Politics, Science, Climate & environment
456 storiesJapan ministry finds no pressure in minister's road budget cut remark case
Japan's land ministry said on 6 October that its officials were asked in mid-February about fiscal 2026 road budget allocations for two Tochigi municipalities by agriculture minister Yan Kazuoki, after reports he said he had cut their budge…
Bolsonaro's son leads Brazil's first round; Lula faces Oct. 25 runoff
Brazilians voted on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026, in the first round of a presidential election between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, and no candidate won a majority, sending the race to an Oct. 25 runoff. The Wall …
Collins and Jackson clash in first Maine Senate debate as race stays tight
Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met Tuesday night in Portland for the first of four scheduled Maine Senate debates. Jackson repeatedly tied Collins to President Donald Trump, saying she votes with him 96…
Japan farm minister retracts budget-cut remarks, apologises, denies resignation
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Yana retracted and apologised on Oct 5 for remarks that he had “greatly cut” road budgets of municipalities whose mayors did not support him in the February lower house election. He denied lobbyi…
Ukrainian MP submits bill to enshrine neutral status, drop NATO course
Ukrainian MP Anna Skorokhod has submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada to enshrine Ukraine’s neutral status in the Constitution and remove the existing course toward NATO membership, according to Russian state outlets and RBC. TASS reported…
Nuri rocket erected on launch pad ahead of fifth flight on Oct 7
South Korea's Nuri rocket moved from its assembly building to the second launch pad at the Naro Space Center in Goheung on the morning of Oct 6 and was erected and fixed in place at 10:35, according to the Korea AeroSpace Administration and…
Nuri rocket lifts off on fifth flight carrying record 15 satellites
South Korea's Nuri rocket launched at 12:25 p.m. on Oct. 7 from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, after the launch management committee confirmed the time that morning. The rocket carries 15 satellites — five NEOANSAT microsatellite cluster…
South Korea ruling party says chief justice refuses to testify at Oct. 6 audit
The Democratic Party said Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae submitted a non-appearance reason statement to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, declining to appear as a witness at the Supreme Court's parliament…
Okinawa governor demands measures from Japan defense minister over U.S. Marine arrest
Okinawa Governor Genta Kojya met Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Oct. 7 and handed him a written request for effective, fundamental measures to prevent a repeat of incidents involving U.S. military pers…
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Awarded to Three Optogenetics Pioneers
Sweden's Karolinska Institutet said on Oct 5 local time that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University Berlin and Georg Nagel of the University of Wü…
Yokohama mayoral election announced with seven candidates; vote set for Oct 18
Yokohama's mayoral election was announced on Oct 4, and seven candidates filed, including former mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, 54, who resigned after harassment of city staff was found. Outlets said the main issue is whether voters endorse the c…
Tokushima assembly LDP faction moves to censure Governor Gotōda over remarks
The Liberal Democratic Party faction in the Tokushima prefectural assembly, the chamber’s largest, has moved to submit a censure motion against Governor Naozumi Gotōda, saying his remarks and conduct are a problem, and plans to put it to th…
Ex-Lower House member Inatomi to run in Fukuoka mayoral election as independent
Former Lower House member Shuji Inatomi, 56, has decided to run in the Fukuoka mayoral election as an independent and will formally announce at a press conference soon. The race is set for Nov. 1 notification and Nov. 15 voting, with incumb…
Chief Justice Cho Says Assembly, President Cannot Intervene in Justice Nominations
Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae said on October 6, 2026 that the National Assembly and the President cannot intervene in the Chief Justice's recommendation of Supreme Court justices, citing Article 104 of the Constitution. He refused the witness …
Nobel physics prize goes to IceCube neutrino researcher Francis Halzen
Sweden's Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on 6 October that the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Francis Halzen of the University of Wisconsin-Madison for decisive contributions to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory and the discovery…
Nuri rocket lifts off at 12:25 with 15 satellites on fifth flight
South Korea's Nuri launch vehicle lifted off at 12:25 local time on Oct 7 from the second pad of the Naro Space Center in Goheung, carrying five ultra-small cluster satellites and 10 cubesats. Kerosene and liquid oxygen loading was complete…
Nuri rocket lifts off with 15 satellites in fifth launch
South Korea’s Nuri rocket lifted off at 12:25 p.m. local time on Oct 7 from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, carrying 15 satellites, the most in its history. The five main ultra-small cluster satellites were placed in their target orbit, m…
Japan's land minister to publish review of farm minister's road budget remark
Japan's land minister, Ihei Tatsunori, said on 6 October that the transport ministry will publish within the day the results of its review into a remark by agriculture minister Yanao Kazuo that he had cut road budgets, and repeated that no …
NASA delays Crew Dragon undocking from ISS to no earlier than 7 October
NASA and SpaceX have postponed the undocking of the Crew Dragon spacecraft of the Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station, TASS, iXBT and Interfax reported. The departure was originally expected on 5 October and is now set for …
Nobel physics prize goes to Francis Halzen for Antarctic neutrino observatory
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen, a Belgian-born professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, for building the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in Antarctica and discovering hi…