Culture & entertainment, Policy & regulation, Health, Consumer
570 storiesKremlin 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…
UAE sets phased caps on salt, sugar and fat in packaged foods, fines up to Dh500,000
The UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has begun implementing a resolution that caps sodium, sugar and fat in selected packaged foods, with phased limits running until the end of 2030. The rules apply to locally made and imported produ…
South Korea re-designates 92 population decline regions, adding Busan Geumjeong, Dongducheon and Tongyeong
South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety re-designated 92 cities, counties and districts as population decline regions on Oct. 7, up from 89 in the first designation five years ago. Busan's Geumjeong-gu, Gyeonggi's Dongducheon and …
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…
Trump says he is considering suspending federal gas tax ahead of midterms
President Donald Trump said Tuesday his administration is considering suspending the federal gas tax, as pump prices remain far above last year's levels a month before the midterm elections. Any suspension would require Congress, which is n…
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…
Busan International Film Festival opens 31st edition with 247 invited films
The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on the evening of Oct. 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae district and runs through Oct. 15. Organisers invited 247 films from 59 countries, with 316 screenings in all including the co…
Russian 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…
Korea culture minister urges strict law enforcement over threats to 'Assassin(s)' cast
Culture minister Choi Hwi-young said on Oct 5 that criticism of the film “Assassin(s)” is free but that threatening its creators destroys democracy, and that he has asked police to protect the cast and crew and strictly enforce the law agai…
Amazon's October Prime Day runs October 6-7 as outlets round up deals
Amazon's October Prime Day sale, also called Prime Big Deal Days, is running from October 6 through October 7, 2026. NBC News, The Verge and CNN published roundups of discounted products at price points under $50, under $25 and on seasonal …
Defense minister: arts, sports military service exemption to be cut and abolished
South Korea's defense minister said on Oct 7 that the goal is to gradually reduce the arts and sports military service exemption and ultimately abolish it, after controversy over remarks by Asian Games football gold medallists about the exe…
Korea's top individual tax delinquent Kwon Hyuk to pay 393.8 billion won
The National Tax Service said on Oct 7 that Kwon Hyuk, chairman of Sido Group and the country's largest individual tax delinquent, has submitted a plan to pay 393.8 billion won in back taxes in full, 15 years after the tax was assessed. He …
Land minister says Gangnam, Yongsan home prices have turned negative
Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Hong Ji-seon told a National Assembly audit on Oct 7 that home prices in Seoul's Gangnam three districts and Yongsan have turned negative, and said price growth should ease with the market stabili…
South Korea's Lee orders CPTPP talks restarted from the beginning amid farm concerns
President Lee Jae-myung instructed at a cabinet meeting on Oct 6 that the government should not fix a conclusion on joining the CPTPP and should “restart dialogue from the beginning,” saying the pact's strategic value is cited alongside ver…
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Dies at 102
Eva Marie Saint, an Oscar-winning actor known for “On the Waterfront” and “North by Northwest,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles at 102. Her publicist, Jeff Sanderson, said the cause was natural causes and that she was surrounded by …
Asian Games exemption row: Ahn Cheol-soo urges review, defense ministry regrets remarks
People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo said on 7 October that the military service exemption for Asian Games gold medalists should be reviewed for abolition starting with this tournament, noting the rule is a presidential decree that Pre…
South Korea study links severe gestational diabetes to higher diabetes risk in children
South Korea's National Institute of Health said children of mothers who had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes, with the risk rising to 4.3 times for type 2 diabetes among children of mothers who needed insulin during …
S. Korea farm minister says minor farmland survey violations won't be punished
Agriculture minister Song Mi-ryung told a parliamentary audit on Oct 7 that most ordinary, customary violations found in the government's full farmland survey would not be punished, and that the government has no plan or reason to confiscat…
China’s 2026 National Day holiday box office passes 600 million
The total box office for China’s 2026 National Day holiday period (1–7 October) passed 600 million, including presales, according to platform data cited by Chinese outlets. 《神探之痕迹》, 《什么意思夫妇》, 《欢迎来龙餐馆》, 《小猪佩奇·完美假期》 and 《八仙！》 were the top fiv…
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…