Transport, Health, International
417 storiesUS 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…
Ukraine criticizes South Korea over reported diesel shipments to Russia
Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, publicly criticized South Korea over a Guardian report that seven tankers carried more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from South Korean ports to …
UN North Korea mission's voicemail appears hacked, CNN reports
CNN reported on October 6 that the voicemail of the landline listed for North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York appeared to have been hacked. Callers heard a voice mocking North Korea's chronic food shortage and telling anyo…
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…
Jeonbuk governor urges Saemangeum airport go ahead before 14 October ruling
Jeonbuk Governor Lee Won-taek publicly urged on 7 October that the Saemangeum International Airport project proceed normally, saying he hopes the appellate ruling on 14 October recognises its administrative and public value. The Seoul Admin…
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…
KFF poll finds Medicare for All support at 66% in US, highest since 2016
A KFF poll published Tuesday found 66 percent of U.S. adults support Medicare for All, the highest level since 2016, with 32 percent saying they strongly favor a single government health plan. Support was up about 13 points from 2020, but t…
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…
China domestic flight fuel surcharge to rise from Oct 10
China’s domestic flight fuel surcharge will rise from Oct 10, 2026, under airline notices reported by Chinese outlets: 50 yuan for routes of 800 km or less, up 10 yuan, and 90 yuan for longer routes, up 20 yuan. IT Home said the change foll…
Trump repeats Alaska LNG charge threat as Vance says Korea details unresolved
US President Donald Trump said on 2 October that if South Korea does not invest in the Alaska LNG project, Washington can charge it more, and Seoul should be told the amount will double if it does not agree soon. Korean outlets reported tha…
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, …
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…
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…
Russia denies plague after worker at Siberian institute dies of unknown pneumonia
A woman who worked at a plague-control research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region in eastern Siberia has died; Japanese outlets differ on whether she died on Oct 1 or Oct 2. Russian authorities say the cause was “pneumonia of unknown cau…
China medical insurance pooled funds take in 2.07 trillion yuan in Jan-Aug
China's National Healthcare Security Administration released data showing that in January to August 2026 the basic medical insurance (including maternity insurance) pooled funds took in 2.072772 trillion yuan and spent 1.550414 trillion yua…
Celltrion's Avtozma wins FDA nod for pediatric COVID-19 use in US
Celltrion said the US Food and Drug Administration granted an additional approval for its Avtozma (tocilizumab) intravenous formulation to treat COVID-19 in patients aged 2 and older. The approval widens the drug's COVID-19 indication from …
South Korea study links severe gestational diabetes to higher diabetes risk in children
South Korea's National Institute of Health said children of mothers who had gestational diabetes are more likely to develop diabetes, with the risk rising to 4.3 times for type 2 diabetes among children of mothers who needed insulin during …
Moscow's Vnukovo airport lifts flight restrictions; Kaluga, Gelendzhik affected
Restrictions on receiving and dispatching aircraft at Moscow's Vnukovo airport were lifted and the airport is operating normally, Rosaviatsia said, according to Kommersant, TASS and RIA Novosti. Kommersant reported that Vnukovo handled flig…
Kim Jong Un congratulates Putin on his 74th birthday
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a telegram to Vladimir Putin congratulating him on his 74th birthday on October 7. Kim praised Russia's strengthened status under Putin and emphasised the comprehensive strategic partnership between thei…
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…