Earlier, the flu had been confined to the eastern city of Shanghai and nearby Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui. Eleven people have died due to the virus so far. Beijing municipal health authorities said a four-year-old boy was tested positive for H7N9 flu virus. The boy, surnamed Zhu, was tested positive by the Beijing Centre for Disease Control and Prevention last evening.

Zhu is receiving medical observation in Beijing Ditan Hospital, they said, adding that a neighbour of the boy had bought chicken from the family whose girl became Beijing’s first H7N9 victim. The new case was discovered after local disease control authorities tested 24 people who raise poultry in a village of Cuigezhuang township, Chaoyang District.

Chinese health authorities said the new form of flu is spreading but no evidence showed that it can be transmitted through human-to-human contact.

The Portugal international received a hostile welcome at San Mames, but silenced the home crowd with a fine performance as he scored twice and created his side’s third goal.

“He did what he had to do and scored two goals that won us the match. He has once again shown the type of player he is,” Karanka said at a press conference. “Football is for men and even more so at San Mames. Athletic’s players did what they needed to do. Cristiano had the match he had and scored twice.

“Cristiano did well in a tough atmosphere and has once again shown the type of player he is. He did what he had to do and scored two goals that won us the match.”

Ronaldo has already netted 31 goals in 30 Liga appearances so far this term.

The Portugal international netted twice to help Madrid to a comfortable away win, yet San Jose was not impressed with the prolific attacker’s behavior during the game.

“If he solely dedicated himself to playing football, he would not only be the best player, but he would also get some respect,” the defender told Marca. “That’s how I think about it and how the majority of the people in the game feel.”

Ronaldo’s double against Athletic took his tally for the 2012-13 campaign to 50 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.

But the scoreline did little to tell the story of the game, particularly the first-half, as los Merengues were put under considerable pressure at times by the intense attacking style that Marcelo Bielsa’s team is famed for.

Cristiano Ronaldo reached a half-century of goals for the season and needed only two minutes to break the deadlock in stunning fashion, before heading home another on 68 minutes to provide some much-needed breathing room for his team.

Gonzalo Higuain arrowed home a third goal shortly after his arrival as a substitute to put any lingering hopes of a Bilbao comeback to rest, and restore Madrid’s three-point cushion over third-placed Atletico Madrid, which was victorious over Granada earlier in the day.

What the Basques really could have done without was a poor start, but they made just that, when Ronaldo belted a 25-yard free kick right into the top corner of Gorka Iraizoz’s net.

But it was hardly a sign of things to come. Bilbao would soon work onto the front foot through its energetic attacking play that caused the Madrid defense no end of trouble.

Markel Susaeta was growing into the game with every passing moment, and with 19 minutes gone, drifted into a great shooting position on the right, but was denied by Diego Lopez at full stretch.

The home side continued to keep Madrid penned back in the first half. The club’s attacking players barely saw the ball and were in fact forced into some last-ditch defending – Angel Di Maria teaming up with Xabi Alonso to rob Susaeta from close range.

The Argentine though would almost make headway at the other end just before the interval, driving into the area on the counter and ignoring the option of a Karim Benzema cutback to smash towards goal, but he was thwarted by the crossbar.

Ander Herrera would nearly have the last laugh at the very end of the half when he lashed an effort towards the top corner from the edge of the box that shifted inches wide, with Lopez appearing beaten.

Madrid showed signs of improvement early in the second half when Marcelo’s cross was beaten away by Iraizoz, who also recovered in time to stop Benzema’s follow up.

But the visiting side could not quite build on the momentum earned from that opening, and walked a tightrope as the second-half progressed, with Bilbao still harboring the potential to carve the team apart.

However, with 22 minutes to go, relief would arrive for Madrid from the head of a familiar source. Alonso’s free kick was met emphatically at the far post by Ronaldo, who soared above Jonas Ramalho to steer home.

Eight minutes later Madrid would put the icing on the cake. Higuain, who had been on the pitch for barely five minutes, angled home a fine effort into the corner after Ronaldo’s flick freed him for the shot.

Substitute Jose Callejon could have added a fourth goal late on after wriggling into a great position inside the area, but steered his finish within a whisker of the post.

Gerard Pique, David Villa, Pedro and Lionel Messi, who was not even among the matchday squad, were all rested for the fixture, but that did not stop the Blaugrana from completely outclassing their opponents. Thiago opened the scoring after 20 minutes before Cristian Tello netted a goal on either side of halftime to leave his team needing just three wins to wrestle the league title from Real Madrid.

