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Bird flu kills almost 14,000 pelicans, seabirds in Peru

Photo: Carlos Mandujano / AFP

| By AFP |

The highly contagious H5N1 avian flu virus has killed thousands of pelicans, blue-footed boobies and other seabirds in Peru, according to the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR).

The current bird flu outbreak began in Canada and spread to the United States, which has seen a record 50 million avian deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Peru first issued a health alert last Thursday after confirming three cases of H5B1 in pelicans, and since then thousands have been found dead in coastal areas.

“The latest official report carried out at a national level shows more than 13,869 wild seabirds killed by the dangerous H5N1 avian flu virus,” said a SERFOR statement released late Tuesday.

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This number includes 10,257 pelicans, 2,919 sea boobies and 614 blue-footed boobies, among other species.

Meanwhile, the national agricultural health agency SENASA said it had quarantined the town of Gallito in the northern coastal Lambayeque region to control the first bird flu outbreak on a poultry farm.

SENASA said the health alert was a precaution because the virus arriving from North American migratory birds could spread to “backyard birds,” such as ducks and chickens, as well as to commercial farms.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) earlier this year warned countries in South and Central America to be on “high alert” for the virus spreading via migratory birds.

There is no treatment for bird flu, which spreads naturally between wild birds and can also infect domestic poultry. Avian influenza viruses do not typically infect humans, although there have been rare cases.

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro Returns to Prison After Supreme Court Denies House Arrest

Brazil: Court bans Bolsonaro from running in elections until 2030

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro left a hospital in Brasília on Thursday after spending more than a week admitted and returned to prison, after the Supreme Court denied his request for house arrest, an AFP journalist reported.

Bolsonaro, 70, departed the DF Star Hospital under a police motorcycle escort and was transferred back to a small room at a police facility, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting to stage a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The nine-day hospitalization marked Bolsonaro’s first time outside custody since his imprisonment. His legal team had requested house arrest on health grounds following surgery last week for an inguinal hernia, arguing there was a “concrete risk of sudden deterioration” in his condition. He was also treated for recurring bouts of hiccups.

However, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes rejected the request, stating that, contrary to the defense’s claims, there had been no worsening of Bolsonaro’s health condition. The former right-wing leader was admitted to the hospital on December 24 and underwent surgery the following day.

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Regional mexican music mourns the death of Banda Gota de Oro singer Giovanni Vera

Regional Mexican music is mourning the death of Giovanni Vera, lead vocalist of the band Banda Gota de Oro, who was among the victims of an armed attack that occurred on Sunday, December 28, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The incident took place inside a residence located in the Los Presidentes neighborhood, in the municipality of Irapuato.

According to preliminary reports, several people were gathered at the house when armed men burst in and opened fire on those present. The attack left five people dead, including the singer.

Hours after the shooting, Banda Gota de Oro confirmed Vera’s death through its official Instagram account. In one of the posts, the group expressed its grief with an emotional message: “Today, the sky is dressed for a celebration because you are singing up there. Your voice and your joy will live on forever within us.”

Messages of support and condolences from fans and fellow musicians quickly flooded social media, paying tribute to the artist and expressing solidarity with his family and bandmates.

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One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Cree Nation in Saskatchewan

One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting reported early Tuesday in the Big Island Lake Cree Nation, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to local media.

Police said they were alerted to the incident in a remote area located approximately 392 kilometers northwest of the city of Saskatoon. Authorities issued a dangerous persons alert for two suspects, who were described as armed.

Saskatchewan police urged residents to seek shelter immediately, lock their doors, and avoid the area while the situation remains under investigation. Officers are working to determine whether the shooting was a targeted attack or a random act of violence.

As a precautionary measure, seven health-care facilities in the surrounding area were placed under lockdown, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a post on X.

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