India's coronavirus death toll passed 35,000 on Friday, overtaking that of Italy, as floods affecting millions and killing almost 350 hampered the battle against the pandemic.
Fibre from a relative of the banana tree could replace plastic in millions of face masks and hospital gowns the world is making to fight the coronavirus.
Global COVID-19 cases have surpassed 17 million on Thursday, the most recent statistics of the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University showed.
Vietnam's Ministry of Health on Thursday morning confirmed nine new cases of COVID-19, all of which are in the community, bringing the total cases in the country to 459.
The United States marked a grim milestone on Wednesday when its coronavirus deaths topped 150,000 -- far exceeding the toll in any other pandemic-hit nation.
Next year's coronavirus-postponed Olympics could be held in front of a "limited number of spectators" to prevent the spread of infection, Tokyo 2020 chief executive Toshiro Muto has said.
Japan will from next week lift a ban on the re-entry of some foreign residents, imposed to limit the spread of coronavirus, the foreign ministry has announced.
