Global Pulse

分类： society

  • Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish

    Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant fined for using ants as garnish

    A high-profile fine has been handed down to a prestigious two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Seoul for serving an unapproved food ingredient: imported ants used as a fancy dessert garnish, in a case that has sparked public discussion around food safety regulations and unconventional culinary practices in South Korea.

    Evett, the fine-dining establishment at the center of the case, saw its owner hit with a 15 million won ($10,965; £8,144) fine, while the restaurant’s operating company received an additional 10 million won penalty for breaking the country’s Food Sanitation Act, local media outlets have confirmed. Prosecutors had initially pushed for a harsher sentence, requesting a one-year prison term and a 20 million won fine for the owner, but the judge ultimately reduced the penalty after accounting for the owner’s guilty plea and lack of prior criminal history. Even so, the judge emphasized that the violation was not minor: tests of the ants found heavy metal levels exceeding national safety standards, compounding the breach of food regulations.

    South Korea currently only approves 10 insect species for human consumption, a list that includes common edible insects such as grasshoppers, locusts, and select silkworm varieties — ants are not included on this registry. The owner told investigators they were unaware that serving ants was prohibited under South Korean law, noting that ants are consumed as food in many other regions across the globe.

    The unregulated practice was first uncovered by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which discovered the ant garnish through customer-shared online reviews that included photos of the finished dishes. Investigation found that the restaurant had been adding between three and five ants to select menu items to impart a signature sour flavor for nearly four years, totaling roughly 49,000 ants used over that period. According to the ministry’s import records, most of the ants were sourced from the United States, with a smaller share brought in from Thailand.

    The restaurant’s defense argued that the ants only featured in a small section of the establishment’s 14-course tasting menu, and that all diners were informed they could request an alternative garnish without ants if they preferred.

    It is worth noting that ants are regarded as a delicacy in many culinary traditions around the world, beyond South Korea. Across parts of Southeast Asia, weaver ants and their eggs are a common ingredient in traditional Thai and Cambodian dishes, while in Colombia, queen ants hold a gourmet reputation comparable to caviar. The Michelin Guide, which awarded Evett its two-star rating, describes two-star restaurants as delivering excellent cooking that is worth traveling out of one’s way to experience.

  • Obamas’ ‘fiery and gorgeous’ dog Sunny dies

    Obamas’ ‘fiery and gorgeous’ dog Sunny dies

    Thirteen years after joining the Obama family, the beloved Portuguese Water Dog Sunny, who spent years as one of the official White House pets during Barack Obama’s presidency, has passed away, the former U.S. president confirmed in a public announcement.

    In a heartfelt post shared to X on Wednesday, Obama mourned the loss of what he called a core, cherished member of his family. He described Sunny as a steadfast, loyal companion who remained by the family’s side through every stage of her life, noting that from the moment she joined the Obamas in early 2013, at the start of his second presidential term, the entire family fell in love immediately.

    Sunny was one of two Portuguese Water Dogs that called the White House residence home during the Obama administration. The first, Bo, was gifted to Obama’s daughters Sasha and Malia in 2009, shortly after Obama’s first inauguration, to help the young girls adjust to their new life in the executive mansion. Bo preceded Sunny in death, passing away in 2021, and Obama noted that Sunny is now reunited with her “big brother.”

    During her years in the White House, Sunny gained widespread public attention and met dozens of high-profile figures, ranging from foreign heads of state to Pope Francis. In a notable 2015 meeting, both Sunny and Bo greeted the pontiff during his visit to the White House in the residence’s Blue Room. Beyond official meetings, she was a regular fixture at White House community events, including annual Christmas parties where she interacted with young visitors.

    Reflecting on Sunny’s vibrant personality, Obama shared warm, playful memories of his late dog. He remembered her as a creature of endless energy, who would clear the South Lawn hedges in a single leap as if the green barriers did not exist at all. Her favorite moments were unplanned, quiet joys: running around with family members, rolling across the floor, and having her belly rubbed for extended stretches, no matter how long the family was willing to stay. Even when Sasha and Malia bothered her during naps, she adored the girls, and she often trailed behind the Obama household staff, “helping” them complete their daily work. Obama also added two playful, affectionate quirks: Sunny was a notoriously loud and sloppy drinker, and despite being a water dog by breed, she hated getting wet.

