ASEAN News

Russia is expected to file a coronavirus vaccine as soon as 10 Aug to 12 August, paving the way for what its supporters claim will be the world’s first formal approval of an outbreak inoculation. Russia’s first possible COVID-19 vaccine will receive local regulatory approval in the first half of August and be administered shortly afterwards to frontline health staff. …

Fiber from a banana tree relative could substitute plastic in millions of face masks, and the world’s hospital gowns to combat the coronavirus. Abaca-a fiber from the Philippines used in teabags and banknotes-is as durable as polyester but will decompose within two months, said Kennedy Costales, head of the Philippine fiber department. While nations prioritized hygiene over the atmosphere for …

Nearly three billion species have been killed or displaced in “one of the worst wildlife disasters in recent history” by Australia ‘s devastating 2019-20 wildfires, according to a study. Scientists from many universities in Australia said the biodiversity damage included 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 180 million birds and 51 million frogs. Although the study did not state how …

North Korea is jumping on the return of a defector from the South to point the finger at Seoul for the presence of coronavirus in the country after months of denying it had any cases. Pyongyang placed a lockdown on the border city of Kaesong, claiming it had found a suspected Covid-19 infection in a defector who had returned across …

Security was tight outside the US consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu as workers inside were ready to depart, the day after China ordered it to close in response to a US request that China shut down its consulate in Houston. Tit-for – tat consulate closures have led to a rapid deterioration in relations between the two largest economies …

Myanmar is planning to deliver its first ever rocket, entering an unlikely group of emerging space nations aimed at saving millions from environmental disasters. Future micro-satellite “mega telescope” from nine Asian countries will monitor typhoons, earthquake activity and water flows, as well as include data on land usage, crop production and disease outbreaks. It is Myanmar’s first space mission, in …

China labeled the sudden closing of its consulate general in Houston, Texas – a “financial threat” by the United States, and threatened strong countermeasures should Washington not reverse its move. Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, told a press conference in Beijing that the change directed Tuesday local time seriously breaches foreign laws and principles regulating international affairs. China …

Last month, after days of heavy rain, the dam at a small reservoir in the Guangxi area of China gives way in a failure that could be a harbinger of sterner tests for several of the country’s 94,000 ageing dams as the environment gets extremer. Located in the county of Yangshuo, famed for its otherworldly karst scenery, the dam collapsed …

In eastern Anhui province, Chinese authorities blew up part of a dam to alleviate flood pressure, local media announced, as heavy rains continued to swell rivers across parts of the region. According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, rising waters across central and eastern China have left more than 140 people dead or missing, and floods have affected nearly 24 …

Popular Japanese actor Haruma Miura died in a presumed suicide on Saturday (July 18), sending shockwaves across the entertainment scene of the world, at the age of 30. Miura, who made his stage debut at the age of four and debut on television at seven, was discovered hanging in a wardrobe in his Tokyo condominium. He has starred in several …