A mountain climbing couple has revealed how they can scale the most dizzying heights using a special ‘iron road’ which makes mountains safer.
A video released by the pair shows them using a Via Ferrata (Italian for iron road) to climb a Swiss peak.
The system – little known outside climbing circles – is a secured climbing route or pathway of fixed pegs, cables, and even ladders leading up a mountain slope.
It means even the trickiest peaks can be conquered in relative safety.
The couple’s video of their climb was recorded in the municipality of Leukerbad, in the district of Leuk, located in southern Switzerland, and posted recently on social media.
They are shown using fixed pegs hammered into the sheer rockface as hand and footholds.
Then they are seen scampering up a metal ladder and using a metal cable rope bridge to reach the summit with a sheer 10,000 ft drop below them.
The climbers told Zenger News: “We are Boris Bettex and Bogna Klimek, a couple living in Geneva, Switzerland.”
A climbing ladder leads to the peak of the Alpspitz mountain on August 19, 2012 near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)
They added: “We are both 31 years old have been mountaineering in our free time for 3 years now.
“The video was recorded on August 21, 2021 in Leukerbad, Switzerland. The name of the climb is Via Ferrata Daubenhorn.”
Via Ferratas are dotted around mountain peaks all around the world as a way of making climbs safer.
The couple said: “It is a beautiful and accessible way to discover the world of climbing and mountaineering.
“Via Ferratas allow non-expert climbers to reach high altitudes in a safe way, using minimum equipment.”
In 2020, they created their own Instagram account celebrating the method and their climbs of more than 30 different Via Ferratas.
They said: “Via Ferrata has become more and more popular during the COVID 19 pandemic. It is a great way to enjoy the mountains.”
Hikers make their way towards Switzerland over the Gruenes Fuerkele peak in the Raetikon mountain range on August 3, 2016 near Tschagguns, Austria. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The Daubenhorn peak that they climbed is located above the town of Leukerbad and has the longest Via Ferrata in Switzerland.
The route is built into the mountain’s southeastern face and continues to the summit.
As examples of such routes go, it is regarded as extremely difficult.
It requires good physical fitness to complete the six-hour climb to the summit at some 2,350 meters (9,652 ft) above sea level.
A long-suffering bride had her wedding vows tested to the breaking point when her groom dropped her in a puddle of mud as they posed for pictures.
The couple – named Murat Zhurayev and Kamilla in Kazakh media – had been posing for their wedding photos when the groom scooped his bride into his arms.
The couple, Murat Zhurayev and Kamilla, were featured in a viral Instagram post by their wedding photographer, Askar Bumaga in Kazakhstan. (Askar Bumaga/Zenger)
But as he struck a dramatic, arty pose, groom Murat slipped and both of them ended up sprawling in a muddy slime caused by a flash rainstorm in Almaty.
The first snap shows her looking lovingly at her man with the spectacular panorama of the mountains in the background and their images reflected in a water-filled puddle.
The next image shows water droplets scattering through the air as they slip in the mud and both end up flat on their backs.
The couple, Murat Zhurayev and Kamilla, were featured in a viral Instagram post by their wedding photographer, Askar Bumaga in Kazakhstan. (Askar Bumaga/Zenger)
In another of the snaps in which she is on her knees in a muddy puddle with him standing behind in a suit also covered in mud it looks as if she’s about to cry.
She was then seen walking away also close to tears with a completely muddy dress soaking wet from the puddle and him struggling to follow her.
But as he slogs through the mud and she realizes how it all looks, she then starts to laugh.
Photographer Askar Bumaga’s snapshots capturing how the pair landed in the mud, turning Kamilla’s dress from pristine white to dirty brown. have since racked up more than 41,000 ‘likes’ on Instagram.
Askar told Zenger News (in English): “My main specialization is the photography of lovers and weddings. I’ve been doing this for over 10 years.
The couple, Murat Zhurayev and Kamilla, were featured in a viral Instagram post by their wedding photographer, Askar Bumaga in Kazakhstan. (Askar Bumaga/Zenger)
“I planned this photoshoot as an experiment. Unfortunately, or fortunately, such failures, the mistakes of others and random situations attract more attention than standard photo sessions against the background of a beautiful sunset.
