ticks

Iranian officials say they are pressing ahead with a plan concerning the Strait of Hormuz even after Donald Trump rejected the proposal. They note that while they were aware of Trump's public comments dismissing it, Tehran has received no formal message rejecting the plan, which would open the strategic strait. The gap between Trump's rhetoric and official communication is fueling uncertainty about the dispute over one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Health reporters say disease-carrying ticks are surviving for longer in the UK because of hotter summers, extending the period during which they can bite people and spread infections such as Lyme disease. The climate-driven change is raising concern among public health experts, who warn warmer conditions may also allow tick species from regions like the Balkans, Africa and the Mediterranean to become established in Britain.

Automated Steam statistics trackers report the platform's global numbers have ticked upward, with the game count rising by one to 312,615, owned games across accounts growing by five to more than 2.67 million, three new achievements unlocked, and total playtime up by just over three days. The figures offer a small snapshot of ongoing activity across Steam's vast library.

As climate warming pushes lone star ticks into new regions, more people are developing alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat triggered by tick bites. A proposed bill would require alpha-gal warnings on food and drug packaging so affected consumers know which products could trigger reactions, drawing attention to the health consequences of shifting tick habitats.

A photographer shared a black and white landscape image of bare trees, calling them 'ghosts on sticks', alongside hashtags for monochrome photography, nature and hiking. The striking wintry or skeletal tree imagery is being circulated among travel and photography enthusiasts who follow classic monochrome and forest photography tags.

Indiana's housing market cooled in August, with home sales slowing and prices ticking lower even as mortgage rates remained elevated. Higher borrowing costs are being cited as a drag on buyer demand, leaving sellers facing softer prices. The figures suggest affordability pressures are reshaping the state's real estate market heading into the fall.

EU climate policy is being framed as a matter of holding steady on emissions targets while combining incentives with penalties. The 'carrots and sticks' framing suggests support measures for industry and households paired with enforcement mechanisms to keep Member States and businesses on track toward climate goals. Observers are watching how Brussels balances encouragement and obligation as implementation pressures grow.

A Steam statistics tracker has posted its latest global update, reporting that the tracked total of owned games rose by two to 2,675,030, unlocked achievements climbed by four to 22,939,749, and total recorded playtime grew by a day, one hour and 47 minutes. The figures offer a running snapshot of collective gaming activity across the platform.

Canadian stock futures edged higher as investors awaited a closely watched US labor-market report. Traders see the jobs numbers as a key signal for the direction of interest rates, keeping markets cautious. Canada's main index was set for a modestly positive open, with moves limited until the data is released.

Gold prices ticked higher in early trading, but analysts quoted by the Wall Street Journal say the metal could remain under pressure in the near term. Markets are weighing the modest gains against forces that have kept bullion range-bound, with traders watching upcoming economic data and currency moves for direction on where gold heads next.

Indie studio Neon has announced a film adaptation of the SCP Foundation, the vast collaborative horror fiction project published under a Creative Commons license. The announcement is being read as a jab at rival studio A24, which is developing its own SCP-related project, with Neon leaning on the free-to-use nature of the source material. Fans of the SCP wiki are following the studio rivalry closely.

A Nautilus article describes a real-life sea-monster-like robotic creature that operators control with joysticks. The machine, covered in the outlet's science and zoology sections, is drawing attention for its unusual combination of an ocean-predator design and hands-on manual controls, with readers sharing the story as a striking example of robotics inspired by marine life.

Florida Today has published an exclusive examination of whether Republicans should embrace Donald Trump, paired with an analysis of Amendment 3's carrots and sticks. The piece explores the party's strategic dilemma over Trump's influence alongside the incentives and penalties embedded in the Florida ballot measure, giving voters a look at both questions heading into the election.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have less than nine months to get stadiums, infrastructure and logistics ready for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which they are co-hosting. The three East African nations face a tight timetable, and observers are watching whether construction and organisational work can be completed in time for the tournament.

Businesses are increasingly treating climate risk as a strategic concern rather than a box-ticking exercise, according to Eco-Business. Companies are moving beyond meeting disclosure and reporting requirements to actively managing physical and transition risks in their operations and supply chains, as climate impacts and regulatory pressure continue to grow.

Comet 161P/Hartley-IRAS is being monitored as it moves toward the inner solar system. Its barycentric speed has ticked up to 32.82 km/s, with perihelion about 57 days away. Current brightness sits around magnitude 14.2, meaning it remains a small-telescope target from dark-sky sites, currently in the constellation Aquarius and visible from both hemispheres. Amateur astronomers are following its gradual brightening as the approach continues.

Venus is drawing nearer to Earth, with the distance between the two planets falling to roughly 53.3 million kilometres as of September 29, a decrease of about 6.5 million kilometres in a week. Light from Venus now takes just under three minutes to reach us, while its orbital speed ticks up slightly as it swings along its faster inner orbit.

US stock futures ticked modestly higher as Treasury yields eased, with investors holding back ahead of a closely watched inflation report. Traders are looking to the data for clues on the path of interest rates, and the subdued pre-market moves suggest caution rather than conviction heading into the release.