India to cull tens of thousands of birds

SHIMLA, India: Tens of thousands of poultry will be slaughtered in India after an outbreak of deadly avian influenza was found to have killed scores of birds across the country, officials said on Tuesday.

At least six Indian states have stepped up efforts to contain two strains of bird flu -- H5N1 and H5N8 -- in recent days after the deaths of thousands of migratory birds, ducks, crows and chickens. H5N8, an Avian influenza subtype among poultry and wild birds, has spread across several countries since early last year.