The 2026 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to three scientists – Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel – for their work developing a technique to decode the inner workings of the brain.

The German duo of Hegemann and Nagel discovered a protein, known as channelrhodopsin, before American scientist Deisseroth “transformed the protein into a light-controlled switch for nerve cells,” the Nobel Committee said in a statement.

That work has “laid the foundation for a new era in neuroscience,” the committee added.

By using this method, known as optogenetics, researchers can illuminate neural circuits which govern “specific memories, feelings, and behaviors relevant for neurological and psychiatric disorders.”

“Optogenetics provides opportunities for mapping the brain in a way that we could once only dream of,” said Per Svenningsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.

U.S. President Donald Trump wants to visit Uzbekistan, but the timeframe of a possible trip has not yet been determined, U.S. Special Envoy for Global Partnerships Ambassador Paolo Zampolli has said.

“He [Trump] wants to come to Uzbekistan,” Zampolli said during a trip to Uzbekistan, according to the local media portal Daryo.

“The president’s schedule is extremely busy, but he told me that he wants to visit Uzbekistan. I also always promote this issue,” Zampolli said.

Zampolli said Uzbekistan has become a country that representatives of the White House and the U.S. administration should visit. The Special Envoy also positively assessed the development of relations between the two countries.

“I am very proud that our countries have become friends. This is just the beginning. We have created a very good foundation,” he said.

Zampolli also named Uzbekistan as one of the ten destinations in the world that are worth visiting for people who have the opportunity to travel. In addition, he noted the attractiveness of the country for investment.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth indicated that some U.S. service members could be redeployed from Europe to the Western Hemisphere as the Trump administration ramps up its deadly campaign against drug cartels in South America, The Hill reported.

“Well, we’re definitely expanding our presence and our footprint in Central and South America with partners, and because of the bold move the president made in Venezuela,” Hegseth told reporters, referring to the U.S. military’s successful capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. “We have a whole new suite of options economically and militarily with partnerships.” 

Hegseth mentioned the partnerships the U.S. has with Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala and Panama, and that part of his job is to institute the national security strategy and the national defense strategy “which makes [it] very clear that we want more burden sharing” in Europe. 

“And as we do that … some of those capabilities are going to move elsewhere, either back home to the big, beautiful base that we’re going to build that we announced a couple of days ago, or to a different posture in the Western Hemisphere as we get after these designated terrorist organizations,” the Pentagon chief told reporters in Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has decided to call an early general election for 29 November, after Congress rejected two housing decrees put forward by his government, Euronews reported.

The lower house voted down the two decree-laws on Friday, defeating measures the government had drawn up in response to the housing crisis. They fell despite last-minute negotiations to secure the support needed.

After the defeat, Sánchez took a short period of reflection, holding talks over the weekend with ministers and senior figures in his Socialist Party (PSOE) to weigh up whether to see out the parliamentary term or send voters to the polls.

The announcement follows a particularly difficult few months for the coalition government, marked by its struggle to muster support in Congress, court cases involving figures close to the PSOE and a severe migration crisis in Ceuta.

The Spanish enclave in North Africa came under unprecedented pressure at the end of July, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco. The scale of the arrivals forced the government to deploy extraordinary resources and, weeks later, to declare a “situation of interest for national security” for the first time in Spain’s democratic era, in order to strengthen coordination between the different levels of government.

The handling of the crisis has sparked a fierce political row. The conservative People’s Party (PP) and far-right Vox have accused the government of reacting too late and have questioned its policy towards Morocco, while Sánchez has defended the actions of the security forces and his government’s response, according to Euronews.

On top of the situation in Ceuta, several corruption cases and other legal proceedings involving people in the prime minister’s political circle have emerged, which the opposition has used to step up the pressure on the government.

Germany will not be intimidated into dropping its support for Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Sunday as he announced a further €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military aid during a visit to Kyiv marked by Russian drone attacks, Reuters reported.

Air-raid ‌sirens and explosions rang out repeatedly across the Ukrainian capital as Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited a memorial to soldiers killed during the four-year-old war, as well as the Academy of Sciences, where at least two people died in a drone strike last week.

Russia has escalated its drone attacks on Kyiv and other cities in recent weeks, targeting telecoms, electricity and transport infrastructure as well as military assets.

Speaking at a press conference alongside Zelenskiy, Merz said Moscow was trying to break the morale of the Ukrainian people, and announced €350 million for repairs in the energy sector. He said Germany remained Ukraine’s strongest backer.

“We do this not only to protect Ukraine’s territorial integrity; we do it ⁠deeply in our own interest, for it is a matter of Europe’s security,” Merz said, noting that Russia was carrying out cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns that struck at Europe’s democratic order.

“This demonstrates that we will not be intimidated,” he said.

Russia has said accusations of hybrid warfare are baseless and the result of anti-Russian hysteria.

German officials said executives from companies, who travelled with Merz, had signed 14 agreements with the Ukrainian government and businesses worth roughly €6.6 billion.

