Nepali govt investigating ‘illegal’ Everest broadcast
NEPAL: A British mountaineer’s interview with the BBC on his
smartphone from the top of Mount Everest has stirred controversy with
the Nepalese government calling the broadcast “illegal”, officials said
Monday. British mountaineer Daniel Hughes gave a live video interview to
the BBC on his smartphone from the 8,848-metres (29,029-feet) peak on
Sunday morning.
“This is the world’s first live video call -- never been done before
-- from the rooftop of the world,” said the climber while breathing
heavily through an oxygen mask and wearing a clown’s red nose for
charity. “I don’t have a camera man with me. It’s me with a pole, an HTC
smartphone...and of course my red nose. It’s a very proud moment to be
here and two-and-a-half years in the making,” he added.
The mountain has had mobile phone coverage for several years. But
Purnachandra Bhattarai, joint secretary of Nepal’s tourism ministry,
told AFP Hughes had broken the law by not seeking permission from the
government for his broadcast. “Even the tourism ministry has to seek
permission from the communication ministry to film, broadcast or conduct
media related events on Everest,” Bhattarai said. He said Hughes’
trekking agency was under investigation as a result of the incident but
did not elaborate further.
During a so-called “fair weather” window on Sunday, 146 people
reached the summit of the world’s highest peak, featuring teams claiming
records for the first women from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Indian
sisters as the first twins, and a British climber completing the feat
for his eleventh time.
AFP
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