February 15, 2008	Friday	Safar 07, 1429

BEIJING, Feb 14: China may have just ushered in the Year of the Rat, but the pesky rodents aren’t welcome in its capital.

Rats are the latest target of Beijing’s efforts to present a sparkling city for the Olympics in August, with the government announcing a campaign to rid all venues of rodents.

Authorities will target Olympic venues and training facilities, and areas within a 1,000-metre (3,280-foot) radius, in a drive that will kick off late this month, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

“Beijing health workers will send teams to inspect the rat-killing work, and will impose fines on those who fail their job,” Xinhua quoted Deng Xiaohong, of Beijing’s municipal health bureau, as saying.

Rat poison will also be placed in Olympic-dedicated hospitals, hotels and restaurants, and distributed at other venues where rats might be found, including underground pipelines and vegetable markets.

Beijing, at pains to present a squeaky clean, modern city-scape in time for the Games, has already launched drives to stop spitting, curb queue-jumping and discourage boorish fans.— Reuters