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The Snowman Race is an event that revels in its superlatives. It is the highest ultra-marathon in the world, it is widely considered the most demanding and, even though it is invitation-only for athletes who have a track record of competing in extreme races, it still has an alarmingly high drop-out rate. In its first iteration in 2022, the 125-mile route – which covers some of the toughest terrain of northern Bhutan – required the 29 athletes who took part to run at an average altitude of 4,267m (14,000ft) for five days and climb multiple Himalayan passes over 5,470m (17,946ft)....

Bhutan, landlocked country of south-central Asia, located on the eastern ridges of the Himalayas. Historically a remote kingdom, Bhutan became less isolated in the second half of the 20th century, and consequently the pace of change began to accelerate. With improvements in transportation, by the early 21st century a trip from the Indian border to the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, that once took six days by mule could be made in just a few hours by car along a winding mountain road from the border town of Phuntsholing

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/f284bc37-ed1f-4d32-a910-1856a199cf2c Hidden Himalayas: hiking the new Trans-Bhutan Trail Bhutan is finally reopening its borders this weekend — and launching a 400km footpath across the country © The sacred site of Mebar Tsho Share on twitter (opens new window) Share...

A video posted on Chinese microblogging website Weibo by the Russian embassy of a party held today to celebrate the 160th anniversary of Vladivostok sparked online outrage with Chinese diplomats, journalists and users referring to the city by its old name ‘Haishenwai’. Vladivostok which once used to be part of China’s Qing dynasty and was known as Haishenwai was annexed by the Russian empire in 1860 after China’s defeat by the British and the French in the Second Opium war. Reacting to Russian embassy’s tweet, Shen Shiwei, a journalist working with the state-owned broadcaster CGTN, tweeted: “This “tweet” of #Russian...

Beijing [China], December 17 (ANI): The US administration is concerned over China's increasing military capability near its border with India as it tries to expand its strategic alliance in the region, according to a report. The US Defense Department is newly concerned about China's further military build-up near the demarcation line across its Himalayan border with India after Beijing deployed long-range strategic bombers to the area last month in another apparent warning to New Delhi, according to Foreign Policy magazine. Further, the build-up along the Indian border fits the pattern of Chinese regional aggression witnessed in other parts of the...

Foreign Policy magazine recently dropped a bombshell: China has built an entirely new village in an area historically and internationally recognized as part of neighboring country Bhutan’s territory. Moreover, China did it through a “gray zone invasion,” without firing a single shot, causing any military conflict with Bhutan, or even drawing any international attention until after the fact. The revelation is a reminder of how far the Chinese Communist Party is willing to go to fulfill its global ambitions.For decades, CCP leaders have sought to assure the rest of the world that China’s rise is peaceful and never seeks hegemony....

WHEN INDIA presented Bhutan with a generous gift of covid-19 vaccines in January, the neighbouring kingdom made an unusual choice. Rather than rushing to inoculate all 800,000 of its citizens, the government sought advice from the Zhung Dratshang, a body of Buddhist monks. The stars were not auspicious, they ruled. Better to wait two months, and then to make sure that the first dose be both administered by, and given to, women born in the Year of the Monkey. So Bhutan waited until March 27th before Tshering Zangmo administered the first jab to Ninda Dema. The injection took place at...

To wade of Chinese demon, RSS wants you to chant this 'mantra' Written By: Vicky Nanjappa Updated: Monday, July 24, 2017, 7:16 [IST] The RSS has asked all Indians to chant a 'mantra' before their prayers. " Let Kailash, Himlaya and Tibet be delivered from the demonic clutches of China.' RSS pracharak and national executive Indresh Kumar told Mail Today: "Kailash, Himalaya aur Tibet Cheen ki asuri shakti se mukt ho" (Kailash, Himalaya and Tibet be delivered from the demonic clutches of China). This is the mantra or 'sankalp', translated into 'resolve', that the RSS wants every Indian to...

The Kingdom of Bhutan, a small Himalayan country with a majority Buddhist population, became the latest to establish full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel on Saturday night, just days after the Kingdom of Morocco did so. ... The Jerusalem Post reported: Israel established full diplomatic relations with Bhutan for the first time on Saturday night. Ambassador to India Ron Malka and his Bhutanese counterpart Vetsop Namgyel signed the final agreement normalizing ties on Saturday night. The countries’ foreign ministries held secret talks over the past year towards the goal of forging official ties, which included delegations between the...

The Bhutanese rulers have been sensitised at the highest level and have been asked to prepare for a military contingency plan After Ladakh and the South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is poised to open another front against Bhutan, with a build-up in western and central part of Kingdom in a bid to settle the border on terms favourable to China in the forthcoming 25th round of boundary talks, people familiar with the matter said, While Thimpu has been sensitised at the highest levels about the PLA threat, the people added, Beijing will likely use PLA transgressions and...

