Global Pulse

分类： society

  • Two dead in Istanbul after heaviest rainfall in 84 years, governor says

    Two dead in Istanbul after heaviest rainfall in 84 years, governor says

    Deadly flash flooding triggered by the heaviest rainfall Istanbul has seen in 84 years has left two people dead and hundreds displaced, according to a report from BBC Turkish. City officials have declared emergency measures, including school closures and targeted administrative leave for vulnerable workers, as the region braces for continued severe weather.

    The two fatalities were identified as a 14-year-old boy and a 34-year-old man. The teenager was electrocuted after stepping into a waterlogged puddle, and the Istanbul governorship has launched an official investigation into his death. The man died after slipping on a flooded road and striking his head against the pavement. Multiple districts across the sprawling Istanbul metropolitan area, home to more than 16 million people, have reported significant damage. In Sariyer district, an underground shopping center car park was entirely inundated, leaving dozens of vehicles submerged. Other parts of the city have reported collapsed road sections and a local river that overflowed its banks, leaving cars trapped in standing water in multiple neighborhoods.

    As of Thursday, local officials confirmed that 595 stranded residents have been rescued and evacuated to safe shelters. More than 8,000 emergency response workers have been deployed across the city to assist with rescues, clear floodwaters, and repair damaged infrastructure. Istanbul Deputy Mayor Nuri Aslan announced that metro operating hours have been extended to 2:00 a.m. local time to accommodate residents, and urged the public to use public transportation instead of private vehicles to reduce congestion and risk for travelers. “I urge all our citizens to remain vigilant against the expected heavy rain and storm, particularly during nighttime hours,” Aslan shared in a post on X.

    Istanbul Governor Davut Gül has advised residents to stay indoors unless travel is absolutely essential. According to Turkish Interior Ministry data, some parts of the city have already received rainfall equal to one-seventh of the city’s average annual precipitation, with more rain forecast in the coming days. In response to the ongoing weather emergency, all schools in Istanbul were ordered closed for Thursday and Friday. The Interior Ministry has also issued flood warnings for several other neighboring Turkish provinces.

    Adminstrative leave has been authorized for at-risk public sector workers to reduce unnecessary travel and risk: the policy applies to disabled employees, pregnant workers, military veterans, and female public sector employees who have children under the age of 8. Employees working in critical emergency sectors including healthcare, public safety, and rainwater drainage are exempt from the leave order.

    The flooding has also disrupted air travel to Istanbul, with BBC Turkish reporting that 46 commercial aircraft were unable to land at the city’s major airports Thursday due to poor weather conditions and unsafe infrastructure.

  • Indian woman and boyfriend get death sentence in ‘blue drum’ murder case

    Indian woman and boyfriend get death sentence in ‘blue drum’ murder case

    In a high-profile criminal case that has gripped public attention across northern India, a 26-year-old woman and her male romantic partner have received death penalty sentences following their conviction for the brutal killing of the woman’s husband. The verdict, delivered on September 30 by a sessions court in the city of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh state, brings a key milestone to the case that has become widely known as the ‘blue drum murder’, named for the large blue plastic storage container where the victim’s remains were discovered after the killing.

    The convicted pair are Muskan Rastogi, the wife of deceased Saurabh Rajput, and her co-accused lover Sahil Shukla, aged 28. The murder was carried out on March 3, 2025, when Rajput – who worked full-time in London – was visiting his family in Meerut. Court documents from the prosecution lay out a long-running context for the crime: Rastogi and Shukla first became close as school classmates, and their romantic relationship developed while Rajput was living abroad for work.

    When Rajput first uncovered the affair in 2021, he moved forward with plans to file for divorce. But pressure from his extended family, who cited the couple’s young daughter as a reason to preserve the marriage, convinced him to abandon the divorce proceedings. Years later, during his 2025 visit home, Rastogi allegedly served Rajput food laced with sedatives before the pair carried out the killing, according to Meerut Police official accounts.

    Following the murder, Rastogi and Shukla fled the state to hide out in Himachal Pradesh, in northern India’s Himalayan region. To cover up their crime, they continued using Rajput’s mobile phone to send fake text messages to his family, claiming he was away on a work trip and in good health. For several days, the ruse held, but Rajput’s family soon grew suspicious of his extended absence and filed a missing person report with local law enforcement.

