Indonesians fear bird flu will deprive them of shuttlecocks

JAKARTA: Badminton-crazy Indone­sia are concerned a deadly bird flu outbreak could claim an unlikely victim – the shuttlecock – officials said yesterday after the government ban­n­ed imports of Chinese duck feathers.

Jakarta is to halt the import of all Chinese poultry products, including dried duck feathers used to make shuttlecocks, after the new H7N9 bird flu strain killed seven people and made 24 ill in eastern China.