TOP WISDOM: Four Nobel laureates in economics and other well-known economists attend the Nobel Laureates Beijing Forum 2009 to discuss topics on financial reconstruction and economic revitalization (LUO XIAOGUANG)

Consequences of Warming

Floods, droughts, heat waves and severe snowstorms could be more frequent in the Yangtze River Basin in the next 50 years as the area sees average temperatures rise by 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius, said a report released on November 10.

The Yangtze River Basin Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Report, released by the World Wildlife Fund, describes the impact of climate change on the basin and offers solutions.

The report said average temperatures in the basin were 0.33 degrees Celsius higher in the 1990s than in the three decades since 1961. From 2001 to 2005, the basin was about 0.71 degrees Celsius warmer, according to data collected from 147 monitoring stations across the area.

The Yangtze River, China's longest water way, runs about 6,300 km in length and its basin covers an area of 1.8 million square km. It is an area where one third of the nation's population lives.

Enhanced Protection

China is stepping up protection and sustainable development plans for its islands and oceanic resources, said Zhang Hongsheng, Deputy Director of the State Oceanic Administration on November 6.

Measures have been taken to protect China's islands, including instituting new laws and nature reserves, Zhang said at the opening of the 2009 Xiamen World Ocean Week, which ran through November 12.

In October, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, reviewed the draft law for island protection, which would help establish a standard system for developing, protecting and restoring the ecology and resources of islands, Zhang said.

In addition, authorities have set up more than 20 national and 40 local ocean reserves since 1963, according to Lu Caixia, Director of the administration's Island Management Office.

Curbing Human Trafficking

Chinese police in the past seven months have cracked 982 criminal rings engaged in abducting and trafficking children and women, an official with the Ministry of Public Security said in Beijing on November 5.

As of October 28, more than 6,000 victims had been rescued and some 6,200 suspects had been detained in the ongoing campaign, said Yang Dong, Deputy Director of the ministry's Criminal Investigation Department.

Terror in Focus

China's Supreme People's Court has broadened the definition of "sponsoring terrorist activities" in a bid to cut terrorist support chains.

In a new judicial interpretation on money-laundering and related crimes issued on November 10, the court defined sponsorship terrorism as both raising and providing funds for terrorists.

Financial aid to terrorists should not be limited to money, but should also include materials, locations and other conveniences, the court decided.

The definition applies to both the planning and perpetration of crimes, it said.

New Scholarships

The U.S. Educational Testing Service (ETS) has launched a scholarship program to recognize excellent Chinese test-takers of its Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).

ETS, the world's largest private educational testing and assessment non-profit organization, globally administers tests including TOEFL, TOEIC and the Graduate Record Examination.

ETS plans to honor 80 exceptional students on the Chinese mainland who succeed in applying for studies abroad in 2010. The total sum of the scholarship is $100,000.

Applicants must hold a grade point average of 80 or higher on a 100-point scale. Winners will be announced in May 2010.