Global Pulse

分类： society

  • ‘My living nightmare’ – Rob Reiner’s son bares soul on how he found out parents were dead

    ‘My living nightmare’ – Rob Reiner’s son bares soul on how he found out parents were dead

    Nearly five months after iconic Hollywood filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner were found stabbed to death in their upscale Los Angeles home, their eldest son Jake Reiner has opened up about the overwhelming grief and unthinkable turmoil that has upended his life, in a lengthy emotional essay published on his Substack blog.

    The 34-year-old TV presenter and actor described the devastating moment he received the call from his sister Romy that December morning, writing that his entire existence as he knew it came crashing down immediately. “Nothing compares to losing both of them at the same time and, on top of that, having your brother be at the center of it,” Jake explained. “I was in a trance. My world, as I knew it, had collapsed.”

    On December 14, Romy Reiner discovered the bodies of 78-year-old Rob Reiner, a legendary director known for beloved classics like *When Harry Met Sally* and *A Few Good Men*, and 70-year-old Michele Singer Reiner, a prominent producer and philanthropist, at their Brentwood residence. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later confirmed the couple died from multiple sharp force injuries. Their youngest son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was arrested at the scene the same day. Local news outlets reported that Nick and Rob had a verbal altercation at a family party the night before the killings.

    Nick Reiner has formally pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, with a special circumstance enhancement for multiple murders, and he remains in police custody ahead of his next court appearance scheduled for April 29. Jake Reiner noted that his sister Romy plans to share her own account of the tragedy at a later date, on her own terms.

    In his raw, heartfelt Substack post, Jake Reiner expressed that no life experience can ever prepare a person for the sudden simultaneous loss of both parents. “It’s too devastating to comprehend. I still wake up every morning having to convince myself that, no, it’s not a dream. This truly is my living nightmare,” he wrote. He added that he is constantly haunted by the fear his parents must have experienced in their final moments, emphasizing that the couple did nothing to deserve such a violent end.

    “They deserved to be loved, they deserved to be respected, and above all they deserved to be appreciated for how much they gave to all three of us and to the world,” Jake wrote, celebrating the legacy his parents built both as parents and as influential figures in the entertainment industry and beyond. Prosecutors allege that Nick carried out the stabbings inside a bedroom of the family home before fleeing the residence, bringing a shocking end to one of Hollywood’s most well-known families that has sent ripples of grief through the global entertainment community.

  • Joint engineering faculty strengthens China-Azerbaijan education ties

    Joint engineering faculty strengthens China-Azerbaijan education ties

    Early this week, a landmark milestone in bilateral educational cooperation between China and Azerbaijan was reached as a new joint engineering faculty, co-founded by China’s Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) and Azerbaijan’s Baku Engineering University (BEU), officially opened its doors in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. Launched on Monday, this collaborative academic initiative marks the first Chinese-led undergraduate-level educational institution ever established in Azerbaijan, creating a foundational platform for cross-border knowledge sharing and institutional partnership. The new faculty offers five specialized undergraduate programs: chemistry, polymer materials and engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering, computer science and technology, and mechanical engineering, process equipment and control engineering.

    Students who successfully complete all program requirements and meet graduation standards will receive accredited double bachelor’s degrees from both partnering institutions. Beyond academic training, the joint faculty has set three core long-term goals: cultivating high-skilled professionals with global perspectives, deepening bilateral collaboration in teaching practice, scientific research, and academic faculty exchanges, and advancing mutual cultural and educational learning between the two nations.

    Tan Tianwei, president of BUCT, noted that China-Azerbaijan bilateral relations have continued to strengthen in recent years, with growing people-to-people exchanges that have laid a solid, enabling foundation for this cross-institutional educational partnership. He expressed his expectation that the current undergraduate collaboration will expand over time to include postgraduate training programs and joint scientific research projects between the two universities.

