The Nipah virus was first identified in 1999 during an outbreak of illness among pig farmers and others in close contact with the animals in Malaysia and Singapore.

The study mapped out the supply chains of six unidentified global apparel brands operating in the four countries studied - Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Vietnam - and found all six would be hit materially.

Authorities in Bangladesh and Nepal are scrambling to contain and treat the disease - which is also known as 'breakbone fever' for the severe muscle and joint pains it induces.

Leaders will review an Asean peace plan that calls for a cessation of hostilities and inclusive dialogue to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, which, two years in, shows no sign of de-escalating.

Japan says the water from the wrecked nuclear power plant is safe and it began releasing it into the Pacific on Aug 24 despite objections at home and abroad.

A report estimates at least 120,000 people across Myanmar and around 100,000 in Cambodia may be trapped in scam operations, with other criminal-owned enterprises in Laos, the Philippines and Thailand.

Price increases affected everyone but poorer people were hit the hardest because they had to spend more on food and fuel, making it difficult to save money and pay for essentials including health care and education.

The water was used to cool the fuel rods of Fukushima Daiichi after it melted down in an accident caused by a huge tsunami in 2011 that battered Japan's eastern coast.

The storm is currently in the sea south of Kyushu after wreaking havoc in the southwestern Okinawa region.

Sweltering temperatures have affected swathes of the planet, with heat records registered from Death Valley in the US state of California to a northwest China township as Canada and southern Europe battle wildfires.

The WMO says Asia is the world's most disaster-impacted region, with 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters recorded last year, the majority of which were floods and storms.

Extreme weather has caused havoc across the planet, with temperatures breaking records in China, the US and southern Europe, sparking forest fires, water shortages and a rise in heat-related hospital admissions.