Nine Foreign Tourists Killed In Pakistan

by Adam Hodge on

Gunmen stormed a Himalayan base camp in northern Pakistan on Sunday, killing 11 people, among them nine foreign climbers. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The tourists were of Ukrainian, Russian and Chinese origin, according to Reuters. They were attacked at the base camp of Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest mountain in the world. The mountain is located in the Gilgit-Baltistan province of Pakistan, an area where the Himalayas, the Hindu-Kush and the Karakoram mountain ranges collide in spectacular fashion. The area has heretofore been one of the more secure regions for tourists in the violence-plagued country.

Officials say that the attackers wore police uniforms and kidnapped two guides to lead them to the base camp, which is inaccessible by road. They then opened fire on the camp, killing the climbers and guides. One Chinese climber is alleged to have survived.

The Taliban claim the attack was in response to continued support of drone strikes by the international community.

Dozens of other climbers were evacuated from the mountain by helicopter following the assault. The mountain is a popular challenge for experienced mountaineers from around the world. Nanga Parbat is known as the “Killer Mountain” for its notoriously lethal difficulty level.

Mount Fuji And More Designated As UNESCO World Heritage Sites

by Jonathan Kramer on
Midori, Wikimedia Commons

On Saturday, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee announced this year’s newly inscribed locations to their list of World Heritage Sites from their 37th session in Cambodia. Each year, the UN agency evaluates the most culturally and naturally significant sites that have been proposed to them from countries around the world. Then, they elect the most outstanding to be put on their renowned list.

This year sees Japan‘s iconic Mount Fuji added to the list after previous nomination attempts were rejected due to garbage disposal problems on the summit as well as a perceived lack of uniqueness of the mountain. Japan successfully lobbied for the stratovolcano to be included this year due to the incredibly prominent role it has played in Japanese history, religion and art. One of the most famous Japanese works of art, “The Great Wave,” features the beautifully shaped mountain in the background. The woodblock print even comes from a series named “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.” Today, Fuji-san has come to represent Japan as a whole.Also added to the World Heritage List this year was China‘s gorgeous Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, which have been continuously cultivated for over 1,300 years. Located in Southern Yunnan, the rice terraces cover more than 64 square miles of farmland, where many of the locals still live a very traditional life, living in thatched huts and small villages.

The nations of Qatar and Fiji received their first ever World Heritage Site inscriptions this year. Al Zubarah, a walled fort town in Qatar, was a successful trade post before it was abandoned at the turn of the 20th century. In the years since, much of the site has been covered in sand blown in from the desert, helping to preserve it. Fiji’s Levuka Historical Port Town has been inscribed after more than 25 years of lobbying by their government. The port town was Fiji’s first colonial capital and received strong architectural influences from both it’s British colonial rulers as well as from its own indigenous culture.

In total this year, 19 sites were added to the World Heritage List, from countries in almost every corner of the globe, with the possibility of even more to be announced before the session ends on June 27. Sites that have been given designation by UNESCO receive increased protection under international law, funds for further preservation as well as greater public awareness and tourism. There are presently 962 World Heritage Sites in 157 countries. Other sites include Yellowstone National Park, the Pyramids of Giza, Uluru in Australia and the Darjeeling Railway in India.

Did A Multi-Billion Dollar Company Steal This Travel Blogger’s Brand?

by Kyle Ellison on

In August of 2012 I had an email exchange with a blogger named Turner who was the founder of the travel blog Around the World in 80 Jobs.

Turner had written a post on working at the Pink Palace party hostel on the Greek Island of Corfu, where I myself had worked for a summer in 2005. I got in touch with him, he said he’d been working on the blog for a while, and was looking to grow. I told him he had a great idea and wished him the best of luck.

Almost a year later, it now appears that after working tirelessly to grow his blog into a successful travel brand, a large, multinational corporation with assets estimated in the billions of dollars has launched a marketing campaign that is shockingly similar to Turner’s brand, and has even trademarked the name of his site.

For the sake of comparison, here is a link to Turner’s website, and here is a link to the marketing campaign.

Looks pretty similar eh?

More importantly, here is a post where Turner addresses the issue and raises the concerning fact that, amongst other things, the actor in the promotional video looks just like him.

Some are claiming it’s Turner’s own fault for not trademarking his brand. Many in the blogging community are claiming this is a blatant intellectual property violation that obliterates the role of ethics in business.

Take a look for yourself, and let us know what you think. Does Turner have a right to be angry about this, or has a large company seized on a successful idea and taken off running with it?

Give us your thoughts in the comments below.

**Update: The company has since removed their promotional video from their website and has restricted access to their marketing video**

Daredevil To Walk Tightrope Across Grand Canyon Live On TV

by Libby Zay on

Daredevil Nik Wallenda, descendent of the famed Flying Wallendas circus family, is planning to walk a tightrope strung across the Colorado River Gorge just outside the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park this Sunday, Associated Press reports.

Wallenda, who successfully walked across Niagara Falls on a tightrope last year, will attempt to walk a third of a mile across a wire suspended 1,500 feet above the chasm. But unlike his Niagara Falls stunt, Wallenda will not be wearing a safety tether – and there won’t be a safety net, either.

The seventh-generation performer’s family has had its fair share of tragedy. Several of his family members have perished while performing, including his great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda, who fell to his death while walking a tightrope between two towers of a hotel in Puerto Rico at the age of 73.

Wallenda estimates it will take him about 30 minutes to cross the gorge. Tune in on Sunday at 8 p.m ET to the Discovery Channel to watch the live stunt, or watch it online.

Investigators Say TWA 800 Crash Not An Accident

by Libby Zay on

It’s been almost 17 years since Paris-bound TWA Flight 800 exploded and crashed into waters off Long Island, New York, killing 230 people on board. A parallel investigation by the CIA and FBI deemed the root of the accident was a fuel tank explosion, but now, six former investigators have stepped forward claiming there was a cover up.

Yahoo! is reporting that an upcoming documentary on the accident claims to have proof that a missile caused the flight to crash. One investigator maintains that information provided by more than 750 witnesses was never shared with the FBI, while another says he was “physically removed” by CIA agents from a room when tests from the right wing of the plane came back positive for explosives.

According to the news outlet, the former investigators filed a petition with the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday that called for the case to be reopened, but none of them are speculating on who would have fired the missile or on any reasons for the alleged cover up. We’ll leave it up for readers to draw their own conclusions after watching the film, which premieres on EPIX on July 17, the anniversary of the disaster.