    Yagub Piriyev, president of BEU, framed the new joint faculty as a tangible, practical outcome of innovative educational cooperation, aligned with the consensus reached by the heads of state of both countries on strengthening bilateral higher education collaboration. He added that as China-Azerbaijan ties grow closer, Azerbaijani students hoping to pursue further study in China should prioritize learning the Chinese language and gaining deeper understanding of Chinese history, to become active contributors to ongoing cross-border educational exchange between the two institutions.

    Emin Amrullayev, Minister of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, also offered his remarks at the inauguration, sharing his hope that BUCT and BEU will continue to expand collaboration in scientific research and doctoral level education, lifting the bilateral educational and scientific partnership to new heights.

    To provide context, BUCT was founded in 1958 and is designated as one of China’s national “Double First-Class” universities, a top-tier academic designation reserved for China’s leading higher education institutions. Today, BUCT has evolved into a key comprehensive university with strong foundational strengths in natural sciences, robust engineering research and training capacity, and a diverse range of distinct academic disciplines spanning management, economics, law, literature, education, philosophy, and medicine. BEU, by comparison, is a newer public institution established in 2016, created by the Azerbaijani government to strengthen the country’s domestic engineering and technical education sector to support national economic and technological development.

  • Man who died after bus crash at Dublin Airport named

    Man who died after bus crash at Dublin Airport named

    A tragic road traffic incident near Dublin Airport has claimed the life of a well-known figure in Ireland’s horse racing community, John Fleming, a respected racehorse owner and long-serving publisher of the *Irish Racing Year Book*. The collision occurred just after midnight on Thursday along Corballis Road, the primary arterial route connecting the Dublin Airport roundabout to the main airport grounds. Local Irish police, known as Gardaí, confirmed that first responders including emergency medical teams rushed to the crash site, where a man in his 60s — later identified as Fleming — was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Fleming, an accountant hailing from Kilkenny, left an indelible mark on Irish horse racing over more than three decades in the industry. For over 20 years, he channeled his deep passion for the sport into publishing the *Irish Racing Year Book*, a staple reference for racing professionals and enthusiasts across the country. Beyond his work in publishing, Fleming was a dedicated racehorse owner, most famously of the horse Navassa Island, which he proudly supported. Just weeks before his death, he was on hand to celebrate Navassa Island’s victory at the Listed Irish EBF Cork Stakes held on Easter Sunday, a moment that stood as a testament to his lifelong love of racing.

    In the wake of Fleming’s sudden passing, leaders across Ireland’s horse racing sector have shared heartfelt tributes honoring his legacy. Suzanne Eade, Chief Executive of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), released an official statement mourning the loss. “Like everyone connected to Irish racing, I am very saddened to learn of the sudden passing of John Fleming,” Eade said. “He was a very talented and hugely respected man with a genuine passion for the sport. John had over 30 years’ experience as an accountant and adviser to many in the bloodstock industry. He published the *Irish Racing Year Book* for over two decades out of his sheer enthusiasm for racing.” Eade extended HRI’s deepest sympathies to Fleming’s family, friends, and the wide network of industry colleagues who knew him.

    The Dublin Airport Authority (Daa) also released a statement expressing its sorrow over the incident. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of a passenger overnight following a road traffic accident on the main road leading to Dublin Airport (between the Airport Roundabout and the airport),” the authority said. As of Thursday, no further details about the exact circumstances of the collision have been released by Gardaí, who continue to investigate the incident.

  • Experts: Education the ‘key force’ in global climate action

    Experts: Education the ‘key force’ in global climate action

    As the global community grapples with the accelerating urgency of climate change, international industry and academic experts gathered in Shanghai this week to highlight education as an underrecognized, transformative force for driving meaningful climate progress. The discussion took place Thursday at the Climate Change Education Forum, a core event of 2026 Shanghai Climate Week hosted on the campus of East China Normal University (ECNU), where leaders from institutions across Asia called for expanded cross-border collaboration to embed climate literacy and green action into learning systems worldwide.

