Bird flu risk still running high in Egypt, Indonesia, WHO says (AFP via Yahoo! News) The fight against bird flu has improved around the world, but the situation remains critical in Egypt and Indonesia where the risk of the H5N1 virus mutating into a major human threat remains high, the UN health agency said Wednesday. [News Source]

$125 million will fund center researching ways to convert plant matter into fuel. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has won one of the largest federal grants in its history to create a center that will explore how to convert cornstalks, wood chips, grass and other plant material into fuel for cars and power plants. [News Source]

Germany seeking source of bird flu outbreaks (China Daily) HAMBURG - Germany must find the source of the outbreak of the lethal H5N1 strain of avian flu in wild birds, Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer said on Wednesday. [News Source]

Germany seeking source of bird flu outbreaks (AlertNet) Source: Reuters HAMBURG, June 27 (Reuters) - Germany must find the source of the outbreak of the lethal H5N1 strain of avian flu in wild birds, Agriculture Minister Horst Seehofer said on Wednesday. Germany ... [News Source]

Ministry to set up avian influenza taskforce (The Herald) THE Ministry of Health and Child Welfare and the Department of Veterinary Services are planning to put in place a taskforce to deal with avian influenza. [News Source]

Czechs report bird flu in poultry at second farm (Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News) PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech Agriculture Ministry reported a second outbreak of bird flu at a farm on Wednesday, about a week after tests confirmed the country's first case of a deadly form of the virus in poultry. [News Source]

Is Bird Flu A Real Threat? How To Tell Fact From Fiction About This And Other Emerging Disease Threats (Medical News Today) When it comes to bird flu, Ebola fever, "mad cow" disease, SARS or any number of emerging health threats, it's easy to get caught up in the furor and fear. But at the end of the day, a group of special scientists say what's really needed is common sense. [click link for full article] [News Source]

Czechs report bird flu in poultry at second farm (AlertNet) Source: Reuters PRAGUE, June 27 (Reuters) - The Czech Agriculture Ministry reported a second outbreak of bird flu at a farm on Wednesday, about a week after tests confirmed the country's first case of a deadly form ... [News Source]

International summit on bird flu amid rising fears of pandemic. An international summit will review outbreaks of avian flu around the world, which have led to the deaths of 191 people since 2003, and examine issues including the surveillance of wild birds in relation to the disease. [News Source]

Europe steps up bird flu precautions (Meat News) EUROPE: European countries are increasing the precautions to prevent the spread of avian influenza following the discovery in swans in Germany. [News Source]

Bird flu found in second German state (EARTHtimes.org) Berlin - A summer outbreak of bird flu in Germany was confirmed Tuesday to have spread to a second state, with three swans killed by the deadly form of avian influenza in a small town close to Leipzig. At the end of last week, half a dozen swans kill... [News Source]

Experts meet on bird flu threat (BBC News) Scientists trying to combat avian flu are being brought together in the Highlands by the UN. [News Source]