    The case broke open when Rastogi returned to Meerut from Himachal Pradesh to visit her own parents on March 17. During the visit, the couple’s six-year-old daughter asked Rastogi where her father was. When Rastogi attempted to shift blame for Rajput’s disappearance onto her in-laws, her own parents were unconvinced by her account. They ultimately took Rastogi directly to a local police station for questioning, where she confessed to her role in the killing. Within days, both Rastogi and Shukla were taken into custody and formally charged with murder.

    In statements to media following the September 30 verdict, relatives on both sides of the case spoke out about the crime. Rajput’s brother told BBC Hindi that his sibling had been killed at the hands of unnecessarily cruel perpetrators. Even Rastogi’s own family has called for the harshest possible penalty. In a comment to Indian news agency ANI, Rastogi’s father said, ‘My daughter, along with a friend, murdered her husband in her own home. She is not fit for this society and is a danger to others.’

    Under India’s legal system, the death sentence handed down by the lower Meerut court cannot be carried out until it receives formal confirmation from the Uttar Pradesh High Court. Both convicted defendants also retain the legal right to file an appeal challenging the guilty verdict and the sentence. Notably, Rastogi has given birth to a second child while being held in jail awaiting trial. The case remains ongoing through the appeal and confirmation process.

  • At least 18 pupils and teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan

    At least 18 pupils and teacher killed after school roof collapses in Pakistan

    A devastating structural failure has struck a school in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, resulting in one of the deadliest education sector incidents in the region in recent months. Local authoritative sources confirmed to the BBC that at least 18 students and one educator have been confirmed dead following the sudden collapse of the school’s roof.

    Emergency response officials have also documented that 40 additional people are being treated for injuries sustained in the collapse, with multiple patients listed in critical condition as of the latest update. Rescue operations are currently ongoing at the disaster site, where operational teams warn that several children may still remain trapped beneath the collapsed rubble.

    This is an active, developing breaking news story. BBC journalists continue working on the ground to gather additional verified details, and full updates will be made public as more information is confirmed. Readers can access the latest version of this coverage by refreshing the BBC News webpage. For real-time breaking news alerts directly to mobile devices, users can enable notifications through the BBC News mobile application, or follow the official @BBCBreaking account on the social platform X for instantaneous updates.

  • Australian woman charged with lacing colleague’s curry with snail poison

    Australian woman charged with lacing colleague’s curry with snail poison

    A shocking case of workplace poisoning has emerged in Western Australia, where a 43-year-old local woman has been formally charged with intentionally contaminating her romantic partner’s homemade curry with lethal snail poison, law enforcement officials have confirmed. The incident dates back to February this year, when the 58-year-old alleged victim brought a batch of homemade curry to her workplace to share with colleagues during a morning tea gathering. After the group finished their shared meal, the leftovers were stored at the office for the victim to eat later during her lunch break.

    When the victim returned to consume the leftover curry, she immediately spotted unusual bright green granules scattered through the food that were not present when she originally prepared the dish. Curious about the strange additive, she took a small taste, and quickly developed a disturbing numbness on her tongue – a clear warning sign that something dangerous had been added to her meal.

    Rather than discarding the food, the victim turned the contaminated curry over to investigating police officers, who launched a months-long probe into the suspected poisoning. Forensic testing later confirmed that the unknown substance was metaldehyde, a toxic active ingredient commonly found in commercial snail and slug pellets used to kill garden pests. Western Australia Police Commissioner Col Blanch emphasized to reporters that this type of poison is capable of causing severe permanent injury or even death if consumed in sufficient quantities. “We’re just very thankful that the person who tasted the curry was aware of something that wasn’t quite right,” Blanch told reporters in comments published by Australia’s Seven Network.

    Investigators have also uncovered key pre-incident behavior that links the accused to the contamination: police allege the 43-year-old suspect, who is in a romantic relationship with the victim, visited an on-site chemical storage shed shortly before returning to the staffroom where the leftover curry was being stored. Following the months-long investigation, the accused has been charged with one count of endangering the life, health, and safety of another person. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance on 5 November, and has not been publicly named to protect ongoing investigative processes.

