Indonesia thieves loot tiger body

Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction

Thieves have killed an endangered Sumatran tiger in an Indonesian zoo and stolen most of its body, officials say.

Only the intestines of the female tiger were left, staff at Taman Rimba Zoo said. Police believe the thieves intend to sell the animal's fur and bones.

The World Wildlife Fund estimates that fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild.

Despite laws against the sale of tiger parts, wildlife groups say they are sold openly in several Sumatran towns.

A 2008 study by British-based wildlife trade monitoring network, Traffic, showed that tiger bones, claws, skins and whiskers were being sold openly in eight cities on the island.

Traffic says tigers are killed to supply parts for souvenirs, Chinese medicine and jewellery.

The Sumatran tiger is listed as critically endangered, the highest category of threat.

They are on the brink of extinction because of rapid deforestation, poaching, and conflict with humans.

Encephalitis kills 200 in India

By Ram Dutt Tripathi BBC Hindi, Lucknow

Children under 15 are particularly vulnerable to the disease

At least 200 children have died in an outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in northern India, health officials say.

So far, 900 affected children have been admitted to hospitals in Uttar Pradesh state. Some patients have come from neighbouring Bihar state and Nepal.

There is no specific cure for the mosquito-borne disease which has killed thousands in India since 1978.

Health experts complain that red tape has prevented development of an effective vaccination programme.

The disease occurs regularly during India's monsoon.

Doctors say children between the age of six months to 15 years are worst affected and most of the victims are poor people from rural areas.

Breeding ground

"The attack of the encephalitis virus is extremely ferocious this year," says Dr Rashmi Kumar, an expert on Japanese encephalitis at Lucknow Medical College hospital.

"Children are developing a serious condition within a day or two of getting infected," she says.

Health officials in the state capital, Lucknow, say cases of acute encephalitis are being reported mostly from 14 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The low-lying areas are prone to annual floods, and severe water-logging and a lack of sanitation provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Doctors say Gorakhpur town is the epicentre of the disease.

Last year, the government said it would spend 60 million rupees ($1.24m) to upgrade facilities at Gorakhpur Medical College hospital.

But, doctors say, the hospital does not have adequate numbers of medical staff to deal with the large numbers of patients.

Doctors say the children who survive will have to face lifelong problems as the disease has a crippling effect.

'Preventable'

While there is no specific cure for the disease after it has been contracted, three vaccines are in use worldwide that have reportedly been successful in preventing the disease.

But India has so far failed to develop an effective vaccination programme.

After the disease killed 1,500 children in 2005, a public outcry forced the government to import vaccines from China and a mass vaccination project was started.

However, doctors say the vaccine coverage has not been satisfactory this year, with many parents of affected children saying no vaccination was done in their areas.

Japanese encephalitis, which causes high fever, vomiting and can leave patients comatose, usually hits Uttar Pradesh state in July-August.

The disease has recurred annually in eastern regions of the state since 1978.

35 militants arrested in NW Pakistan search operations

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- As many as 35 militants arrested in ongoing search operations in northwest Pakistan during the last24 hours, an army statement said Monday.

Pakistani security forces continued search operations in various areas of Swat and Malakand in North West Frontier Province(NWFP). 35 militants were arrested and six militants voluntarily surrendered to security forces in Swat, according to Inter Services Public Relations.

Relief activities were continued, and 265,012 cash cards have been distributed amongst the internally displaced persons of Malakand.

Over 1,600 militants have been killed since Pakistani security forces launched the military operation against Taliban militants late April after militants in early April entered the Buner district from the neighboring Swat district and refused to vacate the area despite their pledge to do so.

S Korea to join U.N. disarmament forum in Japan

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korea will participate in the annual U.N. disarmament forum to be held later this week in Niigata, Japan, foreign ministry said Monday.

According to ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young, Shin Dong-ik, director general of the international organization bureau, will attend the 21st U.N. Conference on Disarmament Issues, scheduled from Wednesday to Friday.

The forum is co-organized by the U.N. and Japan, the ministry said.

Shin, on the sidelines of the forum, will meet his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo to continue meetings on bilateral disarmament, added the spokesman.

Beer drinking Muslim set free

BEIJING, August 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Kartika Sari Dewa Shukarno, who was convicted of drinking in public and sentenced to six lashes of the cane, has been freed by Malaysian authorities.

The reason for her release is not entirely clear though prison rules require anyone who is to be canes must be in detention first. However legal experts said at the weekend that it was not right to detain Ms Kartika since she had not been given a jail sentence by the Islamic court.

A van had taken her from her northern Malaysian home to put her in detention so that she could be caned sometime this week. But after half an hour the van returned, with officials saying the sentence would not be carried out. A senior Shariah court judge and some lawyers have said she cannot be caned unless she is in jail, and as she was not given a jail sentence, she cannot be caned. As such it creates a paradox for Malaysia's court system.

Kartika had pleaded guilty to the offence under Islamic and would have been the first woman in Malaysia to be punished in such a way，saying she wanted to deter others from committing similar offences. "I want to send a message that I really regret what I did, so I want to be punished in front of other people," Kartika said from her northern home state of Perak. "If other Muslims can see me being caned, I hope it will convince them not to drink."

Malaysian authorities say the purpose of caning is to "educate" rather than punish. But the penalty has led to criticism by some politicians and women's rights activists who claim it is still too harsh. The law in Malaysia allows for a three year prison term and caning for Muslims caught drinking, but most offenders are fined. Drinking is legal for non-Muslims.

(Agencies)