AFP - Authorities in Bangladesh said Friday they had slaughtered tens of thousands of chickens at farms on the outskirts of Dhaka where the country's first case of bird flu was confirmed.

Reuters - An experimental H5N1 bird flu vaccine for humans will be tested in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan this year and will involve more than 1,000 people, a coordinator for the project said on Friday.

AFP - Saudi authorities announced Thursday that they had found H5N1 bird flu in captive birds, in the kingdom's first outbreak of the strain of the disease that is dangerous to humans.

AFP - Bangladesh confirmed Thursday its first case of bird flu, prompting mass culling of poultry at a farm outside the capital Dhaka, officials said.

AFP - Authorities have detected the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in dead crows in Pakistan's capital, officials said Thursday.

AFP - Animal health experts on Thursday offered cause for optimism in the fight against bird flu, while warning that the risk of a global pandemic would be around for years to come.

AP - States that rely on tourism and entertainment for much of their economy would likely be the hardest hit during a severe influenza pandemic. Nevada and Hawaii are at the top of the list, according to a report released Thursday.

AFP - Culling remains the best strategy to combat bird flu, while the less radical and more effective option of vaccination remains problematic in many countries, the head of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said Thursday.

AFP - South Korean officials said Thursday they will issue warnings on the bird flu drug Tamiflu, the second Asian nation to do so after Japan following reports of abnormal behaviour by young users.

Reuters - Japan's government warning that bird flu drug Tamiflu should not be given to teenagers sparked a clash of opinions on Thursday, with some calling it too late and others saying the drug's benefits outweighed possible risks.