    “For thirteen years, she would be by our side – always loyal, always sweet, always ready for adventure, still fiery and gorgeous till the very end of her days,” Obama wrote, adding that the entire family would miss her beyond measure.

    Pete Souza, the former official White House photographer who documented the Obama administration for eight years, also shared a tribute, calling it an honor to photograph Sunny during her time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He noted that Sunny held the rare distinction of being petted by both a sitting U.S. president and the Pope, and was always a willing, approachable subject for photographs.

    Sunny’s death adds a new chapter to the long, well-documented tradition of presidential pets at the White House, a custom that stretches back to the earliest days of the United States presidency. Over the past century, every U.S. president except Donald Trump has kept at least one pet during their time in office.

  • Moment NBC presenters confirm live on air that their helicopter crashed in LA

    Moment NBC presenters confirm live on air that their helicopter crashed in LA

    In a raw, emotional segment aired live on Los Angeles NBC affiliate NBC4, veteran news anchor Colleen Williams delivered the devastating confirmation that a downed aircraft in the area was indeed a helicopter owned and operated by the local news outlet. The live on-air announcement unfolded as breaking coverage of the crash was already underway, with the confirmation shocking both the newsroom team and viewers tuning in across Southern California. Williams, a well-known and trusted figure in LA local news, delivered the confirmation with visible emotion, as the gravity of the incident settled over the live broadcast. The crash, which was already being investigated by local authorities at the time of the announcement, marked an unprecedented incident for the regional news station, marking one of the rare occasions a local media outlet has had to cover the loss of one of its own aircraft in real time. As the confirmation spread, first responder teams were already dispatched to the crash site in Los Angeles to assess the scene, attend to any casualties, and begin the initial investigation into what caused the helicopter to go down.

  • Runaway horse captured by police on motorbikes

    Runaway horse captured by police on motorbikes

    A loose horse that broke free from its owner shortly before a scheduled community parade in New Mexico has been successfully apprehended by a team of police officers on motorbikes, authorities confirmed. The incident, which unfolded ahead of the planned public procession, sparked brief concern among event organizers and local onlookers, who worried the spooked animal might wander into high-traffic areas or disrupt the planned festivities.

    Law enforcement quickly deployed motorbike patrols to track and contain the escaped equine, leveraging the maneuverability of their vehicles to navigate local streets and open areas near the parade starting point. After a short pursuit, the officers successfully cornered and secured the animal without incident. Crucially, the horse emerged from the entire episode completely unharmed, with no reported injuries to the animal, responding officers, or any members of the public in the area. It has since been returned safely to its owner, and organizers confirmed the parade was able to proceed on schedule with no major delays stemming from the escape.

  • NZ apologises to children forced to live in bush for years with fugitive dad

    NZ apologises to children forced to live in bush for years with fugitive dad

    Four years after fugitive father Tom Phillips vanished into the New Zealand wilderness with his three young children, and months after he died in a fatal police confrontation, an independent public inquiry has exposed widespread failures across state agencies that left the children trapped in harmful isolation for nearly half a decade. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a formal public apology to the children and their mother, acknowledging repeated missed opportunities to locate the group and intervene to protect the minors.

    In December 2021, Phillips, who had a prior history of disappearing with his children, took the then 5-, 7-, and 8-year-old siblings into remote bushland. What should have triggered an urgent search never materialized immediately, the inquiry found. Authored by former High Court Justice Simon Moore, the inquiry’s report, released Tuesday, revealed that police initially declined to launch a search and rescue operation based on what it called a “misconceived view” that the children were not at risk. The report also slammed multiple agencies for repeatedly downplaying warnings raised by the children’s mother, including her concerns about Phillips’ access to firearms, dismissing her alarms as typical conflict in a messy parenting dispute.

    Over the 44 months the group remained missing, inquiry investigators uncovered a string of unaddressed sightings that could have led to an earlier rescue. Contrary to initial assumptions that Phillips had cut himself and the children off from all outside contact, the inquiry found he made multiple trips into populated areas to resupply. In February 2022, he visited his mother without the children, who gave him NZ$1,000 in cash and emergency food supplies. Two years later, in August 2023, Phillips spent a full day shopping in Waikato region businesses, spending almost NZ$6,000 on a wide range of goods including groceries, children’s clothes, fishing equipment, gardening supplies, knives and lighters. He passed through the community unnoticed by authorities the entire time.

    The standoff ended on September 7, 2025, when police located Phillips in the small North Island town of Piopio, and he died during a subsequent shootout. The three children were taken into state protective custody, where they remain today. After the confrontation, police released photos of one of the squalid, overgrown campsites where the family had hidden, showing a stockpile of firearms, ammunition, and discarded beer cans scattered in the dense bush.

    The inquiry concluded that all involved agencies – including New Zealand Police, national child welfare service Oranga Tamariki, the New Zealand Defence Force, and the Ministry of Education – failed to coordinate effectively and share critical information that could have speeded up the rescue. Investigators confirmed that agencies consistently “underplayed, minimised or overlooked” the severe harm caused by the children’s prolonged isolation, a finding that has sparked widespread public outrage across New Zealand over the systemic failures.

    Alongside Luxon’s apology, top government and law enforcement leaders have publicly accepted the inquiry’s findings and taken responsibility for the missed chances. Social Development Minister Louise Upton directly addressed the children in a statement Tuesday, saying “this report has found that our agencies did not take all practical steps to protect you. For that we are deeply sorry.” She added that the children had been forced to endure four years in squalid conditions that robbed them of a “happy and healthy childhood.”

    Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers acknowledged the force’s mistakes in an interview with 1News’ *Breakfast*, saying “Did it take too long? Did we miss opportunities? Yes, we did. You can’t unsee the images of where those children were living in those campsites… It’s heart-breaking.” While she noted that the investigators assigned to the case had worked tirelessly on the case, Rogers admitted that the force needed to implement sweeping improvements to prevent similar failures in the future, while pointing out that the core mission of recovering the children alive had ultimately been completed.

  • Three dead in Los Angeles helicopter crash

    Three dead in Los Angeles helicopter crash

    A tragic helicopter crash in the Chatsworth neighborhood of suburban Los Angeles has claimed three lives and left one person hospitalized with an unknown condition, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) officials confirmed Wednesday. The incident unfolded shortly before 19:00 local time Tuesday, between two commercial structures near the intersection of Lurline Avenue and Nordhoff Street, as multiple news helicopters were already in the area covering an earlier deadly road collision.

    Scene footage captured thick plumes of smoke and large flames rising from the crash site, where multiple vehicles and two shipping containers caught fire after the aircraft went down. LAFD crews quickly responded to the emergency and fully extinguished the blaze, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent commercial buildings. According to LAFD Captain Branden Silverman, one victim was found outside the downed helicopter and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Three fatalities have been confirmed in total, while the injured survivor was transported to a local medical facility for treatment, with no update on their condition as of Wednesday morning.

    Early local media reports have indicated the crashed helicopter was a news-gathering aircraft deployed to cover a separate fatal collision that occurred earlier the same day in Chatsworth. In that earlier incident, an SUV collided with a city bus, killing two people and injuring six others, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) noted in a post on X Tuesday night that investigators have not yet finalized the number of people on board the helicopter or confirmed its owner, as first responders continued to clear and secure the crash site overnight.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement of mourning on X Tuesday evening, saying, “I am absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.” The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been assigned to lead the official investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash, with a preliminary report expected to be released in the coming weeks as investigators piece together details of the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.

  • Japan to charge rescue fee on Mount Fuji during off season

    Japan to charge rescue fee on Mount Fuji during off season

    Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji has long drawn thousands of hiking enthusiasts from across the globe each year, but a growing trend of dangerous off-season ascents is pushing local authorities to roll out strict new regulations to protect unprepared climbers and cut down on risky rescue operations.

    Starting next year, officials managing the northern flank of Mount Fuji have announced that any climber attempting an off-season ascent who requires emergency helicopter rescue will be forced to pay full cost for the service. This new charge is one of several policy changes Yamanashi Prefecture is implementing to deter ill-prepared and reckless hikers from putting themselves and rescue teams in danger.

    Regional officials are using an existing rescue fee model from nearby Saitama Prefecture as a reference for their new pricing structure. Saitama already charges 8,000 Japanese yen, equal to roughly $51 or £38, for every five minutes of helicopter rescue service in the prefecture’s mountainous regions. Yamanashi has not yet released its final exact fee schedule, but confirmed the structure will align closely with Saitama’s established framework.