  • ‘Multiple searches’ after four arson attack murders

    ‘Multiple searches’ after four arson attack murders

    A devastating deliberate arson attack on a suburban family home in Waterford, Republic of Ireland, has left four people dead and two more in critical condition, triggering an intensive manhunt and overwhelming grief across the tight-knit local community. The victims have been identified as parents Kim English and Philip English, alongside their two sons: 12-year-old Callum and 9-year-old Jayden. The attack unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday at the family’s residence on Birch Avenue, located in the Birchwood housing estate just 1.8 miles outside Waterford’s city center. At the time of the blaze, six family members were asleep inside the property, investigators confirmed.

    Emergency responders were first alerted to the fire at 5:13 a.m. local time. When crews from Waterford Fire Service arrived at the scene, the two-story home was already engulfed in fully developed flames. Multiple casualties were pulled from the burning structure before firefighters brought the blaze under control, and the crime cordon was immediately handed over to Gardaí, Ireland’s national police service. Two surviving children from the family were rushed to a Dublin hospital with severe burn injuries, and both remain in critical condition as of the latest update.

    Investigators believe the fire was intentionally started using an incendiary device, most commonly assessed to be a petrol bomb. The attack has been classified as a multiple murder case, and Gardaí confirmed on Wednesday that the investigation is both high-intensity and rapidly progressing. Multiple search warrants were executed at different premises across Waterford on Tuesday evening, with a number of vehicles and electronic devices seized for forensic technical analysis. Irish public broadcaster RTÉ has cited senior detective sources indicating the attack is believed to be connected to organized crime and drug-related intimidation. Among the locations searched on Tuesday night were properties linked to two prominent criminal figures based in Waterford, though no arrests have been announced as of Wednesday.

    In a public appeal for information, Chief Superintendent Anthony Pettit stressed that community members hold critical information to advance the case. “There are people in the community who know the person or persons who carried out this arson attack in which four people have been murdered,” Pettit stated, urging anyone with details to contact the investigation team based at Waterford Garda Station. He also issued a specific appeal for any members of the public who were in the Birchwood housing estate area between 4:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning to come forward with any relevant sightings or information.

    The tragedy has cast a heavy shadow over the local community, which has rallied around the surviving relatives of the English family. Callum, the 12-year-old victim, had played youth football for local club Johnville FC for five years, and his coach and teammates remembered him as a talented, warm-hearted young player. Alex O’Sullivan, Callum’s long-time coach, told reporters that the young athlete was a “fantastic player” and a “lovely kid” both on and off the pitch. “He had a great sense of humour, was always happy, and never had a bad word to say,” O’Sullivan recalled, noting that Callum was always quick to greet him with a smile and a wave when they met around the neighborhood. O’Sullivan added that Callum’s parents, Kim and Philip, were always actively involved in supporting their son’s football, never missing a training session or match. The entire club has been left devastated by the loss, O’Sullivan said, describing a “dark cloud” hanging over the club’s home ground at St John’s Park that has replaced the usual happy, lively atmosphere. In an official statement shared on social media, Johnville FC said all its members were “absolutely heartbroken” by the tragedy. “It is incredibly difficult to comprehend that a family we knew so well has been taken from us in such tragic circumstances,” the statement read.

    Local religious leaders have organized a community vigil to honor the victims and support grieving residents. The Catholic Diocese of Waterford and Lismore confirmed that the vigil will be held on Wednesday evening at Sacred Heart Church, providing a space for local people to “come together in prayer for those who have lost their lives, their grieving families and loved ones, and all those affected by this terrible tragedy.” As the investigation continues, Gardaí have maintained a large police cordon around the burned-out family home on Birch Avenue as forensic teams continue to process the crime scene.

  • Hundreds of thousands of workers on strike across Republic of Ireland

    Hundreds of thousands of workers on strike across Republic of Ireland

    A sweeping 24-hour strike has brought widespread disruption to critical public services across the Republic of Ireland, as more than 300,000 public sector workers — including frontline nurses, hospital doctors, primary and secondary school teachers, and government civil servants — walked off the job to demand fair pay resolutions. The industrial action is the latest escalation in a months-long standoff between public sector employee unions and the Irish national government over long-unresolved pay disagreements, with a second targeted strike already scheduled for October 21 to ramp up pressure if negotiations do not progress.

