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Christie's to Open New Hong Kong HQ, Sees Growing Asian Gen Z Interest

People watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour from a mountaintop in Hong Kong, China March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
People watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour from a mountaintop in Hong Kong, China March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
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Christie's to Open New Hong Kong HQ, Sees Growing Asian Gen Z Interest

People watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour from a mountaintop in Hong Kong, China March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
People watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour from a mountaintop in Hong Kong, China March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Auction house Christie's hopes its new 50,000-sq-ft Asia headquarters that opens in Hong Kong in September will boost sales in 2024 amid increased interest across the region from a new generation of culturally astute millennials and younger.
Francis Belin, Christie's Asia-Pacific president, said he is "cautiously optimistic" about sales in the region as they try to engage with clients with the right products, right price and "exciting" events, Reuters said.
"We think we'll continue to see a market in 2024 which is not as booming as in 2021, but it's one that we can navigate if we do the right thing like we did in 2023," Belin told Reuters on Monday.
Total auction sales in the Asia-Pacific region eased 4% to $805 million last year from 2022, contributing 28% to the group's total. The sales decline compared to 43% and 9% drops in Americas and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa), respectively.
Greater China accounted for 80% of Asia-Pacific sales.
Christie's also saw a surge in new buyers among millennials, born between 1981 to 1996, and Gen Z, born since 1997. It said Asia-Pacific accounted for 66% of its global millennial buyers last year, and more than half of them were from mainland China. Gen Z buyers from Asia-Pacific also more than doubled.
Belin said the auction house had started to see a surge in buying from young Chinese collectors for Chinese works of art and paintings over the past three years, rising from a few percentage points to up to 20% now, thanks to the company's increasingly use of Chinese social media apps such as Wechat and Xiaohongshu.
"So you find collectors at the depth of collecting, not just the hip, new artist, but that goes back to their cultural roots. That's meaningful for them and their culture," Belin said.
The market was slower last year because collectors were not convinced it was the best time to sell, he added.
The auction house will open its new Asia-Pacific headquarters at The Henderson, a new office tower in Hong Kong's prime Central district, in September. Christie's four floors in the building, which is being designed by Zaha Hadid Architects and developed by Henderson Land, will launch a three-month program of sales, exhibitions and events until November.
Belin shrugged off the impact of new national security laws that the Hong Kong government has imposed on the city, saying the financial hub still has a free flow of capital and rule of law.
He said he recognised the Hong Kong government's efforts in developing the city's arts and culture by hosting international events and building the West Kowloon Cultural District, which overlooks Victoria Harbour.
"Hong Kong will be able to rebuild itself; art and culture is part of it."
The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index (KFLII), which tracks the performance of 10 popular investments of passion, showed that art was the best-performing luxury asset class in 2023, followed by jewelry, with prices rising 11% and 8%, respectively.
Knight Frank said in a report last week clients in Hong Kong allocate 19% of their investment portfolio to luxury investments, in line with the global average.

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Varieties

Scientists: Analysis of Beethoven’s Hair Reveals Possible Cause of Mysterious Ailments

(FILES) A figurine of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is seen in the souvenir shop of the Beethovenhaus museum, in Baden bei Wien, Austria. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)
(FILES) A figurine of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is seen in the souvenir shop of the Beethovenhaus museum, in Baden bei Wien, Austria. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)
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Scientists: Analysis of Beethoven’s Hair Reveals Possible Cause of Mysterious Ailments

(FILES) A figurine of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is seen in the souvenir shop of the Beethovenhaus museum, in Baden bei Wien, Austria. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)
(FILES) A figurine of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven is seen in the souvenir shop of the Beethovenhaus museum, in Baden bei Wien, Austria. (Photo by Joe Klamar / AFP)

High levels of lead detected in authenticated locks of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair suggest that the composer had lead poisoning, according to new research.

In addition to hearing loss, the famed classical composer had recurring gastrointestinal complaints throughout his life, experienced two attacks of jaundice and faced severe liver disease, CNN reported.

It is believed that Beethoven died from liver and kidney disease at age 56.

The composer expressed his wish that his ailments be studied and shared so “as far as possible at least the world will be reconciled to me after my death.”

An international team of researchers set out nearly a decade ago to partially fulfill Beethoven’s wish by studying locks of his hair, CNN said. Using DNA analysis, the team determined which ones truly belonged to the composer and which were fraudulent, and sequenced Beethoven’s genome by analyzing his authenticated locks.

