May 27, 2019

"Lord of the Flies" on Everest

Mountain climbers line up to stand at Mount Everest’s summit on May 22. Photo: Nirmal Purja/Project Possible/AFP/Getty Images

Mount Everest, which has had an unusually high 10 climbing deaths this season, is "a crowded, unruly scene reminiscent of 'Lord of the Flies' — at 29,000 feet," the N.Y. Times reports.

By the numbers: At 29,000 feet, the mountain's treacherous hike has no room for error. Too many inexperienced climbers are to blame for the traffic jam on the mountain, veteran climbers and industry leaders say.

  • "Fly-by-night adventure companies are taking up untrained climbers who pose a risk to everyone on the mountain."
  • "And the Nepalese government, hungry for every climbing dollar it can get, has issued more permits than Everest can safely handle."

Another problem: "Climbers ... pushing and shoving to take selfies."

Go deeper

Jacob Knutson
3 hours ago - Sports

Pac-12 will play football this fall, reversing course

A view of Levi's Stadium during the 2019 Pac-12 Championship football game. Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images

The Pac-12, which includes universities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington state, will play football starting Nov. 6, reversing its earlier decision to postpone the season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters: The conference's about-face follows a similar move by the Big Ten last week and comes as President Trump has publicly pressured sports to resume despite the ongoing pandemic. The Pac-12 will play a seven-game conference football season, according to ESPN.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Dave Lawler, author of World
3 hours ago - World

Global coronavirus vaccine initiative launches without U.S. or China

Data: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance; Map: Naema Ahmed/Axios

A global initiative to ensure equitable distribution of coronavirus vaccines now includes most of the world — but not the U.S., China or Russia.

Why it matters: Assuming one or more vaccines ultimately gain approval, there will be a period of months or even years in which supply lags far behind global demand. The COVAX initiative is an attempt to ensure doses go where they're most needed, rather than simply to countries that can produce or buy them at scale.

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Axios
Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 6:15 p.m. EST: 32,062,182 — Total deaths: 979,701 — Total recoveries: 22,057,268 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 6:15 p.m EST: 6,967,103 — Total deaths: 202,558 — Total recoveries: 2,670,256 — Total tests: 97,459,742 — Map.
  3. Health: Cases are surging again in 22 states — New York will conduct its own review of coronavirus vaccine.
  4. Business: America is closing out its strongest quarter of economic growth.
  5. Technology: 2020 tech solutions may be sapping our resolve to beat the pandemic.
  6. Sports: Here's what college basketball will look like this season.
  7. Science: During COVID-19 shutdown, a common sparrow changed its song.
Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow

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