News that Japan is to cull a record number of chickens this year because of bird flu is the latest grim indicator of the gravity of what has been described as the worst-ever outbreak of the disease.
Its latest avian flu case, found at a farm in the south-western prefecture of Miyazaki, brings to more than 10 million the number of poultry slaughtered in the country’s October-to-May peak period for infections.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, consisting of influenza viruses related to H5N1, has killed many wild birds and there have been several outbreaks among poultry across the world, including in Europe and the US.
More than 57 million birds died of avian flu in the US last year, a record number for the country.
Cases have surged across Europe in recent weeks. In France, 217 outbreaks were detected at farms by December 20, more than double the number from only two weeks before.
Berlin Zoo was forced to temporarily close in November due to the discovery of an infected bird. It reopened on Christmas Eve.
What is causing the disease in birds?
Bird flu was a regular seasonal headache, outbreaks resulting in whole flocks of poultry having to be culled.
What makes the current situation worrying is that there are many more outbreaks and the disease has become a year-round problem.
"The virus continues to tune itself up," says Prof Ian Jones, professor of virology at the University of Reading in the UK.
"In the last few years, it’s been very successful in wild birds, particularly migratory wildfowl. Anywhere on a migratory route has seen a lot more activity.
"It always used to be the case it would start in September or October, and would be over by March, and we had summers free of disease. In the last two summers it’s almost endemic, and the same on the [European] continent and US."
Last year was the UK’s worst for bird flu. In England and Wales, farmed birds must currently be housed indoors, meaning free-range eggs cannot be produced and there is pressure for increases in the prices of eggs and poultry.
Could people be at risk?
There are frequent warnings that if H5N1 mutates and begins spreading between people, it could set off another pandemic.
But although many wild birds have died, and there have been multiple outbreaks in farms, the risk to people is not high, especially as current forms of the virus are thought to be less dangerous to humans than those that circulated in previous decades.
People who work with birds, or children who find and play with the carcass of a bird that died from the condition, may be more likely to be infected with the virus, Prof Jones says. But he adds that there is no evidence it is infecting people more easily.
"It’s never shown any propensity to transmit between people," he says.
Late last year, the UK's Health Security Agency described the risk to people as "very low", because "very close contact" with birds is needed.
"Although none of these strains easily infect people and they aren’t usually spread from person to person, small numbers of people have been infected around the world, leading to a small number of deaths," the organisation said.
According to the agency, in recent years five strains of avian influenza have threatened people: H7N9, H9N2, H5N6, H5N8 and "a type of H5N1 strain more commonly found in Asia".
In less serious human cases it can cause conjunctivitis and mild, flu-like symptoms, but it can lead to severe, potentially fatal complications, including pneumonia.
How long will the current outbreak last?
Prof Jones says he expects that at some point in the future, the type of influenza that is circulating and causing the current outbreak will be replaced by a different form. This could ultimately lead to a lessening of the danger.
However, because wild birds are a "natural reservoir" for the disease, it is, he says, not set to disappear in the foreseeable future and will likely remain a threat to wildlife and farmed birds.
"It shuffles its genetic material and comes up with a new variant, but I don’t see any reason why it would change quickly," he adds.
"But if a new variant arises and it’s more successful, it will naturally displace H5N1. We have to just get used to H5N1 being around most of the time and keep up with the biosecurity measures that prevent it from getting from the wild population to the farmed population."
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Abu Dhabi Card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 1,400m
National selection: AF Mohanak
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 1,400m
National selection: Jayide Al Boraq
6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 100,000 1,400m
National selection: Rocket Power
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh 180,000 1,600m
National selection: Ihtesham
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,600m
National selection: Noof KB
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 2.200m
National selection: EL Faust
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Specs%20
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Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Shipsy%3Cbr%3EYear%20of%20inception%3A%202015%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Soham%20Chokshi%2C%20Dhruv%20Agrawal%2C%20Harsh%20Kumar%20and%20Himanshu%20Gupta%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20India%2C%20UAE%20and%20Indonesia%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20logistics%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%20more%20than%20350%20employees%3Cbr%3EFunding%20received%20so%20far%3A%20%2431%20million%20in%20series%20A%20and%20B%20rounds%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Info%20Edge%2C%20Sequoia%20Capital%E2%80%99s%20Surge%2C%20A91%20Partners%20and%20Z3%20Partners%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
