National news

Officials worried about avian flu

Hartford, Conn. U.S. public health officials are worried that the deadly flu killing poultry in Asia could become a greater threat to humans and possibly trigger a worldwide flu pandemic. Public health officials have said for years that the world is overdue for a flu pandemic. Researchers estimate the next pandemic could cause 89,000 to 207,000 deaths in the United States and result in 314,000 to 734,000 hospitalizations. In the past two weeks, China, Thailand and Vietnam reported additional cases of A(H5N1) flu in poultry. On Saturday, Thailand announced additional outbreaks of the virus among poultry. News media reported the slaughter of more than 1,000 chickens in those regions.

E-voting machine maker faces suit

San Francisco Critics of electronic voting are suing Diebold Inc. under a whistleblower law, alleging the company’s balloting equipment exposed California elections to hackers and bugs. The California lawsuit was filed in state court by computer programmer Jim March and activist Bev Harris, who are seeking full reimbursement for Diebold equipment purchased in California. Issues in the suit include uncertified software and modems that may have let results be made public before polls closed.