News about Sir Edmund Hillary

Officials are worried that the base camp, which is 17,598ft up the Himalayan mountain, is getting too crowded amid a rise in the number of tourists. The space on the base camp is overwhelming for luxury holiday companies such as glamorous chalets, Wi-Fi, and bespoke dining. The dome-shaped tents have carpeted flooring, wooden furniture, and ensuites, and some are only used for recreational meditation and massages. Other facilities that were not built in the camp were strictly commercial, including a bar, bakery, cafes, and even a museum.

This Christmas, the department store in Piccadilly in London would be despatching its famous hampers and other delicacies to 15 countries on the continent, from a special hub it has developed in Genk, Belgium. Since Britain left the EU, it is the first luxury food chain to resume exports to the EU. Fortnum's boss, Tom Athron (right), hopes that the Belgian operation will encourage other small British craft food businesses to sell their wares in Europe once more, as he continues to expand the Belgian business to other companies, even his own suppliers next year. The change, which is testament to UK companies' ingenuity, shows how companies can adapt to the post-Brexit trading environment, despite gloomy predictions from Remoaners that major chunks of trade will be lost forever.

Smiths' history of cutting-edge technology goes back more than a century. More recently, it helped with India's successful landing on the Moon's South Pole by providing components on board. It also manufactured the Mars rover's communications module. Despite being involved in such exciting breakthroughs, the company hasn't yet captured investors' interest. Paul Keel, who joined in 2021, was drafted in to change all that. Smiths' shares have increased by around 20% since he took over.

A former British Army Gurkha who lost both his legs while serving in Afghanistan has been the first double-knee amputee to scale Mount Everest. Hari Budha Magar completed the grueling feat 70 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to scale the mountain. The 43-year-old said, "If I can scale to the top of the world, then everyone, regardless of their disability, will achieve their dream.' Mr Magar grew up in the Nepalese mountains before serving 15 years as a corporal with the British Army's Gurkha regiment, losing both his legs in a 2010 explosion that was improvised explosive device explosion. Around 3 p.m. on Friday, he hit the 29,000ft peak.

Jane Slade spent three weeks trekking through the Himalayas to celebrate her 60th birthday. Our guides were moderately upbeat, and we had porters to carry our luggage.' We even went for a leisurely stroll, like a rhythmic, contemplative meditation on the move,' she explains. Along the way, she visited clifftop monasteries and hung out with a legendary Sherpa. The main picture shows Jade and her husband, Neil, at Everest Base Camp.