Society, Health, Finance & markets
343 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…
Nvidia sets second straight record close; Korean AI supply chain shares rally
Nvidia closed 2.1% higher at $238.90 on October 5 in New York, a second consecutive record close, lifting its market capitalisation to about $5.76 trillion and putting the first $6 trillion valuation within reach. Korean outlets also report…
US stocks close higher; Nasdaq sets record close with 1.05% gain
On Oct 5 local time, the three main US stock indices closed higher, with the Nasdaq up 1.05% to a record close, the Dow up 0.18% and the S&P 500 up 0.67%. Large technology shares rose broadly, and cryptocurrencies, oil and gas and pharmaceu…
Nasdaq closes at record high as AI stocks rally despite rising Treasury yields
US stocks rose on October 5 local time, with the Nasdaq Composite closing at a record high as technology and AI-related shares gained despite rising Treasury yields. Yonhap reported the Dow rose 0.18% to 51,267.90 and the S&P 500 gained 0.6…
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…
Kospi slips below 7,000 after holiday open; Kosdaq gains about 2%
South Korea's Kospi opened at 7,044.67 on Oct. 6, up 40.93 points (0.58%), the first session after the Gaecheonjeol holiday, and the Kosdaq opened at 902.16, up 8.87 points (0.99%). The Kospi gave back the gain within minutes and was at 6,9…
Trump says he has call scheduled with Putin over suspected plague death in Siberia
President Trump said Tuesday he has a call scheduled with Vladimir Putin about the suspected pneumonic plague case in Siberia, after saying Monday the US was willing to help Russia. The case follows the death of Darya Shipilova, 28, a worke…
Hong Kong stocks open higher; Hang Seng up 1%, Alibaba gains about 2.9%
Hong Kong shares opened higher on 6 October, with the Hang Seng Index up 1% and the Hang Seng Tech Index up 1.02%, according to CLS, Yicai and 36Kr. Alibaba rose about 2.9% at the open, while Baidu and Meituan gained nearly 2%, 36Kr reporte…
Hong Kong stocks open marginally lower; Hang Seng slips 0.04%
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index opened 0.04% lower on 5 October 2026, while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.47%. Yicai and Jiemian both reported that Meituan dropped more than 1% at the open, and 36Kr said home-appliance and software-services s…
IMF warns rapid hedge fund growth could amplify market risk
The IMF said in the second chapter of its Global Financial Stability Report, released on 6 October, that hedge fund risks to macro-financial stability need close attention, because fast asset growth can amplify price dislocations and liquid…
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…
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…
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…
Nikkei average recovers 70,000 level for first time in about three months
Tokyo's Nikkei average rose above 70,000 during trading on 5 October, the first time in about three months, as buying concentrated on semiconductor and AI-related shares. Nikkei reported the morning close at 70,037.61, up 1,728.15 points or…
Daejeon beekeeper Park Heon-ui becomes city's first agriculture master
Daejeon announced that Park Heon-ui, head of the Daedeok-gu branch of the beekeeping research group under the Korea Rural Leaders Daejeon Metropolitan City Federation, passed the beekeeping category of the 7th Agriculture Master designation…
China Marks Long March 90th Anniversary With Holiday Exhibition Crowds
China News Service reported that exhibitions marking the 90th anniversary of the Red Army’s Long March victory drew large crowds across China during the National Day holiday. Beijing’s Military Museum received more than 320,000 visitors by …
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…
Actress Jun Won-ju, 87, says she gifted half her assets to prevent inheritance dispute
Actress Jun Won-ju, 87, said she gifted half of her assets to her two sons and their wives in advance so they would not fight over her estate, speaking on MBC’s “PD수첩” episode “2026 Inheritance War: Time of the Family Left Behind,” which ai…