Barca’s superiority was instantly clear as it got an effort away at the hosts’ goal after just 45 seconds. After a brilliant first touch, Tello just could not muster enough bend on his effort to bring it inside the far post.

The Catalan giants did not continue at such an explosive pace, but still monopolized possession of the ball even though a compact Zaragoza defense kept their options limited in the final third; however, with the hosts committing men forward for a corner Tito Vilanova’s side broke the deadlock with a goal on the counterattack. Thiago surged forward from deep and after playing the ball wide to Alexis Sanchez, he raced into the box and swept the return pass into the net.

With minimal pressure coming from the hosts the Blaugrana could afford to play at a canter. That they did, until another injection of pace saw them double their lead 19 minutes later.

Thiago bided his time in possession before threading a ball through the defence to put Tello one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The winger shaped to hit the ball towards the far corner but instead guided the ball in at the near post.

Alexis was desperate to continue the form that saw him score twice against Mallorca last weekend but luck was not on his side. Having been denied a first-half goal by the legs of Roberto Jimenez, he then saw his elegant chip come back of the bar shortly after the restart.

The third goal did come soon after, though, and once more it was Tello who struck. With space to run into, he passed Glenn Loovens down the left with a stepover and then rolled the ball into the far corner. Tello was denied a hat trick when Roberto raced out of goal to block the youngster’s 69th-minute attempt, but the three points had already been wrapped up.

Barca opens up a temporary 16-point lead over Real Madrid to bring the title well within its grasp, though Madrid will try to push its rival as far as possible by winning against Athletic Bilbao later on Sunday. Zaragoza, meanwhile, ends the weekend in the relegation zone following Deportivo La Coruna’s fourth consecutive win.

The Liga giants coasted to a 3-0 victory without the influence of a number of key players after coach Tito Vilanova named six changes to the side which faced Paris Saint-Germain earlier in the week.

And speaking to reporters after the game, the Camp Nou assistant was full of praise for the strength-in-depth shown to negotiate a “tough” fixture.

Roura said: “We did not think much about resting players because we wanted to win. If we had a midweek game that would been different.

“It is difficult to pinpoint someone today. It was a tough game and Thiago, Song, Tello and Bartra were all fantastic. I praise the whole team. I am very proud of this squad.

“I had said how important it was to win this match. The league is simple now but the priority.”

On April 2 the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia director said the size of the loan could be changed depending on the country’s needs.

Ramez said that Egypt could still request an increase of $1 billion on the loan if the maturity period was extended to more than 30 months from the 22 months agreed last November.

He reiterated the government’s position that Egypt would not seeka an emergency loan from the global lender and said that talks with an IMF delegation that arrived in Cairo 10 days ago were going well.

The most populous Arab country needs the loan to ease economic strains after two years of political upheaval. Low reserves of foreign currency threaten Egypt’s ability to buy in wheat, of which it is the world’s biggest importer, and fuel.

President Mohamed Mursi’s government postponed implementating the loan in December in the face of unrest triggered by a political row over the extent of his powers.

Any IMF deal is likely to require Cairo commit to tax increases and cuts in subsidies, a highly sensitive issue at a time when Mursi is facing protests over his management of the country before this year’s parliamentary elections.

Shortages of subsidized diesel have paralyzed transport in parts of Egypt and the Egyptian pound has lost 9 percent of its value against the dollar since late last year.

Acting President Nicolas Maduro had a double-digit lead in most polls, largely thanks to his former boss’s public blessing before he died from cancer last month. But the gap has narrowed in the final days, with one survey putting it at 7 percentage points.

His opposition rival, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles, says Venezuelans are tired of divisive “Chavista” politics and that his support has surged enough for him to pull off a surprise win.

Maduro, a 50-year-old former bus driver who has trumpeted his working-class roots at every rally, is promising to push forward Chavez’s “21st century socialism” if he triumphs.

“We’re going to have a giant victory. The bigger the margin, the more peaceful the country will be,” the brawny, mustachioed Maduro said. “If the gap is smaller, it is only because they (the opposition) managed to confuse a group of Venezuelans.”

The winner will inherit control of the world’s biggest oil reserves in an OPEC nation whose stark political polarization is one of Chavez’s many legacies.

