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The article focuses on the discovery by Chinese agricultural officials of poultry infected with a lethal form of avian influenza. They ordered the slaughter of 377,000 chickens in Jiangsu province northwest of Shanghai. The World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments in Asia and around the world to be vigilant against the H5N1 virus because of its potential to mutate into a more transmissible for and start a deadly pandemic.

The article illustrates the impact of huge demand for oil on Asian fast-growing economies. Much of the region's oil demand is driven by transportation needs, making it difficult to alleviate with alternatives such as coal or nuclear power. The demand for oil is on track to hit 25 million barrels a day in 2007, an increase of 2.5% in 2006. The decline in the value of the U.S. dollar has given Asian consumers to spend liberally on fuels.