Health workers are slaughtering more than 100,000 chickens in Hong Kong amid fears of another outbreak of avian flu.  10,000 chickens died mysteriously on the farm earlier in the week.  A similar avian virus crossed over to the human population in 1997, killing six people.

About 100 workers, wearing gloves and protective white suits, had begun killing the birds.  The government did not say how many chickens have been destroyed so far. Local media reports put the number of slaughtered chickens at about 40,000. The birds were dumped into large airtight bins and then gassed with carbon dioxide. The government said the operation is expected to be completed on Monday.

Thomas Chan, director of Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department, said the mass slaughter was "an isolated incident" and that no unusual deaths of chickens were reported in neighboring farms.  Officials have said they could not rule out that the chickens may have contracted the avian flu.

Blood and offal samples have been collected from the dead chickens but the results of the tests won't be known for several days.

Last May, an avian flu infected thousands of chickens, forcing the government to destroy 1.37 million birds.

Five men have died trying to retrieve a fighting cock from a well in Pakistan.

The bird had fallen into the well which was used for dumping rubbish, including cow dung. It's believed they died from a build up of ammonia gas.

The Daily Dawn reports the cockerel escaped from a house in Quasim Kahi village, in Naushahro Feroze district, then fell into the old well.

Majid Lanjar, 30, lost his balance and fell in when he tried to retrieve the bird.  His brother, Imdad Lanjar, 25, tried to save him but never came out. Then his cousin, Tufail Ahmed, 20, went into the well but never returned.  The paper says they were followed by his brothers, Shakeel Ahmed, 19, and Sohail Ahmed, 18.

Volunteers pulled five bodies from the well.  [They never said what happened to the rooster ???]

Live chickens have been strangled during a performance at Bonn's [Germany] opera house.  Audience members watching Rossini's The Barber of Seville were shocked when they realised the birds killed in act two were real.

Mayor Baerbel Dieckmann said she could not understand the decision to use live birds. An opera house spokeswoman says they've been surprised by the response.  Express newspaper reports the mayor said: "I'm convinced the opera has able props people who can easily make some fake chickens."  Opera spokeswoman Cornelia Nattermann said: "We haven't yet decided whether we will stop using chickens from a local farmer and fall back on fake ones."

Bonn's opera may face criminal charges, prosecutor Fred Apostel said. Under German animal protection rights, animals must only be killed for understandable reasons.  He said: "If we find this rule has been violated, those responsible may face a jail sentence of up to two years. They can definitely expect to pay a severe fine."

A mob in India has beaten a man to death after he slapped a teenage cyclist for killing his chicken.  Shamimul Islam hit the 14-year-old cyclist in Kolkata and demanded compensation for the dead bird.

Around 150 people armed with bicycle chains, bamboo sticks and bricks attacked him after the boy complained to his father.  The victim reportedly threatened to teach the boy a lesson if he failed to pay the compensation, the NewIndPress website reports. 

His wife fainted as her husband was attacked. They'd been married for just two months.  Mr Islam's elder brother Nurul said: "I could hardly recognise the body. They were all butchers."

It's also reported that Mr Islam's neighbours have sworn revenge, prompting the police to tighten security in the area.  There are no reports of police making any arrests in connection with the killing.