International, Health, Games, Disasters & accidents
566 storiesFire at Ustuu-Khuree Buddhist monastery complex in Tuva put out; no injuries
A fire broke out on 7 October at the Ustuu-Khuree Buddhist monastery complex in Tuva, about 5 km from the town of Chadan. Emergency services localized the blaze and later extinguished it; the MChS reported an area of 468 sq m, while earlier…
US presses Russia to disclose details of suspected plague pathogen leak at Irkutsk lab
The Trump administration is urging Russia to release more information about a suspected plague pathogen leak at a research institute in Irkutsk, saying it cannot set its response level without the facts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sa…
Russian woman at plague research institute dies; cause disputed
A woman in her 20s who worked at a plague control research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region died on October 2. Russian health authorities said on October 4 the cause was “pneumonia of unknown origin,” while speculation of plague infecti…
Iran says it handed response to US proposal through Qatari mediators
Iran conveyed a response to a US proposal, with Vedomosti reporting that the answer was passed through Qatari mediators in Doha and concerned the resumption of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Bagh…
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…
Japan PM Takaichi asked Trump to press Kim on a Japan-North Korea summit
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi asked US President Donald Trump, at their September meeting, to urge North Korea's Kim Jong Un to accept a Japan-North Korea summit if a US-North Korea summit takes place. She described the request to families …
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…
Russian anti-plague lab technician dies of unknown pneumonia; nearly 200 monitored
A 28-year-old laboratory technician at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Shelekhov, Russia, died of “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” according to the public health agency Rospotrebnadzor. The hospital…
Tropical Depression Nine forecast to become Hurricane Isaias, threaten Gulf Coast
Tropical Depression Nine formed in the southwestern Gulf with 35 mph winds and is forecast to become Tropical Storm Isaias and then a hurricane on Thursday, CNN reported. It is expected to reach Category 2 strength with 100 mph winds as it …
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…
Tropical Storm Isaias forms off Mexico, forecast to hit US Gulf Coast as hurricane
Tropical Storm Isaias formed early Wednesday in warm waters off eastern Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, and the National Hurricane Center said it is expected to strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season befor…
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Launches, Free for Amazon Prime Members via Luna
Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a roguelike-inspired racing game from Fuse Games, is out now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S and Amazon Luna. Amazon said Prime members can stream its single-player campaign at no extra cost through …
Typhoon No. 27 moves north near Ogasawara as typhoons 28 and 29 form
Typhoon No. 27, described by the Japan Meteorological Agency as large and very strong, moved north over waters near the Ogasawara Islands and was forecast to approach the islands at very strong intensity from the evening of Oct. 5 to early …
Xbox says GTA 6 will not stream exclusively or to PC, after report of streaming deal
Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said Grand Theft Auto VI will not be streaming exclusively on Xbox, nor to PC, pushing back on an earlier report that Xbox had secured exclusive cloud streaming rights to the game. The Verge had repo…
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…
Pennsylvania measles cases pass 1,000, largest state outbreak in decades
Pennsylvania has reported 1,004 measles cases in 2026, the state Department of Health said Monday, including at least 198 hospitalizations and five deaths. State health officials say it is the largest outbreak in any U.S. state in more than…
EU ambassadors agree 22nd sanctions package targeting over 1,500 Russian entities
EU ambassadors agreed on a 22nd sanctions package against Russia that adds more than 1,500 individuals and legal entities to the bloc's lists, according to European media cited by Interfax and TASS. Interfax said the bulk of the measures ta…
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: North Korean mines south of MDL breached armistice, minefield cleared
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff concluded that a Sept. 21 landmine explosion on the western DMZ was caused by a North Korean mine placed about 10 metres south of the Military Demarcation Line, an armistice violation, and the military re…
Thailand flood death toll reaches 60; Bangkok and 27 provinces affected
Thailand's Interior Ministry disaster agency said on Oct 7 that flooding has killed 60 people and affected more than 1.48 million households, or 4.19 million people. The country has seen repeated heavy rain and widespread flooding since Sep…