YANGON -- Myanmar's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation on Tuesday reported that a rare white elephant was born in Taungup township of Myanmar's Rakhine State.

The white elephant calf, which was born with a body weight of about 180 pounds on July 23, was measured at two feet and five inches in shoulder height, three feet and one inch in body circumference, two feet in back length and one foot and six inches in tail length, said the ministry in a statement. (Myanmar-Rare White Elephant)

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CANBERRA -- At-risk Australian children as young as six months will be eligible for coronavirus vaccines from September as the country continues to battle against the wave of Omicron sub-variant infections.

Health Minister Mark Butler on Wednesday announced the federal government has accepted the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization's recommendation that Moderna's vaccine be made available to children with an elevated risk of severe illness from COVID-19. (Australia-COVID-19-Vaccine)

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WELLINGTON -- New Zealand launched its first National Adaptation Plan on Wednesday, which will ensure communities have the information and support they need to prepare for the impacts of the rising seas, increasing heat and extreme weather that are predicted to come with a changing climate.

The plan will enable people to have tools to prepare through a combination of community-based initiatives and national-level policies and legislation, so that when climate events occur their lives can continue, Minister of Climate Change James Shaw said in a statement. (New Zealand-Climate-Plan)

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DHAKA -- Bangladesh's trade deficit ballooned to a record level of over 33 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal 2021-22 which ended June 30 on the back of increased imports, showed the latest central bank data.

The trade deficit in the last fiscal year (July 2021-June 2022) surged about 40 percent to 33.25 billion dollars compared to a year earlier, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) data showed. (Bangladesh-Trade Deficit)