Latest Episode
May 22 1200 UTC Brief
On Everest
Mount Everest is once again doing what it does best, which is reminding people that a summit is not the same thing as a sensible idea. A record 274 climbers reached the top from Nepal’s south side in a single day, and queues built up in the mountain’s death zone, where oxygen is dangerously thin. The congestion followed a delayed season after a blocking ice formation shut the route in April, and the path only reopened on May 13.
Britain’s Kenton Cool also set a record, becoming the first non-Nepali climber to reach Everest’s summit 20 times. Nepal has issued nearly 500 climbing permits this year, with the main summit window running from late April to the end of May.
In the UK
Millions of people are heading off for the bank holiday break, and the transport network is bracing for the usual blend of traffic, delays, and regret. The AA expects about 23.4 million car journeys on Friday alone, with heavy congestion forecast on routes to the coast and other holiday spots. The Port of Dover is also expecting a busy weekend for ferry passengers.
Rail travellers are facing a messy mix of strikes and engineering work on several major lines, and warm weather is likely to add even more pressure. The holiday getaway, a cherished national exercise in standing still with snacks.
Separately, a 35-year-old man has been jailed for five years after threatening Jewish people in north London, including outside Belz Synagogue in Stamford Hill. Prosecutors said he made repeated death threats, used antisemitic language, and threw a rock at a moving car. The judge described it as a sustained campaign of antisemitic behaviour and banned him from entering Stamford Hill.
In global security and supply chains
China has tightened controls around rare earth supply chains, a move that could give Beijing even more leverage over materials used in electric vehicles, semiconductors, and defence technology. The new rules deepen uncertainty for Western manufacturers that are already heavily dependent on those minerals.
In Honduras, at least 25 people have been killed in attacks by gunmen as the government continues its crackdown on organised crime. Authorities have not yet given a full picture of who was behind the killings.
In U.S. politics
President Donald Trump is facing a fresh split with Republicans in Congress. Senate Republicans have refused to advance funding tied to his proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund, which some lawmakers have dismissed as a slush fund, while House leaders blocked a vote that would have forced Trump to seek approval for any war with Iran.
Trump’s standing with GOP lawmakers is said to be at its lowest point this term, which is never a great sign for a president who relies on them to keep the machinery moving.
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