# 1392
After a fast and furious week with news seemingly breaking once an hour, it's been a gloriously quiet day, with little to report.
The news out of Pakistan may be slowed by their Eidul Azha celebration, with most government offices closed for the next several days.
Or hopefully, the news there really is slowing.
Eid, Christmas exodus begins in Capital
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
ISLAMABAD: With Eidul Azha just two days away and Christmas just around the corner, the inevitable exodus from Islamabad has begun as people are leaving for their hometowns and the city presents a deserted look.
Already the signs of this are evident as a vast majority was packing up or had left to celebrate the auspicious festival with their near and dear ones back in their ancestral villages and towns.
As many of the schools and other educational institutions closed down for winter vacations the usual rush seen on the roads and streets was considerably lessened over the past two days.
The government has announced Eid holidays from December 20 to 22 while vacations in schools run till the end of the month.
We are getting word of a suspected bird flu outbreak in Poultry, once again in Germany. This from the Earthtimes.org.
New German bird-flu case reported in Germany
Berlin - A fresh bird-flu outbreak has been discovered in Germany, with a state laboratory confirming the presence of the H5N1 virus, an official veterinarian said Thursday. The infected bird was in a private hen-run at Bensdorf, a village 85 kilometres west of Berlin, said state of Brandenburg vet Hans- Georg Hurttig. All 30 fowls were immediately killed and removed.
He said scientists believed it was a spot outbreak only.
The case would only be declared official when a federal laboratory confirmed it. A Brandenburg spokesman said it was still officially considered a "suspected case."
A week ago, the avian influenza virus was discovered at Altglobsow, 75 kilometres north of Berlin, in a hen-run with 11 birds.