“Indeed…these photos have traveled the globe. We were interviewed from various TV channels in different countries.
“The photoshoot itself took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. No one was injured during the filming of this project.”
Murat and Kamilla have actually been married for over two years and were simply doing a photoshoot in wedding attire at the time.
A rare Mercedes Uhlenhaut Coupe from 1955 – one of only two ever made – has been sold at auction for a record-breaking $144 million.
The auction took place at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in the German city of Stuttgart on May 5.
The company’s CEO Ola Kallenius said the classic car “achieved the highest price ever paid for a vehicle.”
In a statement obtained by Zenger News, the German automobile company said on May 19: “A Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe from 1955 has been sold at auction for a record price of 135 million euros [$144 million] to a private collector.
“This icon of automotive history is an absolute rarity – one of just two prototypes built at the time. Named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, it is considered to be one of the finest examples of automotive engineering and design by automotive experts and enthusiasts worldwide.”
Ola Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Renata Jungo Brungger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Integrity and Legal Affairs in front of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe at the „The Economics of Desire“ on the Cote d’Azur. (Mercedes-Benz Group AG/Zenger)
The statement by Mercedes-Benz continued: “The sale of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe took place on May 5 at an auction held at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in cooperation with renowned auctioneer RM Sotheby’s.
“The invitees were among selected Mercedes-Benz customers and international collectors of cars and art, who share the corporate values of Mercedes-Benz.
“The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe sold at auction was part of the non-public vehicle collection belonging to Mercedes-Benz Classic, comprising more than 1,100 automobiles from the invention of the automobile in 1886 until today.
The most valuable car in the world: Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe. (Mercedes-Benz Group AG/Zenger)
“The special circumstances behind its creation, its unique design and its innovative technology have endowed the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe with a remarkable level of mystique that endures to this day.
“The design of the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe set benchmarks that put it among the world’s most significant automotive icons – not least on account of its distinctive “gullwing” doors. Added to this is the outstanding performance delivered by its thoroughbred racing technology.”
Ola Kallenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said: “The 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes are milestones in sports car development and key historical elements that have shaped our brand. The decision to sell one of these two unique sports cars was taken with very sound reasoning – to benefit a good cause.
One of the two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupes together with the inventor Rudolph Uhlenhaut. This vehicle is on display in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. (Mercedes-Benz Group AG/Zenger)
“The proceeds from the auction will fund a global scholarship program. With the ‘Mercedes-Benz Fund’ we would like to encourage a new generation to follow in Rudolf Uhlenhaut’s innovative footsteps and develop amazing new technologies, particularly those that support the critical goal of decarbonization and resource preservation.
“At the same time, achieving the highest price ever paid for a vehicle is extraordinary and humbling: A Mercedes-Benz is by far the most valuable car in the world.”
Marcus Breitschwerdt, head of Mercedes Benz Heritage, said. “The private buyer has agreed that the 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe will remain accessible for public display on special occasions, while the second original 300 SLR Coupe remains in company ownership and will continue to be displayed at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.”
Sony Group Corp. says it is well-positioned to take a leading role in the metaverse, or immersive virtual worlds, which analysts predict will disrupt industries and create new powerhouses.
The phrase “metaverse” refers to online virtual worlds. While the concept is still emerging, it has become a catchphrase in industry briefings and a driving force behind business deals.
“The metaverse is a social area and a live network environment where games, music, movies and anime meet,” said Chief Executive Kenichiro Yoshida at a recent strategy briefing, pointing to Epic Games’ free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite.
Epic Games announced in April that Sony Group Corp. and KIRKBI, the holding and investment company behind the LEGO group, have each contributed $1 billion for its latest funding round. The monies will help enhance Sony’s position in the metaverse.
“We are aiming to turn the mobility space into a new entertainment space… We believe mobility will be the next megatrend,” Yoshida said.
