Romanian authorities called for calm and placed an eastern region under quarantine, as tests confirmed the deadly strain of a bird flu virus that has devastated flocks and killed dozens of people in Asia has moved into eastern Europe.
British laboratory tests on Saturday confirmed the virus detected in wild birds found dead in the Danube delta was the H5N1 strain, identical to that discovered in Turkey a week ago. Authorities around the world fear it could mutate into a form that can be passed among people, leading to a flu pandemic which some say could potentially kill millions. The test results underscored fears that Europe is unprepared for a potential influenza pandemic should the avian disease mutate into a major threat to humans. The European Commission's health directorate paints a grim picture of such a likelihood.
"Experts take the view that an influenza pandemic is inevitable and may be imminent," it said on its Web site, adding that the most likely source is a strain jumping from animals to humans. Although H5N1 is highly contagious among birds, it is difficult for humans to contract.
In Romania, Agriculture Minister Gheorghe Flutur also called for calm, and placed the country's eastern region of Dobrogea under quarantine, requiring all vehicles entering and leaving the area to be disinfected. Checkpoints were set up on roads entering the counties, and the region was banned from exporting eggs and poultry meat. The area includes the Danube and Black Sea counties of Tulcea and Constanta, where 1.5 million people live. The two counties are an important stop for migratory birds from Asia.
In nearby Poland, the government said it was ordering the country's farmers to keep poultry in closed quarters as of Monday, and was banning the sale of live birds at open-air markets and prohibiting pigeon races.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS