Global Pulse

标签： Asia

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  • India’s Modi government under growing pressure as ‘cockroach’ protests intensify

    India’s Modi government under growing pressure as ‘cockroach’ protests intensify

    Even as heavy monsoon rains drenched New Delhi this week, thousands of determined demonstrators have refused to abandon their sit-in at Jantar Mantar, the historic central Delhi site that has become the heart of a growing grassroots movement demanding systemic education reform.

    What began as a month-long protest camp has now escalated into one of the most significant challenges to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in recent years, led by the youth-driven Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), an unregistered political movement born from public outrage over a controversial comment by India’s chief justice earlier this year. The CJP’s core demands are sweeping changes to India’s education system and the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

    The crisis boiled over on Monday, the opening day of India’s parliament monsoon session, when tens of thousands of CJP supporters marched on the national legislature to amplify their demands. In a swift crackdown, Delhi Police—reporting directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah—deployed baton charges and tear gas to disperse the crowd, leaving at least 60 people injured, including both demonstrators and officers. Law enforcement also dismantled the protest stage and temporary encampment at Jantar Mantar, but demonstrators defiantly refused to evacuate the site, maintaining a continuous 24-hour sit-in through the overnight downpour.

    The crackdown drew immediate condemnation from India’s main opposition bloc, which has rallied to the protesters’ cause. On Tuesday, senior Congress party leaders launched an unannounced protest outside Prime Minister Modi’s official residence, demanding the resignations of Pradhan, Shah, and Modi himself, as well as a formal government apology for the violence against demonstrators. Police responded by detaining key Congress leaders, including former party president Rahul Gandhi, dragging demonstrators into police buses to be transported to detention facilities before releasing them later the same day. Congress has publicly shared video footage of the detentions to highlight what it calls the government’s anti-democratic crackdown on dissent.

    Speaking after his release, Gandhi accused the Modi government of blocking parliamentary debate on the education crisis. “We approached Speaker Om Birla to request time for a discussion on the issue, but the speaker told us he needed approval from the ruling government, and it was clear the government had no interest in debating the demands of students,” Gandhi said.

    Union ministers have pushed back against these allegations, framing the opposition’s actions as unnecessary political theater. Federal Minister Jitendra Singh countered that the government had already agreed to a parliamentary discussion, but Gandhi moved the goalposts by adding a demand for Pradhan’s resignation, forcing an impasse. Singh also noted that the protest location outside the prime minister’s residence was not zoned for public demonstrations, rejecting the opposition’s claims of censorship.

    In his first public statement since Monday’s violence, Pradhan accused the Congress party of shamelessly exploiting student protesters for political gain. “Even after the government conveyed its readiness for a comprehensive discussion, the Congress chose political spectacle over democratic debate,” Pradhan wrote in a post on X. “Their objective was never solutions for students, it was disruption for political headlines. We owe our students more than outrage. We owe them answers, reforms and accountability. That is exactly what our government remains committed to delivering.” The CJP has not yet issued a formal response to Pradhan’s comments.

    The origins of the CJP stretch back to earlier this year, when India’s chief justice sparked national outrage after using the word “cockroach” to describe unemployed young people who entered journalism and political activism. Though the chief justice later clarified that he was only referring to individuals with “fake and bogus degrees,” the insult was adopted as a badge of honor by disaffected young Indians, who formed the movement to demand change.

    The protest gained international attention last month when prominent education activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the Jantar Mantar encampment and launched an indefinite hunger strike to support the movement’s demands. Police forcibly removed Wangchuk from the protest site on Saturday and transferred him to a local hospital, where he has continued his fast.

    As of Wednesday, the CJP’s campaign has expanded far beyond India’s capital, with solidarity protests held in major cities across the country, including Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad. Senior opposition figures from across the ideological spectrum, including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and veteran politician Sharad Pawar, have also visited the Jantar Mantar site to express their support for the demonstrators, turning a youth-led protest into a broad coalition pushing for government accountability.