Under Yoshida and his predecessor Kazuo Hirai, Sony’s game, music and movie operations provided two-thirds of operational income in the fiscal year that ended March, highlighting the company’s metamorphosis from a consumer electronics manufacturer to a metaverse-ready entertainment behemoth.
Sony’s PlayStation 5 lets the company become a gaming gatekeeper in the metaverse. (Zeekr/Flickr)
With its PlayStation 5 console, Sony is a gaming gatekeeper, but observers warn that the rise of cross-platform, cloud-based games, and their ability to undermine the influence of proprietary platforms, poses a threat.
Sony has changed its strategy, allowing cross-play in Fortnite in 2018. Epic announced that in-game “V-Bucks” purchased on PlayStation would be transferable to other platforms.
On Twitter, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said, “PlayStation has played a big role in the social gaming revolution that’s nourishing the emergence of the metaverse as a new entertainment medium.”
Sony has also taken moves to diversify its portfolio beyond single-player games, such as “Spider-Man: Miles Morales,” with the acquisition of Bungie, the creator of the online multiplayer shooter “Destiny.” The deal was announced in January.
“We anticipate it will serve as a catalyst to improve our live service game capabilities … (It) represents a significant step toward becoming multi-platform,” Yoshida said.
Honda and Sony are keeping the design of their sports-oriented electric vehicles under wraps for now. (Honda)
Sony created a new lifestyle with the 1979 launch of the Walkman, Yoshida said.
Today, it licenses its content to other platforms, benefiting from the value of the popular sitcom “Seinfeld” to streamers. Despite owning the Crunchyroll anime streaming service, the company has not pursued video platforms as aggressively as its rivals, such as Walt Disney Co. with its Disney+ service. In 1979, Sony
Beyond the metaverse, Yoshida is also working to bolster Sony’s position in the mobility market, with the company working with Honda Motor Co. Ltd. on an electric vehicle.
Sheriff Mark Pettway celebrates during his watch party at Canvas Event Center in Birmingham’s Glen Iris neighborhood. (Amarr Croskey, For The Birmingham Times)
Mike Tyson once called David Benavidez “The Mexican Monster.”
The reason was evident in Benavidez’s vicious blood-letting of former champion David Lemieux Saturday night at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) relentlessly battered Lemieux (43-5, 36 KOs) before a boisterous partisan crowd near his hometown of Phoenix.
The victory earned him the WBC’s vacant interim title and cemented his status as “The Boogeyman” of the 168-pound division. The bout was mercifully halted by referee Harvey Dock at the 1:31 mark of the round at the request of Marc Ramsay, Lemieux’s trainer.
Benavidez displayed an amalgam of speed, searing accuracy, double-fisted power and finishing skills as the 5-foot-10 Lemieux’s 70-inch reach couldn’t prevent his five-fight winning streak (3 KOs) from ending.
“Mike Tyson gave me that name, ‘The Mexican Monster,’ so what do you think I’m gonna do?” said Benavidez, 25, whose sixth straight knockout made him a division titleholder for the third time. “I just feel that I’m the strongest 168-pounder, and nobody can mess with me.”
“I’m a three-time world champion in the 168-pound division,” said Benavidez, who out-landed Lemieux in power shots (58-24), jabs (16-2) and by nearly three-to-1 in total punches (74-to-26). ”I’m the youngest guy. I’ll put my belts up against anybody, and I’ll guarantee I’ll knock everybody out.”
David Benavidez (left) drew blood from David Lemieux (right) during the second round of Saturday’s third-round TKO victory on the way to his sixth straight knockout win to earn the WBC’s vacant 168-pound title and becoming a divison champion for the third time. (Esther Lin/Showtime)
The exit was the fastest in the career of Lemieux, who was also stopped in the seventh and eighth rounds by Marco Antonio Rubio (April 2011) and Gennady Golovkin (October 2015).
With 13 seconds left in the first round, Benavidez’s left hook rocked Lemieux backward into a corner of the ring. There, Benavidez fired and landed 26 unanswered blows to Lemieux’s head and body before the round ended.
“After the first round, I was okay. He got me with some good shots. I came back, but I’ve gotta give him respect,” said Lemieux, 33, who is 9-3 (five KOs) in his past 12 bouts.