The findings, published in a March 2023 report, revealed that Beethoven had significant genetic risk factors for liver disease and a hepatitis B infection before his death. But the results didn’t provide any insights into the underlying causes of his deafness, which began in his 20s, or his gastrointestinal issues.

Beethoven’s genome was made publicly available, inviting researchers around the world to investigate lingering questions about Beethoven’s health.

Meanwhile, scientists continue to figuratively go over the authenticated locks of Beethoven’s hair with a fine-tooth comb, teasing out surprising insights.

In addition to high concentrations of lead, the latest findings showed arsenic and mercury that remain trapped in the composer’s strands nearly 200 years after his death, according to a new letter published Monday in the journal Clinical Chemistry. And the insights could provide new windows not only into understanding Beethoven’s chronic health ailments, but the complicated nuances of his life as a composer, CNN said.

Varieties

King Charles Hands Military Title to Son William in Rare Joint Appearance

Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
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King Charles Hands Military Title to Son William in Rare Joint Appearance

Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)
Britain's King Charles III officially hands over the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps to Prince William, The Prince of Wales in front of an Apache helicopter at the Army Aviation Center in Middle Wallop, England, Monday, May 13, 2024. (AP)

Britain's King Charles handed over a senior military role to his son Prince William at a ceremony on Monday, marking a rare joint appearance for the pair as the king steps up his return to public duties after his cancer diagnosis.

Charles presented William with the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, a position the 75-year-old monarch held for 32 years, in front of an Apache helicopter, and watched by service personnel at the Army Flying Museum in southern England.

"He's a very good pilot indeed," Charles said of his son, a former helicopter search and rescue pilot for Britain's Royal Air Force.

The visit was Charles' latest engagement since he returned to work at the end of April, almost three months after Buckingham Palace announced he was being treated for an unspecified type of cancer.

William, 41, had also taken a break from official duties for several weeks in March and April this year, choosing to spend time with and care for his wife after she revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

He said on Friday she was "doing well".

At the handover ceremony, Charles said he was saying goodbye with "sadness", but the Army Air Corps would go from "strength to strength" under his son.

"Look after yourselves and I can't tell you how proud it has made me to have been involved with you all this time," Charles said.

The title transfer was announced last August after Charles' accession to the throne. William spent time with the Corps, viewing training, equipment and hearing from soldiers later on Monday.

Varieties

Yellow Diamond Brooch Resembling Queen Elizabeth’s up for Auction

The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)
The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Yellow Diamond Brooch Resembling Queen Elizabeth’s up for Auction

The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)
The Allnatt, a 101.29-carat yellow diamond, mounted as a brooch by Cartier, is displayed ahead of auction, during a Sotheby's media preview in Geneva, Switzerland, May 13, 2024. (Reuters)

A golden-hued diamond brooch, similar to one worn by the late Queen Elizabeth, is expected to be sold for around $6 million at a Sotheby's auction in Geneva this week.

The "Allnatt" diamond, bearing the name of its first owner, a British sportsman, is a rare stone, fancy vivid yellow in color and weighing 101.29 carats.

It was mounted by Cartier into a floral design strongly resembling Queen Elizabeth's Williamson Pink diamond, given to her as a wedding gift in 1947.

An unmounted, internally flawless diamond weighing over 37 carats will also come up for sale at the same auction on Tuesday, Sotheby's said.

Varieties

Indonesia’s Mount Ibu Erupts, Spewing Thick Ash and Dark Clouds Into the Sky 

Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Indonesia’s Mount Ibu Erupts, Spewing Thick Ash and Dark Clouds Into the Sky 

Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Ibu spews thick smoke in Gam Ici, North Maluku, on May 13, 2024. (AFP)

Mount Ibu, a volcano in Indonesia's North Maluku province, erupted on Monday, spewing thick grey ash and dark clouds 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky for five minutes, officials said.

“The volcanic earthquakes are still intense so there is a potential for a future eruption,” Hendra Gunawan, chief of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.

After an eruption on Friday, the center raised the alert level for the volcano from 2 to 3, the second-highest level, which widens the radius of the area which should be vacated. Local authorities have prepared evacuation tents, but no evacuation order has been reported yet.

