Asia still has chance to beat bird flu: Asia still has a chance

Asia still has chance to beat bird flu: Asia still has a chance to beat the spread of bird flu among humans, despite fears it may mutate into a form that can spread human-to-human, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. The latest outbreak, which has killed or prompted the culling of millions of fowl across Asia, has officially caused 12 deaths in Vietnam and Thailand. "We have no pandemic, we have very few cases, there is no indication whatsoever of ... any widespread ... outbreak in humans," said Klaus Stoehr, head of global influenza at WHO. -- AFP

UK condemns Iraq suicide bombings: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned on Monday the suicide bombings targeting two Kurdish party offices in Irbil, northern Iraq. The U.S. military says 67 people died in Sunday's attacks, the bloodiest in Iraq in six months. No group has claimed responsibility. "The appalling attacks on the offices of the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party) and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) brought unspeakable tragedy to the people of Irbil...," Straw said. "The perpetrators sought to derail the future ... for all the people of Iraq." -- AP

Russia could hasten Georgia base removal: Russia gave the first sign on Monday that it was prepared to speed up the closure of two military bases in neighboring Georgia, possibly in seven to nine years. The bases, vestiges of the Soviet era, has become a major irritant between Moscow and the new Georgian leadership, which wants them removed in three years. Until now, Moscow had said they could not be closed for at least a decade. -- Reuters