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Tunisian Foreign Minister Visits Saudi Pavilion at Tunis Book Fair

Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nafti visits Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at the 39th Tunis International Book Fair - SPA
Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nafti visits Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at the 39th Tunis International Book Fair - SPA
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Tunisian Foreign Minister Visits Saudi Pavilion at Tunis Book Fair

Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nafti visits Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at the 39th Tunis International Book Fair - SPA
Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nafti visits Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at the 39th Tunis International Book Fair - SPA

Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Nafti visited on Friday the Saudi Arabia's Pavilion at the 39th Tunis International Book Fair.
Minister Nafti was welcomed by the Saudi Ambassador to Tunisia, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Ali Al-Saqr.
The Tunisian minister was briefed on exhibits, including the pavilion of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, viewing its latest publications on Arab and international security, SPA reported.
He also visited the pavilions of the King Salman Complex for the Arabic Language, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs.

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Nepal's 'Icefall Doctors' Fix Everest Route for Spring Season

A tourist looks at a view of Mt. Everest from the hills of Syangboche in Nepal December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar
A tourist looks at a view of Mt. Everest from the hills of Syangboche in Nepal December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar
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Nepal's 'Icefall Doctors' Fix Everest Route for Spring Season

A tourist looks at a view of Mt. Everest from the hills of Syangboche in Nepal December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar
A tourist looks at a view of Mt. Everest from the hills of Syangboche in Nepal December 3, 2009. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar

Highly skilled mountaineers known in Nepal as "icefall doctors" have begun fixing ropes and ladders on Mount Everest to prepare for the coming spring climbing season, officials said Wednesday.

The team has reached the base camp before starting work on the treacherous Khumbu Icefall, a constantly shifting maze of crevasses and ice blocks that forms the gateway to the world's highest peak.

"Our team of eight have reached the base camp and begun their work," Lama Kazi Sherpa, chair of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which oversees route-setting, told AFP.

As tradition dictates, the group began with a sacred ceremony at base camp to seek divine blessings before stepping onto the mountain.

This year, authorities increased the permit fee for the spring season from $11,000 to $15,000 for climbers aiming to scale the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit.

Authorities also tightened rules to reduce pollution, requiring each climber to bring back at least two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of waste to Camp 2 and enforcing the use of "poo bags".

Camp 2 is a broad glacial valley above the Khumbu Icefall where climbers often spend several days to acclimatize for higher altitudes.

Expedition operators in Kathmandu are also gearing up for the season, although they anticipate some impact from the travel chaos caused by the Middle East war.

"Flight disruption may affect some of the climbers but we don't expect a big impact," said Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators Association.

Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and attracts hundreds of climbers each spring, when temperatures are warmer and winds calmer.

A climbing boom has made mountaineering a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa made the first ascent in 1953.

Around 700 people reached Everest's summit last year, according to Nepal's tourism department, with another 100 climbers believed to have reached the peak from the northern Tibet side.

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Chinese University Tells Students to 'Fall in Love' During Spring Break

FILE PHOTO: A couple react during their wedding photoshoot near the Forbidden City, as the city is hit by sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A couple react during their wedding photoshoot near the Forbidden City, as the city is hit by sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Chinese University Tells Students to 'Fall in Love' During Spring Break

FILE PHOTO: A couple react during their wedding photoshoot near the Forbidden City, as the city is hit by sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A couple react during their wedding photoshoot near the Forbidden City, as the city is hit by sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

A Chinese university is urging students to "enjoy the flowers, fall in love" during their mid-term break, an unusual directive in a nation obsessed with getting good grades, as authorities seek new ways to spur marriages and domestic consumption.

"See the flowers and enjoy romance" is the theme for the spring holidays from April 1 to 6, the Sichuan Southwest Vocational College of Aviation said on its official Wechat account.

Tuesday's notice exhorting teachers and students to put down the books came about two weeks after China said it would introduce spring and autumn holidays for schools, ⁠in addition to the ⁠traditional times of summer and winter.

Authorities have said they will also encourage staggered paid leave to enable workers to travel in off-peak seasons.

Provinces such as Sichuan and eastern Jiangsu, along with cities like Suzhou and Nanjing, have unveiled plans for spring breaks, most set for April or ⁠early May.

China seeks to boost domestic consumption by encouraging travel and leisure activities among its population of 1.4 billion. Authorities also hope more free time will set the stage for births to reverse a worrisome trajectory of decline.

In 2025, the population fell for a fourth consecutive year, as the birth rate dropped to a record low, with experts warning of further decline.

Beijing also issued a guideline on Tuesday to promote child-friendly development, the powerful state planner, the National Development and Reform ⁠Commission (NDRC), said ⁠in a notice.

According to Reuters, it called for coordinated efforts to bring about "child-friendly cities", by improving public services in areas from education and health to travel, sports and recreation.

Society needs to have enough time and money to raise children, said James Liang, the co-founder of Chinese travel company Trip, who called for more such initiatives.

"Greater efforts are needed to educate young people on the social and personal benefits of raising larger families," added Liang, who is also a prominent demographic expert.

The government could establish a broader support framework by reallocating resources and boosting financial assistance, he said.

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Trespasser Caught in Viral Hippo Moo Deng's Thai Zoo Pen

Trespasser Caught in Viral Hippo Moo Deng's Thai Zoo Pen
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Trespasser Caught in Viral Hippo Moo Deng's Thai Zoo Pen

Trespasser Caught in Viral Hippo Moo Deng's Thai Zoo Pen

A Thai man broke into the zoo enclosure of Moo Deng, an endangered baby pygmy hippo and internet sensation, police said Wednesday, as the zoo filed a trespassing complaint.

Moo Deng -- whose name translates as "bouncy pork" -- has gained global attention thanks to social media videos showing her adorable antics, drawing tens of thousands of visitors and boosting zoo ticket sales.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo, about a two-hour drive from the capital Bangkok, said a Thai national had unlawfully entered the animal's pen on Tuesday.

Footage of the close encounter released by local media showed a man wearing a tank top, shorts and sandals inside the enclosure and recording Moo Deng with a tablet.

Zoo staff took about 10 minutes to remove the man from the pen, which also houses Moo Deng's mother, local media reported.

"The individual entered a restricted animal area," the zoo said in a statement.

It would "pursue legal action without exception" and added that Moo Deng was unharmed but "slightly startled" by the incident.

Police told AFP the intruder, a man who visited the zoo with his grandnephew, had wanted a closer look at the animal.

"We have initiated a trespassing case," said local investigating officer Athiwat Siralertthakorn.

No arrest has been made so far, he added.

Under Thai law, trespassers face up to one year in jail, a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($618) or both.

The pygmy hippo calf, which marked its first birthday in July, has inspired merchandise and memes since first going viral online in 2024.

Moo Deng has even featured in a beauty campaign by cosmetics giant Sephora, highlighting her glowing, peach-toned face.