  • Japan temperatures soar over 40C, marking first ‘cruelly hot day’

    Japan temperatures soar over 40C, marking first ‘cruelly hot day’

    Japan has marked a historic and concerning milestone in its climate history, recording its first official “kokushobi” — translated as a “cruelly hot day” — after mercury levels climbed above the 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold across multiple regions this week.

    The new terminology, launched back in April by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), was created specifically to better communicate the extreme danger of severe heat to the general public, filling a gap in the country’s existing graded heat warning system. Japan already had standardized terms for days exceeding 25C, 30C, and 35C; days above 35C have long been labeled “moshobi,” or “extremely hot days.” The new label “kokushobi” draws from the Japanese word “koku,” meaning harsh or cruel, to underscore the life-threatening risk of heat that reaches or surpasses 40C.

    On Tuesday, three central Japanese cities — Tajimi, Gujo, and Toyoda — all hit the 40C benchmark to trigger the country’s first official kokushobi. According to Kyodo News, nearly 300 of Japan’s 914 national temperature observation stations recorded moshobi conditions across the country on the same day. The JMA has warned that the oppressive heat dome will persist through next week, leaving little relief for affected communities.

    This record comes amid a global pattern of intensifying extreme heat events driven by climate change, which has made summer temperatures across Japan progressively hotter and more dangerous year over year. In 2025, Japan hit its all-time highest recorded temperature of 41.8C in the city of Isesaki, and workplace heatstroke data already reflects a growing public health crisis. A Kyodo report from last year found that the number of heatstroke cases among working people hit a record 1,803, with 19 fatalities reported.

    In response to the current heatwave, Japanese authorities have issued heatstroke warnings for more than 40 of the country’s prefectures. Public health guidance urges residents to stay indoors as much as possible, avoid extended outdoor activity, run air conditioning consistently, and maintain hydration and electrolyte levels to prevent heat illness.

    Tokyo officials reported a staggering new annual high for heatstroke hospitalizations on Tuesday: the Tokyo Fire Department confirmed 287 people ranging in age from 3 to 103 were admitted to city hospitals for suspected heatstroke, according to public broadcaster NHK. By Wednesday, the department was forced to issue an ambulance overload alert due to sustained high demand for emergency heat-related responses, repeating urgent calls for residents to take proactive steps to avoid heatstroke.

    As the country prepares for what is projected to be another record hot summer, regional governments have introduced adaptive measures to cut energy use and reduce heat risk. The Tokyo metropolitan government, for example, has encouraged office workers to adopt casual cool attire such as T-shirts and shorts instead of formal suits and ties, to reduce the need for excessive air conditioning while keeping workers comfortable.

  • Tunnel collapse in India kills 12 workers

    Tunnel collapse in India kills 12 workers

    A catastrophic construction accident has left at least 12 workers dead and 13 others trapped deep underground after a methane-fueled gas explosion triggered a partial collapse of an under-construction hydropower tunnel in India’s Himalayan northeastern state of Sikkim, official authorities have confirmed. As of Wednesday, multi-agency rescue operations have entered their third day, with teams focusing their efforts on a 200-meter target zone inside the tunnel where remaining trapped workers are believed to be located.

    The incident unfolded on Monday around 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) inside the tunnel, which is being developed as part of a major hydropower project by state-owned utility National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). Designed to divert water from the nearby Teesta River to feed the hydropower plant’s turbines, the project is a key infrastructure initiative for the mountainous state.

    In an official statement following the accident, NHPC confirmed the blast was caused by a sudden outburst of methane gas naturally trapped within surrounding rock formations. The explosion generated thick toxic fumes that have complicated rescue efforts, a conclusion echoed by the Sikkim state government, which formally attributes the incident to methane gas combustion. A senior government official explained that methane naturally accumulates in underground rock formations; when tunneling work releases the gas into the confined space of the tunnel, even a small spark or other ignition source can trigger a catastrophic explosion or ignition.