    The 24-hour work stoppage has triggered immediate and far-reaching impacts across the country: most primary and secondary schools are expected to remain fully closed for the duration of the strike, thousands of scheduled non-emergency hospital appointments and elective procedures have been canceled, and union organizers have set up picket lines at government buildings, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions nationwide.

    This mass strike does not come out of the blue. It is the culmination of a series of incremental industrial actions that have built up over the past two months. At the end of September, more than 100,000 public sector workers across nursing, education, and civil administration first implemented work-to-rule measures, strictly limiting their work to contracted hours and job descriptions to protest the stalled pay talks. Earlier this month, all primary and secondary school teachers across the Republic launched their own separate work-to-rule action, amplifying the collective demand for pay adjustments.

    Internal union ballots showed overwhelming support for industrial action ahead of the strike. Fórsa, the largest public service union in the Republic of Ireland, saw nearly 97 percent of participating members vote in favor of launching strike action. Brendan O’Brien, divisional organiser for SIPTU — another major union representing public sector workers in health care and administration — noted that for months, public sector employees had relied on their own personal goodwill to keep stretched public services running amid the pay dispute. “The Irish government’s failure to establish a basis for formal talks left our members with no alternative but to act collectively,” O’Brien explained of the decision to move forward with mass strike action.

    On the government side, Jack Chambers, Ireland’s Minister for Expenditure, characterized the strike as deeply disappointing in comments Tuesday. He acknowledged that the work stoppage would cause significant disruption to the national economy, beyond the immediate impacts of closed schools and thousands of canceled medical appointments.

  • What we know about the man who died falling from a Six Flags rollercoaster

    What we know about the man who died falling from a Six Flags rollercoaster

    On a Monday afternoon at Six Flags Over Georgia in the U.S. state of Georgia, a devastating amusement park incident has left one man dead and rattled park guests, investigators, and communities across the country. The victim has been identified as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a beloved Atlanta-area educator, father, and cancer survivor who died after being ejected from a rollercoaster mid-ride.

    Local law enforcement confirmed the unfolding of the tragedy, which took place shortly before 4 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT). Preliminary interviews with witnesses and park personnel indicate that after being thrown from the ride vehicle, Kariem struck other seated patrons before falling to the ground beneath the attraction. Responding officers found Kariem deceased on arrival. While park and law enforcement officials have not publicly named the rollercoaster involved, multiple witnesses and aerial news footage confirm the ride in question is Goliath, a high-thrill coaster that opened at the park in 2006. According to the park’s official specifications, Goliath stands 200 feet (60 meters) tall, features a 170-foot first drop, a 540-degree spiral, and reaches top speeds of 70 miles per hour (112 km/h), ranking a four out of five on the park’s internal thrill scale.

    Multiple witnesses who were at the park that afternoon have shared harrowing firsthand accounts of the incident. Nick Mendenhall, who watched the incident unfold, described the moment as “super bizarre, traumatic,” saying he needed several seconds to process what he had just seen. Connor Thompson, who was waiting in line to ride Goliath when the incident occurred, recalled bystanders yelling frantically for emergency services, saying he initially struggled to believe what was happening because he assumed such a fatal accident was impossible. When the ride returned to the station, Thompson said he could see that the safety restraint on Kariem’s seat was unlatched. Another waiting guest, CiCi Nelson, told reporters she saw an empty seat with a loose safety bar and a female guest covered in blood when the train pulled back into the station, describing widespread hysteria across the queue. Brittany Landry, who had ridden Goliath just minutes before the incident, told reporters she was left in tears over the tragedy. One witness has also claimed the entire incident was captured by the ride’s automated on-ride souvenir photo system, though this claim has not been independently verified.

