Transport, Consumer, Health, War & conflict
555 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…
China Railway: 20.32 million travelled Oct 4, 21.05 million expected Oct 5
China Railway said the national rail network carried 20.32 million passengers on October 4, describing transport as safe and orderly, and expects 21.05 million trips on October 5 with 1,463 additional trains planned as mid- and short-distan…
Yangtze River Delta railways expect 3.84 million passengers on Oct 4
China Railway Shanghai Group expects the Yangtze River Delta rail network to carry 3.84 million passengers on Oct 4, the fourth day of the National Day holiday, after 3.729 million travelled on Oct 3. The operator planned 104 extra trains, …
Russian Defense Ministry says troops took Samoilovka in Zaporizhzhia region
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday that units of the “Vostok” group of forces took control of the village of Samoilovka in the Zaporizhzhia region. The ministry said the capture expands the group's capabilities and creates a bridgehea…
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…
South Korea says 157 ticket scalpers arrested under stricter anti-scalping law
Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young told a cabinet meeting that 157 ticket scalpers had been arrested since revised anti-scalping laws took effect on Aug. 28, Yonhap and Asia Economy reported. He said the public had filed 68,158 reports and tha…
South Korea military blames North Korean DMZ mines for injuries, clears site
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Oct 5 that its final investigation concluded a mine explosion on the western front DMZ that injured soldiers was caused by North Korean mines laid south of the Military Demarcation Line. The milit…
Russian state agencies report explosions in Dnepropetrovsk, air alert in region
TASS reported an explosion in Dnepropetrovsk on 4 October and an air raid alert across Dnepropetrovsk region. A day later, on 5 October, both RIA Novosti and TASS reported that explosions had occurred in the city, with TASS saying the air r…
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan agree to activate collective defence against Houthis
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia decided at an emergency meeting in Riyadh on 5 October to activate collective defence measures under a pact they signed in August, confirming they would deploy their forces inside Saudi territory. The three…
WHO and Russia say no further plague infections after Siberian lab worker's death
A female worker at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died last week from pneumonia of undetermined origin, according to Russian authorities and the WHO. Russia's Rospotrebnadzor said 60% of the identified contact…
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…
Pentagon withdraws all bombers from UK's RAF Fairford after suspected terror plot
The Pentagon said all U.S. bombers deployed to Royal Air Force Fairford in England have returned to their home stations in the United States, after a suspected terror plot against the base; the New York Times reported the withdrawal followe…
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…
China Railway warns travellers over third-party ticket-grabbing platforms
China Railway issued a reminder that 12306 is its only official online ticket sales channel and said it has never cooperated with any third-party platform, according to IT Home and China News Service. The railway described bloggers in railw…
Russian military reports destroying Ukrainian drone control point near Kramatorsk
Russian state outlets reported that Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian drone control point on the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk axis, with TASS saying a Ukrainian vehicle was also hit. RIA Novosti attributed the strike near Kramatorsk to the “Sout…
Explosions hit Kyiv-controlled Zaporizhzhia; bridge over Dnipro damaged
Explosions were heard in Zaporizhzhia, the city TASS describes as under Kyiv's control. TASS reported that an explosion damaged a bridge over the Dnipro and that traffic across it was temporarily halted. RIA Novosti reported only that explo…
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…
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…