Arizona neuroscientists find aging brain reorganizes, not declines

Oct 51 min read

Neuroscientists at the University of Arizona have found that age-related memory changes reflect the brain reorganizing to use accumulated experience more efficiently, not deterioration. The study challenges the long-held view that aging is a period of compensation and decline. Researchers identified a shift in control from the hippocampus to the prefrontal cortex, which they say optimizes the brain for sharing stored expertise.

1 source

HRW says 13 Australians held in Iraq face potential execution over IS links

Human Rights Watch accused Australia of outsourcing its responsibility for 13 citizens held in Iraqi jails on suspicion of Islamic State links. The group warned the Australians face inhumane treatment and potential execution. Iraqi authorities called for greater support as the nation deals with the burden of cases.

1 source

Oct 5

US Supreme Court allows deportation of migrants to third countries

The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to third countries that are not their countries of origin. The court stayed a Massachusetts federal judge's order that had blocked such deportations. Three liberal justices dissented.

1 source

Oct 5

Indonesia arrests 11 over suspected links to terrorist networks

Indonesian police arrested 11 people suspected of links to terrorist networks in raids across six provinces since Oct 2. The suspects are believed affiliated with Daulah Islamiyah and other networks. The arrests follow a May operation that detained eight suspected members of Jamaah Ansharut Daulah in Central Sulawesi.

1 source

Oct 5

West Kazakhstan court strips parental rights from mother whose 10-year-old son scavenged at dump

Oct 51 min read

A specialized juvenile court in West Kazakhstan Region has stripped parental rights from a woman whose 10-year-old son lived in an abandoned house and scavenged for food and clothing at a dump. The boy, who never attended school and cannot read or write, was placed in a family-type children's village in 2026. The court also ordered the mother to pay child support into the boy's personal deposit account.

5 sources

Chinese scientists build plant extracting hydrogen, water, uranium from sea

Oct 51 min read

Chinese scientists have built a small co-production plant that extracts hydrogen and fresh water from seawater while recovering uranium and bromine. The system, developed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, improves electricity use efficiency by about 15 per cent. The work is described in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Energy.

1 source

Houthis encircle Taiz, cutting main road to Aden

Houthi forces have advanced in southern Yemen and encircled Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city. They cut the main road from Taiz to Aden, where the country's largest port is located. The city of about one million people had been under government control.

1 source

Oct 5

Forensic analysis finds blunt force trauma on 39% of skulls from First Dynasty Egyptian burials

A new forensic analysis of 46 skulls from First Dynasty subsidiary burials at Abydos found signs of fatal blunt force trauma on 18, or 39 percent. The remains, excavated by Flinders Petrie in the 1920s and stored at Cambridge University, support the hypothesis of retainer sacrifice for Egypt's earliest kings. The study, published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, is the first recent re-examination of the bones.

2 sources

Oct 5

US anti-drug boat strikes kill at least 238 since September 2

At least 238 people have been killed and 80 vessels destroyed in a US military campaign against boats linked to drug trafficking since September 2. The strikes, conducted in international waters, have prompted legal challenges from lawmakers and rights groups. The Trump administration has not released evidence that targeted vessels carried drugs or belonged to cartels.

2 sources

Oct 5

Japan to expand cyber threat hunting for critical infrastructure in fiscal 2027

Oct 51 min read

Japan's government will strengthen cybersecurity measures in fiscal 2027 to detect hidden cyberattacks on critical infrastructure operators, including energy and telecommunications companies. The National Cybersecurity Office and Defense Ministry will develop threat-hunting methods and provide them to private firms. The initiative follows legislation that took effect Thursday.

1 source

Pan Borneo Highway Sabah Phase 1 costs rise RM1.05 billion after missing 10-year deadline

Oct 51 min read

The first phase of the Pan Borneo Highway Sabah project saw costs rise by RM1.05 billion, or 6%, after missing its 10-year deadline, according to the Auditor General's report released Monday. The overrun was driven mainly by Phase 1a, whose costs climbed to RM11.323 billion, 9.5% above the original RM10.336 billion. The government was forced to provide additional allocations beyond the original budget as the project could not be fully completed.

1 source

EU trade chief to hold Beijing talks Oct 8-9 to avert trade war

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will travel to Beijing on Thursday for two days of talks with Chinese officials aimed at preventing a trade war. The meetings come as the EU prepares to boost its trade defence tools and Beijing threatens retaliation. The EU's trade deficit with China hit about €360 billion in 2025.

1 source

Oct 5

E-cadherin complex found to help epithelial cells engulf dying cells

Researchers have found that the E-cadherin complex, known for cell adhesion, also helps epithelial cells engulf nearby dead cells. The study, published in Nature Communications, examined epithelial tissues in living zebrafish and mouse embryos. The discovery may inform understanding of chronic inflammation, where debris from dying cells contributes to inflammatory responses.

2 sources

Oct 5

650 investors pulled 227 billion lira from Turkish funds before liquidation

On September 17, 650 investors withdrew 227 billion lira from 131 funds managed by seven portfolio companies just before their liquidation was ordered. The withdrawals reduced total fund value from 349.6 billion lira on September 16 to 122.5 billion lira the next day. Economist Sabri Öncü published the data, prompting calls for the names of those who allegedly acted on inside information.

1 source

Oct 5

Amro flags Asia's vulnerability to AI demand swings despite solid growth

Oct 51 min read

The Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office said Asian economies remain solid but are particularly sensitive to artificial intelligence-related demand. A potential AI slowdown could weigh heavily on the region, while renewed financial market volatility and protectionist measures add further risks.

2 sources

US military says Caribbean vessel strike killed four people

Oct 51 min read

The US military said on Sunday that a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea killed four people. The Southern Command described the vessel as a go-fast boat operating along narco-trafficking routes. The attack is the latest in a campaign that has killed more than 220 people since September 2025.

3 sources

Rubio to visit Iceland, Greece, Portugal October 5-8 for NATO security talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Iceland, Greece, and Portugal on October 5-8 for talks on security, defense, energy, economic cooperation, and technology. The visit comes as NATO allies face growing security concerns over Russia’s military activity and continued Middle East instability. Rubio will begin in Reykjavik, then travel to Athens for the sixth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, and conclude in Lisbon.

1 source

Oct 5

Spain's government prepares for snap election after housing bill defeat

Spanish government officials have begun preparing for a snap parliamentary election, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expected to announce a decision as early as Monday, October 5, Bloomberg reported citing three sources close to him. The move follows parliament's rejection of two government housing bills on Friday, a defeat that deepened pressure on Sánchez's minority coalition.

1 source

Oct 5

Thailand's 'Take Back Thailand' protests expose foreign ownership backlash on Koh Phangan

Protests under the slogan 'Take Back Thailand' have erupted across Thailand, driven by local resentment over foreign-run businesses and land ownership on tourist islands like Koh Phangan. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government has responded with a crackdown known as the 'Phangan model', which has expanded into seven provinces and led to more than 110 arrests. The backlash has been fuelled by viral incidents involving disrespectful tourists, including an Italian group filmed shouting at a Thai woman on a Bangkok sky train.

1 source

Oct 5

Kyoto and Hiroshima physicists measure W state of three entangled photons

Oct 51 min read

Researchers from Kyoto University and Hiroshima University demonstrated a one-step measurement of the W state of quantum entanglement in three photons. The method was described in an article published in the journal Science Advances in September 2025. The average accuracy of distinguishing the states was 0.871 ± 0.039, exceeding the mathematical threshold of 66.7%.

1 source