NEPAL EARTHQUAKE

Summary

• More than 1,000 people have been reported dead after a huge 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal
• The country’s deputy prime minister, Bamdev Gautam, has declared a state of emergency and appealed for humanitarian assistance across the region.
• 18 climbers were found dead on Mount Everest after the tremor triggered an avalanche. Many more are trapped.
• The total death toll has risen quickly throughout the day, and is now thought to include at least 634 in the Kathmandu Valley and 300 more in the capital.
• 36 people have also been reported dead India, 12 in China, four in Bangladesh and six in Tibet.
• The quake caused dozens of buildings in Kathmandu to collapse, including the historic Dharahara Tower.
• The city’s main hospital is overwhelmed by casualties and residents are facing a night on the streets with nowhere to go.
• Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has ordered an immediate dispatch of relief and medical teams to Nepal, and the evacuation of Indian tourists.
• UK foreign secretary Philip Hammond said the government was in close contact with Nepal, and the British Embassy is offering assistance to the authorities and British Nationals in the country.

2d ago16:38

The total death toll from the earthquake has risen again, to 1,130.

A Nepali police spokesman said the latest figure included at least 634 people in the Kathmandu Valley and at least 300 more in the capital.

2d ago16:36

More from Anna Codrea-Rado in Nepal:

In an open space, people have taken refuge where a yoga retreat was supposed to be happening. The space had been set up with ground coverings and awnings for the yoga retreat, which turned into a makeshift shelter for the victims.

Three children were huddled under a blanket on the green ground covering. Ragan Karki, 16, said he and his siblings had come to seek shelter for the night and they were waiting for their parents to join them.

The Karki siblings had been in their third floor apartment across the road from the park the quake began. “I stayed inside and hid under the table and then came outside. No one in my family was injured,” Karki said.

His 12-year-old brother Ryan said: “I was scared, but I didn’t cry.”

Two women with a seven-year-old girl said they planned to spend the night outdoors because they felt safer than being in their house. The airport in Kathmandu was closed for most of the afternoon but reportedly reopened at about 7pm local time, but flights in and out of the country were still suspended.

2d ago16:34

The Guardian’s Anna Codrea-Rado has been talking to doctors and victims in Kathamndu’s main hospital. She sent this moving account:

Victims [in Kathmandu] were taken to the nearby Bir Emergency Hospital, where doctors battled to save lives and treat the wounded.

Gajendra Mani Shah, a doctor, told the Guardian that the hospital was dealing mainly with head traumas and limb injuries from falling rubble. He estimated that the hospital had treated about 400 patients.

Shah was treating two Indian tourists with head injuries and said the hospital authorities were trying to get hold of the Indian embassy to inform them of the patients’ situation.

Victims were lying in rows on mattresses, surrounded by blood-soaked tissues and overflowing bedpans. Patients also lined the corridors, hooked up to IVs hanging off metal railings behind them.

One family were sat with their 20-year-old relative, Kanchan Sunwar, who had collapsed when the earthquake struck. She had been with friends in the main square when they saw the buildings sway and start to fall.

Her friends said she fainted and had been in and out of conscious since she was brought to the hospital. “She’s in shock,” her family said.

The hospital was working over capacity into the evening, with doctors being called in from leave.

One doctor, Erabesh Gyawali was not meant to be on shift on Saturday, but he came into work after the first tremor hit. He was with his wife riding their scooter when the quake happened. They were thrown off the bike and narrowly missed being hit by falling rubble from a building.

2d ago16:28

The foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, has issued a statement in response to the earthquake in Nepal:

My thoughts are with the people of Nepal and everyone affected by the terrible loss of life and widespread damage caused by the earthquake.

We are in close contact with the Nepalese government. The British Embassy in Nepal is offering our assistance to the authorities and is providing consular assistance to British Nationals.

2d ago16:22

It’s evening in Nepal now, so rescue workers are trying to get to the most vulnerable people who now have nowhere to sleep for the night. Weather forecasts say temperatures will dip to 12°C (54°F) overnight in Kathmandu, though obviously it is likely to be a far colder at higher altitudes.

Experts say that the death toll is likely to rise substantially in the coming days, partly because of the poor communication and access to some of the regions more remote areas.

2d ago16:10

BBC is now putting the death toll at 970, with 539 of the victims in the Kathmandu Valley.

2d ago16:06

18 people found dead on Mount Everest

An Indian army mountaineering team has found 18 bodies on Mount Everest, an army spokesman has said.

Gyanendra Shrestha of the country’s tourism ministry told Reuters that the death toll could rise. He confirmed that the avalanche had buried part of the base camp and two tents had been filled with casualties.

Ministry officials estimated that at least 1,000 climbers, including about 400 foreigners, had been at base camp or on Everest when the earthquake struck.

2d ago16:03

Tanya Barron, Plan International’s UK chief executive, is in Biratnagar in Nepal. She has described her experience in the earthquake:

We are 500km from the epicentre in Biratnagar but we still felt the earthquake strongly. We were in a three story building on the roof deck and the building shook violently for around two minutes. A bit stronger and it would have collapsed. People were screaming and running out of their houses, dogs were barking like mad. We took shelter under door lintels and once the movement stopped we ran downstairs, which is when the aftershock started .