“David Benavidez is a helluva fighter. Much respect. He’s got good hands, good movement. Congratulations…,” Lemieux said. “We’ll talk to my team [about whether or not to retire], but definitely tonight was not my night.”
Lemieux was literally saved by the bell ending the first round, according to Showtime interviewer Jim Gray.
“The referee, Harvey Dock, told me he was going to stop the fight right at the end of the first round when the bell rang,” Gray said. “Because the bell rang, he decided to let Lemieux go back to the corner and continue.” Lemieux was walked by Dock after the first round to his corner, where Ramsay told him, “You’ve gotta do something, or else I’m gonna stop the fight.”
A three-punch combination — a left uppercut, straight right and a piston-jab — 18 seconds into the second dropped Lemieux beneath a bottom rope. Lemieux used the ropes to pull himself back into the ring, rising at the count of four before Dock told him, “You’re on a short leash. Show me something.”
The Canadian fought on, forcing Benavidez backward despite bleeding from a cut over his right eye with a minute remaining in the second round.
“[Lemieux] is a special type of breed. He’s a great fighter and a tough champion,” said Benavidez, admiring Lemieux’s resilience. “There are some fighters out there who when they’re about to get stopped, their whole body shuts down.”
But Ramsay had seen enough following Benavidez’s third-round head-swiveling left hook, overhand right, left uppercut combination all to the head of Lemieux as Dock separated the fighters, signaling the end.
“Once I get guys as tough as David Lemieux, that pushes me to work even harder to better myself and my style,” Benavidez said. “There’s always room for improvement. I’ll only get better from here. Every day I strive to be as great as I can be at everything — defense, offense. I’m gonna keep working. I keep maturing.”
Reflecting on his in-the-ring success, Benavidez said that when he first started he “thought one world title was impossible, and now, I’ve got three.”
“The sky’s the limit right now,” he added. “It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career. But we’ve always maintained that hard work and done the best that we can, and now it’s paid off with me being a three-time world champion,” Benavidez said.
“It’s surreal. It’s a dream, man, that everybody came out to see me. I’ll give it all of my heart to you guys every night. When the going gets tough, the beast comes out of me. I know I’m the best super middleweight in the world already, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Who’s next?
Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz named Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo and WBA 168-pound champion David Morrell, a Cuban southpaw, as likely opponents.
“We have three options for November—- Plant, Morell and Charlo,” Lewkowicz said. “Don’t fantasize. Canelo will not take a fight against the real champion of the people. He looked so bad [against Bivol.]”
“I know I’m the best super middleweight in the world,” said David Benavidez (left), who floored David Lemieux (right) during the second round of an eventual third-round TKO victory and his sixth straight knockout to earn the WBC’s vacant 168-pound title on Saturday. (Esther Lin/Showtime)
“I’m right here waiting for them. I’m not scared of anybody. I’m waiting for them to sign the contract, so my hat’s off to David Lemieux because he’s the only one who had the balls to take the fight with me. Those guys talk big like everybody’s scared of them, but I’m right here trying to get into fights with them. But if I don’t get the fights, I’m interim title holder now,” said Benavidez, who believes Alvarez is ducking him and that Charlo fears him.
“If they really believe in their skills then put their 0’s on the line. I’m willing to do it. But what really motivates me is that I can bring 10,000 people into the stadium. I give the fans the action, the fights and the excitement they want to see. I think Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo are fights that can happen by the end of this year. I was the No. 1 contender and the one who was supposed to fight Canelo, so I definitely feel like I deserve that fight.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sold nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to Belarus, his ally in the war on Ukraine.
The deadly 9K720 Iskander short-range ballistic missiles are capable of delivering a devastating nuclear payload.
And the president of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko – a pal of Putin’s – gloated: “At the very least, this weapon can cause unacceptable, colossal damage.”
Lukashenko has bought 9K720 Iskander nuclear-capable missiles and S-400 missile systems from Putin and says he plans to produce his own by the end of the year.