Officials advised residents and tourists not to conduct any activities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of Mount Ibu's crater. More than 13,000 people live within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) radius of the northern side of the crater, Gunawan said.

The 1,325-meter (4,347-foot) volcano is on the northwest coast of the remote island of Halmahera.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes. It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.

Varieties

Cambodia's Famed Kampot Pepper Withers in Scorching Heatwave

"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," says farmer Chhim Laem. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," says farmer Chhim Laem. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
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Cambodia's Famed Kampot Pepper Withers in Scorching Heatwave

"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," says farmer Chhim Laem. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," says farmer Chhim Laem. TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP

Farmer Chhim Laem shakes his head as he walks between long rows of dead bushes, their brown leaves scorched by heat and drought that have devastated Cambodia's famed Kampot pepper crop.
Known for its intense floral flavor, Kampot pepper is prized by top chefs around the world and sells for up to $200 per kilo.
Nurtured for generations in two provinces in southwest Cambodia, the pepper industry survived the genocidal Khmer Rouge and decades of instability, but now faces the threat of extreme weather driven by climate change.
"It is so hot this year, no rains, and we have no water to water the pepper plants," Laem told AFP. "So they all died."
South and Southeast Asia have sweltered in recent weeks under record temperatures, with governments closing schools, people dying of heatstroke and farmers praying for rain.
Scientists warn that human-induced climate change will produce more frequent, longer and more intense heatwaves.
In parts of Cambodia, the mercury nearly hit 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit) in late April -- after a six-month drought that pushed farmers to a breaking point.
All 264 of Laem's pepper bushes perished, the 55-year-old explained, thanks to water shortages and hot weather.
Production has grown in recent years, boosted by the European Union granting the spice a "protected geographical indication" in 2016 -- meaning that only pepper grown in a designated area can be called Kampot.
The Kampot region produced about 120 tonnes of peppercorns last year, but farmers say that excessive heat and rain have made 2024 the worst on record.
Laem earned about $1,000 from his farm last year, but said he expects a fraction of that now.
"I am so sad, but I don't know what to do," he said.
'The worst year'
Nguon Lay is a fourth-generation pepper farmer, harvesting nine tonnes from his nearby five-hectare farm last year.
But the 71-year-old farmer expected to harvest nothing this year.
"This year we meet the biggest obstacle," he said, while examining a dying pepper bush.
Torrential rain destroyed the plants' flowers earlier in the season, with more dying in the prolonged drought that followed.
"So it is the worst year. We don't know what to do. We see problems, but we can't resolve them," Lay said.
Like other farmers, Lay said he knew the problems came from the weather and the environment.
Several ponds used to water his plants have dried up, and his workers only water the crop once every five days.
"We have been prepared. We know about climate change, we have stored water, we built roofs to protect our peppers from the hot weather, but it was not enough."
"So many pepper plants are dying," he said, adding that he no longer goes to his farms because it is too painful.
"This year we think we will get nothing," he said, adding that what little can be harvested is of lower quality because of the weather.
'Fight against nature'
Kampot pepper gained global acclaim during the French colonial occupation of Cambodia when it was exported widely, but the industry was nearly wiped out during the Khmer Rouge era.
In more recent years it has bounced back, gracing hip restaurant menus across the globe.
The pepper comes in green, black, red and white varieties -- the color changes as the corn ripens, with green the youngest and white the most mature.
Lay said consumers had no idea of the difficulties facing Kampot farmers, but they will soon see the effects.
"For 2024 and 2025, we won't have abundant pepper for them to eat," he said.
"It is zero!"
Kann Sinouch, president of the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, said he expects this year's pepper yield to be halved -- and warned of an export shortage in 2025.
He told AFP the changing weather meant farmers were unable to expand their farms, and instead were stuck struggling to keep their existing plants alive.
But Chan Deng, who has been growing pepper since the 1960s, said he would not surrender to the unpredictable weather.
"This year, it is strangely hot," Deng, 67, said.
His pepper yield plummeted from 300 kilos last year to around 10 kilos in 2024, with 20 percent of his plants dying due to the hot weather.
But Deng said he will dig more ponds to store water, hoping that in three years a good yield will return.
In the meantime, he said, "we will fight against nature".