    At the time of the blast, 27 workers were spread across different work sections inside the tunnel. Only two workers managed to escape immediately after the explosion, leaving 25 trapped. “Of the 25 people who were trapped, we have recovered 12 bodies so far, and teams are working to locate the 13 other men,” Sonam D Bhutia, Superintendent of Police of Sikkim, told the BBC in an interview Wednesday morning. So far, authorities have confirmed the identities of seven of the deceased: one victim was a resident of Sikkim, while the remaining six identified victims are migrant workers from neighboring Indian states of West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Assam. Official confirmation of the exact cause of death for each victim will be released following full post-mortem examinations, according to authorities.

    National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officer Mohsen Shahedi told Indian news agency ANI that search and rescue teams are currently concentrating their operations on a specific 200-meter stretch of the tunnel, where modeling and on-site data suggest the remaining trapped workers are most likely located. In response to the disaster, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang has ordered the formation of a specialized independent investigation team to probe the root causes of the incident. “We have engaged a team of experts to find out what exactly happened and how. We will take action on the basis of the findings,” Tamang told reporters following the disaster.

  • Iran’s demands over the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent, Rubio tells ASEAN leaders

    Iran’s demands over the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent, Rubio tells ASEAN leaders

    MANILA, Philippines — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a stark warning during diplomatic gatherings in the Philippine capital on Wednesday, arguing that Iran’s recent claims to control traffic and impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz pose a critical threat to global economic stability and the long-standing principle of free navigation — risks that would extend as far as Southeast Asia.

    Rubio opened his annual meeting with foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a bloc whose member states have already raised growing alarm over the spillover effects of escalating conflict in the Middle East on their own economic and security interests. Addressing concerns that Washington’s focus on the Middle East war would divert attention from Indo-Pacific priorities, Rubio explicitly reassured ASEAN leaders of unwavering U.S. commitment to the region.

    “If we allow a precedent to take hold in the Middle East where a sovereign nation can unilaterally seize control of an international waterway, demand tolls from passing vessels, and attack ships that refuse to comply, that dangerous pattern will be replicated in other regions across the globe, including right here in Southeast Asia,” Rubio told the assembled ministers.

    Beyond the ASEAN meeting, Rubio also took part in a gathering of foreign ministers from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), the four-nation strategic partnership grouping the United States, Australia, India and Japan. During that meeting, the bloc aligned on core shared priorities including technological governance, humanitarian aid coordination, emergency disaster response, maritime security and countering transnational security threats.

    Following closed-door discussions, the Quad issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to ongoing maritime security initiatives designed to counter China’s expanding geopolitical influence in the Indo-Pacific. “We are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region,” the statement read. Rubio later confirmed the bloc’s ongoing relevance in a post to the social platform X, writing “The Quad remains a priority, and we will meet again later this year.”

    The Trump administration has consistently criticized what it frames as increasingly aggressive actions by China in the South China Sea, moves that disadvantage smaller territorial claimants including the Philippines — Washington’s longest-standing treaty ally in Asia. Territorial disputes in the waterway, which also involve Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, are a central topic on the agenda for the three days of diplomatic talks that opened in Manila on Tuesday.

    Rubio also held a bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, where the two diplomats reviewed regional developments, the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran, and progress on a bilateral trade agreement that would roll back existing U.S. tariffs on Indian goods, according to State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott. “The Secretary and Minister Jaishankar agreed on the importance of finalizing the interim trade deal, which is almost complete,” Pigott told reporters.

    As of Wednesday evening, Rubio was scheduled to hold a separate, closed-door meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the talks, which are being hosted at a heavily secured convention center along Manila Bay.

  • Troubled Indonesian nutrition agency loses second chief in 2 months

    Troubled Indonesian nutrition agency loses second chief in 2 months

    Just six weeks after taking the helm of Indonesia’s signature multi-billion-dollar free meals initiative, the program’s top leader has stepped down, throwing the already troubled flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto into fresh doubt.

    Nanik S. Deyang, who was inaugurated as head of the National Nutrition Agency in early June, announced her resignation Wednesday, citing an urgent need for cardiac medical care overseas. Her departure comes only 45 days after she replaced Dadan Hindayana, who was removed from the post and arrested over corruption allegations tied directly to the program.

    Launched to deliver on a core campaign pledge from President Prabowo, the ambitious initiative was designed to tackle widespread malnutrition across Indonesia by providing free daily meals to nearly 90 million children and pregnant women. From its early rollout, however, the program has been plagued by controversy: beyond the high-profile corruption scandal that took down its first leader, it has faced sharp public and policy criticism over its ballooning $15 billion annual price tag, and multiple reported outbreaks of food poisoning among participating schoolchildren.

    In a public statement posted to her Facebook page Wednesday, Deyang confirmed her exit, noting that President Prabowo had accepted her resignation out of concern for her health. “I conveyed my deepest apologies to the president that I must step down as Head of the National Nutrition Agency for health reasons,” Deyang wrote. “The president was sympathetic and agreed to my request, though he asked that I continue to support the agency in an advisory capacity moving forward.”

    During her short 45-day tenure, Deyang oversaw a notable adjustment to the program’s budget, cutting the annual allocation from 268 trillion rupiah (equivalent to roughly $15 billion) to 229 trillion rupiah, around $12 billion. Agency officials have framed the budget adjustment not just as a cost-cutting measure, but as part of a broader push to refine distribution systems. A spokesperson for the agency noted that teams have completed a full review of program beneficiaries, with the current priority being to make distribution of free meals more efficient, effective, and targeted to the communities that need the support most.

    As of Thursday, the Indonesian government has not yet announced a replacement for Deyang, leaving the day-to-day leadership of the signature program in limbo as it works through its ongoing reforms. The repeated turnover at the top of the initiative has raised new questions among policy analysts about whether the government can deliver on Prabowo’s campaign promise while addressing the corruption, safety, and cost concerns that have dogged the program since its launch.

  • Asian shares edge higher after Wall Street climb, even as Brent oil keeps rising

    Asian shares edge higher after Wall Street climb, even as Brent oil keeps rising

    Global equity markets kicked off mid-week with broad upward momentum across Asia on Wednesday, as a tech-fueled rally on Wall Street carried over into regional trading, even as mounting geopolitical tensions push crude oil prices to multi-month highs and stoke fresh inflation concerns.

    The upward trend across most Asian benchmarks got an early boost from positive trade data out of Japan, where government figures showed both imports and exports recorded year-over-year increases last month. A sharp depreciation of the Japanese yen has inflated the converted value of dollar-denominated trade flows, pushing the country’s benchmark Nikkei 225 up 1.9% to close at 67,511.12. Elsewhere in the region, Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to settle at 8,830.60, while South Korea’s Kospi notched an impressive 4.6% jump to reach 7,061.36. Mainland China’s Shanghai Composite edged up nearly 0.5% to 3,882.95, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng bucked the regional upward trend to dip 0.7% to 24,947.30.

    The bullish momentum in Asian markets traces directly to a strong rally on Wall Street a day earlier, where artificial intelligence-linked stocks led broad gains after steep sell-offs the prior week. For a second consecutive trading session, semiconductor manufacturers and other tech firms positioned to benefit from the global AI boom led the market upswing. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 385 points, or 0.7%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rose 1.3%.

