makes any sense to me,' Wisnierska told People magazine in 2024. 'This definitely changed a lot of priorities and made me realise that there are much more important things in life than championship cups and medals. I often ask myself why was it that I survived and this other pilot did not?' - The New York Times
