The death of a worker at an anti-plague laboratory in Russia has prompted officials to put at least one hospital facility under quarantine and nearly 200 people reportedly under medical observation as of Monday.

The female staffer at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin last week, according to the regional governor, Igor Kobsev.

Some are celebrating Canada’s government “indefinitely suspending” legalizing euthanasia for mental illness as a great victory for life. Not me.

Let me explain. Of course, I am gratified that mental illness will not become grounds for being killed in 2027 as was scheduled. But note: In announcing the suspension, the government mooted legislation likely to pass that would have permanently outlawed killing for mental illness. Moreover, “indefinite” can mean years — or a month. So, it’s not a matter of principle.

A massive earthquake struck Panama on Friday evening, rocking buildings and initially sparking a widespread tsunami alert. The tremor was initially recorded at magnitude 8.0 before the USGS revised its estimate down, with the agency now putting it at magnitude 7.6. It was detected near Pitaloza Arriba in Panama, according to the USGS. Following the quake, buildings were evacuated and people took to social media to share their horror. One user on X wrote: "Just now, there was an earthquake in Panama.

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Panama at around 1:56 p.m. EST, according to the US Geological Survey. 

Hurricane Isaias battered Florida on Friday night, ripping hotel roofs apart, toppling trees and sending enormous waves surging toward coastal communities as hundreds of thousands lost power. 

The monster storm slammed into the Florida Panhandle near Destin at around 8.30pm as a Category two hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 105mph. Just 30 minutes later, its winds had fallen to 85mph, but the storm continued to wreak havoc along the Gulf Coast.

The new National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinic is located on the agency's campus in Bethesda, Maryland. It was opened on Oct. 5, officials disclosed on Thursday. Reporters were not invited to the opening.

NASA announced that the Crew-12 astronauts closed the Dragon hatch early Wednesday and targeted an autonomous undock at 8:05 a.m. Eastern time, with splashdown planned for late Thursday morning off the California coast, pending weather. The agency laid out the schedule in public updates and a mission advisory to guide live coverage and recovery teams. The step-by-step plan reflects a routine commercial crew return profile that NASA and SpaceX have repeated across missions since operational flights began.

"I Live in Siberia's "Plague City." Here's the Truth" https://t.co/hJsM58titX

— Jordan Chain (@_pblanknews) October 8, 2026

Webmaster Addition:

Just when it seemed like we had hit a period of relative calm, global events are starting to accelerate again. Within the past 24 hours, there have been a couple of absolutely enormous developments. First of all, Tropical Storm Isaias has become Hurricane Isaias and we are being told that it will make landfall along the Gulf Coast. That is potentially a major problem because the Gulf Coast accounts for over 50 percent of the crude oil refining capacity in the United States.

Bloomberg cites data from the Marine Minerals Administration showing US Gulf offshore oil producers have halted about 1.28 million barrels per day, equivalent to shutting in 63% of regional output.

Natural gas shut-ins reached 1.127 billion cubic feet a day, equivalent to 57% of the region's production.

By noon Central Time, workers from 121 offshore platforms had evacuated, while four rigs had moved outside Hurricane Isaias' cone of uncertainty.

This is a massive temporary hit to US crude supply. For NatGas, the national production impact is much smaller.