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.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was