Egyptians in nine provinces have started voting in the second round of the first parliamentary elections since a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak in February.

Mutations in the bird flu virus have been found in two people in Egypt, in a form that might be resistant to the medication most commonly used to treat the deadly disease, according to laboratory tests approved by WHO.

Bird flu has infected another Egyptian, bringing to 19 the number of people afflicted with the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus, according to reports today in Egyptian media.