    AI stocks have been the most volatile segment of global markets in recent weeks: after a months-long rally driven by explosive growth in AI investment and demand for AI-focused semiconductors and data center infrastructure, the sector pulled back sharply last week on concerns that valuations had risen too far, too fast. On Tuesday, however, the sector bounced back strongly. Micron Technology led the rebound, jumping 12.2% following its 13.3% drop the prior week, adding to a 1.9% gain from the prior session. Nvidia added 2%, and the two chipmaking giants were the single largest contributors to the S&P 500’s overall gain.

    All market gains have come despite growing pressure from rising crude oil prices, which have climbed amid escalating military tensions between the United States and Iran. In early Wednesday energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 85 cents to $85.19 per barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude climbed $1.04 to hit $92.05 per barrel, crossing the $91 threshold that has stoked new inflation worries among traders.

    For major oil-importing economies like Japan, the combination of a depreciating domestic currency and spiking crude prices creates a dual economic shock. “Oil makes the situation more difficult because Japan imports most of its energy. A weaker yen and higher crude prices arrive together like two waves hitting the same seawall,” explained Stephen Innes, an analyst and former professional trader.

    In currency markets, the U.S. dollar held steady at 163.14 Japanese yen on Wednesday, while the euro inched slightly higher to $1.1406 from $1.1404.

    The run-up in oil prices comes at a particularly sensitive moment for global monetary policy, as it threatens to reverse recent declines in headline inflation that had raised hopes that central banks could begin rolling back tight interest rate policies. Persistently higher energy costs could force the U.S. Federal Reserve and other major central banks to keep interest rates elevated, or even implement additional hikes, which would slow global economic growth and put downward pressure on equity and asset prices.

  • Nearly 100 US troops injured by Iran strikes, Pentagon says

    Nearly 100 US troops injured by Iran strikes, Pentagon says

    A sharp escalation in hostilities between the United States and Iran has left nearly 100 American service members with injuries and four confirmed dead, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed Monday, ending hours of public denial and pushing back against accusations that the Defense Department intentionally hid casualty data from the public. The announcement comes amid a fifth consecutive week of cross-border strikes after the collapse of a 60-day ceasefire brokered by Pakistan in June, raising fears of a full-scale ground conflict in the Middle East.

    The current cycle of violence began when Iran launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks against US military facilities across four Gulf nations — Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait — in response to nightly American airstrikes on Iranian targets. Hours before Parnell’s Monday confirmation of injuries, the Pentagon had publicly dismissed a bombshell New York Times report claiming the agency concealed dozens of troop casualties as “baseless” and “malicious” falsehoods.

    “This is the most transparent Department of Defense in American history,” Parnell told reporters Monday. “We challenge the so-called journalists who wrote these lies — one of whom was recently subpoenaed for violating federal criminal law — to stop their smears against the finest fighting force on Earth.” Notably, the Pentagon’s official public casualty database still listed zero US troops killed or wounded in action for July as of Monday morning, before the department issued a corrected update.

    The corrected disclosure reveals three US Army soldiers were killed over the weekend in a ballistic missile strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan: 19-year-old Private Isabella Gonzales from Carrollton, Texas; 25-year-old Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan from Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and a third service member who remains provisionally listed as missing. Separately at Iraq’s Erbil Air Base, 30-year-old Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed while another was wounded during a controlled detonation of an incoming Iranian attack drone.

    Parnell wrote in a post on X that future updates to casualty figures will be posted to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the official platform that tracks service member deaths, wounds, illnesses, and injuries for Congress and the US president. He emphasized that the vast majority of the nearly 100 injured troops only suffered minor concussions, and 96 percent have already returned to active duty.

    Accusations of casualty cover-ups by the Pentagon during the long-running conflict with Iran are not new, according to reporting from The Intercept, which has documented a pattern of underreporting of harm to US troops for years. The current escalation follows the collapse of the 60-day ceasefire that went into effect after the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the two sides in June.

