International, Health, AI, Climate & environment
442 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…
Egypt's Sisi to make state visit to South Korea Oct 7-9, summit with Lee on Oct 8
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will make a state visit to South Korea from Oct 7 to 9 at President Lee Jae-myung's invitation, the Blue House said in a written briefing on Tuesday. The two leaders will hold a summit on Oct 8, prece…
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…
US Secretary of State Rubio visits Iceland to discuss Arctic security and trade
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Iceland on 5 October and met Icelandic government officials in Reykjavik to discuss economic and security cooperation. Rubio said he came to advance shared priorities including a safe Arctic, strong…
Three typhoons head toward Japan as Oct 10-12 holiday travel period nears
Three typhoons are active near Japan at the same time: No. 29 Koguma, which formed at 09:00 on Oct 5 about 2,560 km east of Guam, plus No. 27 Choi-wan and No. 28 Nolo, both described as “very strong”. Japanese and Korean forecasts put the s…
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…
Trump says he told South Korea it must pay a price for lower tariffs
US President Donald Trump said on Oct 6 that he told South Korea it must pay a price to have tariffs lowered, and that South Korea recently provided $150 billion, all of it going to shipbuilding. Korean outlets link the remarks to MASGA, th…
Reports say US, China discuss mutual visits to nuclear facilities
US and Chinese officials have reportedly begun informal talks about mutual visits to nuclear facilities, according to CNN, as cited by Sankei Shimbun. The reported aim is to build confidence amid concern over China's rapid nuclear expansion…
Ukraine criticizes South Korea over reported diesel shipments to Russia
Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, publicly criticized South Korea over a Guardian report that seven tankers carried more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from South Korean ports to …
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…
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…
Supreme Court hears Boulder climate suit as justices question both sides
The Supreme Court heard nearly two hours of arguments Monday on whether the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, can sue Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy in state court to recover costs tied to climate change. Conservative justices questioned…
Trump repeats Alaska LNG charge threat as Vance says Korea details unresolved
US President Donald Trump said on 2 October that if South Korea does not invest in the Alaska LNG project, Washington can charge it more, and Seoul should be told the amount will double if it does not agree soon. Korean outlets reported tha…
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 says US still working on Ukraine settlement, end is approaching
US President Donald Trump said Washington is continuing work on settling the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that a conclusion “really is approaching”, speaking at an event in the state of Maryland. TASS reported he acknowledged he had expected…
Trump says a phone call with Putin is planned “very soon”
US President Donald Trump said a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned and will take place “very soon”. Trump gave no date or agenda. Russian outlets carried the announcement without reporting any Kremlin comment o…
South Korea forecasts a cold, windy Oct. 6 with a 15C day-night temperature gap
South Korea's weather agency forecast a chilly, clear Oct. 6 with morning lows of about 3-14°C and a day-night temperature gap of roughly 15°C in most regions. Gangwon's inland and mountain areas were expected near or below 5°C, with winds …