Varieties

Saudi Science and Engineering Team Gears up for Regeneron ISEF 2024 in Los Angeles

The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)
The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)
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Saudi Science and Engineering Team Gears up for Regeneron ISEF 2024 in Los Angeles

The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)
The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition. (SPA)

The Saudi Science and Engineering Team is undergoing an intensive four-day training program in preparation for the upcoming Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF 2024) competition, the Saudi Press Agency said.
During the program, team members will acquire skills related to showcasing and refining their scientific background. They will also participate in training sessions with experienced former judges familiar with the fair.
Additionally, the team will engage in various training sessions to address questions related to their projects.
A total of 35 male and female students will represent the Kingdom at ISEF 2024, the world's largest pre-college STEM competition, competing against 1,700 students from 70 countries worldwide.
The Kingdom's participation is facilitated by the King Abdulaziz and his Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity "Mawhiba" and the Ministry of Education.
This year marks the 18th consecutive participation of the Kingdom in the fair since 2007, as part of an annual program organized by Mawhiba in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Varieties

Second Night of Auroras Seen ‘Extreme’ Solar Storm

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)
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Second Night of Auroras Seen ‘Extreme’ Solar Storm

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)
The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, glow on the horizon over Punta Arenas, Chile, on May 10, 2024. (AFP)

Auroras lit up skies across swaths of the planet for the second night in a row on Saturday, after already dazzling Earthlings from the United States to Tasmania to the Bahamas the day before.

A powerful solar storm -- which could continue into Sunday -- has triggered spectacular celestial shows usually confined to the far northern reaches of the planet, hence their nickname of the "northern lights."

"I have the sensation of living through a historic night in France... It was really charged, with solar particles and emotions," Eric Lagadec, an astrophysicist at the Observatoire de Cote d'Azur, wrote on social media after the first night.

"Find good spots, away from the lights, with a clear view to the north!"

Late Saturday evening, pictures again started trickling onto social media as people in the United States reported sightings, though not as strong as Friday night's.

The first of several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) -- expulsions of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun -- came just after 1600 GMT Friday, according to the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC).

It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm -- the first since the "Halloween Storms" of October 2003 that caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa.

Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights are seen in Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, May. 11, 2024. (The Canadian Press via AP)

Friday's storm was listed as hitting level five geomagnetic conditions -- the highest on the scale. Saturday saw G3 to G5 conditions, with G4 or higher conditions predicted Sunday and G3 conditions possible into Monday.

But no major disruptions to power or communications networks appear to have been reported this time around, despite initial worries from authorities.

There have only been "preliminary reports of power grid irregularities, degradation to high-frequency communications, GPS and possibly satellite navigation," the SWPC said.

Elon Musk, whose Starlink satellite internet operator has some 5,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, said his satellites were "under a lot of pressure, but holding up so far."

However, China's National Center for Space Weather issued a "red alert" Saturday morning, warning the storm will impact communications and navigation in most areas of the country, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Auroras were visible in the northern half of the country, according to media reports.

Worldwide excitement

Excitement over the phenomenon -- and otherworldly photos pink, green and purple night skies -- popped up across the world, from Mont Saint-Michel on the French coast to Payette, Idaho -- in the western United States -- to Australia's island state of Tasmania.

Aurora Australis lights in Oatlands, Tasmania, Australia, 11 May 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA)

Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and reach Earth in around eight minutes, CMEs travel at a more sedate pace, with officials putting the current average at 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second.

The CMEs emanated from a massive sunspot cluster that is 17 times wider than our planet.

People with eclipse glasses can also look for the sunspot cluster during the day.

The Sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings heightened activity.

NOAA's Brent Gordon encouraged the public to try to capture the night sky with phone cameras even if they couldn't see auroras with their naked eyes.

"You'd be amazed at what you see in that picture versus what you see with your eyes."

Spacecraft and pigeons

Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines, which can potentially lead to blackouts. Long pipelines can also become electrified, leading to engineering problems.

Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation, although the atmosphere prevents this from reaching Earth.

NASA has a dedicated team looking into astronaut safety and can ask astronauts on the International Space Station to move to places within the outpost that are better shielded.

Even pigeons and other species that have internal biological compasses could be affected. Pigeon handlers have noted a reduction in birds coming home during geomagnetic storms, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history, known as the Carrington Event after British astronomer Richard Carrington, occurred in September 1859.

