A new study that claims cats can get infected by coronavirus has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to probe further.
According to the study, published on the website of the journal Science, cats are vulnerable to the virus, but dogs, chickens and ducks are not.
Its aim was to identify animals that can be used to test experimental vaccines to fight COVID-19.
Barring a few reported infections in cats and dogs, there isn't enough evidence to prove that pets can be carriers.
The WHO said it will take a closer look at transmission of the virus between humans and pets, and urged people not to retaliate against animals over the outbreak.
"They're beings in their own right and they deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. They are victims like the rest of us," said WHO's top emergencies expert Mike Ryan.
SARS-CoV-2, the scientific term for the virus that causes COVID-19, is believed to have spread from bats to humans.
At least one person was killed and 10 injured, including three children, in overnight drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine, officials said on Wednesday. Various attacks also damaged energy facilities in two regions, according to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Israel announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuation of population.
A fourth US Army soldier, who together with three others went missing in Lithuania last week when their vehicle sank in a peat bog, has been found dead, US and Lithuanian officials said on Tuesday.
The United Nations on Tuesday dismissed as "ridiculous" an assertion by Israel that there was enough food in the Gaza Strip to last for a long period of time, despite the closure of all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
United Nations officials who surveyed earthquake damage in Myanmar urged the global community to ramp up aid before the looming monsoon season worsens already catastrophic conditions, with the death toll at 2,719 and expected to surpass 3,000.
Broadcasting every weekday, Georgia Tolley goes beyond the headlines to speak to government ministers, decision makers, analysts and local experts to find out how the news will impact those of us living in the UAE.
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