Indonesia to shut all red-light districts

JAKARTA • Indonesia plans to close all its red-light districts by 2019, stepping up a campaign against prostitution after a controversial push to clear up Kalijodo, a brothel area in Jakarta.

Local authorities will be told to shut down an estimated 100 districts across the country, said Mr Sonny Manalu, a senior official at the social affairs ministry, yesterday.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Myanmar makes U-turn on temple climbing ban

YANGON • Myanmar has backpedalled on a ban on climbing temples at the tourist hot spot of Bagan, following fears visitors would no longer be able to enjoy the ancient capital's famed sunsets.

The Ministry of Culture on Monday barred visitors from clambering over the monuments. But by late Tuesday, it had revised the order to let tourists ascend five of the largest pagodas - in a field of more than 3,000 Buddhist structures.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Endangered peacock dies of fright in China

KUNMING • A rare peacock from an endangered species has died in a zoo in south-west China, shortly after photos of tourists pulling its feathers went viral online.

The peafowl, famous for its tail feathers, was found at the Yunnan Wild Animal Park in Kunming.

Vets found that it had died of fright. It is difficult to get close to free-ranging peafowl, but some people catch them using food as bait, said Mr Li Youlong, head of the park's animal management department.

XINHUA