Consumer, AI, Education, Health
325 storiesRussian anti-plague lab researcher dies; US and EU say they are monitoring
A 28-year-old female researcher at the Irkutsk anti-plague research institute in Shelekhov, Russia, died after being diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause, the state agency Rospotrebnadzor said. About 200 people who may have had contact…
WHO keeps low-risk view on Russian plague lab death; Russia denies accident
The World Health Organization said the public health risk to the general public appears low after a researcher at a plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region died following what reports described as a broken test tube of plague p…
South Korea says 157 ticket scalpers arrested under stricter anti-scalping law
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young told a cabinet meeting that 157 ticket scalpers had been arrested since revised anti-scalping laws took effect on Aug. 28, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. He said the public had filed 68,158 reports and tha…
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…
National university hospital bed occupancy stuck at 56.4%, surgeries still below 2023
Average bed occupancy at South Korea's nine national university hospitals was 56.4% in both 2024 and last year, down from 73.6% in 2023, according to data Rep. Seo Mi-hwa obtained from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Surgeries at ten na…
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…
China health experts urge problem-driven push to turn disease research into treatments
Experts at a 2026 conference on disease prevention research and translation in China called for problem-driven collaboration between hospitals, universities and industry, with AI among the topics discussed. The director of a national key la…
China Railway warns travellers over third-party ticket-grabbing platforms
China Railway issued a reminder that 12306 is its only official online ticket sales channel and said it has never cooperated with any third-party platform, according to IT Home and China News Service. The railway described bloggers in railw…
Trump says he has call scheduled with Putin over suspected plague death in Siberia
President Trump said Tuesday he has a call scheduled with Vladimir Putin about the suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, after saying Monday the US was willing to help Russia. The case follows the death of Darya Shipilova, 28, a worke…
WHO 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…
Cornell trustees tap Sally Yates to review handling of sex assault claims
Cornell University trustees announced Tuesday that Sally Yates, a former deputy U.S. attorney general, will lead an independent review of how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints, including the alleged 2024 assault of a forme…
Cornell Faculty Introduce No-Confidence Resolution; Students Target President
Members of Cornell University's faculty have introduced a resolution for a vote of no confidence in the university administration over its handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape at the Chi Phi fraternity house. The resolution is expected to …
New York declares measles disaster emergency as rural cases rise
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a statewide disaster emergency on Monday over a measles outbreak, an order CNN reported is the first such declaration by a U.S. state since cases began surging in 2025. The state has reported 108 case…
Abu Dhabi's AI Everything opens with 400 exhibitors alongside Global Food Week
AI Everything 2026 opened on 6 October at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi and runs to 7 October, with WAM reporting 400 exhibitors and 180 speakers, and Economy Middle East reporting more than 400 companies, 200-plus investors managing about $10…
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…
Trump announces “Super Intelligence Force” AI task force led by Jay Clayton
President Donald Trump announced Sunday the creation of a “Super Intelligence Force,” a federal task force he said will coordinate government efforts to keep the United States leading in artificial intelligence, which he has directed the fe…
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days Begin With Discounts on Apple Macs, AirPods and iPads
Amazon's fall Prime Big Deal Days sale is live, with early discounts on Apple products including AirPods Pro 3 at $179.00, down from $249.00, AirPods Max 2 at $429.00, and about $200 off most M5 MacBook Air models. Outlets also reported all…
Putin backs plan for a dedicated neural network in Russian education
President Vladimir Putin supported a proposal to create a dedicated neural network for Russia's education sector at a video meeting with teachers on 5 October, Teacher's Day. Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov said the ministry will impleme…
More Than 250,000 Rally Across France as Student School Protests Escalate
More than 256,000 people rallied across France on Tuesday and hundreds of schools were shut or blockaded as students, parents and teachers demanded more education funding. Police fired tear gas in Paris and other cities, and Fox News, citin…
OpenAI CEO Altman says some AI risks must be accepted, drawing line with Anthropic
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said in an interview with Politico’s technology podcast “Decoded” that society must accept some negative outcomes to secure the benefits of artificial intelligence and keep humans in control. He described O…