US climber Hilaree Nelson found dead after fall from Mount Manaslu in Nepal
A US mountaineer has been found dead after she fell from the eighth-highest peak in Nepal.
Helicopters located Hilaree Nelson’s body on the south face of Mount Manaslu on Wednesday morning, her tour company Shangri-La Nepal Trek confirmed.
The 49-year-old was skiing down the 26,775ft (8,163m) summit with her partner Jim Morrison on Monday when she fell.
Rescuers tried and failed to locate her with searches on Monday and Tuesday.
According to the trekking company, Ms Nelson’s body was taken back to basecamp and is being transferred to a hospital in Kathmandu where a post-mortem examination can take place.
Ms Nelson was an extreme skier who, alongside her partner, summited Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest peak, in 2018.
Hilaree Nelson and her partner Jim Morrison. Pic: AP
Earlier on Monday, an avalanche at a lower elevation on Mount Manaslu killed a Nepalese guide and injured several other climbers.
All the climbers caught up in the incident were accounted for, with some of the injured flown to Kathmandu to be treated for their injuries.
After landing from the helicopter, one of the avalanche survivors, Phurte Sherpa, said: “I am not sure about the whereabouts of the missing climber but her husband was with us during the search today. We made two helicopter rescue attempts, but we were unable to find her.”
Two Nepalese sherpa guides were taken for treatment after an avalanche on Manaslu on Monday
Mountain ‘tested her resilience in new ways’
In her final post on Instagram last week, Ms Nelson described having difficulties and not feeling “as sure-footed on Manaslu as I have on past adventures into the thin atmosphere of the high Himalaya”.
“These past weeks have tested my resilience in new ways,” she wrote.
“The constant monsoon with its incessant rain and humidity has made me hopelessly homesick. I am challenged to find the peace and inspiration from the mountain when it’s been constantly shrouded in mist.”
Hundreds of climbers and their local guides are on Manaslu attempting to reach the summit during Nepal’s autumn climbing season.
The government has issued permits to 504 climbers to attempt to scale high mountain peaks during the autumn season. Most of them are on Mount Manaslu.
US
Changpeng Zhao: Former boss of world’s largest crypto exchange Binance jailed for allowing money laundering
The former boss of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has been jailed for four months for allowing money laundering.
The sentence was handed down to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, nicknamed CZ, after he pleaded guilty to breaching US anti-money laundering laws designed to prevent terrorist financing and funds going to sanctioned countries.
The prison term was far less than sought by US prosecutors who wanted a three-year term – twice the maximum 18 months recommended under federal sentencing guidelines – to be tough on the man once thought to be the most powerful person in the crypto world.
The defence had called for probation with no prison time for their client. A $50m (£40m) fine has already been paid by Zhao.
Despite the massive fine, he remains a billionaire and the wealthiest crypto executive, according to Forbes, with magazine putting his wealth at $33bn (£26.4bn).
Changpeng Zhao
Zhao apologised before his sentencing at a court in Seattle, saying: “I failed here. I deeply regret my failure and I am sorry.”
But district judge Richard Jones told him: “You had the wherewithal, the finance capabilities, and the people power to make sure that every single regulation had to be complied with, and so you failed at that opportunity.”
He is the second major crypto boss to go to prison. Last month, the founder of FTX Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years for stealing billions of dollars from the now-bankrupt crypto exchange.
Bankman-Fried has appealed against his conviction and his sentence.
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Sam Bankman-Fried jailed for 25 years
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A ‘wild west’ model
Zhao stepped down from his role at Binance in November after he and the company admitted evading requirements under the US Bank Secrecy Act.
The company agreed to a $4.3bn (£3.4bn) penalty as prosecutors said it used a “wild west” model that failed to report 100,000 suspicious transactions involving terrorist groups.
Prosecutors had also said Binance supported the sale of child sexual abuse material and received the proceeds of ransomware cyberattacks.
The US Justice Department brought the case as part of its clamp down on criminal activity within cryptocurrency, best known for Bitcoin.
Binance is also being investigated and sued by another US agency, the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company had once processed about two-thirds of all cryptocurrency transactions.
A two-year-old boy has died after a bouncy castle was lifted off the ground by a strong gust of wind, US authorities have said.
The parents of the boy – named in reports as Bodhi Naaf – are “grappling with unimaginable grief” following the incident on Saturday, a Go Fund Me page said.
The “tragic accident” happened near Casa Grande, Arizona, according to a statement from the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
“Several children were playing in a bounce house when a strong gust of wind sent it airborne into the neighbouring lot,” the sheriff’s office said.
“A two-year-old child was transported to the hospital where he passed away.”
A second child was taken to hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, Sky’s US partner NBC reported.
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A GoFundMe page has been set for up for Bodhi’s parents Karl and Cristy, who are expecting a child in late May.
“This devastating loss has left Karl and Cristy grappling with unimaginable grief,” it said.
“Adding to their challenges, Cristy is due to give birth to their second child on 31 May 2024. Amidst their sorrow, they face the daunting task of preparing for the arrival of their newborn.
“As a community, we want to offer our support and alleviate the financial burden that accompanies such tragedies.”
The fundraising page has received than $138,000 (£110,000).
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A spokesperson for the Phoenix Fire Department confirmed the couple has ties to the department, which is providing them with support, NBC said.
The statement said: “We are all devastated by this tremendous loss of life. The fire service prides itself on being one big family.
“Our membership and our department are doing everything we can to support Karl and Cristy during this difficult time.”
The US is planning to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug in an historic shift that could have a significant impact across the country.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal would recognise the drug’s medical properties and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than other dangerous substances.
However the proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House, would not legalise cannabis outright for recreational use.
Marijuana is currently classified in the US as a “schedule one” substance, alongside heroin and LSD, which is reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse.
The US Department of Justice, which oversees the DEA, recommended cannabis be switched to “schedule three”, meaning it has a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence, and putting the drug in the same bracket as ketamine and some anabolic steroids.
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How medical cannabis is made
The move comes after US President Joe Biden called for a review of the federal marijuana law in October 2022 and announced a pardon for thousands of Americans convicted of possessing cannabis.
In December, Mr Biden said: “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”
Read more from Sky News:
Germany legalises cannabis for personal use
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Jack Riley, a former deputy administrator of the DEA, said he had concerns about the proposed change, saying marijuana remains a possible “gateway drug”.
According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, some research has shown that young people who use cannabis have an increased risk of psychosis.
Using cannabis can also increase the risk of other mental health problems such as depression and suicidal feelings, it adds.
The discrepancy between federal and state cannabis laws in the US is evident, as 38 states have already legalised medical marijuana, with 24 approving its recreational use.
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