WHO seeks ‘full picture’ from Russia after plague death
A tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar was attacked, causing an unknown number of casualties, according to the Guardian’s “First Thing” newsletter for October 8. The announcement came as Iran declared it would close a route in the Strait of Hormuz being used to circumvent Tehran’s blockade of traffic.
The World Health Organization said it does not have the “full picture” from Russia after the suspected plague death last week of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory worker in Siberia. Russian authorities have denied a connection with the anti-plague research institute and say Shipilova died from “pneumonia of an unknown aetiology.” They have described the “sanitary and epidemiological” situation in the region as stable and insist there is no danger of a plague outbreak.
At a press conference, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “We don’t yet have the full picture of this event. Timely, complete and transparent information-sharing is essential to clarify conflicting reports and enable an accurate assessment of potential public risks.” Russian officials have imposed sweeping quarantine restrictions at the lab where Shipilova worked and in nearby hospitals; staff were locked down inside the institute for three days, sleeping on the floors and on chairs, while tests were conducted.
Britain is rebranding its East Jerusalem consulate as a UK mission. The move was forced by the Israeli government as punishment for Britain’s decision to ban trade with illegal settlements. There has been some dispute within the UK government over whether taking tough measures at this time against Israel could help Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election prospects this month.
President Donald Trump suffered a torrid night at a rally in San Antonio that was rocked by repeated protests, the Guardian reported. At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted Trump during the rally, which was held in support of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign. Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone after one protester appeared to approach the stage. Some demonstrators were led away by police, and one demonstrator was physically assaulted by an older Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena.
The Democratic National Committee has sued the Trump administration in federal court in Washington, asking a judge to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of advertisements promoting himself. According to AdImpact, a media tracking firm, the ads have cost taxpayers more than $12 million so far.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate in a competitive Senate race, acknowledged in a leaked audio recording that rising fuel prices as a result of Trump’s war with Iran were hurting his party before the midterms, the Guardian reported. The Guardian has asked Paxton’s campaign for comment.
President Donald Trump claimed he did not have “any idea who else they work for” after it was reported that Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of his 2024 presidential campaign, and James Blair, a campaign adviser and White House deputy chief of staff on leave of absence, had spent the weekend assisting the pro-Russia government in Republika Srpska in the Balkans. Trump said: “I will terminate them, immediately” if he determined there was a conflict of interest.
Christa Pike, who survived two lethal injections in a failed execution in Tennessee, woke up “angry and confused,” her attorneys said. Pike remains hospitalized and shackled to her bed. She has pneumonia and a blood clot, and is unable to move either of her badly injured arms. Randy Spivey, one of her lawyers, said her first words were: “Where am I?”, adding: “I think she is angry and confused about everything right now.” A judge has ordered Tennessee state officials to preserve all evidence related to the failed execution. Pike was convicted for her part in the 1995 brutal murder of Colleen Slemmer.
Margaret Hamilton, whose software powered the Apollo 11 moon landing, has died aged 90. Reflecting on the historic mission, she once said: “We were the luckiest people in the world; there was no choice but to be pioneers.”
The FBI says it thwarted a terrorist attack on a Minnesota shopping mall by an 18-year-old it had supplied with an AK-47.
In Arizona, congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia said she was raped while trying to repair a campaign sign. Greene-Placentia said she is sharing her story to fight for victims of sexual assault.
OpenAI’s release of mathematical findings has drawn concerns from experts, who say the company is not doing due diligence to vet results.
María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction in Madrid set off a nationwide wave of protests against Spain’s housing crisis, has died.
The Golden State Valkyries are pursuing their first WNBA championship, but the second-year franchise has already achieved a historic financial milestone.
Lauren Gould speaks to three experts for their best advice on preserving the life of makeup and reducing the chance of it ending up in landfill.
Three years after the 7 October attacks by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli offensive, Gaza residents told the Guardian how their lives have been changed beyond recognition. Separately, whistleblower Arturo Béjar — a former Meta employee whose daughter was 14 when she told him Instagram was failing to keep her safe — has testified repeatedly against his former employer.
California could face a mix of natural disasters at once as the state finds itself in the crosshairs of a climate phenomenon, as Gabrielle Canon reports. In other climate developments, the Indonesian government has been accused of “gross negligence” in a class action lawsuit over its handling of wildfires, and the Norwegian government has given a permit to a mining company to release waste into one of Norway’s most pristine fjords.
DNA analysis of Jonathan the giant tortoise, believed to be the world’s oldest known living land animal, has revealed a host of genetic variants in most of the biological pathways for ageing.