China's first company specializing in tackling maritime oil spills has been set up in Shanghai. The company, the Dong'an Emergency Centre for Maritime Oil Spills, is equipped to remove oil from rock and water surfaces.

With a registered capital of 3 million yuan (approx. US$361,400), the centre, a joint venture between a local company and a Finnish company, has the right to use two berths and nine specialized vessels. The company could operate within 50 nautical miles of the coast. In 2001 the port of Shanghai handled 29 million tons of dangerous goods.

Shanghai tourism festival

After more than 10 years of development, the annual Shanghai Tourism Festival is enjoying growing international popularity, Deputy Shanghai Mayor Zhou Muyao said Wednesday.

So far, government institutions and enterprises from 10 countries and regions, including Australia, France, Greece, Brazil and Japan, have registered for the opening ceremony's big parade and float competition.

Scheduled for September, the tourism festival this year features musical fireworks presented by artists from the Netherlands, Spain and Canada, street dancing by artists both from China and overseas and local residents as well as displays of the unique local culture.

Cloth bags to save environment

On Wednesday's World Environment Day, some 100,000 cloth bags were freely given to local residents at the city's 30 big supermarkets to replace the plastic ones. The cloth bags, due to their environmental friendliness and the capability of being reused, may well be a good replacement for plastic bags, as experts point out. Statistics indicate that every year the plastic bags consumed by local residents exceed 1.6 billion. The pollution it causes is enormous. The giving out of cloth bags is to enhance the locals' awareness of environmental protection.

Online birthday bash

The Fudan University launched a website (fd100.fudan.edu.cn) last week, symbolizing the beginning of its preparations for its 100th anniversary in 2005. Alumni and visitors can find information on the school's history, alumni, academic and research achievements and updated news about the celebrations.

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