Also at stake is the generous economic aid Chavez provided to left-leaning Latin American governments from Cuba to Bolivia.

From the country’s Caribbean coastline to its cities and jungle interior, polling centers were due to open from 6 a.m. (0630 EST) until 6 p.m. (1830 EST), though voting could run longer if there are still lines.

Both camps have urged supporters to vote early and be on alert for fraud. Given the deep mutual mistrust, a close or contested result could raise the chance of unrest.

Chavez’s fourth presidential election win in October saw record turnout of 80 percent. This time, though, both sides worry that participation could be lower because of election fatigue.

Many Venezuelans could be forgiven for feeling like they are stuck in a never-ending campaign. Opposition primaries early last year were followed by the ailing president’s dramatic re-election, and then a vote to choose state governors in December.

Maduro has cloaked himself in the imagery of Chavez and calls himself the late president’s “son.” At events around the nation, supporters chanted “With Chavez and Maduro, the people are safe!” and “Chavez, I swear to you, I’ll vote for Maduro!”

At every rally, Maduro played a video of Chavez naming him as successor in December – “my firm opinion, clear like the full moon, irreversible” – in his final speech to Venezuelans.

POST-CHAVEZ CHALLENGES

If Maduro wins, he will immediately face big challenges as he tries to stamp his authority on a disparate ruling coalition while lacking his predecessor’s charisma, or the healthy state finances that Chavez enjoyed in last year’s race.

It is hard to forecast how he might do things his own way. Like many senior officials, Maduro was passionately loyal to Chavez and never expressed a different opinion in public.

Supporters say he could use his background as a union negotiator-turned-diplomat to build bridges, perhaps even with the United States after tensions during Chavez’s 14-year rule.

But there has been little sign of his softer side on the campaign trail. Maduro’s rhetoric has veered from outraged – alleging opposition plots to kill him using mercenaries – to light-hearted, such as poking fun at his often-cited tale of how he was visited by Chavez’s spirit in the form of a bird.

More often he has sounded indignant, accusing the “far-right” of plotting a rerun of a short-lived coup against Chavez a decade ago if the opposition loses Sunday’s vote.

For many “Chavistas,” their late leader’s explicit instructions will likely be enough to dispel any doubts they might have about Maduro’s abilities, at least in the short-term.

Capriles, 40, will have an even tougher time if he pulls off an upset. One of the biggest challenges will be to win over suspicious supporters of Chavez and Maduro. Both said over and over that the opposition candidate was nothing more than a pampered “bourgeois” rich kid, a traitor, and worse.

Capriles, who lost to Chavez in October’s election, has denounced Maduro and his “coterie” as fake socialists who have enriched themselves while paying only lip service to Chavez’s deeply held ideology.

“We’re going to decide the future we want – one where public projects are completed and hospitals function, or one where we stay as we are,” he roared at one of his last rallies.

“The great majority want to move forward.”

Capriles is offering a Brazil-style model that mixes pro-business policies with heavy state spending on the poor. He says Maduro’s tenure has been a disaster for all Venezuelans, with a devaluation and new currency controls.

If he wins, Capriles says he will stop “gifting” Venezuela’s oil wealth to other nations like Cuba, and will cool ties with distant Chavez-era allies such as Syria, Belarus and Iran.

While he does come from a wealthy family, he has sought to establish his street credibility, riding a motorcycle, playing pick-up basketball games on shantytown courts, and almost always wearing a baseball cap.

He faces an almighty battle, however, to beat the memory of Venezuela’s late leader.

“This election is not Capriles versus Maduro,” said housewife Rosa Elena Marcano, 60, at the opposition’s last rally in western Lara state. “It’s Capriles against Chavez’s ghost.”

(Additional reporting by Eyanir Chinea in Caracas and Diego Ore in Barquisimeto; Editing by Todd Benson, Kieran Murray and Xavier Briand)

Yusuf Abdi, who was near the court when the attack happened Sunday morning, said that armed men forced their way inside and immediately set off an explosion.

A government spokesman, Mohamed Yusuf, confirmed the attack and said security forces had responded and were battling the militants.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene reported hearing a second explosion and said gunmen were on top of a court building, firing their weapons.

No casualty toll was immediately available because the fighting was ongoing.

Most militant attacks in Mogadishu are blamed on fighters for al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremist rebel group in Somalia.