IN BRIEF

Society

Animal rights groups seek ban

Animal rights groups are seeking a ban on all animal performances in China, including live shows, petting zoos and photo sessions.

However, their campaign - which also calls for a ban on dolphin shows - is said by some to have gone too far.

China Zoo Watch conducted a study from January 2011 to the end of March, in which it sampled more than 40 zoos nationwide. It found that animal performances, which it claims often involve acts of cruelty, are common nationwide.

About 50 percent of urban zoos, 91 percent of animal parks and 89 percent of aquariums offer such performances, according to the survey.

Health

New center for cancer fight

The first national cancer center in China will be inaugurated within the year to enhance the country's capacity for prevention, early screening and treatment of the disease, said a senior health official.

Lei Zhenglong, deputy director of the disease prevention and control bureau of the Ministry of Health, made the remarks at an event to mark National Cancer Week, which starts on April 15 every year.

The mainland records about 2.8 million new cancer cases each year, and the number is expected to exceed 3.8 million in a decade, official statistics show. Lung cancer is the most common and also has the highest mortality rate in the country.

Proven risk factors for cancer include smoking, an unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of exercise and pollution, experts said.

Economy

Reform to affect 30m

The government has pledged to finish a fundamental reform that is likely to affect about 30 million employees working in the public sector by the end of 2015, as part of an effort to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of these social segments, according to a guideline released on April 16.

The nine-chapter guideline on advancing the reform of public sectors, calling for a nationwide restructuring that could eventually affect all State-funded institutions, is expected to facilitate future reform.

An official statement said the reforms would not cut the size of institutions or reduce their ability to provide public services.

Safety

Schools screen for hazards

A food safety overhaul will be carried out in primary and middle schools and kindergartens nationwide to screen for safety hazards, a move prompted by a recent string of food poisoning incidents in schools.

The nation's food safety watchdog, the State Food and Drug Administration, posted a statement on its official website on April 16 announcing that the SFDA and the Ministry of Education have ordered their local agencies to examine school canteens in their jurisdictions.

The overhaul is meant to spot food safety irregularities, such as the hiring of unlicensed caterers, poor disinfection methods, the unscrupulous use of food additives or the illegal use of nitrite, among other hazards.

China Daily