Global Pulse

作者： admin

  • Thousands of female runners gather for Nike event in Shanghai

    Thousands of female runners gather for Nike event in Shanghai

    On a mild Saturday night on April 25, more than 3,800 female runners from across the country and beyond converged on Shanghai’s bustling Nanjing East Road Pedestrian Street to kick off a one-of-a-kind 10-kilometer night running event hosted by sportswear giant Nike.

    The race marked the Shanghai stop of Nike’s 2026 After Dark Tour (ADT), and more notably, served as the opening leg of the brand’s annual global women’s running series for this year. Unlike previous installments, the 2026 Shanghai event rolled out two user-centric upgrades tailored to female running enthusiasts: a brand-new dual-partner “Sister Team” registration channel that lets runners sign up with a running companion, and the event’s first-ever first-person live broadcast option that allowed audiences around the world to follow the race through the runners’ own perspectives.

    The course was designed to showcase Shanghai’s most iconic waterfront and skyline landmarks, leading runners past the historic Bund, the scenic Huangpu River green corridor, and the structural marvel of Nanpu Bridge, giving participants a unique night-time view of one of Asia’s most dynamic metropolises.

    Two of China’s top elite female athletes, retired tennis legend Li Na and professional long-distance runner Zhang Deshun, joined the crowd of everyday recreational runners on the course, cheering on participants and sharing their own experiences of building confidence through sport.

    Adam Antoniewicz, vice-president and general manager of Nike’s running business in Greater China, praised the one-of-a-kind Shanghai setting in an on-site interview. “The route is unbelievable. It’s something I’ve never seen before and that’s the unique advantage of Shanghai,” he said, noting that the city’s mix of iconic urban scenery and vibrant running culture made it an ideal host for the opening of the global series.

    Antoniewicz added that the After Dark Tour is far more than a running race: it is a global women’s running platform that has already been hosted in major cities including Sydney, Los Angeles, and London, with a core mission to bring female runners of all skill levels together, celebrate the power of female companionship, and help more women build self-confidence through consistent movement.

  • UAE pulls out of OPEC oil cartels citing ‘national interests’

    UAE pulls out of OPEC oil cartels citing ‘national interests’

    In a move that sent immediate shockwaves through global energy markets already reeling from volatility sparked by ongoing Middle East conflict, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced Tuesday it will officially withdraw from both the OPEC cartel and the broader OPEC+ alliance this Friday, framing the decision as a necessary step to prioritize its independent national interests.

    A top-tier global oil producer with a decades-long history inside the organization, the UAE has quietly grown frustrated with OPEC’s binding production quota system in recent years, according to industry insiders. The nation’s official state news agency WAM carried the formal announcement, which confirms a major shakeup for the decades-old oil exporting bloc.

    The UAE’s membership in OPEC dates back to 1967, when the emirate of Abu Dhabi joined the organization four years prior to the formal unification and independence of the UAE from British protection. It becomes the second OPEC member to exit the bloc in recent years, following Angola’s departure in 2024.

    In its official statement outlining the decision, UAE officials emphasized that the move aligns with the nation’s long-term strategic and economic vision, as well as its rapidly evolving energy profile as it diversifies its output and invests in both fossil fuel expansion and renewable energy development. “During our time in the organisation, we made significant contributions and even greater sacrifices for the benefit of all,” the statement read. “However, the time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates.”

    Industry analysts warn the departure comes at an already fragile moment for global energy markets, representing the most significant shock to the oil order since the 1970s oil crisis. The exit is expected to weaken the influence of OPEC, which has long been dominated by Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s regional neighbor and long-running geopolitical rival. Already strained shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz—where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies pass—have been choked by an ongoing Iranian blockade, and the UAE has faced repeated Iranian attacks on its infrastructure in recent months. Frictions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have also intensified over backing for opposing factions in the years-long Yemeni civil war, further eroding cooperation within the bloc.

    Before the current outbreak of Middle East conflict, the UAE ranked as the fourth-largest producer in the 22-member OPEC+ alliance, trailing only Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iraq. Jamie Ingram, managing editor of the Middle East Economic Survey, noted that the departure strips OPEC of roughly 13 percent of its total production capacity, according to data from the International Energy Agency.

    Jorge Leon, senior energy analyst at research firm Rystad Energy, explained that the immediate impact on oil markets may be muted while Hormuz shipping remains restricted. However, he warned that the long-term implications are significant: free of OPEC+ production caps, the UAE can now ramp up output at will, calling into question the long-term sustainability of Saudi Arabia’s role as the global oil market’s primary stabilizer. “As OPEC’s capacity to smooth out supply imbalances diminishes, we face the prospect of a far more volatile global oil market moving forward,” Leon noted.