Varieties

A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsaw

Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
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A Fire Burns Down almost an Entire Shopping Center Housing 1,400 outlets in Warsaw

Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)
Representation photo: Fire at a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 9, 2021. (Reuters)

A fire broke out on Sunday morning in a vast shopping center housing 1,400 shops and service outlets in the Bialoleka district in Poland's capital.
The fire brigade said more than 80% of the center was on fire, and rescue operations were being carried out by 50 teams, including chemical and environmental rescue specialists, The Associated Press said.
Footage aired by private broadcaster TVN24 showed thick black smoke rising over the area.
Authorities sent a text message warning Warsaw residents about the fire and to stay home with the windows closed.
A police spokesperson told the news agency PAP there were no injuries reported.
Shopping centers and large shops are usually closed on Sunday due to a ban on trade installed by the previous government which had close ties to the Catholic church, viewing it as a day of worship. Such outlets are exempt from the ban only about half a dozen Sundays a year, giving people the chance to shop ahead of Christmas and Easter and other events.

Varieties

UK Mountaineer Logs Most Everest Climbs by a Foreigner, Nepali Makes 29th Ascent

A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)
A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)
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UK Mountaineer Logs Most Everest Climbs by a Foreigner, Nepali Makes 29th Ascent

A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)
A handout photo made available by Seven Summit Trek shows tents set up on a glacier at a base camp, 5,364 m (17,598 ft) above sea level, of Mt. Everest in Nepal, 30 April 2024 (issued 12 May 2024). (EPA/Seven Summit Trek / Handout)

A British climber and a Nepali guide have broken their own records for most climbs of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, hiking officials said on Sunday.

Rakesh Gurung, director of Nepal's Department of Tourism, said Britain's Kenton Cool, 50, and Nepali guide Kami Rita Sherpa, 54, climbed the 8,849-metre (29,032 foot) peak for the 18th and 29th time, respectively.

They were on separate expeditions guiding their clients.

"He just keeps going and going... amazing guy!" Garrett Madison of the US-based expedition organizing company Madison Mountaineering said of the Nepali climber. Madison had teamed up with Kami Rita to climb the summits of Everest, Lhotse, and K2 in 2014.

K2, located in Pakistan, is the world's second-highest mountain and Lhotse in Nepal is the fourth-tallest.

Lukas Furtenbach of the Austrian expedition operator Furtenbach Adventures called Cool's feat remarkable.

"He is a fundamental part of the Everest guiding industry. Kenton Cool is an institution," Furtenbach, who is leading an expedition from the Chinese side of Everest, told Reuters.

Both climbers used the Southeast Ridge route to the summit.

Pioneered by the first summiteers, New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953, the route remains the most popular path to the Everest summit.

Kami Rita first climbed Everest in 1994 and has done so almost every year since, except for three years when authorities closed the mountain for various reasons.

He climbed the mountain twice last year.

Mountain climbing is a major tourism activity and a source of income as well as employment for Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, including Everest.

Nepal has issued 414 permits, each costing $11,000 to climbers for the climbing season that ends this month.

Varieties

Mystery of Where Mona Lisa was Painted Has Been Solved

The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy
The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy
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Mystery of Where Mona Lisa was Painted Has Been Solved

The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy
The painting’s bridge, lake and rocks might have finally identified the landscape. Photograph: IanDagnall Computing/Alamy

A geologist and Renaissance art historian is claiming to have solved the centuries-old debate on the location of the Italian landscape behind Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

Ann Pizzorusso, the author of the 2014 book “Tweeting Da Vinci,” is claiming she cracked the case, The Guardian reported.

In her expert opinion, Leonardo portrayed parts of the city of Lecco, on the shore of Lake Como in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, in his 16th-century masterpiece.

Pizzorusso claims she pinpointed the bridge, mountain range and lake featured in the painting’s background as Lecco’s Azzone Visconti bridge, built in the 14th century, the Alps which overlook the area and Lake Garlate, located south of the city.

Leonardo is known to have visited the area about 250 miles north of his home region of Florence about 500 years ago.

“I’m so excited about this. I really feel it’s a home run,” Pizzorusso told The Guardian.

She credited her knowledge of both geology and art for the findings, saying, “Geologists don’t look at paintings and art historians don’t look at geology.”

Using her knowledge of rocks, she also identified the greyish-white ones in the artwork, which was painted between 1503 and 1519 and now hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris, as limestone, which is prevalent in Lecco.