MARINE VISIT: Crewmen of Haixun 31, one of China's largest marine patrol ships, are ready to set off for a two-week visit to Singapore from Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province on June 15 (XINHUA)

Chinese Taken Hostage

The Colombian Minister of the Interior and Justice German Vargas Lleras said on June 13 his government would spare no effort to save four kidnapped Chinese citizens.

"The Colombian government has attached great importance to this incident since it happened, and has adopted various rescue measures. The police, army and the justice department have conducted trans-circle collaborations," said Lleras.

Four Chinese workers were taken hostage on June 8 by the rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in rural areas of Caqueta, where the dense jungle prevents efficient aerial observations.

Pension Program

China will launch a pilot pension insurance program for unemployed urban residents starting July 1. All unemployed urban residents over the age of 16, excluding students and people covered by the pension program for employed ones, are eligible for the pilot program, the State Council said in a statement.

According to the statement, the pension program's fund is made up of personal contributions and governmental subsidies. There are 10 categories for personal contributions annually, but an unemployed urban resident can choose to pay the minimum annual sum of 100 yuan ($15.43) or the maximum 1,000 yuan ($154) per year into the pension program before reaching 60 when he or she starts to receive basic monthly pension payment of 55 yuan ($8.48) in addition to payment from his or her personal contributions.

Free-taxation for Green

The State Council, or China's cabinet, began soliciting public opinions on a draft regulation for the implementation of the Vehicle and Vessel Tax Law, which will exempt electric cars, fuel-cell vehicles and hybrid vehicles from taxation.

The draft regulation was created in line with the Vehicle and Vessel Tax Law, which stipulates that "tax reductions and exemptions should be granted for vehicles and vessels that conserve energy or use new energy," according to a statement released by the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council. Taxes on other hybrid vehicles will be halved, the draft regulation says.

Goose DNA

Chinese scientists have sequenced the complete genome of the white goose, a first for the world.

Researchers from the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Zhedong White Goose Institute in Zhejiang Province and Beijing Genomics Institute mapped the complete genome sequence of the Zhedong white goose after two years.

The Zhedong white goose is known for its fast early-stage growth rate.

The achievement lays a theoretical foundation for understanding the growth performance, meat quality and biological breeding rules of the goose at the DNA level.