    Founded in 1960 to coordinate oil policy among producing nations, the Vienna-based OPEC bloc launched its expanded OPEC+ partnership with 10 independent non-member producers in 2016 to increase its collective market leverage. The group first rose to global prominence in 1973, when it imposed an oil embargo on nations allied with Israel during the Yom Kippur War, triggering the first global oil crisis that sent prices quadrupling in just a few months and cemented the cartel’s outsized influence over global energy security. In the 1980s, facing growing competition from non-OPEC producers, the group introduced its iconic production quota system to maintain price stability and market control—a framework that helped it weather major disruptions including the 2008 global financial crisis and the post-Covid-19 pandemic price shock, even as internal tensions among member states continued to grow.

  • Ukraine accuses Israel of receiving shipments of grain ‘stolen’ by Russia

    Ukraine accuses Israel of receiving shipments of grain ‘stolen’ by Russia

    A sharp diplomatic dispute has exploded between Kyiv and Jerusalem after Ukrainian officials accused Israel of allowing shipments of grain stolen by Russia from occupied Ukrainian territories to enter its ports, triggering warnings of damaged bilateral ties and drawing in the European Union over its ties to Moscow’s war effort.

    The confrontation began with an initial investigative report from Israeli daily Haaretz, which claimed that four cargo ships carrying grain harvested in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions had already been unloaded at Israeli ports in 2025. The outlet added that a fifth vessel carrying suspected stolen grain had anchored in Haifa Bay by Sunday morning, waiting for clearance to enter the port.

    By Monday night, the clash moved to public social media, when Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced on X that his ministry had summoned Israel’s ambassador to Kyiv to protest what he called Israel’s failure to act on previous Ukrainian complaints about a prior stolen grain delivery to Haifa. “Now that another such vessel has arrived in Haifa, we once again warn Israel against accepting the stolen grain and harming our relations,” Sybiha wrote.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar pushed back immediately, rejecting Ukraine’s public, social media-focused approach to the sensitive diplomatic issue. Saar stressed that diplomacy between friendly nations does not occur on public platforms, and emphasized that Israel is a rule-of-law state with independent law enforcement bodies that will review the claims properly. “If you have any evidence of theft, submit it through the appropriate channels,” Saar noted, adding that Kyiv had failed to share formal evidence or file a legal assistance request to back up its allegations. He also clarified that the vessel currently anchored off Haifa has not yet entered port or submitted cargo documentation, meaning Ukrainian claims that the cargo papers were forged cannot yet be verified.

    The following morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy waded into the dispute, doubling down on Kyiv’s accusations. Zelenskyy argued that the trade of stolen Ukrainian grain “is not – and cannot be – legitimate business,” adding that the practice even violates Israeli domestic law. He noted that Ukrainian authorities had already taken all required diplomatic steps to block these shipments, yet another vessel had still reached Israeli waters. Zelenskyy warned that continued inaction from Israeli authorities would undermine bilateral relations, and confirmed that Ukraine is working alongside European partners to prepare a targeted sanctions package targeting any individuals and entities involved in transporting and profiting from the stolen grain.

    Ukraine’s foreign ministry further detailed its claims, stating that a Russian-flagged bulk carrier named the Abinsk was unloaded at an Israeli port in mid-April, and was allowed to depart despite Kyiv’s formal request to Israeli officials to detain the ship and its cargo. The ministry added that Israeli officials also ignored a request to take action against a second vessel, the Panormitis, as it approached Haifa.

    Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the dispute when approached by reporters, and Russia has consistently denied previous accusations that it steals grain from occupied Ukrainian territories.

    The European Union has already waded into the row, with foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni confirming that the bloc has taken note of the reports of a shadow Russian fleet vessel carrying stolen Ukrainian grain being permitted to unload in Haifa. “We condemn all actions that help fund Russia’s illegal war effort and circumvent EU sanctions, and remain ready to target such actions by listing individuals and entities in third countries if necessary,” El Anouni told the BBC. The EU formally documented in 2024 that it had confirmed evidence of Russia illegally seizing large volumes of grain and other agricultural products from occupied Ukrainian territories, then rebranding the goods as Russian products for export to global markets.

  • Czech court hands 7-year prison term to man over attempted synagogue arson attack

    Czech court hands 7-year prison term to man over attempted synagogue arson attack

    PRAGUE – In a landmark ruling on Tuesday, a regional court in Brno, the Czech Republic’s second-largest urban center, has handed a 20-year-old man a combined seven-year prison sentence for his central role in a foiled terror attack and attempted murder targeting a local Jewish synagogue.

