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Bird flu fears grow after spate of mysterious UK swan deaths

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/27/bird-flu-fears-grow-after-spate-of-mysterious-uk-swan-deaths A spate of baffling swan deaths is strongly suspected to be caused by a virulent new strain of avian flu sweeping across Britain.

Dying swans were found spinning in circles and discharging blood from their nostrils on Ulverston canal, Cumbria. Swan rescuers have taken in more than 25 dying birds in Worcestershire and nine swans were found dead in Stanley Park, Blackpool. Postmortem examinations have confirmed that six black swans and cygnets that died in Dawlish, Devon, had contracted the latest strain of bird flu, H5N8.

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Shanghai the world’s largest international air travel hub

The coronavirus pandemic has reshuffled the international air travel market, and Shanghai has replaced London as the world’s largest hub, the latest report released by the International Air Transport Association showed.

Shanghai is now the top-ranked city for connectivity with the top four most connected cities all in China – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. 

The report said London, the world’s number one most-connected city in September 2019, has seen a 67 percent decline in connectivity. By September 2020, it had fallen to number eight. The report also said New York (-66 percent fall in connectivity), Tokyo (-65 percent), Bangkok (-81 percent), Hong Kong (-81 percent) and Seoul (-69 percent) have all exited the top ten.