    Opening the forum, Zhu Junwen, deputy Party chief of ECNU, framed climate change as one of the most existential shared challenges facing modern humanity, arguing that education stands apart as a foundational catalyst for systemic change. He emphasized that climate education must evolve far beyond simple knowledge dissemination, arguing that its core goal should be reshaping public mindsets and catalyzing widespread behavioral change that reduces individual and collective carbon footprints.

    A leading hub for climate education research and policy development, ECNU has leveraged its cross-disciplinary research platforms to deepen engagement in the field, contribute to the drafting of international climate education standards, and advance multilateral collaborative projects. Currently, the university is working with higher education institutions and research organizations from a dozen countries across the globe to launch the “BRICS+” Joint Laboratory for Climate Change Education and Green Development, a new initiative designed to align global research efforts and share best practices for climate-focused learning.

    “ECNU remains committed to deepening partnership with all stakeholders around the world, to leverage the power of education to enable just green transition, and to contribute to global sustainable development and the construction of a global community with a shared future for humanity, Zhu added.

    Supakorn Pongbangpho, president of Thailand’s University of Phayao, echoed the call for a reimagined approach to climate education, noting that the core mission of climate learning is to embed long-term green thinking into the next generation of global leaders. He stressed that truly sustainable development pathways can only be achieved when modern innovative technology is paired with the traditional ecological wisdom held by local communities around the world, creating a holistic approach to climate action that benefits all populations.

    By the close of the forum, participating organizations had already advanced a range of collaborative agreements and actionable outcomes, said Zou Rong, co-director of the executive committee of Shanghai Climate Week. Looking ahead, Zou called for continued cross-sector, cross-border cooperation to turn pledges into tangible progress, expanding access to high-quality climate education and turning learning into measurable action to cut global emissions and build climate resilience.

    The forum comes as policymakers and climate activists increasingly recognize that even the most ambitious national emissions reduction pledges will fail without broad public buy-in, which can only be built through widespread climate literacy that empowers people to adjust their behaviors and demand systemic change from governments and corporations.

  • Bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales is set to fall as parliamentary time runs out

    Bill to allow assisted dying in England and Wales is set to fall as parliamentary time runs out

    LONDON – A landmark piece of social policy legislation that would grant terminally ill adults in England and Wales the legal right to choose an assisted death is on track to fail Friday, derailed by procedural gridlock and a flood of opposition amendments in the UK’s House of Lords that exhausted all remaining parliamentary time.

    First introduced to the House of Commons by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater in late 2024, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill cleared the elected lower chamber in June 2024 after fierce debate. The legislation proposed to allow adults with a terminal diagnosis and fewer than six months left to live to apply for an assisted death, with final approval contingent on sign-off from two independent physicians and a specialized expert review panel, designed to prevent abuse of the framework.

    Backers of the bill had framed it as the most transformative change to UK social policy since the partial legalization of abortion in 1967, arguing it would bring compassion and autonomy to people facing unbearable suffering at the end of their lives. But the unelected House of Lords, the UK’s parliamentary revising chamber, has effectively stalled progress through a months-long filibuster-style strategy. Opponents tabled more than 1,200 amendments to the legislation – a record number for any backbench-sponsored bill, rather than one brought forward by the sitting government. Because backbench bills are only allocated debating time on Fridays, the massive volume of amendments left no path to complete consideration before the current parliamentary session draws to a close next week.

    Under UK parliamentary rules, any bill that does not complete all stages of debate and voting within a single parliamentary session automatically expires, even if it has already cleared one chamber. With the clock ticking down, the bill is confirmed to fail.

    The outcome has sparked sharp anger from assisted dying campaigners, who argue that unelected Lords have overridden the clear will of the elected House of Commons. They have already announced plans to reintroduce the legislation in the next parliamentary session, which opens on May 13 when King Charles III delivers the King’s Speech outlining the government’s upcoming legislative agenda. Leadbeater, the bill’s sponsor, has confirmed she will enter the backbench ballot to secure parliamentary time for a new introduction, saying she will “keep pushing for a safer, more compassionate law until Parliament reaches a final decision.”

    Opponents of the legislation, however, defend their procedural tactics as necessary scrutiny of a deeply sensitive policy. Many have argued the bill is unsafe and unworkable, raising concerns that weak safeguards could leave vulnerable people, including disabled individuals, open to coercion into choosing assisted death against their own interests. They argue the massive number of amendments was required to highlight critical flaws in the original text.

    The legislative failure comes just one month after lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament, which holds devolved authority over health policy, rejected a separate assisted dying bill that would have made Scotland the first part of the UK to legalize the practice. Globally, assisted dying – defined as a doctor prescribing a lethal dose that a patient self-administers – is already legal in a growing number of jurisdictions, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and multiple states across the United States, with strict eligibility criteria varying between each region.

  • Watch: Powerful tornado barrels through northern Oklahoma

    Watch: Powerful tornado barrels through northern Oklahoma

    A destructive tornado has carved a path of disruption through northern Oklahoma, touching down in multiple sections of Enid, a mid-sized community located close to the state’s northern boundary, the National Weather Service has confirmed. Home to roughly 50,000 residents, Enid was caught off guard by the intense weather event, which moved rapidly through the area, bringing with it high winds that threatened property and public safety. Meteorologists from the National Weather Service have verified the tornado’s touchdown, and local emergency management teams are already mobilizing to assess damage, clear blocked roadways, and check on residents who may have been affected by the storm. The event serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of severe spring and summer weather that commonly impacts the Southern Great Plains, a region colloquially known as Tornado Alley for its frequent rotation of extreme storm systems. As of the initial report, no official casualty or damage estimates have been released, with surveys still ongoing to document the full scope of the tornado’s impact across the city.

  • Radar detects even more human remains in suspected Indigenous burial sites on Rottnest Island

    Radar detects even more human remains in suspected Indigenous burial sites on Rottnest Island

    One of Western Australia’s most beloved tourist destinations, Rottnest Island — better known for its sun-soaked white-sand beaches, iconic wild quokkas and postcard-perfect coastal views — is now at the center of a sobering discovery that pulls back the curtain on the site’s brutal colonial history.

    The discovery began earlier this month, when construction crews carrying out upgrades for a new bus stop near Holy Trinity Church, located on the island roughly 19 kilometers off the coast of Perth, uncovered a set of unidentified human bones. Work on the infrastructure project immediately halted after the find, triggering a joint investigation by local police and the state’s lead archaeologist. Subsequent forensic testing confirmed the remains were of Indigenous ancestry and dated to historical times, aligning with the island’s dark past as a 19th and early 20th century Aboriginal prison.

    To determine if more unmarked graves sat beneath the construction site, authorities deployed ground-penetrating radar to survey the surrounding area. The advanced scanning technology has now identified 12 separate locations across the site that show strong potential to be unmarked burial sites. Further archaeological and anthropological work is required to confirm the findings and analyze any potential remains at the sites.

    Rottnest Island, known by its traditional name Wadjemup to the local Whadjuk Noongar people, has a long and violent colonial history that is often overshadowed by its modern reputation as a top global tourist spot. From 1838 to 1931, the island operated as a forced labour camp and prison for Indigenous Australian men and boys, holding more than 4,000 prisoners over the near-century of operation. Many incarcerated people died on the island from poor conditions, abuse and disease, and scores are believed to be buried in unmarked graves across the site.

    In a joint statement from the Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) and the Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation (WAC), representatives acknowledged the profound cultural and spiritual importance of Wadjemup to the Whadjuk Noongar people and all Aboriginal Australian communities. The organizations confirmed that since the initial discovery of remains, they have collaborated closely to uphold traditional cultural protocols and guide all decision-making around site protection and management with cultural respect.

    “We acknowledge and express our deep regret for the significant distress this incident and subsequent investigations has caused Aboriginal people,” the statement added. Moving forward, all work at the site will remain paused while experts work with Indigenous stakeholders to conduct further investigations and plan next steps that honor the cultural significance of the area.

  • South Korea police arrest man for posting AI photo of runaway wolf

    South Korea police arrest man for posting AI photo of runaway wolf

    A high-stakes nine-day nationwide search for an escaped zoo wolf in South Korea took an unexpected turn after an AI-generated fake image sent authorities scrambling to redirect their operation, resulting in the arrest of a 40-year-old man who claims he created the hoax “for fun”.

    The drama began on April 8, when Neukgu, a two-year-old gray wolf part of a critically endangered Korean wolf restoration program at Daejeon’s O-World Zoo, broke out of his enclosure. Korean wolves once roamed freely across the entire Korean Peninsula but are now classified as extinct in the wild, making Neukgu’s escape a matter of urgent public and governmental concern.

    Within hours of Neukgu going missing, a manipulated photo generated via artificial intelligence began circulating online. The image purported to show the young wolf walking through a local road intersection, and it spread so quickly that it was picked up by search authorities. The Daejeon city government immediately issued an emergency mass text alert to all local residents, warning them to avoid the area and stay alert for the wolf. Search teams reallocated dozens of personnel and resources to the intersection location shown in the fake image, pulling them away from areas where Neukgu was actually located and drawing the search out into a fruitless wild goose chase. In a notable turn of events, authorities even displayed the fraudulent AI image during an official public press briefing on the search operation, according to local South Korean media outlets.

    After a nine-day search that gripped the entire nation, Neukgu was finally located and safely recaptured last week near a major national expressway. Even before the wolf was found, the search had captured widespread public attention: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung publicly offered prayers for the animal’s safe capture and return to the zoo.

    Following the recapture, police launched an investigation into the source of the fake photo that had upended their search operation. By cross-referencing local security camera footage and reviewing records of AI program usage linked to the image, investigators identified the 40-year-old unnamed suspect. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the man shared the image directly with search officials or only posted it to public online platforms, where it was later picked up and mistaken for authentic.

    When interrogated by law enforcement, the suspect told officers he created and shared the fake image purely for entertainment, local media reported. He now faces charges of disrupting public governmental work through deception, a criminal offense under South Korean law that carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of up to 10 million Korean won, equal to roughly $6,700 USD or £5,000 GBP.

    In the wake of Neukgu’s safe return, a nationwide wave of public enthusiasm for the young wolf has swept South Korea. A local bakery has launched a new pastry decorated with Neukgu’s face, and Daejeon city officials are reportedly discussing naming the wolf as an official local cultural mascot. A video posted by O-World Zoo showing Neukgu eating meat back in his enclosure has already accumulated more than one million views on social media. In a recent statement, however, the zoo announced it would stop posting new content about Neukgu to give the animal a quiet, low-stress environment to recover from his nine-day ordeal.

  • Woman trapped in poo for three hours after outback toilet collapses

    Woman trapped in poo for three hours after outback toilet collapses

    A routine cross-country road trip through Australia’s remote outback turned into a harrowing three-hour ordeal recently, when a female traveler became trapped waist-deep in raw sewage after the outdated pit latrine she was using collapsed underneath her.

    The incident unfolded at the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Zone, a popular outback tourist spot located roughly 145 kilometers southwest of the isolated Northern Territory town of Alice Springs. According to local authorities and community reports, the woman was traveling back to her home in Canberra with her husband and two children, having just finished a visit to see extended family in Darwin when the group stopped for a rest break at the conservation reserve.