    Court documents confirm the defendant, who was just 17 when the plot was carried out in January 2024, planned the arson attack alongside a second underage accomplice. The pair constructed a homemade incendiary device with the explicit goal of setting fire to Brno’s active synagogue and murdering an individual present at the site. The intended victim escaped the attack unharmed, and the incendiary device failed to cause significant structural damage to the place of worship, thwarting the attackers’ deadly plans.

    In addition to the seven-year term for the attempted attack and murder, the court added a consecutive two-year prison sentence for separate charges of promoting terrorism. That offense was committed after the defendant turned 18, making him eligible for prosecution as an adult on that count.

    Legal authorities confirmed that the defendant’s accomplice, who remains under the minimum age required for public criminal trial in the Czech Republic, has already had their closed-door hearing completed. No details of the accomplice’s case can be released to the public due to Czech juvenile privacy regulations.

    The plot is part of a broader interconnected radicalization network uncovered by Czech law enforcement last year. The defendant and his accomplice are two of five teenagers arrested in a cross-border operation targeting a network that officials say was radicalized online by the transnational militant group Islamic State.

    Investigations into the group revealed that all five members spread virulent hate speech across multiple social media platforms, targeting Jewish communities, the LGBTQ+ population, and other ethnic and social minorities across Central Europe. Coordinated raids carried out by police in both the Czech Republic and neighboring Austria uncovered a cache of weapons, including edged weapons such as knives, machetes, and axes, alongside several gas pistols.

    Officials added that the group participated in private online forums dedicated to recruiting new fighters to join Islamic State militant operations in Syria. All members shared an open obsession with extreme violence and echoed the group’s violent ideology targeting marginalized groups.

    The investigation was a cross-border collaborative effort, with Czech law enforcement coordinating closely with law enforcement counterparts in Austria, the United Kingdom, and Slovakia, as well as Europol, the European Union’s dedicated cross-border law enforcement agency, to dismantle the network and prevent further planned attacks.

  • Watch: Jimmy Kimmel defends ‘expectant widow’ joke after first lady criticism

    Watch: Jimmy Kimmel defends ‘expectant widow’ joke after first lady criticism

    A major firestorm has erupted in American late-night television after comedian Jimmy Kimmel refused to back down from a controversial joke he made that drew sharp condemnation from First Lady Melania Trump. The jab in question, which labeled an individual an “expectant widow”, prompted scathing pushback from the White House, which publicly called on ABC, the network that airs Kimmel’s long-running talk show, to terminate the comedian’s contract immediately. In her public rebuke, Melania Trump characterized the quip as nothing short of hateful and violent language, marking one of the most high-profile clashes between a sitting White House administration and a mainstream entertainment personality in recent memory. Since the controversy broke, Kimmel has doubled down on his position, defending the joke as a legitimate piece of comedic commentary rather than the harmful attack the first lady has decried. The standoff has sparked widespread debate across media and political circles about the boundaries of political comedy, the role of late-night hosts in criticizing public figures, and whether major media outlets should cave to political pressure to punish performers for controversial jokes. Industry observers have noted that the situation puts ABC in an uncomfortable position, caught between pressures from the nation’s highest office and the network’s long-standing commitments to free expression and its on-air talent.

  • Will Mexico City’s airport be ready for the World Cup?

    Will Mexico City’s airport be ready for the World Cup?

    As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, all eyes are turning to host cities across North America to see if critical infrastructure projects will be finished on time. One of the most high-stakes projects currently underway is the major renovation initiative at Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport, a key gateway that will handle millions of visiting fans, players, and media personnel when the tournament kicks off in less than three years.

    The British Broadcasting Corporation has launched a detailed examination of this ongoing upgrade work, which centers on expanding the airport’s overall passenger capacity to accommodate the unprecedented surge in air travel expected during the global sporting event. Benito Juárez already serves as Mexico’s busiest air hub, handling tens of millions of passengers annually, even before accounting for the extra traffic the 2026 World Cup will bring. The renovations are designed to upgrade terminal facilities, streamline processing lines, and boost the airport’s maximum throughput to prevent widespread travel disruptions that could overshadow the tournament.

    The question on many industry analysts and soccer fans’ minds remains whether construction crews can meet the tight deadline set before the first match of the 2026 World Cup. Infrastructure delays have plagued major global events in the past, making this ongoing project a critical test of Mexico’s ability to deliver on its tournament commitments. The BBC’s in-depth review comes amid growing public interest in the progress of all host nation infrastructure, as stakeholders work to ensure the 2026 World Cup – the first co-hosted by three North American nations, and the largest edition in tournament history – runs smoothly from start to finish.