    Tehran has issued a stark warning to Washington, saying it is prepared to confront any American ground invasion, with Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stating that the country’s leadership is “counting down the minutes to welcome” any invading US forces. Baghaei added that the terms of the Pakistan-brokered June interim deal are “completely clear,” leaving Washington with no excuse for its violation of the agreement. US Central Command confirmed Monday that it has carried out nine straight nights of airstrikes on Iranian targets following the weekend deaths of US troops.

    In its early Monday post on X, the US military said the latest round of strikes targeted “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks.” The statement added that the new wave of attacks is intended to “further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” a critical global chokepoint for oil trade.

    US President Donald Trump told reporters Monday that the “very hard” strikes were launched “in honor” of the four fallen American service members. “We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honor of… three great patriots,” Trump said, referring to the three confirmed fatalities in Jordan. He claimed that Iran “has been very, very badly damaged. They’ve lost everything almost – militarily… They’ve got some missiles, some drones, some manufacturing ability, not much.” When asked about the fallen troops, Trump said “we feel very badly,” adding that the troops died fighting to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

    Also on Monday, Iranian state media reported that US strikes hit multiple sites in Bushehr, the southern port city that hosts Iran’s only operational civilian nuclear power plant. “A few minutes ago, several locations in Bushehr city were hit by [the] American enemy’s projectiles,” Bushehr Governor Mohammad Mozaffari confirmed, noting that authorities are still assessing the scope of damage from the attack. On Sunday, Tehran called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to condemn a separate US attack on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear plant in southwestern Iran. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation called the strike “a clear violation of international law.”

  • Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail for using ants as dessert garnish

    Michelin-starred restaurateur faces jail for using ants as dessert garnish

    A high-profile food safety case is making headlines in South Korea, where the owner of an elite two-Michelin-starred Seoul restaurant is facing steep legal penalties after being charged with serving unapproved ants as a gourmet dessert topping. Local media outlets have confirmed that state prosecutors are pushing for a 12-month prison sentence and a 20 million Korean won (equivalent to roughly $13,510) fine against the unnamed eatery owner, whose menu included ant-topped sorbet that violates the country’s strict food safety regulations. Under South Korean law, only 10 specific insect species are cleared for human consumption – a list that includes grasshoppers, locusts, and two-spotted crickets, but excludes all ant varieties. The case first came to the attention of food safety regulators after Ministry of Food and Drug Safety officials stumbled across customer reviews posted online, paired with photos of restaurant dishes visibly sprinkled with whole ants. Subsequent investigations by authorities have revealed that over a four-year period, the restaurant imported approximately 49,000 ants from suppliers based in the United States and Thailand to incorporate into multiple menu items. Most notably, testing from South Korean health regulators found that the ants used by the restaurant contained dangerously high levels of heavy metals – as much as 55 times the concentration allowed for commercially sold edible insects, local newspaper The Chosun Daily reported. In court, the restaurant owner has mounted a defense pushing for leniency, acknowledging that ants did appear on the menu but arguing their use was extremely limited. The ants only featured as a topping for sorbet in the restaurant’s 15-course tasting menu, he explained, and all guests were explicitly notified that they could request an alternative topping if they preferred not to eat ants. The owner further noted that roughly 40% of diners opted out of the ant topping entirely, receiving fermented vinegar or edible flowers instead, and that using ants as a gourmet ingredient is common practice at high-end restaurants in other countries including Australia, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. South Korea’s formal approval process for edible insects weighs multiple key criteria before clearing an insect species for commercial use, including potential food safety hazards, inherent toxicity, nutritional value, and the ability to breed and process the insects consistently under hygienic conditions. While the case has not named the specific restaurant or its owner, there are only 10 two-Michelin-starred restaurants across South Korea, all of which are based in Seoul. For context, the Michelin Guide’s globally recognized rating system awards up to three stars to restaurants based on rigorous assessment of ingredient quality, flavor consistency, technical cooking skill, and the chef’s unique creative vision. Two stars, the rating held by the restaurant at the center of this case, indicate the establishment serves “excellent cooking” that is “worth a detour” per Michelin’s official criteria. It is worth noting that ants have a long history as a traditional food source across many global cultures, valued as a delicacy in multiple regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Weaver ants and their eggs are a common ingredient in traditional Thai and Cambodian cuisine, for example, and queen ants are considered a luxury ingredient on par with caviar in parts of Colombia. Now, the Seoul court hearing the case is scheduled to issue its final verdict on September 2, with the outcome expected to set a clear precedent for how South Korean regulators handle unconventional gourmet ingredients that fall outside of existing approved food frameworks.

  • West Indies beats New Zealand by 2 wickets in the 5th ODI; New Zealand takes the series 3-2

    West Indies beats New Zealand by 2 wickets in the 5th ODI; New Zealand takes the series 3-2

    BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — In a gripping fifth and final One Day International that capped a back-and-forth five-match series, Shimron Hetmyer delivered a cool-headed late-innings performance to notch an unbeaten 69 and lift the West Indies to a two-wicket win over New Zealand on Tuesday. Despite the hosts closing out the series with a victory, New Zealand retained the upper hand across the contest, clinching the series 3-2 after consistent results through the earlier fixtures. New Zealand’s comeback run followed an opening-match seven-wicket win for the West Indies, with the visiting side securing victories in Game 2 by five wickets, Game 3 by six wickets, and Game 4 to lock in the series lead.

    A striking statistical quirk defined the entire five-match series: every single game was won by the team batting second. On Tuesday, that trend held firm, as the West Indies chased down New Zealand’s first-innings total of 268-9 to reach 269-8, with 15 overs still remaining when they crossed the winning line. Hetmyer’s fifth ODI half-century was anchored by a critical 95-run fifth-wicket partnership with Sherfane Rutherford, who contributed a polished 61 of his own. The pair built on a solid 59-run third-wicket foundation established by Shai Hope (39) and Keacy Carty (20), putting the West Indies on track for a seemingly comfortable victory for much of the chase.

    But the match quickly turned into a seesaw battle that shifted momentum multiple times in the final overs. When Rutherford was dismissed with the West Indies at 218-5, the side still needed 41 runs to win with just under 10 overs left to bat. Gudakesh Motie followed back to the pavilion three overs later at 239-6, putting New Zealand back in contention. The visiting side came close to sealing a sweep of the final two matches when fast bowler Jacob Duffy knocked out Matthew Forde and Alzarri Joseph on consecutive deliveries in the 45th over, leaving the West Indies still needing 21 runs to win with just two wickets in hand.

    In an unexpected tactical call that would later shape the match outcome, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner pulled left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox from the attack, despite Lennox having claimed 3 wickets for just 35 runs across his nine overs. That decision opened the door for Hetmyer, who struck two decisive sixes off Duffy in the 47th over, swinging the momentum firmly back to the West Indies to see them cross the finish line with more than two overs to spare.

    For his standout performance across the entire series, Lennox earned player of the series honors after finishing with 14 total wickets at an exceptional average of 13.6. Reflecting on his match-winning knock after the game, Hetmyer said he prioritized team success over personal milestones. “I wasn’t really thinking about getting a half-century to be honest, I was just thinking about how … I can make sure the team crosses the line,” Hetmyer said. “Every time a new batter came out I was just like ‘make sure you’re there at the end.’ I’m just happy that I could be there to make sure we crossed the line.”

    New Zealand’s first innings had appeared set to produce a much larger match-winning total, with the side reaching 181-3 in the 35th over and 230-5 with just five overs remaining. Top-order contributions from Will Young (56), Tom Latham (69) and Nick Kelly (64) drove the visitors’ scoring pace, but the side failed to capitalize on their strong position in the closing overs. Tight, disciplined bowling from the West Indies, particularly from Alzarri Joseph who finished with 2 wickets for 38 runs from his full 10 overs, restricted New Zealand to a manageable final total of 268-9.

