Anti-Bioterrorism System

China will make efforts to establish a biological security system in 20 years to fight against bioterrorism and prevent serious epidemic diseases, according to a report released recently by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The report, issued at the International Biological Economy Meeting held in Tianjin, said by the end of 2007, China will have developed vaccines and medicines for genes used in bioterrorism as well as physical protective technology and equipment, and will have established bioterrorism monitoring network.

A research center to examine and prevent serious epidemic diseases will also be established, according to the report.

The country will also further develop the security evaluation technology of genetically modified plants, the report said.

Assisting Foreign Journalists

The press center of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) will provide quality service to overseas journalists during the event next year, a Chinese official of the committee pledged on June 26.

Some 21,600 journalists have registered to cover the games and more than 10,000 un-registered ones will also cover the events in the Chinese capital, Wang Hui, Deputy Director of the BOCOG publicity department, told a press conference in Moscow.

The press center will provide such services as receiving and dealing with overseas journalists' applications for reporting and visas, helping them to address housing and catering problems and facilitating their interviews, the official said.

Endangered Species Rise

The population of Eld's deer, a sub-species of swamp deer, has reached 1,785 in China's southern island province of Hainan with an annual 15 percent growth in the past 30 years, the latest survey by wildlife researchers shows.

The Eld's deer, including 82 captive-bred animals, are scattered in 12 different habitats across the island and their gender ratio is almost 1:1, said Yuan Xicai, one of the survey organizers.

Numbers of the nationally protected species, native to Hainan, have been growing steadily since the 1970s, said Yuan.

Known by the locals as "slope deer", the species was named after Lieutenant Percy Eld, who served in the British colonial administration of India.

A comprehensive protection program introduced 30 years ago, with a budget of 10 million yuan, stopped the decline and allowed the species to make a comeback.

Fight in English

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has been selected as the exclusive English testing partner of the 13th "21st Century-Lenovo Cup" National English Speaking Competition and will provide professional testing standards and expert support, as announced by the organizing committee of the competition at the kickoff ceremony.

Eng Han Tan, Country Manager of the ETS Global BV Beijing Representative Office, and representatives of sponsors China Daily and Lenovo signed a cooperative agreement at the ceremony.

The "21st Century Cup" National English Speaking Competition was created in 1996 by China Daily, the country's largest English-language newspaper. In the past 12 competitions, students from more than 800 colleges and universities across the country have competed, with the number of participants and audience totaling 1 million.