    Beyond the new rescue fee, Yamanashi is also adding a mandatory requirement for all off-season climbers: anyone hoping to scale Mount Fuji between early September and July of the following year, the recognized off-peak window, must submit a detailed, step-by-step climbing plan for approval before setting out. The prefecture’s governor, Kotaro Nagasaki, framed the new rules as a urgent public safety measure in comments made Monday.

    “We ask the general public to refrain from climbing during the off-season,” Nagasaki said. “We hope that these measures will cause people to rethink what climbing Mount Fuji during the winter is like.”

    The push for tighter regulation comes as both Yamanashi and neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture, which manages the southern portion of the mountain, have recorded a steady increase in unplanned and off-season climbs in recent years. A growing number of these ascents have ended in emergency situations, with climbers becoming stranded in harsh conditions requiring large-scale rescue responses.

    Shizuoka has also announced its own set of stricter rules to address the trend: the prefecture will impose formal penalties on off-season climbers who fail to register their planned ascent, and will increase patrols and enforcement to keep hikers out of off-limits areas that pose extreme safety risks. Unlike Yamanashi, however, Shizuoka has not yet announced plans to introduce a fee for helicopter rescues.

    Mount Fuji’s official climbing season runs only from July to early September, a window when weather conditions are most stable and visitor infrastructure is fully operational. Roughly 200,000 hikers attempt to reach the summit during this official window each year. Climbing outside the official season is strongly discouraged by authorities, though it remains legally permitted up to the fifth of the mountain’s ten ascending stations.

    Despite the legal allowance, off-season climbing carries significant avoidable risks. Most mountain huts and public toilet facilities along climbing routes are closed during the off-peak months, leaving no place for climbers to rest, refuel, or access basic amenities. Weather conditions on the mountain also turn far more severe outside the official season, with sudden blizzards, high winds, and icy trail conditions that create major hazards even for experienced mountaineers.

  • Magazine that was 132 years overdue returned to US library

    Magazine that was 132 years overdue returned to US library

    A remarkable piece of library history has unfolded in Concord, New Hampshire, where a 19th-century publication checked out more than a century ago has finally found its way back to the shelves of Concord Public Library. The September 1894 issue of *The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine* was returned last week by a local resident named John, just weeks after the institution rolled out a sweeping 12-month amnesty program for overdue items.

    Calculations confirm the long-missing periodical was 48,220 days late when it arrived back at the library. Under the institution’s historic fine rules, that level of delay would have generated a staggering $12,055 (equivalent to roughly £8,950) in late fees. John, the anonymous patron who dropped off the magazine, told library staff the thin bound volume had sat in his home for decades, though he has no recollection of how it ended up in his possession in the first place.

    It was only after John read a report on the library’s new fine amnesty initiative in a local newspaper that he made the decision to return the long-overlooked item. Concord Public Library announced it would launch a year-long fine freeze starting September 1, 2026, as part of a pilot program to test the impact of operating a fully fine-free library service. The policy is designed to encourage overdue items to be returned without putting financial pressure on patrons who may have forgotten about long-held library materials.

    In a cheerful Facebook post announcing the unexpected return, library representatives shared their surprise at the age of the item that came back. “We’ve witnessed many happy faces since announcing our fine freeze,” the post read. “Of course, we expected long overdue books to be returned, but certainly not something from the late 19th century!”

    While the fragile 132-year-old magazine will not be put back into general circulation for patrons to borrow, library staff say it is likely to earn a permanent new home in the institution’s Concord Room, a special curated section dedicated to preserving regional and local historical artifacts. Thanks to the new amnesty policy, John walked away without having to pay the five-figure fine that would have been owed under the old system, marking a happy end to a century-plus library mystery.

  • South African president vows justice as more women’s bodies found near Johannesburg

    South African president vows justice as more women’s bodies found near Johannesburg

    A string of mysterious killings of women near Johannesburg, South Africa, has triggered nationwide alarm, pushing President Cyril Ramaphosa to promise a sweeping investigation to hold perpetrators accountable.

    The most high-profile victim is 38-year-old Elizabeth Moselakgomo, who vanished while out on her habitual daily jog last Wednesday. It was Moselakgomo’s young daughter who first alerted authorities when her mother failed to return home, sparking a wide public search that ended Saturday when her body was recovered. She was formally identified by family members on Monday.