Among those deals, Ukraine inked an agreement with Germany’s Diehl Defense for the supply of IRIS-T air defense missiles, as well as a deal for radar equipment with Hensoldt and for jet drone interceptors with Quantum Systems.

“What is important in this visit is that not only Germany is helping Ukraine, but Ukraine is sharing its knowledge, experience, as well as orders,” Zelenskiy said. “These are jobs for Germany.”

Zelenskiy praised a new jet drone interceptor, dubbed SPYS and developed by Quantum, for showing promising results. He said Ukraine and Germany were close to finalizing a broad defense deal, which he has previously said would include the production of drones, missiles and related software.

Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio ‌Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday’s first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent, Reuters reported.

The election, which centered around the cost of living, corruption and insecurity in Brazilians’ daily lives, follows a string of wins across Latin America by right-wing parties aligned with US President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro’s stronger-than-expected performance, at 47% of votes versus Lula’s 45%, is expected to buoy his campaign and may bolster Brazil’s currency and stock market, which have risen on the prospects of the business-friendly challenger. Private surveys in the run-up to the election had forecast Lula leading the first-round vote by around 3 percentage points.

“Brazil wants change and I am very happy with the results,” Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia after nearly all tallies were reported, heralding “the end of the era of (Lula’s) Workers’ Party.”

The ⁠senator, son of right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election, now heads to an October 25 showdown with the leftist Lula.

Addressing a crowd at a hotel in Sao Paulo, Lula said he had been convinced he would win the election in the first round.

“Starting tomorrow, we begin a new campaign,” he said, promising to show voters what he had accomplished as president.

Despite growing worries over Brazil’s public finances and sluggish economic growth, the campaign offered meager policy debate, as both leading candidates skipped the major TV debates.

Members of the Armenian government were sworn in at the Presidential Residence in the presence of President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the ceremony was also attended by National Assembly Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, Constitutional Court President Arman Dilanyan, Supreme Judicial Council Chairman Artur Atabekyan and other senior officials.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the first to read the oath:

“For the continued existence, independence, sovereignty and development of the Republic of Armenia, I swear to conscientiously fulfil my duties as a member of the government, uphold the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Armenia, serve the public interest, protect the interests of the state, contribute to strengthening the statehood and constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia, and act in the interests of present and future generations.”

All other members of the government then took the oath.

At the end of the ceremony, President Vahagn Khachaturyan congratulated the prime minister and government members, saying:

“Honourable Prime Minister, esteemed members of the government,

“I congratulate you on undertaking this important and responsible mission in governing our country.

“The oath taken today entails a profound responsibility towards the Republic of Armenia and our citizens. It is a pledge of loyalty to statehood, the Constitution and the law.

“Serving as a member of the government is a great honour, but also a weighty obligation. The most important measure of your work is its results: resolving the problems facing the country, improving people’s lives and strengthening the state.

“Armenia faces serious challenges today. Overcoming them requires consistency, resilience and daily dedication. It is important to recognise the possibility of a solution in every problem and boldly seek new paths and new ideas.

“The world and our region are changing rapidly. This reality requires Armenia and all of us to adopt new ways of thinking, show initiative and possess the ability to anticipate the future. Seeking modern approaches, new opportunities and new paths is an important condition for our country’s progress.

“May the Constitution and the law, the primacy of the state’s interests and responsibility towards people always underpin your work. Public office is, ultimately, service to the state and its citizens.

“I am confident that your experience and knowledge, your work and dedication will serve the development and strengthening of the Republic of Armenia.

“I wish you strength, resolve and success in this responsible mission.

“Congratulations.”

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan arrived in Iran on an official visit.

“I’ve arrived in Tehran,” Mirzoyan said on social media late Sunday.

On October 5, the Armenian FM is scheduled to meet Iranian officials, including his counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan earlier said that the agenda of the visit includes Armenia-Iran bilateral relations and regional issues of mutual interest.

The visit is taking place on October 4-5.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are holding an expanded-format meeting with the participation of their respective delegations in Tehran.

The ministers earlier held one-on-one talks.

The Armenian FM is in Iran on an official visit. He is expected to meet other senior officials as well.

Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ararat Mirzoyan was received by Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on 5 October. According to the ministry, the meeting was also attended by Ara Shahverdyan, head of the Iran–Armenia Friendship Group in Iran’s Majlis, and the group’s deputy head, Geghard Mansourian.

The meeting highlighted the importance of interparliamentary cooperation as a key component of Armenia–Iran political dialogue.

The two officials expressed satisfaction with the high level of relations between Armenia and Iran, founded on mutual trust and friendship. They stressed the strategic nature of relations between the two neighbouring countries and the importance of sustained, open dialogue in developing them.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf discussed ongoing cooperation programmes between the two countries across various sectors. They emphasised the importance of active efforts to develop infrastructure connecting Armenia and Iran and ensure the smooth flow of freight.

Minister Mirzoyan highlighted the prospects for developing the railway network through the implementation of the TRIPP project, which would create new opportunities for all countries in the region.

The two officials exchanged views on further promoting cooperation and transport connectivity as an important factor in strengthening peace and the prosperity of their peoples.