2d ago16:00

Ishwar Rauniyar has spoken to Subarna Khadka, a resident in Kathmandu, who says he was bathing when the first tremor happened.

I tried to come out hurriedly when i experienced the shake, but couldn’t come outside as the door was jammed. I almost lost my hope of life, as I was trapped in the bathroom. But my wife rescued me once the shaking got quiet. I could only pray to god for life.

the great wall of china some intresting facts

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials, generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the Eurasian Steppe. Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the Great Wall.^[ Especially famous is the wall built 220–206 BC by Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of China. Little of that wall remains. Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced; the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty.

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long and vivid history, the Great Wall of China actually consists of numerous walls and fortifications, many running parallel to each other. Originally conceived by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the third century B.C. as a means of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed. The best-known and best-preserved section of the Great Wall was built in the 14th through 17th centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Though the Great Wall never effectively prevented invaders from entering China, it came to function more as a psychological barrier between Chinese civilization and the world, and remains a powerful symbol of the country’s enduring strength.

Qin Dynasty Construction

Though the beginning of the Great Wall of China can be traced to the third century B.C., many of the fortifications included in the wall date from hundreds of years earlier, when China was divided into a number of individual kingdoms during the so-called Warring States Period. Around 220 B.C., Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, ordered that earlier fortifications between states be removed and a number of existing walls along the northern border be joined into a single system that would extend for more than 10,000 li (a li is about one-third of a mile) and protect China against attacks from the north.
When Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered construction of the Great Wall around 221 B.C., the labor force that built the wall was made up largely of soldiers and convicts. It is said that as many as 400,000 people died during the wall's construction; many of these workers were buried within the wall itself.
Construction of the “Wan Li Chang Cheng,” or 10,000-Li-Long Wall, was one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any civilization. The famous Chinese general Meng Tian directed the project, and was said to have used a massive army of soldiers, convicts and commoners as workers. Made mostly of earth and stone, the wall stretched from the China Sea port of Shanhaiguan over 3,000 miles west into Gansu province. In some strategic areas, sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security (including the Badaling stretch, north of Beijing, that was later restored by the Ming dynasty). From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some 15-30 feet high and was topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were distributed at intervals along it.

The Great Wall of China Through the Centuries

With the death of Qin Shi Huang and the fall of the Qin dynasty, much of the Great Wall fell into disrepair. After the fall of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), a series of frontier tribes seized control in northern China. The most powerful of these was the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535 A.D.), which repaired and extended the existing wall to defend against attacks from other tribes. The Bei Qi kingdom (550–577) built or repaired more than 900 miles of wall, and the short-lived but effective Sui dynasty (581–618) repaired and extended the Great Wall of China a number of times.
With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang dynasty (618-907), the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification, as China had defeated the Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past the original frontier protected by the wall. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese were forced to withdraw under threat from the Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who took over many areas on both sides of the Great Wall. The powerful Yuan (Mongol) dynasty (1206-1368) established by Genghis Khan eventually controlled all of China, parts of Asia and sections of Europe. Though the Great Wall held little importance for the Mongols as a military fortification, soldiers were assigned to man the wall in order to protect merchants and caravans traveling along the profitable trade routes established during this period.

Wall Building During the Ming Dynasty

Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century. In 1421, the Ming emperor Yongle proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on the site of the former Mongol city of Dadu. Under the strong hand of the Ming rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and pagodas. The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around 1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall was key to this strategy.
The Ming wall extended from the Yalu River in Liaoning Province to the eastern bank of the Taolai River in Gansu Province, and winded its way from east to west through today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu.
Starting west of Juyong Pass, the Great Wall was split into south and north lines, respectively named the Inner and Outer Walls. Strategic “passes” (i.e., fortresses) and gates were placed along the wall; the Juyong, Daoma and Zijing passes, closest to Beijing, were named the Three Inner Passes, while further west were Yanmen, Ningwu and Piantou, the Three Outer Passes. All six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital to the defense of the capital.

Significance of the Great Wall of China

In the mid-17th century, the Manchus from central and southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall and encroached on Beijing, eventually forcing the fall of the Ming dynasty and beginning of the Qing (Manchu) dynasty (1644-1912). Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the Great Wall emerged as the most common emblem of China for the Western world, and a symbol both physical–a manifestation of Chinese strength–and psychological–a representation of the barrier maintained by the Chinese state to repel foreign influences and exert control over its citizens.
Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history. In 1987, UNESCO designated the Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular claim that emerged in the 20th century holds that it is the only manmade structure that is visible from the moon. Over the years, roadways have been cut through the wall in various points, and many sections have deteriorated after centuries of neglect. The best-known section of the Great Wall of China–Badaling, located 43 miles (70 km) northwest of Beijing–was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and attracts thousands of national and foreign tourists every day.

Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. Furthermore, the defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signaling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor.

