The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has urged people to keep cats and dogs inside amid record cases of avian influenza across the world. It comes after 24 cats tested positive in Poland for bird flu since June 10, which in some cases had resulted in death. The source of the contamination has not yet been determined. The European Food Safety Authority said in December that the ongoing avian influenza epidemic was the “largest ever observed in Europe”. In the first year of the epidemic, from October 2021 to September 2022, there were 2,520 outbreaks in poultry, 227 in captive birds, and 3,867 detections in wild birds notified across 37 European countries. “It is recommended to avoid exposure of domestic cats and dogs, and in general carnivore pets, to dead or diseased animals,” the EFSA said in its latest update. “Possible measures are keeping dogs on a leash, and confining cats indoors in areas where extensive circulation of HPAI viruses in wild birds has been confirmed.” The organisation also urged dog and cat owners to avoid feeding raw poultry meat to their pets in areas where the virus has been reported. In recent weeks, five dogs and a cat have been infected in Italy. Meanwhile, there have been 188 cases of bird flu detected in the UK since October 2022, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. There is no vaccination for poultry or most captive birds to protect against bird flu in England. However, France recently said it hopes to start vaccinating poultry as early as autumn 2023. The US has also begun testing several vaccine candidates for potential use on birds. The UK’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss has warned vaccinating poultry was not “a silver bullet because the virus changes constantly”. Bird flu was detected in two people in the UK in May, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA) said. The cases were believed to be linked to exposure to sick birds on a single poultry farm where the two people were known to have recently worked. Neither worker suffered symptoms of infection and both cases were found during screening. The UKHSA said the level of risk to human health remains “very low to the general population”. Read More Bird flu outbreak at breeding colony ‘devastating news’ for Arctic terns Scientists identify gene that protects humans against bird flu viruses Bird flu: Lateral flow tests could return to UK in outbreaks fear Final search ends as police comb through existing evidence in hunt for Emile Land temperatures in Spain surpass record 60C in deadly heatwave Europe heatwave: Greece weather emergency as map shows deadly ‘Cerberus’ heat - live

The workers were stuck for two weeks after a part of a tunnel they were working in collapsed.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been discharged from the hospital two days after undergoing successful hip replacement surgery that will have him working from home while he recovers

Baidu Inc. shares jumped in Hong Kong following reports that it will soon launch a large-language model to

Criminals are exploiting the analogue to digital switchover in the UK’s telephone network to scam elderly and vulnerable people, councils have warned. The Local Government Association (LGA) said it had issued the warning after becoming concerned the transition was creating new opportunities for scammers. Specifically, the LGA said it was concerned about the around 1.8 million people who use healthcare telephony devices, and which may need changing as part of the digital switchover. It said it had seen recent reports of scammers who call residents with healthcare devices and claim the resident needs to hand over bank details as part of the switchover, or they will be disconnected. As the digital switchover date approaches, sadly we fear that further cases will arise Councillor Heather Kidd, from the LGA The digital switchover will see most UK telephone providers move their customers from old analogue landlines to new, upgraded services which use digital technology, with the changes taking place up to 2025. Councillor Heather Kidd, chair of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “We are very concerned by a rise in criminals taking advantage of the digital switchover to trick vulnerable residents into giving out personal information such as their bank details. “As the digital switchover date approaches, sadly we fear that further cases will arise. “Councils will always act swiftly with the police where any incidents are reported, but we also urge people to be vigilant and help to raise awareness of this crime. “The digital switchover is free of charge and residents should be aware that councils and their home care alarm providers or contractors will never ask for personal or financial information over the phone.” The LGA said anyone who is the victim of a scam or fraudulent activity should report it to Action Fraud as well as their local trading standards team. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Shani Louk, a German-Israeli national, was among festivalgoers who had gathered in farmland near the Gaza-Israel border for what was supposed to be an all-night dance party celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

As the season ticks down with a close race in the AL West, could the Texas Rangers call up recent No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft in hopes of creating momentum to lead to their first playoff berth since 2016?

China will place export controls on drone and drone equipment in order to "safeguard national security and interests," its commerce ministry announced Monday, in a move that could impact the war in Ukraine.

The Israeli military is keeping up its airstrikes on Gaza and Israel’s defense minister has told troops to be ready for a ground assault on the Palestinian territory, although he has not said when that will begin

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON Ukraine's prospects for more emergency U.S. aid got a boost on Tuesday when Republicans

TikTok sensation and student gymnast Olivia Dunne has spoken about the impact fame has had on her everyday life, saying that it’s no longer safe for her to attend university classes. The viral star from Louisiana State University (LSU) has taken TikTok by storm over recent years, but it’s not always been easy for her to prioritise her safety. Dunne has been competing as a gymnast since 2014. She became a member of the US National Gymnastics Team in 2017. However, she has now revealed that she can no longer attend her LSU classes in person due to potential threats. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Speaking to Elle, Dunne said: “There were some scares in the past, and I just want to be as careful as possible. I don’t want people to know my daily schedule and where I am.” It’s not the first time concerns have been raised. Dunne faced a rowdy mob of young men while competing at the University of Utah earlier this year. Sources said the group of young men disrupted the competition, screaming “put Livvy in” to the point that security had to be called, according to Slate. The crazed fans made enough of an impact that LSU’s head coach, Jay Clark, said they’d be adding “security detail” when the team goes on the road. "We will be working to create a perimeter around where we get on the bus, where we load," Clark said according to TMZ. "I take our team's safety and security very seriously." Dunne took to Twitter on 8 January asking fans to "be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community." “I will always appreciate and love the support from you guys, but if you come to a meet, I want to ask you to please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job,” she wrote. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Unbeaten Arsenal plays at Chelsea in the Premier League and defending champion Manchester City hosts Brighton on Saturday