Norwegian Climber Retires after Becoming Fastest to Climb World's Highest 14 Peaks in 92 Days

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila (C) and Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa (C, right) arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu on August 5, 2023, after they set the record for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter mountains. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila (C) and Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa (C, right) arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu on August 5, 2023, after they set the record for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter mountains. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
TT
20

Norwegian Climber Retires after Becoming Fastest to Climb World's Highest 14 Peaks in 92 Days

Norwegian climber Kristin Harila (C) and Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa (C, right) arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu on August 5, 2023, after they set the record for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter mountains. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)
Norwegian climber Kristin Harila (C) and Nepali guide Tenjin Sherpa (C, right) arrive at the Tribhuvan International airport in Kathmandu on August 5, 2023, after they set the record for the fastest summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter mountains. (Photo by PRAKASH MATHEMA / AFP)

A Norwegian who just became the fastest climber to scale all the world’s 14 highest mountains announced she was retiring from climbing high peaks on Saturday upon her return to Nepal.
Kristin Harila along with her Sherpa guide Tenjin were given a hero's welcome at the Kathmandu airport where hundreds including mountaineers, government officials and well-wishers gathered to welcome them back with cheers and flower garlands.
Harila and Tenjin scaled Mount K2 in Pakistan last week, thus concluding the climb of the 14th peak — that is more than 8000 meters — high in 92 days, shattering the previous record of 189 days.
“I don’t think I will try any eight-thousand meters for a while." Harila said. "I have done 28 eight-thousand meters in total so I think I have done my part.”
The 37-year-old climber began the mission of setting a new record in April by scaling Mount Shishapangma followed by other peaks in China as well as Nepal, including Mount Everest. She then moved on to Pakistan to complete her list of climbs.
This year was her second attempt to set the record of becoming the fastest climber of the 14 peaks.
Harila had initially begun her world record attempt in April 2022 with the aim of completing it by September. But she only managed 12 peaks after Chinese authorities restricted foreign travel to the country because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I am going to do running in the mountains and have already signed up for a race,” she said of her immediate plans.
Harila said Mount K2, the last one on her list was the most difficult one to tackle. K2 is the second-highest peak in the world.
Harila said that weather conditions usually dictate how difficult a climb can be and this year they faced “very hard conditions on K2” because of “ very deep snow.”
The last record for the fastest climb of the 14 peaks was held by Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born British citizen who scaled them in 189 days in 2019, beating the previous record of more than seven years set by a South Korean climber. Purja’s climbs were later adapted into a popular Netflix documentary, “14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible.”



Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
TT
20

Trump Says Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in US

Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File
Partial view of the Coca-Cola Company's world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia on June 29, 2025. JUAN MABROMATA / AFP/File

Beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its US production, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday on social media.

The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic beverages -- a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, AFP said.

"I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them -- You'll see. It's just better!"

The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.

Since his return to the White House, Trump has re-installed a special button in the Oval Office which summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.

Coca-Cola did not immediately confirm the ingredient shift.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon," the company said in a short statement.

HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.

Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.

Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose. However, they differ structurally: HFCS contains free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios -- 55/45 in soft drinks -- while sucrose consists of the two sugars chemically bonded together.

These structural differences, however, don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes.

A 2022 review of clinical studies found no meaningful differences between HFCS and sucrose in terms of weight gain or heart health.

The only notable distinction was an increase in a marker of inflammation in people consuming HFCS. Overall, both sweeteners appear similarly impactful when consumed at equal calorie levels.

Despite this, Mexican Coke -- which is made with cane sugar -- is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavor.

Trump's prized Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame -- a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).