NANJING

Automatic observatory

China plans to send its 24th science inspection team to the South Pole at the end of this month and build an automatic observatory there next year.

The observatory will be set up at Dome Argus, the highest point of the Antarctic ice sheet, where scientists can obtain data on global climate change and extraordinary natural phenomena that is otherwise unavailable in other places in the world, experts with the China Antarctic Astronomy Center, said.

The inspection team also recruited two astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatory and Purple Mountain Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They will be the first Chinese astronomers to go to the Antarctic.

BEIJING

Tibetan books

China has published more than 6,000 categories of books in the Tibetan language, with more than 100 each year and an annual circulation exceeding 4 million, a recent Tibetan publication conference has revealed.

The conference, sponsored by the China Tibetology Press and China Tibetology Research Center in Beijing from October 10-13, showed that more than 1,500 Tibetan books, not including schoolbooks, published between 2001 and 2005.

The books, covering many fields of social and natural sciences, include those on cultural heritage and scientific achievements and popular literature for Tibetan herders and young people.

Water cooperation

Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu met with Spanish Minister of Environment Cristina Narbona yesterday, vowing to strengthen bilateral cooperation on water resource utilization.

He said he hoped China and Spain could carry out more fruitful and broad exchanges and cooperation in this field.

Xinhua-China Daily

(China Daily 10/15/2007 page2)