Ype	Fortification
Country	China
Coordinates	40.67693°N 117.23193°ECoordinates: 40.67693°N 117.23193°E
Technical details
Size	21,196 km (13,171 mi)[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	The Great Wall
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv, vi
Designated	1987 (11th session)
Reference no.	438
State Party	China
Region	Asia-Pacific

Chinese names
The Long Wall
Traditional Chinese	長城
Simplified Chinese	长城
[show]Transcriptions
The 10,000-Mile Wall
Traditional Chinese	萬里長城
Simplified Chinese	万里长城
Literal meaning	The 10,000-Mile Long Wall The Immeasurably-Long Long Wall

The main Great Wall line stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the Ming walls measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi).This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.^[5] Another archaeological survey found that the entire wall with all of its branches measure out to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi).
The Chinese were already familiar with the techniques of wall-building by the time of the Spring and Autumn period between the 8th and 5th centuries BC.^] During this time and the subsequent Warring States period, the states of Qin, Wei, Zhao, Qi, Yan, and Zhongshan^[all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames.
King Zheng of Qin conquered the last of his opponents and unified China as the First Emperor of the Qin dynasty ("Qin Shihuang") in 221 BC. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the sections of the walls that divided his empire among the former states. To position the empire against the Xiongnu people from the north, however, he ordered the building of new walls to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's northern frontier. Transporting the large quantity of materials required for construction was difficult, so builders always tried to use local resources. Stones from the mountains were used over mountain ranges, while rammed earth was used for construction in the plains. There are no surviving historical records indicating the exact length and course of the Qin walls. Most of the ancient walls have eroded away over the centuries, and very few sections remain today. The human cost of the construction is unknown, but it has been estimated by some authors that hundreds of thousands, if not up to a million, workers died building the Qin wall. Later, the Han, the Sui, and the Northern dynasties all repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the Great Wall at great cost to defend themselves against northern invaders. The Tang and Song dynasties did not undertake any significant effort in the region.^] The Liao, Jin, and Yuan dynasties, who ruled Northern China throughout most of the 10th–13th centuries, constructed defensive walls in the 12th century but those were located much to the north of the Great Wall as we know it, within China's province of Inner Mongolia and in Mongolia itself.^[

AB De Villiers some intresting facts

AB DE VILLIERS

Abraham Benjamin "AB" de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a South African cricketer, who captains the South African One Day International (ODI) team, having succeeded Graeme Smith after the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Widely regarded as the best batsman in the world at present,De Villiers dominated the top of the ICC Test batting rankings in 2014, along with Kumar Sangakkara. As of January 2015, he is ranked second in the ICC Test and first in the ODI batting rankings.
The son of Dr Abraham P de Villiers, he attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans High School for Boys, also known as Affies), a public school located in Pretoria. De Villiers is a right-handed batsman, who, in a very short space of time, has accumulated many runs in Tests including 16 centuries and 32 fifties. He still holds the record for most Test innings without registering a duck (78), before being dismissed for nought against Bangladesh in November 2008. He also holds the second-highest individual score by a South African batsman in an innings, with 278*. Until 2012, he was an occasional wicket-keeper for South Africa, although since the retirement of regular Test keeper Mark Boucher and under his own ODI captaincy he has started to regularly keep wicket for the national side in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, but then decided to give up wicketkeeping after the debut of Quinton de Kock, and started becoming a part-time bowler.
He holds the record for the fastest 50(16 balls), 100(31 balls) and 150(64 balls) in One Day Internationals. On 18 January 2015, AB de Villiers smashed the fastest century in ODI history, breaking New Zealand's Corey Anderson's record, reaching 100 off just 31 balls and going on to score 149 runs off just 44 balls against the West Indies.

 


In life, we think we know many things, many people and many things about those many people especially when it comes to our favorite Celebrity stars or sportsmen. But often there are things we miss out some very interesting facts as they get overshadowed by their other sporting credentials.
It is the same with South Africa’s AB de Villiers. We all know him as a great batsman, a brilliant wicket-keeper and terrific cricketer overall who can do almost anything including scoring the fastest ODI Century and the fastest half-century ODI from South Africa and playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL but there are few very interesting and unknown facts about AB de Villiers.

HERE'S A LIST OF THE TOP-10 MOST INTERESTING AND UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT AB DE VILLIERS –

1. AB de Villiers was shortlisted for Junior National Hockey squad.

2. He was shortlisted for Junior National Football squad.
3. AB de Villiers captained the South Africa Junior Rugby side.
4. He held six South African school swimming records.
5. He was the fastest 100-meter time in South Africa Junior Athletics.
6. AB was a member of South Africa Junior Davis Cup Tennis Team.
7. He was a National Badminton U-19 Champion.
8. De Villiers has a Golf handicap of scratch.
(And you might be wondering he could do all this because he was not as good in studies as he was in sports then here is the twist)
9. Received a national medal from Mandela for a science project.
10. In 2010, AB de Villiers collaborated with South African Ampie Du Preez for his their debut music album named “Maak Jou Drome Waar” (Make Your Dreams Come True)