  • Manhunt for suspected gunman aged 89 as five wounded in Athens

    Manhunt for suspected gunman aged 89 as five wounded in Athens

    A wide-scale manhunt is ongoing across Athens for an 89-year-old gunman after a two-site shooting spree on Tuesday left five people wounded, Greek law enforcement and local media have confirmed. The violent incident began at a social security agency located in the Athens neighborhood of Petralona, where the suspect first opened fire, striking an employee in the leg.

    After the initial attack, the shooter traveled a short distance to a nearby courthouse in the Ampelokipi district, where he injured four additional people before fleeing the premises. Law enforcement officials confirmed that the suspect abandoned his shotgun at the courthouse after the attack, leaving the weapon behind as he escaped.

    All five casualties – one man and four women – have been confirmed to have non-life-threatening injuries, according to public broadcaster ERT. Stratis Dounias, head of Athens’ judiciary employees’ union, clarified that the four people hurt at the courthouse were all female court staff working at the small claims division, and all suffered only minor wounds.

    At present, heavily armed police units have deployed to both attack sites to secure the areas and support the ongoing investigation, though authorities have not yet identified a clear motive for the coordinated attacks. ERT’s reporting notes that the gunman concealed his shotgun under his coat when he entered both buildings to carry out the attacks. As of the latest updates, the suspect remains at large, and investigative teams are working to trace his whereabouts and unpack the context of the incident.

    Notably, gun violence remains a rare occurrence in Greece, where the country’s strict regulatory framework allows limited firearm ownership only under heavy oversight and rigorous checks.

  • May Day travel surge expected, says NIA

    May Day travel surge expected, says NIA

    As China prepares to welcome its five-day May Day holiday starting this Friday, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) has released projections of a significant surge in cross-border passenger travel, laying out comprehensive operational plans to keep border clearance efficient and safe for travelers.

    In an announcement made Tuesday, the NIA forecasts an average of 2.25 million inbound and outbound passenger trips will pass through China’s border checkpoints each day throughout the holiday period, with daily volumes peaking above 2.4 million trips on the busiest days. The expected boom is concentrated across two key categories of ports: major international aviation hubs and land border crossings connecting the Chinese mainland with Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

    Leading the country’s international airports in projected cross-border volume is Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which is set to handle an average of 102,000 inbound and outbound trips daily. It is followed by Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport with 55,000 daily trips, Beijing Capital International Airport with 49,000, and both Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport projected to average 20,000 daily cross-border trips each.

    Land ports serving cross-border travel between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao are projected to remain at high capacity throughout the break. In the southern Guangdong province city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, the Luohu Port is expected to average 230,000 daily trips, with the Futian Port close behind at 210,000. The Shenzhen Bay Port will see an average 180,000 daily trips, the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link is projected to hit 120,000 daily trips, and the Liantang Port will average 100,000 trips per day.

    Across the Pearl River Delta in Zhuhai, which borders Macao, the Gongbei Port — one of the busiest land crossings for Macao-bound travel — is forecast to handle an average of 396,000 passenger trips per day, the highest volume of any individual port on the Chinese mainland during the holiday. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge crossing is projected to see 129,000 daily trips, the Qingmao Port will average 121,000, and the Hengqin Port, which serves travel to Macao’s Cotai district, will see 116,000 average daily trips.

    To accommodate the unexpected travel boom, the NIA has rolled out targeted holiday arrangements for border inspection agencies across the country. All local authorities have been instructed to maintain real-time monitoring of passenger flow dynamics and port operational conditions, and release up-to-date travel information to the public to help trip planning.

    A key requirement mandates that agencies open enough inspection lanes to ensure waiting times for Chinese citizens clearing customs do not exceed 30 minutes, cutting down on holiday travel delays. The NIA also called for strengthened inter-agency coordination between border inspection units, other port regulatory authorities and transport departments, to manage peak-hour crowds, upgrade transport support, and guarantee that border clearance remains safe, efficient and smooth throughout the five-day holiday period.