The 67-year-old Belarusian leader held a meeting with the head of the Russian region of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast – Gleb Nikitin, 44 – to discuss ordering a “sufficient” number of the missile defense systems.
He also boasted that they “now have a completely different army” with the Russian missile systems at his disposal.
Belarus bought Iskander and S-400 operational-tactical missile systems from Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger)
President Lukashenko said: “We made an agreement with Putin. We bought from you a number of these Iskanders and S-400s we needed, and armed our army.
“Now we have a completely different army with such weapons. At the very least, this weapon can cause unacceptable, colossal damage.”
He also said that Belarus hopes to start production of these missile systems by the end of the year with the help of Russian weapons experts.
Belarus bought Iskander and S-400 operational-tactical missile systems from Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger)
Belarus, Putin’s main ally, has been allowing Russian units to use territory bordering with Ukraine as a rear base.
Earlier this month, the Belarusian leader accused the West of being “at war with Russia” in Ukraine as well as supporting far-right ideas.
Belarusian forces have not been directly involved in the invasion of Ukraine, however, western sanctions have included Russia’s main ally.
Lukashenko, dubbed ‘Europe’s last dictator’, has been the first and only president of Belarus since July 20, 1994, making him the longest-sitting European leader.
Belarus bought Iskander and S-400 operational-tactical missile systems from Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger)
The 9K720 Iskander is a short-range mobile ballistic missile system produced and deployed by the Russian military.
The missile systems were introduced to replace the now obsolete OTR-21 Tochka systems, even though these were still in use by the Russian armed forces as of 2020.
The Iskander can be used with a selection of warheads, including cluster munitions, a few air explosive warheads, a high explosive-fragmentation warhead and an earth penetrator for bunker-busting.
It is built with an electromagnetic pulse device for anti-radar missions and can also carry nuclear warheads.
This is the worrying moment Russia launches a new military satellite into space.
The satellite was launched on a Soyuz -2.1 rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome, 800 km north of Moscow, on Thursday, May 19.
The video, posted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, shows the rocket at the moment of blast-off.
The Russian Defense Ministry said: “The Russian orbital group monitored the launch and flight of the space rocket.”
More than 30 land-based assets and over 50 combat crews of the 15th Army of the Aerospace Forces were reportedly involved in supporting the satellite launch.
This mission marked the fifth mission from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome of 2022.
The Plesetsk cosmodrome is a Russian Spaceport originally developed by the Soviet Union as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Now it is used for military satellites placed in high inclination and polar orbits.
Soyuz-2.1 rocket with military satellite launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome, Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger).
The range for falling debris is clear to the north’s largely uninhabited Arctic and polar terrain and it is situated in a region of flat terrain with boreal pine forests.
The Soyuz-2.1 rocket is a modernized version of the Soviet Soyuz rocket. The Soyuz is the most frequently used launch vehicle in the world as of 2021. It is a three-stage launch vehicle for placing payloads into low Earth orbit.
The 2.1a version, seen on the video, includes conversion from analog to digital flight control systems and uprated engines.
New digital flight control and telemetry systems allow the rocket to launch from a fixed rather than angled launch platform. It then can adjust its direction during a flight.
Soyuz-2.1 rocket with military satellite launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome, Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger).
A digital control system also enables the launch of larger commercial satellites with wider and longer payload fairings.
The Soyuz-2.1a is able to launch civilian and military satellites, as well as cargo and crewed missions.
The rocket also carries the Bars-M No. 3, a military surveillance satellite.
It is an electro-optical surveillance satellite for military cartography that combines topographic and high-resolution Earth imaging systems.
Soyuz-2.1 rocket with military satellite launched from Plesetsk cosmodrome, Russia. (Ministry of Defense of Russia/Zenger).
Last month (April 29) the Angara-1.2 light rocket with a military spacecraft was also launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
It was the second launch of the Angara, the first launch took place on July 9, 2014.
Russia has been accused of taking the arms race into space.
In November 2021, Russia blew up one of its old satellites in a missile test that sparked international anger.
The space debris scattered around the Earth’s orbit was also seen as a danger for other satellites.
