Russia has registered the first case of a strain of bird flu virus named AH5N8 being passed to humans from birds and has reported the case to the World Health Organization (WHO), Anna Popova, head of consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said on Saturday.
Russia reported the case to the WHO "several days ago, just as we became absolutely certain of our results," Popova said on Rossiya 24 state TV.
There was no sign of transmission between humans so far, she added.
Previously another strain of bird flu - H5N1 - has been known to spread to humans.
Seven workers at a poultry plant in Russia's south were infected with the AH5N8 strain when there was an outbreak at the plant in December, she said, adding that they feel fine now.
"This situation did not develop further," Popova said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) did not reply to a Reuters' request for comment.
Israeli raids targeting several areas across Lebanon on Tuesday killed 31 people and wounded 40 others, Lebanon's health ministry said, in one of the heaviest days of bombing in weeks.
Israel said on Wednesday it had killed Hamas's newly appointed armed wing chief in Gaza, days after it killed his predecessor, while intensifying military pressure in Gaza and expanding operations in Lebanon.
Syria's transitional leadership has located remnants of former President Bashar al-Assad's clandestine chemical weapons programme, including raw materials and munitions similar to those used to carry out deadly gas attacks during the country's long-running civil war.
A chemical tank imploded and ruptured at a Nippon Dynawave Packaging facility in the US state of Washington on Tuesday, resulting in one death and nine injuries, while nine others remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday night, authorities said.