Four men died in flash floods while fishing and two people were crushed to death in northern Vietnam as a weakening storm approached from the Gulf of Tonkin, state media said on Friday, while 11 fishermen were missing after storms in the Philippines.

Rescuers in Vietnam located one body after the four were swept away on Thursday following two days of strong rain in Yen Bai province, the Vietnam

Scientists launched a $600 million global initiative on Wednesday to raise rice yields and reduce the impact of rice production on the environment, which they said could also help 150 million people escape poverty by 2035.

The Global Rice Science Partnership will oversee research over the next five years to boost yields and breed stronger strains that can resist flooding and threats from climat