PennsylvaniaUnion.com

The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule allowing salt substitutes in foods governed by federal standards of identity that require or permit salt.

The Department of Agriculture confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 clade 2.3.4.4b by PCR testing in two Washington dairy herds. USDA says these are the state’s first confirmed livestock detections in the current outbreak.

The European Union issued a formal statement after the United States announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court as an institution.

The Council of the European Union gave final approval to three legislative acts covering defence investment, permitting, procurement and transfers between member states.

The U.S. National Science Foundation and UK Research and Innovation announced plans to cooperate on metascience, applying research methods to the institutions and processes that organize scientific work.

The Department of Agriculture reported obligating $28 million in fiscal 2026 through its Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grants program.

The Council of the European Union agreed on the key elements of its negotiating position for a market integration and supervision package intended to make capital flow more readily across national borders.

Canada announced that it plans to issue a new 10-year Canadian-dollar green bond during the week of October 7, subject to market conditions. The government did not state the size or final pricing in the launch notice.

European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot arrived at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, early October 10 after returning to Earth with Crew-12.

NASA outlined its contributions to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Martian Moons eXploration mission, which is scheduled to launch from Tanegashima Space Center on October 19 Eastern time, or October 20 in Japan.

The Department of Energy announced 12 Phase II Genesis Mission awards totaling $159 million and six additional Phase I projects. The selections bring the Phase II portfolio to 14 projects.

NASA reported that the Crew-12 Dragon splashed down off Los Angeles, California, at 11:34 a.m. Eastern, or 8:34 a.m. Pacific, on October 8. Recovery teams then began securing the capsule and preparing to lift it onto the recovery ship.

NASA and the Department of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding that organizes end-to-end cooperation on nuclear power and propulsion for civil space missions. The agreement is scheduled to take effect November 1.

The Department of Energy selected four National Laboratory-led projects aimed at making robotics and automation reusable across scientific facilities rather than limiting the work to isolated demonstrations.

NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev undocked from the International Space Station at 8:05 a.m. Eastern on October 7. Their Dragon spacecraft left the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada proposed adding or reclassifying 15 aquatic species populations under the Species at Risk Act and opened a 30-day public comment period.

The Environmental Protection Agency published a review of more than $90 million in grants and matching funds associated with 83 Chesapeake Bay watershed projects.

Canada announced a C$2 billion, eight-year program intended to support one million home-energy retrofits. The largest component is a heat-pump rebate designed to reach as many as 820,000 households.

NASA Earth Observatory compared Landsat 8 images of the Lubbock region from September 2025 and September 2026. The newer scene shows far less green vegetation, more vacant plots and many playa lakes without visible water.

Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum on September 12 at an estimated 4.6 million square kilometers, or 1.78 million square miles. NASA’s October 7 review says the measurement ties the minimums recorded in 2008, 2010 and 2025 for tenth-lowest since continuous satellite monitoring began.