Avian flu confirmed in birds at 2 more poultry farms India News
Nashik: Bird flu infection continues to spread in Navapur, with samples from two more poultry farms testing positive, prompting authorities to launch a fresh bird culling drive and expand surveillance beyond the already identified epicentres.Dr Sanjay Khachane, District Deputy Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Department, said the latest investigation indicated that the infection has spread outside the earlier prohibited areas.“The department had conducted surveillance of poultry farms beyond the centre, which included two different poultry farms. Samples from them were sent to the laboratory, where samples from two farms in different areas were found positive. This is the third group of farms, and both farms extend beyond the infected areas surrounding the first farms. This means the infection is still increasing,” he said.The authorities have now declared both the farms as new centers and have started re-survey of poultry units in the surrounding areas. Birds within the affected perimeter will be culled to prevent the spread.“Currently, the number of birds killed in both the farms is around 50,000. The survey will establish the exact number of birds killed in the farms,” Khachane said.In the first outbreak, birds were culled at nine farms in the three epicentres. In the second phase, four farms from three epicenters were affected. In the latest instance, two new epicenters have emerged, indicating that the infection has spread beyond a 1 km radius of previously affected areas.Around 3.9 lakh birds have been culled so far, while 21.6 lakh eggs and 4.99 lakh tonnes of fodder have been destroyed by the rapid reaction teams engaged in containment efforts. The latest campaign to cull birds at newly identified farms will begin on Thursday as part of intensified measures to control the outbreak, officials said.Despite decline, Navapur remains an important food artery. Currently about 12 lakh layer birds lay an estimated 10 lakh eggs every day.
The defendant was identified as Sharon Gohari. He is a naturalized American citizen who lived between Iran and Nassau County, New York.Authorities said Gohari operated a long-running scheme from at least December 2020 to May 2025, in which he received payments from Iranian citizens and others seeking to enter the U.S. illegally. He arranged and facilitated their travel, including assisting with visa applications through the Mexican Embassy in Iran and organizing travel into the US through Mexico and other transit countries.Gohari worked with associates in Iran and elsewhere and charged thousands of dollars per client. At least one person he assisted was accused of having ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US State Department designates as a foreign terrorist organization. The man was later detained by US border officials.During the investigation, federal agents also found child sexual abuse material on Gohary’s phone, including several videos depicting the rape of children. Some of the material included children as young as five years of age.Investigators found hundreds of images and videos on his devices, showing women in public places, including trains and cafes in New York City, which were recorded without his knowledge. Some photographs were taken at very close range or were taken in such a way that the victims were being stalked. Gohari shared some of this content with foreign accounts, including those based in Iran.In communications following receipt of the child sexual abuse material, Gohari expressed his intention to find a sexual partner in a high school.This case involved both immigration-related crimes and child exploitation crimes. The alien trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of three years in prison and a maximum of 10 years, while the child sexual exploitation material charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years. A verdict on sentencing will be announced at a later date.
