Beijing

More countries ban U.S. poultry

China confirmed Sunday that poultry in six provinces was infected with bird flu, while Japan, Malaysia and Singapore banned U.S. poultry imports following an outbreak in Delaware.

Chinese state television said the bird flu cases were confirmed in Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hunan, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. Suspected cases also were found in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.

Quarantine and control measures were immediately instituted in those provinces, the report said, adding that the government has “not yet discovered any cases of humans catching the disease.”

Meanwhile, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore joined South Korea in banning U.S. poultry imports. Hong Kong banned the import of live birds and poultry from Delaware only.

Delaware officials ordered the destruction of some 12,000 farm chickens Friday after confirming a flock there was infected by bird flu.

Pakistan

Powell thanks Musharraf for nuclear investigation

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed “appreciation” for Pakistan’s investigation into nuclear proliferation to Iran, Libya and North Korea in a call to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, an official said Sunday.

Powell will visit Pakistan “shortly,” a top government official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The United States has refused to publicly criticize Pakistan for leaks of nuclear secrets to countries included in President Bush’s “Axis of Evil.” Instead, Washington has praised the investigation and called Musharraf’s decision last week to pardon Khan after the scientist’s televised apology an internal matter.

Musharraf, who seized power in 1999, is a key U.S. ally in the war on terror in neighboring Afghanistan and border regions where Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding.