Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Iran

Wild Swans In Iran Found With Bird Flu

Azeri health officials gather up dead birds from a beach along the Caspian Sea on 13 February (epa)

14 February 2006 -- Iranian authorities today said that the H5 strain of bird flu has been detected in 135 wild swans in the Anzali wetlands in the north of the country.

TEXT SIZE - +

February 14, 2006

The results have reportedly been confirmed by international laboratories.

Tests are now being conducted to ascertain whether the birds had the H5N1 strain that is sometimes lethal for humans.

This is the first official incidence of bird flu in Iran. Iranian authorities said the infections came to light when they took precautions against bird flu following the discovery of the disease in areas of Turkey bordering Iran.

(ISNA, Reuters, dpa)

Interview With UN FAO's Erwin Northoff

An expert at the National Virology Laboratory of the Kyrgyz Health Ministry (courtesy photo)

GETTING READY: Many have expressed concern about the ability of Central Asian countries to come to grips with a possible bird-flu outbreak. RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent Muhammad Tahir spoke with Erwin Northoff, news coordinator for the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about the issue. ....(more)

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Many Iranians have been claiming that their access to social networks and Internet-based e-mail sites has been blocked in recent days.

Iran Tightens Internet Control

Iranians are reporting that their access to Facebook and Internet-based e-mail sites like Gmail has been blocked, without any explanation from the government. Not even the strongest antifiltering programs have penetrated the firewall, they say. Some speculate the move is related to Iran's plan to launch a national internet, which might sever Iranians' ability to access the World Wide Web. More

Web-savvy Iranian oppositionists are renowned for their ability to use proxies and other means to circumvent Tehran

Explainer: Iran's National Internet

Reports that Iran has stepped up its Internet censorship in recent days -- as evidenced by a general slowdown of the web, Internet blackouts, and the blocking of sites such as Google -- has raised speculation that the country might be testing its controversial "national Internet." More