Technology, Climate & environment, Health, Consumer · 3 days
197 storiesWHO says risk low as US presses Russia for transparency on plague lab death
The U.S. State Department is monitoring reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has publicly called on Moscow to be more transparent about the death of a 28-year-ol…
Russia quarantines hospital as lab worker’s death puts nearly 200 under observation
A female employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week of pneumonia of unknown cause, Russian authorities said, and a hospital in the town of Shelekhov was placed under quarantine. Officia…
Apple and LG co-develop smart home devices including doorbell, lock and thermostat
Bloomberg reports that Apple and LG have co-developed a line of smart home devices, including a video doorbell, thermostat, smart deadbolt lock, indoor and outdoor security cameras and a floodlight camera. The products are expected to carry…
WHO says Russia reported no plague case in Irkutsk as US tracks lab worker's death
The World Health Organization said Russian authorities reported no plague case had been recorded in the Irkutsk region, while the cause of a 28-year-old anti-plague laboratory worker's death remained unconfirmed. The US State Department sai…
WHO and Russia say no further plague infections after Siberian lab worker's death
A female worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week from pneumonia of undetermined origin, according to Russian authorities and the WHO. Russia's Rospotrebnadzor said 60% of the identified contact…
MFDS approves Hanmi's EPPE, Korea's first homegrown GLP-1 obesity drug
Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approved Hanmi Pharmaceutical's EPPE auto-injector (efpeglenatide) on Oct 7, the first domestically developed GLP-1 obesity drug and the country's 45th homegrown new drug. The injectable is indicated…
Kremlin: Russia informed WHO of Irkutsk region situation after worker death
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has informed the World Health Organization about the situation in the Irkutsk region, following the death of an employee of the Irkutsk anti-plague institute. Peskov also said he had no informatio…
Kenya confirms first Ebola death after patient arrives from Congo via Uganda
Kenya’s Health Ministry confirmed the country’s first imported Ebola case on Tuesday, after a Kenyan man who arrived from the Democratic Republic of Congo via Uganda was treated at Nairobi Hospital and died late Monday. Authorities placed K…
Japan farm ministry orders Fukui seafood firm over mislabeled Echizen crab gifts
Japan's agriculture ministry issued a measures order on Oct 6 against Fukumaru Foods, a seafood processor in Echizen Town, Fukui Prefecture, for labeling products as Echizen crab while using mizugani, a crab not counted as Echizen crab. The…
Apple and LG Electronics jointly develop smart home devices under LG brand
Apple and LG Electronics are jointly developing smart home devices — a camera-equipped video doorbell, a smart door lock, a security camera and a smart temperature sensor and thermostat — to be sold under the LG brand, according to Bloomber…
Nine crested ibis released in Ishikawa in second Honshu release
Nine crested ibis were released on Oct. 7 in Nakanoto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, the second release of the birds on Japan's main island of Honshu. A temporary cage was opened at about 11:30 a.m. under the “soft release” method; Nippon TV Ne…
Turkey's Aselsan announces Astralink network of 198 low-orbit satellites
Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol said at the International Astronautical Congress in Antalya that Turkey is building Astralink, a low-orbit satellite constellation of 198 spacecraft, with the first launch planned within two years. Akyol said work be…
Kremlin urges reliance on official statements amid Irkutsk infection rumors
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Rospotrebnadzor is the competent agency on the situation in the Irkutsk region and that people should follow its official statements rather than rumors and speculation. The comments follow the death of a…
Kumamoto University, AIST sign comprehensive semiconductor cooperation agreement
Kumamoto University and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement in the semiconductor field on Oct. 7. The deal covers joint research, technical support for reg…
Russia denies plague after worker at Siberian institute dies of unknown pneumonia
A woman who worked at a plague-control research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia has died; Japanese outlets differ on whether she died on Oct 1 or Oct 2. Russian authorities say the cause was “pneumonia of unknown cau…
US reports largest state-level measles outbreak in over 30 years
The United States is experiencing its largest state-level measles outbreak in more than 30 years, according to Chinese media reports. Pennsylvania health authorities reported 1,004 confirmed measles cases and five deaths in 2026 as of Octob…
KFF poll finds Medicare for All support at 66% in US, highest since 2016
A KFF poll published Tuesday found 66 percent of U.S. adults support Medicare for All, the highest level since 2016, with 32 percent saying they strongly favor a single government health plan. Support was up about 13 points from 2020, but t…
WHO says more than 170 million children and adolescents worldwide live with obesity
The World Health Organization says more than 170 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 worldwide have been diagnosed with obesity, with prevalence in that age group rising fourfold since 1990, from 2% to about 8%. The WHO issued gui…
Typhoon No. 27 moves away from Japan; JMA warns of high waves off Tohoku
Typhoon No. 27 moved northeast away from Japan on October 7 and is expected to become an extratropical cyclone. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned the Pacific off Tohoku would stay rough with swells up to 4 metres through the morning of…
Panasonic plans to start making humanoid robots for factories and warehouses by 2029
Panasonic Holdings plans to begin producing humanoid robots by 2029, for use on production lines and in warehouses, the company’s AI director Akira Sakakibara said in an interview with Nikkei. Work is already under way at the company’s AI &…