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Four British former Special Forces soldiers, including a UK government minister, have set a record by climbing Mount Everest in under five days without acclimatising on the mountain. Their high-speed ascent was aided by xenon gas, which is believed to help the body adapt to low oxygen by boosting red blood cell production through increased erythropoietin levels, according to BBC.

The team reached the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit early Wednesday, accompanied by five Sherpa guides and a cameraman. Typically, climbers spend six to eight weeks acclimatising on Everest before attempting the summit. Organisers credit xenon for enabling this rapid ascent. However, the use of xenon remains controversial, with many experts and members of the mountaineering community questioning its safety and effectiveness.

Despite this achievement, the fastest Everest climb overall still belongs to Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who summited in under 11 hours after acclimatising, BBC reported.

Pokhara University hosted the third virtual workshop on “Curriculum and Pedagogy for Gender Sensitivity” on Tuesday, as part of the Erasmus+ MAGENDA Project on capacity building in higher education. The project, supported by the European Union, involves collaboration between ten universities from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Europe.

The event was inaugurated by Associate Professor Namraj Dhami, MAGENDA Project Coordinator, who discussed the importance of incorporating gender-inclusive pedagogy in institutional frameworks. The workshop was coordinated by Bangladesh Open University (BOU).

Deepmala Shrestha, a faculty member at Pokhara University, delivered the keynote address and introduced the Gender-Inclusive Pedagogical (GIP) framework. She noted that while gender aspects are present in the curriculum, challenges remain in terms of awareness and practical implementation. This discussion followed comments from Md Mizanoor Rahman, who observed that Bangladesh had made progress through gender-sensitive budgeting.

Prof Rishikesh Pandey of Pokhara University moderated the event. During the discussions, he noted that several higher education institutions in Nepal already run programs focused on gender and development. Professor Mohammad Mizanul Haque Kazal of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University highlighted the need for effective strategies to implement Gender Equality Plans (GEPs).

In her concluding remarks, Professor Sabina, MAGENDA Project Manager at BOU, said that shared experiences from universities in Bangladesh and Nepal could help shape future GEPs in Asia. Professor Md Serajul Islam, Director of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) at BOU and a MAGENDA researcher, also attended the workshop.

India is witnessing a modest increase in Covid-19 cases, prompting health authorities to remain vigilant.

In May, Mumbai reported 95 new cases with 16 hospitalisations. Ahmedabad recorded 7 new cases in a single day, Puducherry reported 12, and Karnataka has 16 active cases. Chennai has seen a shift in viral infections, with more cases now attributed to Covid-19 than influenza. Pune, despite no current hospitalised cases, has reserved hospital beds as a precaution, according to the Times of India.

Most infections remain mild, with no ICU admissions or fatalities reported. Health experts advise at-risk groups to resume preventive measures such as mask usage and hand hygiene. Influenza vaccination is also recommended to reduce the impact of potential co-infections.

Russia's Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 159 Ukrainian drones overnight across multiple regions.

According to the ministry, 127 drones were shot down between 8:00 p.m. on May 20 and 4:05 a.m. on May 21, followed by 32 more between 4:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. Moscow time.

The drones were apparently crashed in many locations, including 53 in the Oryol Region, 51 in Bryansk, 37 in Kursk, and six near Moscow, as reported by Xinhua.

An explosion ripped through a coal mine in northern Afghanistan's Samangan province early Wednesday, killing at least seven people and injuring two more, Xinhua reported.

As stated by the provincial police spokesperson, the blast was caused by a buildup of methane gas in one of the province's collieries in the Dara-i-Sufi Payen area, killing seven miners on the spot and injuring two more.

The remains of the trapped workers were found by security forces and medical professionals, and were handed over to their relatives. The injured have been taken to a local health center for treatment, according to Xinhua.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 6. 93 points to close at 2, 670.51 points on Wednesday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 0. 04 points to close at 450. 97 points.

A total of 23,026,245-unit shares of 316 companies were traded for Rs 10. 69 billion.

Meanwhile, Om Megashree Pharmaceuticals Limited (OMPL) the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, Barahi Hydropower Public Limited (BHPL) was the top loser with its price dropped by 8. 27 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 44 trillion.

England will become the first country to offer a gonorrhoea vaccine, starting in August. The vaccine injection, 30–40 percent effective, will be available through sexual health clinics for gay and bisexual men at higher risk.

With gonorrhoea cases hitting a record 85,000 in 2023, health officials hope the vaccine will curb rising infections. If widely adopted, it could prevent 100,000 cases and save the NHS £8m over the next decade, as reported by BBC.

Scotland is also preparing a similar programme.

China launched the Lijian-1 Y7 carrier rocket on Wednesday at 12:05 p.m. Beijing Time. The launch took place in Dongfeng's commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China.

The rocket carried six satellites, which were successfully put in their allotted orbits. This mission is the sixth in the Lijian-1 rocket series, Xinhua reported.