    The West Indies got off to a blistering start in their run chase, scoring at a pace of more than eight runs per over through the first five overs. The home side suffered an early double setback, however, losing opening batters Ackeem Auguste and Justin Greaves off five consecutive deliveries. Even with the early wickets, the West Indies maintained a scoring rate of more than seven runs per over after 10 overs, as Hope and Carty kept the chase on track.

    New Zealand’s spin attack began to ramp up the pressure as the innings progressed. Carty was held to a long string of dot balls, and after the West Indies reached 118-2, both Carty and Hope fell within three overs of each other. Hope misjudged a loose delivery from Lennox, attempting to hit it over the leg side boundary only to pull it straight to Kristian Clarke at midwicket, just off the fence. Carty, growing frustrated with being pinned down by spin, finally slashed across a straight delivery from Lennox that hit his middle stump, ending his innings.

    Rutherford stepped into the breach to revive the West Indies innings, and quickly formed a productive connection with Hetmyer, who had set out from the moment he walked to the crease to be the batter that finished the chase. The pair’s match-winning stand brought the host across the line, closing out an action-packed series that ultimately ended in New Zealand’s favor.

  • After an extremely rare pregnancy, an Australian woman gives birth to identical quadruplet girls

    After an extremely rare pregnancy, an Australian woman gives birth to identical quadruplet girls

    In an unprecedented medical event for Australia, 34-year-old Jenitar Sau Na’amoana has safely given birth to four identical quadruplet girls, a natural conception that experts call a one-in-15-million statistical anomaly.

    Na’amoana, who already shares four children with her husband Jorthan, never planned an expanded family — the couple was stunned when prenatal tests confirmed she carried four identical fetuses, all developed from a single fertilized egg that spontaneously split into four embryos. The delivery took place last week at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) in Queensland, marking the first recorded case of naturally conceived identical quadruplets in Australian history.

    Maternal-fetal medicine specialist Dr. Alexa Bendall, who led Na’amoana’s care team, called the case medically extraordinary. While the general odds of spontaneous quadruplet conception hover at roughly 1 in 700,000 worldwide, the subset of identical quadruplets from one fertilized egg is far rarer, with odds estimated at 1 in 15 million. The vast majority of higher-order multiple pregnancies today result from fertility assistance treatments, making this all-natural conception even more unusual.

    Multiple pregnancies carry inherently elevated health risks for both birthing parent and fetuses, particularly when multiple fetuses share a single placenta — a common trait in identical multiple births. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, people carrying multiple fetuses face far higher risks of preterm delivery, miscarriage, and congenital abnormalities than those carrying single fetuses. To mitigate these risks, RBWH assembled a large specialized care team that began closely monitoring Na’amoana starting at just 10 weeks gestation. By 25 weeks, she was admitted as an inpatient to receive around-the-clock observation to track the development of the four fetuses. On July 14, Na’amoana delivered the four girls via planned cesarean section at 28 weeks and four days gestation.

    In a post-delivery statement, Dr. Bendall emphasized just how positive the outcome has been for the family. “The fact that we’ve got four beautiful, healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible,” she said. While Na’amoana experienced some mild blood loss during delivery, Bendall noted the amount was well within expected ranges for a quadruplet birth, and the mother is now recovering well.

    All four infants are currently being cared for in RBWH’s neonatal intensive care unit, where they are progressing steadily. In a touching gesture to the care team, the couple named their daughters Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa — with the youngest named in honor of Dr. Bendall. The specialist called the tribute deeply moving, saying she feels privileged to have supported the family through their unprecedented journey.

    “From an academic perspective, it’s really interesting,” Bendall said of the case. “But also from a human perspective, to be able to be part of the family’s journey and come out with four beautiful babies and a healthy mum is very precious.”

    This reporting from the Associated Press Health and Science Department was supported by funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the AP retaining full editorial control over all content.