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759 storiesDefense 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…
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…
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…
Trump signs order allowing tax-free red-dyed diesel on highways
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday temporarily allowing off-road red-dyed diesel to be used for highway driving and deferring the federal excise tax on that fuel through the end of 2026 without interest or penalties.…
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 …
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…
Korean court suspends market-cap delisting decisions; exchange halts two more exits
Seoul Southern District Court Civil Division 51 granted injunctions on Oct 2 suspending the Korea Exchange's delisting decisions against KOSPI-listed Joo Yeon Tech and KOSDAQ-listed KM Pharma until a main ruling. The court questioned the 45…
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…
India's central bank raises key rate to 5.5%, first hike in 3 years 8 months
The Reserve Bank of India decided on 7 October to raise its main policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 5.5%, the first increase in three years and eight months. Governor Sanjay Malhotra cited a worsening Middle East situation, sharp swin…
Hoban Construction develops AI design tech to auto-apply per-unit buyer options
Hoban Construction said it developed AI-based design technology that automatically reflects apartment buyers’ option contract choices in each unit’s building information model (BIM). The technology was developed jointly with building and in…
Bank of Russia raises official dollar rate to 84.93 rubles for October 6
The Bank of Russia set the official dollar rate for October 6 at 84.93 rubles, up 1.45 rubles from 83.48 rubles on October 3, with the euro rising 1.01 rubles to 95.33 rubles and the yuan up 0.22 rubles to 12.65 rubles. RBC reported the rub…
New York stocks open mixed as 10-year Treasury yield holds near 5.3%
New York's main stock indices opened mixed on October 5, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 0.27% as the 10-year US Treasury yield held around 5.3%, a level Asia Economy described as the highest in several years. The S&P 500 a…
South Korea unveils 1,000 trillion won green transition plan to 2035
South Korea announced a “Korean-style Green Transition” (K-GX) strategy on Oct 7, pledging about 1,000 trillion won over ten years to 2035 — 200 trillion won in fiscal support and more than 790 trillion won in climate finance through five p…
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…
European stock indices close higher on Oct 6 after mixed Oct 5 session
On Oct 6, 2026, major European stock indices all closed higher: the UK FTSE 100 rose 0.42%, France’s CAC 40 0.47%, Germany’s DAX 0.82% and Italy’s FTSE MIB 0.87%, according to CLS. The previous day, most indices rose but France’s CAC 40 fel…
Times Car data leak class action sign-ups top 40,000
Registrations on a website set up to prepare a class action over the Times Car personal data leak passed 40,000 by 2 pm on Oct 5, Livedoor News reported. Lawyer Hiroki Makino opened the site on Sept 30 to seek damages over the handling of p…
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…
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…
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…
JPX to cut TOPIX constituents from about 1,600 to 986 under new selection rules
Japan Exchange Group announced on Oct 7 that it will sharply reduce the number of companies in the TOPIX stock index, to 986 from 1,634, in a phased change running from late October to July 2028. A reassessment in October 2027 will decide w…