China Digest, August 31

Only about 7 per cent of engaged couples in Beijing receive premarital medical check-ups, the Beijing Times reports. The city stopped requiring check-ups in 2003. The rate of birth defects has since doubled, as treatable diseases often go undiscovered, according to the municipal health bureau.

Botanists and agricultural officials have warned people in Beijing to avoid ragweed after a large amounts were found near a reservoir in Huairou district, the Beijing Times reports. They said pollen from the plant could do considerable harm to crops if the seeds spread, and many people were allergic to ragweed.