Digest

Ministry exposes research fund fraud

Four cases of misuse of research funds have been revealed on an official website, and the companies and universities involved punished.

It is the first time the Ministry of Science and Technology has published details of such cases, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

A large amount of public money was allocated at the beginning of the year to accelerate technological development, the ministry said.

However, some applicants tried to obtain funds by submitting fake receipts and other documents.

They include a heat diffusion technology company in Dalian, Liaoning province, and the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunication, the website said.

The Dalian company was conducting a study of ecological public lighting and low-carbon buildings, but the ministry found it embezzled 4.07 million yuan ($658,650) from the research fund.

The company produced fake financial documents during an inspection by officials.

Expert eases fears of Ebola spread

Medical experts say Guangdong province is taking precautions to prevent any outbreak of Ebola virus if it were to spread from Africa.

He Jianfeng, chief expert from Guangdong provincial center for disease control and prevention, said the province, which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, has never witnessed an Ebola outbreak.

"So local residents should not worry too much about an outbreak of the virus in the province, which has a large number of people from Africa," he said.

"According to my counterparts from Hong Kong, there is no evidence that a Hong Kong woman patient who once visited Kenya is a suspected Ebola case.

Ebola, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, causes body aches, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and heavy bleeding. It is often fatal.

"Currently, the outbreak of the Ebola virus is still confined to western Africa," he added.

Chinese rangers get help protecting tigers

Rangers at two conservation zones in China have joined the Ranger Federation of Asia, a move that will help protect the wild tiger population, said an official.

"As the first Chinese team joining the Ranger Federation of Asia, we are very proud," said Yu Changchun, director of Jilin Forestry Department.

"This international honor is the highest praise and recognition for what we have done in the past five years. Our rangers have become professional. They are equipped with knowledge of protection, high-tech equipment and systematic support. We will continue to work with the WWF and protect our precious forest and tigers, the king of the land," he said.

The World Wide Fund for Nature said on Aug 4 that Chinese rangers at the Wangqing conservation zone in Jilin province and Suiyang conservation zone in Heilongjiang province had joined the federation, which brings rangers together to improve communication and effectiveness.

2008 facilities fit for Winter Games

Sports venues that were built for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are in good condition and could be used for the 2022 Winter Olympics, a way to cut expenses should the Chinese capital be picked to host the event, an official said.

The venues have been well cared for, and have seen a lot of use and wide popularity with visitors, said Jiang Xiaoyu, vice-chairman of the Beijing Olympic City Development Association.

China used 11 permanent venues for the 2008 Olympic Games. Four are at universities and two are used for professional training in biking and shooting.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/08/2014 page3)