    A new victim’s body was added to the investigation on Tuesday morning, bringing the total number of deaths linked to this case to seven. Most of the victims’ bodies have been found either fully or partially naked, scattered across Kempton Park, a commuter town northeast of South Africa’s largest city Johannesburg that sits adjacent to the country’s main OR Tambo International Airport. The first body was discovered in mid-July, the second in late August, with four more found this month alone — two of those within just the last 48 hours. The most recent addition was a previously uncounted body of a woman in her late 20s, found in a river adjacent to a local shopping mall after police reviewed open cases following the string of discoveries, Gauteng province acting police chief Major-General Fred Kekana confirmed at a media briefing.

    Thus far, only two of the seven victims have been formally identified. One arrest has been made in connection with the first body found, and that suspect remains in police custody. While investigators have not ruled out the potential that these killings are connected to a group of perpetrators, or even copycat attacks, law enforcement currently says there is no evidence linking the deaths to a single serial killer. “It could be that it’s a copycat crime that is happening right here but so far, no linkages as yet,” police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe explained.

    President Ramaphosa has made addressing the killings a top priority for law enforcement, saying he has directed national agencies to expedite their work. “These incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women,” Ramaphosa said in a statement. “Our law enforcement agencies are working urgently to establish the facts, keep communities safe and bring the perpetrator or perpetrators to justice,” he added, vowing that “no stone will be left unturned” to identify and prosecute those responsible.

    Local authorities have issued a public safety advisory urging all women in the Kempton Park area to avoid solitary outdoor activity, particularly in isolated or underpopulated areas. The South African Commission for Gender Equality has called on local residents to collaborate with investigators to crack the case, noting that the killings highlight a long-running national crisis that puts ordinary women at deadly risk just for moving through daily life. “Women should be able to run, walk to work, use public transport, return home, visit friends and participate in community life without having to calculate whether an ordinary activity could place their lives at risk,” the commission said.

    The killings have reignited national outrage over South Africa’s enduring gender-based violence crisis. UN Women data ranks South Africa among the most dangerous countries in the world for women, with a femicide rate five times the global average. Critics across the country have slammed government and law enforcement for failing to implement consistent protections that keep women safe from violence.

  • Prosecutors will not seek death penalty for Nick Reiner if convicted of killing parents

    Prosecutors will not seek death penalty for Nick Reiner if convicted of killing parents

    In a high-profile case that has shocked the Hollywood community, Los Angeles prosecutors have announced they will not pursue the death penalty against 33-year-old Nick Reiner, the man charged with the brutal murder of his parents — legendary filmmaker Rob Reiner and industry veteran Michele Reiner.

    Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed the decision Wednesday, noting it followed months of careful, rigorous review of the case, as well as direct input from surviving members of the Reiner family. Speaking to reporters ahead of a scheduled pretrial hearing, Hochman shared that prosecutors met directly with Nick Reiner’s surviving siblings, who made their positions on the question of capital punishment explicitly clear.

    The decision removes the ultimate punishment from the table, meaning if Nick Reiner is convicted on the murder charges, the harshest sentence he will face is life imprisonment without any opportunity for parole. Hochman also added another key update Tuesday: the full trial in the case will not get underway in 2024, pushing proceedings into next year amid pre-trial procedural work.

    The gruesome killings date back to December of last year, when the bodies of Rob and Michele Reiner were found inside their Los Angeles home. Their daughter Romy Reiner made the grim discovery on December 14, according to local reports. Immediately following the find, the LA County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed the couple died as a result of multiple sharp force injuries consistent with a stabbing attack.

    Nick Reiner, the youngest child of the couple, was taken into custody by Los Angeles law enforcement on the same day the bodies were discovered. He has formally pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, and has remained in custody since his arrest.

    Rob Reiner, 78 at the time of his death, leaves behind a decades-long legacy as one of Hollywood’s most beloved and successful directors, with a resume of iconic films that shaped modern comedy and drama. His best-known works include cult classic mockumentary *This Is Spinal Tap*, beloved fantasy adventure *The Princess Bride*, hit romantic comedy *When Harry Met Sally*, and coming-of-age drama *Stand by Me*, all of which remain cultural touchstones decades after their release. Michele Singer Reiner, 70, was a multi-hyphenate talent in her own right: she worked as an actress, photographer, and producer, and founded Reiner Light, a successful production company and photography agency based in California.