Greetings.

It is a slow day, news-wise. Most-covered single story is actually in the French press (warning on the return of AI in September), and this has only been picked up 46 times.

On the seeming more-contentious topics, coverage is smaller. These topics include:

• An article in the Financial Times saying that Indonesia failed in its response to AI
• A feature story out of Jakarta on how people in developing countries have no choice but to live with their chickens and other poultry
• Thailand denies two new cases of human H5N1 infection - and meanwhile has culled 5000 chickens as a precautionary measure.
• WHO fears unreported China H5N1 cases
• And the South China Morning Post calls in an editorial for transparency in reporting AI developments

On other issues:

• Articles from both side of the divide appearing in a Michigan, USA newspaper show that the debate about how much of a threat AI is still vibrant
• Reports on and concerns about possible economic consequences appear to be multiplying. Today, reports have appeared to the effect that
• Economists predict that the global economy will slow down by between 1% and 12%, depending on how much people panic
• The World Bank predicts that a severe flu pandemic could cost up to $2 billion (and kill 70 million people worldwide)
• A Ghanaian regional minister has warned that the fear which rocked Ghana during AI outbreaks in neighbouring countries rocked the industry, but that now the industry was recovering as people began to eat chicken again. Nonetheless, he called on people to continue to cook poultry and poultry products properly as a precaution
• Articles in German and English on the fact that Switzerland plans to order 8 million doses (enough for its entire population) of a new type of "pre-pandemic" vaccine
• Several stories on animal issues:
• Singapore lifts ban on poultry from neighbour Malaysia
• United Arab Emirates have lifted the ban on the import of French poultry
• Romania Narrows Bird Flu Outbreaks to 21
• France must remain vigilant as AI is likely to return in September, according to the French Minister of Health; more simulation exercises are planned
• New AI outbreak hits Siberian Region of Tomsk

And, finally, at the end of the attachment, please see a series of essays on how business could cope with an outbreak of an avian flu pandemic that spread to humans, published by Harvard Business School and The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Gregory Härtl