    Beyond the immediate tragedy, new details have emerged that paint a picture of Kariem’s life and legacy. A resident of nearby Atlanta, Kariem had worked for over 12 years at Wesley International Academy, a local public charter school, serving as an IT manager, technology teacher, and robotics coach. In a public statement posted to the school’s Facebook page, administrators called Kariem deeply loved and respected, noting his unwavering dedication to students and the school community would leave a lasting gap. Outside of his work, Kariem was a two-time cancer survivor who beat the disease most recently in 2018; just three weeks before his death, he survived a car crash with his 10-year-old daughter. He was also an avid creator who enjoyed 3D printing and laser engraving, as well as cooking, anime, and spending time with loved ones.

    In the wake of the fatal incident, Six Flags, North America’s largest amusement park operator, has implemented sweeping precautionary measures, temporarily closing nine rides across its locations in the United States and Canada while the investigation proceeds. Multiple agencies are currently probing the incident: the Cobb County Police Department leads the official criminal investigation, while Georgia’s Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner, which oversees amusement park safety regulation in the state, is conducting a separate compliance review. As of yet, few confirmed details about the root cause of the ejection have been released to the public, and no official news conference has been held by investigating agencies.

    In a public statement released shortly after the incident, a Six Flags spokesperson said the company was “deeply saddened by the guest incident” and extended “thoughts and heartfelt condolences” to Kariem’s family, friends, and loved ones.

    This latest death marks at least the seventh fatal incident recorded at Six Flags Over Georgia since the park opened, according to the Doan Law Firm, a personal injury firm that tracks amusement park accidents and represents incident victims. Previous fatalities at the park include two deaths from on-site medical emergencies, two deaths of guests in restricted areas who were struck by ride vehicles, two car-related fatalities on park property, and one death of a guest months after an incident at the park’s pool.

    Fatal ejection incidents from Six Flags rollercoasters are not unprecedented. Court records show that over the past 15 years, two separate fatal fall incidents at Six Flags properties resulted in lawsuits and eventual settlements. The first, in 2011, involved an Iraq War veteran who was ejected from a ride in New York and struck his head on a ride vehicle. The second, in 2013, saw a woman slip past her restraints on a Texas rollercoaster and fall 75 feet to her death. Most recently, in September 2024, Six Flags Magic Mountain in California permanently closed its X2 rollercoaster after more than 100 guests filed claims alleging they suffered traumatic brain injuries from riding the attraction.

  • Sydney teen charged with murder of boy who was shot in face and neck

    Sydney teen charged with murder of boy who was shot in face and neck

    A horrific shooting incident in northwest Sydney has ended in the murder charge of a 19-year-old man, three weeks after a 12-year-old boy died from wounds sustained to his face and neck.

    Emergency services were first alerted to the shooting on September 21, when members of the public reported gunfire at a residential unit in the area. The child was immediately airlifted to a local trauma center in critical condition, but medical teams were unable to save him, and he succumbed to his injuries three days after the attack.

    Nine people were inside the unit at the time of the shooting, and none of the other occupants suffered physical harm. Police initially took three 18-year-old men into custody over the incident; two of the suspects were released days later without any pending charges. The third suspect, who turned 19 in the weeks following his arrest, was first held on remand on charges of concealing a serious indictable offense. In an update released Tuesday, New South Wales Police confirmed they have upgraded the charge against him to murder. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on the murder charge Wednesday.

    In the immediate hours after the shooting, NSW Police ruled out any connection to organized criminal networks. But investigators later revised their assessment, confirming they are exploring potential ties to local gang activity. “A number of individuals that were inside the unit at the time are well known to NSW Police, and their association with organised crime is being considered by investigators,” Superintendent Naomi Moore told reporters shortly after the incident.

    Moore also noted that key witnesses have refused to assist with the ongoing investigation, and law enforcement has not yet recovered the firearm used in the shooting. Local Australian media, citing unnamed police sources, has reported the shooting may have been an accidental discharge.

    In the wake of his son’s death, the boy’s father publicly mourned his child on social media, sharing a photograph of the pair alongside the simple, devastating tribute: “RIP my baby”.

    Following the announcement of the child’s death, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon issued a statement reflecting on the tragedy, noting that any incident that cuts short the life of a young person in such violent circumstances is inherently devastating to the entire community.

