Foreign News
Climbing star, 23, dies after falling from Yosemite’s El Capitan
An Alaskan climbing influencer has died after falling from El Capitan, a famous vertical rock formation in California’s Yosemite National Park.
Balin Miller, 23, was live-streamed on TikTok ascending and subsequently falling from the monolith on Wednesday.
In an emotional social media post confirming her son’s death, his mother Jeanine Girard-Moorman said: “My heart is shattered in a million pieces. I don’t know how I will get through this. I love him so much. I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare.”
Details of what caused the incident are not clear, but Miller’s brother Dylan told AFP he was lead rope soloing – a technique that enables climbing alone while still protected by a rope – on a 2,400ft (730m) route named Sea of Dreams.
He had finished the climb and was hauling up equipment when he likely rappelled off the end of his rope, Dylan said.
Tom Evans, a Yosemite-based photographer who witnessed Miller fall, told Climbing magazine he called 911 after Miller tried to free his bag, which was stuck on a rock.
Originally from Anchorage, Miller grew up climbing with his father and brother.
He was an accomplished alpinist and gained international attention for claiming the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley’s Slovak Direct, which took him 56 hours to complete, according to a post on his Instagram in June.
“He’s had probably one of the most impressive last six months of climbing of anyone I can think of,” veteran alpinist Clint Helander told the Anchorage Daily News in July.
Another renowned Alaskan climber Mark Westman, compared him to Alex Honnold, who became the first person to free solo a full route on El Capitan.
Miller’s death came on the first day of the federal government shutdown, which left national parks “generally” open, with limited operations and closed visitors centres.
The National Park Service said in a statement that they were investigating the incident and “park rangers and emergency personnel responded immediately.”
Miller had spent weeks solo climbing in Patagonia and the Canadian Rockies, completing a notoriously difficult ice climb called Reality Bath, which had been unrepeated for 37 years, according to Climbing magazine.
He was known affectionately as the “Orange Tent Guy”, due to his distinctive campsite at the base of El Capitan.
El Capitan, an enormous sheer granite rock face of approximately 3,000 feet (915 meters), is a major landmark in the national park and entices big-wall rock climbers from all over the world.
Miller’s death marks the third at the Californian national park this year. In June, an 18-year-old from Texas died in the park while climbing without a rope on a different formation.
And in August, a 29-year-old hiker died after being struck in the head by a large tree branch.
[BBC]
Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known as Valentino, has died at the age of 93.
One of the giants of 20th Century fashion, Valentino’s creations were worn by celebrities and well-known figures including Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts and Gwyneth Paltrow.
He co-founded the Valentino fashion house in 1960 and ranked alongside Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld at the top of the profession.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation said: “He passed away peacefully in his Roman home, surrounded by the love of his family.”
The foundation said Valentino will be lying in state at Rome’s Piazza Mignanelli between 21 and 22 January.
Valentino’s funeral service will be held the following day at the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, the foundation said.
Born in Lombardy in May 1932, Valentino was known for his collections that displayed luxury, wealth and opulence.
He moved to Paris to study at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne when he was just 17, and went on to work with designers Jacques Fath, Balenciaga, Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche.
His adoption of his signature colour “Valentino red”, inspired by a trip to Spain, helped elevate the brand to global fame with the debut of the iconic fiesta dress.
It became so meaningful for the house that for Valentino’s last collection in 2008 all the models wore red dresses for the finale.
Valentino designed the wedding dress of Princess Madeleine of Sweden when she married British-American financier Christopher O’Neill in June 2013.
In December 2023, he was honoured with the outstanding achievement award at the British Fashion Awards which were held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
(BBC)
At least six people have been killed and about 20 injured when a fire tore through a shopping mall in Karachi, Pakistani officials say, as firefighters try to bring the blaze under control.
The fire broke out on Saturday at the Gul Plaza shopping mall, a densely packed commercial complex, and continued to burn for hours. By early Sunday, authorities said crews had managed to control about 30 percent of the fire.
South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told the Dawn newspaper that the death toll had risen from an initial three to five. The Edhi Foundation, a medical complex, later confirmed a sixth death in a statement.
Rescue officials said the mall contains roughly 1,200 shops, raising fears that people could still be trapped inside. The Edhi Foundation said part of the building collapsed due to the intensity of the fire, complicating rescue efforts.
Garden subdivision police officer Mohsin Raza said initial findings suggested the fire started due to a short circuit in one of the shops before rapidly spreading throughout the complex.
He said the exact cause must be determined through a detailed investigation and warned that the structure needs to be secured to prevent further damage.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences over the loss of life.
In a statement carried by PTV, Sharif ordered authorities to take “all possible measures” to protect lives and property, provide assistance to affected traders and ensure medical care for the injured.
Zardari urged the government of Sindh province, whose capital is Karachi, to offer “immediate and every possible assistance” and said: “No stone should be left unturned in providing the best medical facilities to the injured.”
[Aljazeera]
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in two regions where deadly wildfires are raging.
At least 16 people are confirmed dead in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, about 500km (300 miles) south of the capital Santiago. At least 20,000 have been evacuated.
The most dangerous fire has swept through dry forests bordering the coastal city of Concepción. About 250 homes have been destroyed, disaster officials said.
Local media show pictures of charred cars in the streets. Chile has experienced a series of devastating fires in recent years, worsened by long-term drought.
Chile’s forestry agency, Conaf, said firefighters were battling a total of 24 fires across the country on Sunday. The most threatening, it added, were in Ñuble and Biobío.
“In light of the serious ongoing wildfires, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe” in the two regions, Boric said in a post on X. “All resources are available,” he added.
The fires have affected 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) in the two regions so far, local media say.
The bulk of the evacuations were carried out in the cities of Penco and Lirquen, just north of Concepción, which have a combined population of 60,000.
Strong winds have fanned the flames amid summer temperatures, endangering communities and hampering firefighting efforts.
Much of Chile is under heat alerts, with temperatures expected to reach 38C between Santiago and Biobío in the next two days.
Two years ago, forest fires killed at least 120 people in the Valparaíso region near Santiago.
[BBC]
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