Tuesday, October 6th

What happened

A 28-year-old Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute employee died after developing severe pneumonia, though Russian authorities have not confirmed plague as the cause. Officials placed nearly 200 possible contacts under medical observation and quarantined the hospital where she was treated, citing her work with dangerous pathogens. Pneumonic plague is a lung infection caused by Yersinia pestis that can spread through respiratory droplets. It is treatable with antibiotics, especially when care starts quickly. Russian health officials said tests found no work-related microorganisms and no other institute employees had infectious illness. Buryatia head Alexey Tsydenov initially said she may have died of plague; Russia’s health watchdog said the illness was pneumonia of unknown origin. Reports of a broken test tube remain unconfirmed. The WHO is working with Russian authorities to verify the circumstances and test results.

What happened

The Supreme Court heard arguments in Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, weighing whether federal law blocks Boulder’s climate-damages lawsuit from state court. The justices showed no clear consensus, with questions about economic consequences and whether state courts can hear such claims. Boulder filed the lawsuit in 2018 against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy, seeking compensation for local climate costs and alleging the companies misled the public about fossil-fuel risks. Boulder says the case seeks local damages under state law. The companies say emissions cross borders and federal law controls. The lawsuit remains early, and the court’s decision is pending.

What happened

Flávio Bolsonaro and incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face a runoff after neither won a majority in Brazil’s first-round presidential vote. Bolsonaro led with about 47% of the vote, while Lula took about 45%, outperforming pollsters’ expectations without winning outright. Bolsonaro, a 45-year-old senator, is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing in 2022. Lula, 80, is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term. Flávio Bolsonaro called the result a demand for change, while Lula said he would start a new campaign to persuade voters. The runoff is October 25.