  • ‘I’d talk to the TV’: The paid companions bringing warmth to China’s lonely

    ‘I’d talk to the TV’: The paid companions bringing warmth to China’s lonely

    Across China’s rapidly urbanizing cities, growing numbers of people are grappling with crippling social isolation – and a new, fast-growing industry has stepped in to meet unmet needs for human connection. What is now being called China’s “loneliness industry” connects paid providers with people craving companionship, from elderly residents living alone to young professionals navigating life in a new city.

    Ninety-one-year-old Yang, a widower living on the outskirts of Beijing, embodies the depth of this crisis. After losing her husband years ago, she struggled with glaucoma and failing vision that left her unable to complete simple daily tasks like adjusting her air conditioner. Crippled by loneliness, she even considered requesting voluntary euthanasia once it became legal in China. “Sometimes, if I wanted to talk to someone I’d talk to the TV,” she recalled of her days before finding help.

    Teresa Kuan, an associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, explains that rising loneliness in China has been amplified by shifting social structures and changing patterns of human interaction. Decades of internal migration have pulled millions of working-age people from rural hometowns to big cities, leaving aging parents behind in empty homes. Young graduates also frequently relocate across the country for work, leaving their existing support networks behind and struggling to build new ones in dense, fast-paced urban environments.

    Today, a growing ecosystem of small businesses is working to fill these gaps. For Yang, that help came from Wang Yingwei, a former mobile phone salesman who launched a meal delivery and companionship service for seniors, inspired by his own family’s experience placing his Alzheimer’s-stricken father-in-law in a substandard nursing home. Wang built his business around the idea of letting seniors age in place in their own homes, rather than moving them into institutional care facilities.

    Wang and his small team of four deliver hot meals twice a day to clients like Yang, but their work goes far beyond food delivery. They help fix broken shower fixtures, install filtered water systems, adjust air conditioning units, and most importantly, show up regularly to talk and listen. “We see ourselves as community children,” Wang explains. “It means putting yourself in the shoes of older people and carefully considering their needs. The elderly treat us like their children, and we treat them like our own parents.”

    His service costs less than half the price of a full-time live-in caregiver, making it accessible to a wide range of seniors. Seventy-five-year-old Zheng Ruizhi, another Beijing-based client whose adult son lives two hours away, calls Wang her “dear boy” and says his regular visits turned her lonely days around. “When you help me out, I don’t have a single worry or fear,” she told him.

    Companionship services in China’s loneliness industry extend far beyond elderly clients. Twenty-three-year-old Liu Yanyan works as a “medical escort,” helping people navigate large, confusing city hospitals. Many of her clients are young transplants to Beijing who don’t have family or close friends in the city. In Chinese culture, the unwritten rules of social reciprocity mean young professionals often feel uncomfortable asking colleagues for favors like accompanying them to a doctor’s appointment, so they hire Liu instead. “If they had to go alone, they could feel scared or anxious,” she says. “Having a familiar, friendly face alongside them removes that anxiety.”

    In Anhui Province, former soldier Wang Zhoutao runs a mountain climbing companionship business for solo hikers on scenic Huangshan. His clients are often people dealing with work stress, relationship setbacks, or a general feeling of emptiness in their social lives. He recalls one young woman who was ostracized at work and wanted to prove she could complete a tough mountain hike on a sweltering hot day. When she wanted to quit mid-climb, he encouraged her to keep going, and after they reached the summit, she sent him a long message thanking him for helping her rebuild her confidence. “We provide emotional support, like cheering them up, taking their photo or telling jokes,” he says. “It’s really a service based on companionship.”

    Kuan notes that paid companionship offers a unique benefit that informal friendships can’t: predictable boundaries. “If there is a companion you have paid for, the relationship is not exactly equal. It is a service relationship, so you don’t have to deal with the unpredictability of a standard relationship,” she explains. “The thing about friendship is that it can be unpredictable. You don’t know when someone might disappoint you. But, in a service relationship, you have a better idea of what to expect.”

    While official industry data remains limited, analysts from securities firm Sinolink estimate the loneliness industry will be worth around $7.4 billion by 2025, and it is expected to keep growing as modern lifestyles continue to pull people apart socially. Demand is already high enough that Wang Yingwei is planning to expand his small team to meet growing interest from seniors across Beijing.