  • Ghana’s military hunts those behind convoy attack on northern highway

    Ghana’s military hunts those behind convoy attack on northern highway

    A brazen assault on a military convoy carrying civilian travelers in northeastern Ghana has left multiple people dead, and launched a full official investigation into the attack by the country’s armed forces. The deadly confrontation unfolded on a high-risk highway near Binduri, as the military escort moved between the urban centers of Bawku and Bolga with 140 civilians in its charge. When gunmen launched their attack, a fierce exchange of fire left seven of the assailants and three innocent civilian bystanders dead. Authorities have already taken 10 suspected attackers into custody, as search operations continue for other individuals linked to the assault. Security forces have also recovered a G3 automatic rifle, two fully loaded magazines and an assortment of extra ammunition from one attacker who attempted to hide in a local mosque after the clash.

    The violence erupts from a decades-old chieftaincy dispute that has kept the region roiled in intermittent, unpredictable bloodshed. The conflict centers on competing claims to the traditional, influential regional leadership position from two local ethnic groups: the Kusasi and the Mamprusi. For years, the chieftaincy rotated between representatives of the two groups, but tensions flared into deeper division several years ago when Ghana’s Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Kusasi’s claim to the position. The ruling did not resolve the standoff, and instead fueled ongoing resentment that has repeatedly erupted into violent clashes.

    To curb the persistent unrest, the Ghanaian government already reinforced the region with additional military deployments last year, a move that came after a wave of attacks on local schools put civilian communities at heightened risk. Beyond deploying additional troops, the government has implemented nighttime curfews across the affected area and launched coordinated joint patrols combining military and police forces to deter violence and respond quickly to flare-ups. In recent months, the influential Asante King has also stepped in to lead high-level mediation efforts aimed at brokering a lasting peace between the two rival groups.

    The deployed troops have a second critical mission beyond quelling domestic intercommunal violence: securing Ghana’s long northern border with Burkina Faso. Neighboring Burkina Faso has struggled with a growing insurgency by armed Islamist militant groups for years, and security officials have documented repeated instances of these fighters crossing into Ghanaian territory to carry out attacks or evade counterinsurgency operations. The combination of long-running ethnic tensions and the threat of cross-border militant incursion has made the northeastern region one of Ghana’s most complex security challenges, and the latest deadly attack is expected to prompt renewed calls for both accelerated mediation and sustained security pressure to prevent further bloodshed.

  • Israeli PM’s rivals join forces for elections

    Israeli PM’s rivals join forces for elections

    JERUSALEM – In a high-stakes political shift reshaping Israel’s electoral landscape ahead of the country’s scheduled October general election, opposition leader Yair Lapid and former prime minister Naftali Bennett announced a formal political merger on Sunday, a move explicitly designed to unseat incumbent prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The new unified bloc will carry the name “Together”, with Bennett set to serve as its head, according to a statement from Bennett’s office. As part of the push to build a broad anti-Netanyahu coalition, Bennett also extended an invitation Sunday to Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the centrist Yashar party, to join the joint electoral list.\n\nLapid, who leads the centrist Yesh Atid party, framed the merger as a critical step to eliminate fragmentation within Israel’s anti-Netanyahu voting bloc. In an official statement, he emphasized that the alliance’s core goal is to “unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections.”\n\nThis is not the first collaboration between the two politicians. Lapid and Bennett previously joined forces to form a unity coalition government in June 2021, an administration that ended Netanyahu’s 12-year consecutive tenure in office and made history by including Ra’am, an independent Arab Israeli party, as the first Arab faction to formally join an Israeli governing coalition. That government collapsed in June 2022 when Bennett announced the coalition was no longer politically viable, leading to a short caretaker prime ministership for Lapid and snap elections that brought Netanyahu back to power at the end of 2022. Since the 2022 election, Lapid has served as leader of the parliamentary opposition, while Bennett stepped back from active political life – until this latest announcement.\n\nRecent public opinion polls have identified Bennett as the most electable challenger to Netanyahu in the upcoming October vote, a key factor behind the strategic merger. A onetime senior policy advisor to Netanyahu early in his political career, Bennett has over the years evolved into a fierce critic of his former mentor’s leadership and policy agenda. A right-wing politician known for his longstanding support of Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, Bennett’s profile is expected to help the unified bloc draw votes from centrist and right-leaning voters dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s tenure.\n\nNetanyahu, 76, the leader of the right-wing Likud party who has already served more cumulative years as prime minister than any other leader in Israeli history – topping 18 years across multiple stints – has confirmed he will lead the Likud party’s electoral list in the upcoming vote, which is required to be held no later than the end of October.\n\nSeparately, alongside the major political announcement, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sunday that one Israeli soldier was killed and six additional service members sustained injuries in a drone attack carried out by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This latest fatality pushes the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in ongoing cross-border violence between Israel and Hezbollah to 16. The current escalation of hostilities between the two sides began in early March, amid the broader regional war with Iran.