    Pit latrines — also known as long-drop toilets — are basic, non-flush sanitation facilities that store human waste in deep excavated underground pits, and they remain a common fixture in remote, off-grid areas such as outback camping and tourist sites across Australia. In this case, the structure surrounding the pit failed when the woman stepped onto it, leaving her stuck in the contaminated hole.

    Northern Territory authorities confirmed the woman remained trapped for approximately three hours before a lucky break led to her rescue. A local tradesman, who was passing through the remote conservation area by chance, was flagged down by the woman’s husband. An anonymous eyewitness told local publication NT News that the tradesman lowered a rope into the pit for the woman to grip, then used his vehicle to slowly pull her out of the waste-filled hole — a painstaking extraction process that took more than 45 minutes to complete. The eyewitness also added that the pit was filled with discarded diapers and human excrement, adding to the dangerous and unsanitary conditions of the entrapment.

    Following her rescue, the woman was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. Early reports confirm she escaped the incident without serious long-term injuries.

    Northern Territory WorkSafe, the government body that oversees public and workplace health and safety across the territory, confirmed that the management agency responsible for maintaining the Henbury Meteorites Conservation Zone filed an official incident report shortly after the event. A full investigation into the collapse, including checks on the facility’s structural integrity and maintenance history, is currently ongoing.

    This incident is far from an isolated case: pit latrine accidents have a documented history across Australia, drawing ongoing attention to the risks of aging sanitation infrastructure in remote tourist areas. In July 2024, a man had to be rescued by firefighters after becoming stranded in a collapsed pit toilet in Victoria’s Indigo Valley. More than a decade earlier, in 2012, a 65-year-old woman in central Queensland suffered a broken leg after falling backwards into a pit latrine, requiring an emergency airlift to a regional hospital for treatment.

  • Hot pants: Tokyo government workers swap suits for shorts

    Hot pants: Tokyo government workers swap suits for shorts

    As Japan braces for another sweltering summer and grapples with mounting energy security risks tied to ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Tokyo’s metropolitan government has rolled out a dramatic update to its long-running energy conservation campaign, now allowing public sector workers to swap formal suit trousers for comfortable shorts at work.

    An anonymous Tokyo government official confirmed the new dress code adjustment to AFP on Friday, noting that amplified concerns over energy supply volatility spurred by the Middle East war was a key driving force behind the policy update. The change expands on Japan’s iconic “Cool Biz” initiative, a national energy-saving program first launched by the country’s Ministry of the Environment back in 2005. The original campaign encouraged public servants to abandon stiff neckties and heavy formal jackets during the hot summer months, eventually allowing more casual options such as Okinawan-style open-collar tee-shirts. This year’s update marks the most significant loosening of workplace attire rules since the program began.

    Local media footage captured earlier this week already shows male government employees embracing the new policy, wearing casual shorts and tee-shirts around Tokyo metropolitan office buildings. The policy has the full backing of Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who actually launched the original Cool Biz campaign two decades ago when she served as Japan’s environment minister.

    Addressing reporters earlier this June, Koike laid out the full scope of the updated initiative, emphasizing the urgent context driving the changes. “This summer, we encourage ‘cool’ attire that prioritizes comfort, including polo shirts, T-shirts and sneakers and — depending on job responsibilities — shorts,” she stated, pointing to “a severe outlook for the supply and demand of electricity” as the core motivation. Beyond the relaxed dress code, the updated 2025 Cool Biz push also includes expanded incentives for teleworking and adjusted work schedules that allow employees to start their shifts earlier to avoid peak midday heat and energy consumption.

    The policy update comes as Japan faces a growing pattern of record-breaking summer heat. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, 2024 saw the country experience the hottest summer since formal temperature recording began in 1898. Extreme heat events, where daily temperatures climb above 40 degrees Celsius, have become so frequent in recent years that the agency introduced a new official classification for these dangerous heat waves just last week, coining the term “kokusho,” or “cruelly hot,” to describe these high-risk weather days.