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has recently suspended a decision that was described by analysts as one of the geopolitical shocks of the decade. In February, the President announced he would rip up the long-standing Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, which operationalises the two countries' Mutual Defence Treaty (MDT), signed in 1951. The MDT is similar to Australia's ANZUS security pact with the US — also signed in 1951 — as an attack in the Pacific threatening either party's "territorial integrity, political independence, or security" will automatically trigger a consultation process between Manila and Washington. The cancellation of...

China on Saturday officially stated for the first time it has a boundary dispute with Bhutan in the eastern sector, a development with significant implications for India as the region borders Arunachal Pradesh, which is also claimed by Beijing. The Chinese foreign ministry, in a statement issued to Hindustan Times, said the China-Bhutan boundary has never been delimited and there “have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sections for a long time”. The statement in Mandarin further said “a third party should not point fingers” in the China-Bhutan border issue – an apparent reference to India. Bhutan and...

Bhutan is small, about the size of Switzerland, and similarly mountainous—though more geographically remote. To the south, Bhutan is landlocked by India, and to the North, it's buffered by the mighty Himalaya. Before 1974, Bhutan was completely closed off to tourists and most outsiders, and even now, only a few fee-paying visitors are allowed in at a time. The small mountain kingdom is home to a thriving, ancient culture, as well as stunning natural beauty. What many believe is the world's highest unclimbed peak, Gangkhar Puensum, soars nearly 25,000 feet into the clouds. Without a sizeable wallet, or an outsized...

Nine hundred and thirteen refugees were admitted to the United States during August, the first time the monthly intake has dropped below one thousand in 15 years, and the smallest number of monthly admissions since October 2002. August’s arrivals followed a pattern evident since the start of the Trump administration – a declining proportion of Muslims in comparison to Christians and adherents of other faiths. Of the 913 refugees admitted during the month, 551 (60.3 percent) were Christians, with the biggest groups including 185 Pentecostalists from Ukraine and 53 Baptists, also from Ukraine. A significantly smaller group, 220 (24.1 percent)...

A confrontation occurred between Indian and Chinese soldiers along a disputed border in the western Himalayas, Indian officials said on Tuesday. The PTI news agency said soldiers threw stones, causing minor injuries to both sides, as Chinese troops tried to enter Indian territory near the Pangong lake. Beijing maintains that their soldiers were inside Chinese territory. [snip] The two nations fought a war over the border in 1962 and disputes remain unresolved in several areas, which causes tensions to escalate from time to time.

Highlights o PLA soldiers tried to enter the Indian side in two areas -- Finger Four and Finger Five -- twice on Tuesday morning o Personnel from both sides received some injuries in stone-pelting o The rival troops pulled back from the confrontation site after banner drills to defuse the situation NEW DELHI: A major scuffle, which included stone-pelting, took place between Indian and Chinese soldiers along the Line of Actual Control at eastern Ladakh in the western sector on Tuesday even as the tense troop stand-off in Doklam area in the eastern sector remains locked in a stalemate. Sources...

No bully, especially one as big and brash as China, likes to be defied. And that too very openly. But this is exactly what India, which Beijing perceives is a weakling, has been doing by not agreeing to withdraw Indian troops from the Dokhlam Plateau.All the threats issued by China – the hints of an imminent attack on India, planting reports of a massive buildup of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops and military hardware across the border, talk of interfering in Kashmir on behalf of Pakistan, trying to pass off a routine military exercise as a preparation for war and...

Brussels [Belgium], July 14 (ANI): An aggresive China did not anticipate India stepping in a strong manner to defend Bhutan's territorial sovereignty during its unilateral move to build a motorable road from Dokala in Doklam area towards the Bhutan Army camp in Zornpelri, according to Ryszard Czarnecki, vice president of the European Parliament. In an article written for EP Today, Czarnecki has exposed Beijing's lie of assuring the international community that its 'peaceful rise' would not in any way threaten the established order, but instead promote a peaceful international environment. He clearly states that China has been following a foreign...

DNA Edit: China's warmongery Not an ambassador of peace The dogs of war are growling and if the India-China-Bhutan standoff in the Doklam plateau escalates, they would soon be upon us. However, even before things come to such a pass, the Chinese media, it seems, is egging on its government to flex its military muscles against India and teach New Delhi "a bitter lesson". It isn't only the Chinese media that is so eagerly, and so brusquely, baiting war. Even the Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui has jumped into the fray saying that there is no possibility of a...

..I was having a panic attack.What I wanted to know was: why now – my life was going uncharacteristically well – and what could I do about it? “You need to think about death for five minutes every day,” Ura replied. “It will cure you.” “How?” I said, dumbfounded. “It is this thing, this fear of death, this fear of dying before we have accomplished what we want or seen our children grow. This is what is troubling you.” “But why would I want to think about something so depressing?” “Rich people in the West, they have not touched dead...