    For Yang, the service has been life-changing. Now that Wang has helped her with small home repairs and regular visits, her days of talking to the television are over. “It’s good to have someone around when you need it, someone you can share your innermost thoughts with,” she says. “I did struggle with loneliness but that’s been resolved now. I’m quite happy. I can’t lose Yingwei and the others. They’ve all got a good heart.”

    In a society where human connection is increasingly scarce across all age groups, what was once an informal act of caring has become a formalized commodity – one that is meeting a critical need for millions of isolated people.

  • Horse carriages in New York City expected to be outlawed

    Horse carriages in New York City expected to be outlawed

    For more than a century, horse-drawn carriages have stood as one of New York City’s most iconic tourist traditions, drawing millions of visitors eager for a leisurely, nostalgic ride through Central Park. But after decades of escalating debate over animal welfare and public safety, and a pair of tragic deaths that galvanized public and political support for change, the city is on the cusp of voting to eliminate the industry entirely, with a full ban set to take effect in June 2028.

    The legislation, dubbed Romanch’s Law in honor of the 18-year-old Indian tourist who died in a Central Park carriage accident earlier this year, already holds a clear majority support on the New York City Council, and has backing from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. The fatal June incident, in which the harnessed horse bolted and threw Romanch Mahajan from the carriage, was the catalyst that pushed Council Speaker Julie Menin to throw her full weight behind the ban, which will go to a full floor vote on October 22.

    “Horse-drawn carriages have long been woven into New York City’s history, but in an increasingly busy Central Park, this long-held tradition has become a growing public safety liability,” Menin told the BBC in a formal statement. “Next week, the Council will take decisive action by voting on [this bill] to protect New Yorkers, visitors, and the horses themselves.”

    In addition to the fatal accident involving Mahajan, a second tragedy earlier this year amplified calls for a ban: a carriage horse named Dennis died in Central Park after ingesting a toxic plant, renewing longstanding concerns that working horses are exposed to unnecessary hazards and inhumane living conditions on crowded city streets.

    Unlike previous failed attempts to end the industry, the current legislation includes a structured framework to support workers affected by the transition. Administration officials confirmed that the mayor’s office has been negotiating with all stakeholders—including city council members, union representatives, carriage drivers, animal welfare activists, and local community leaders—to design a just transition that safeguards workers’ livelihoods while phasing out the carriage trade permanently. The plan includes provisions for financial compensation, job placement services, skills training, and career counseling for drivers and other industry employees. Critically, the legislation also prohibits the affected horses from being sold for slaughter or reallocated to continue the same work in other locations.

    Efforts to ban horse-drawn carriages in New York stretch back more than a decade. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio made a ban a central campaign promise and announced his intention to eliminate the industry shortly after his 2014 inauguration, citing widespread reports of animal abuse and overcrowding hazards. He even proposed replacing the traditional carriages with a fleet of vintage electric tourist vehicles. Ultimately, de Blasio was only able to pass limited restrictions on where carriages could pick up passengers, falling short of his goal of a full ban.

    Opposition to the current ban remains organized, primarily from industry workers and their union representatives. The Transport Workers Union, which represents roughly 300 carriage drivers and owners across the city, has pushed back aggressively against the legislation, arguing that the vast majority of horses are well cared for, and that the ban would eliminate hundreds of stable, working-class jobs that are central to New York’s tourist economy.

    But support for the ban crosses many sectors. Last year, the Central Park Conservancy—the non-profit organization that manages daily operations and maintenance of the park—officially endorsed the ban, a decision that carried significant political weight. In a formal statement, the conservancy’s president noted that the organization did not take the position lightly, but that record-breaking annual visitation to Central Park has made the presence of horse-drawn carriages an unacceptable risk to public health and safety for all visitors.

    After Mahajan’s death, his father Deepak spoke to the city council to urge support for the ban, describing the terrifying experience inside the out-of-control carriage and voicing his hope that no other family would have to suffer the same loss. As the city prepares for next week’s vote, that testimony has loomed large over the debate, pushing what was once a perennial city political issue to the cusp of becoming law.