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This is NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing. Here is the news.

The Authority of the Panama Canal has announced potential new investment plans to ensure the key waterway stays competitive in the future.

The plans include a possible fourth set of locks, and the construction of another port on the Pacific side, a logistics park or special economic zone, and a gas refueling station for vessels.

As the waterway is set to commemorate its centennial this year and increased canal traffic is expected, the Panama Canal Authority is studying the possibility of building additional locks.

The new plans are in addition to an ongoing canal expansion project that due to complete by 2018.

The current project already includes the building of a third set of locks, which will enable 98 percent of the world's commercial ships to pass through the canal.

The authority says that a fourth set of locks may not be needed for another 10 years; however, ships keep getting bigger, requiring more locks.

Moreover, in five years, the industry expects to see more vessels fueled by liquefied natural gas, LNG, and these ships will certainly choose the routes that have LNG fueling stations.

This is NEWS Plus Special English.

The United States' space agency NASA has said that its Mars 2020 rover will carry seven instruments to conduct "unprecedented" science and technology explorations on the Mars. The explorations include one that will be able to make oxygen for humans to breathe someday.

The instruments were chosen by NASA from 58 proposals it received in January from researchers and engineers worldwide; and the seven it chose will cost about 130 million dollars to develop.

Proposals received were twice the usual number submitted for instrument competitions recently, indicating an extraordinary interest of the scientific circles towards the exploration of the Mars.

Among the most exciting is the "Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment", which will be able to produce oxygen from the atmospheric carbon dioxide on Mars. The technology will enable future human explorers to use natural resources available on the surface of the Red Planet.

Another instrument on the rover is "Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer". That's a set of sensors to measure temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, humidity and the size and shape of dust.

Scientists say this mission will further the search for life in the universe, and offer opportunities to advance new capabilities in exploration technology.

You are listening to NEWS Plus Special English. I'm Yun Feng in Beijing.

Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user names and passwords in a series of Internet heists affecting 420,000 websites.

The thievery was described in a New York Times story based on the findings of Hold Security, a United States' firm that has a history of uncovering online security breaches.

The identities of the websites that were broken into were not identified.

The reported break-ins are the latest incidents to raise doubts about the security measures that both big and small companies use to protect people's information online.

Security experts believe hackers will continue breaking into computer networks unless companies become more vigilant. They suggest the companies that rely on usernames and passwords to develop a sense of urgency to change it.

Retailer Target Corporation is still struggling to win back its shoppers' trust after hackers attacked from Eastern Europe and stole 40 million credit card numbers and 70 million addresses, phone numbers and other personal information last winter.

Hold Security says most of the sites hit by the Russian hackers are still vulnerable to further break-ins.

Besides filching the passwords, the hackers also have amassed 500 million email addresses that could help them plotting other crimes.

This is NEWS Plus Special English.

The Australian government will spend 10 million Australian dollars, or more than 9 million U.S. dollars, to fight cyber-bullying after research revealed that 20 percent of young Australians experience online attacks each year.

The research found that 72 percent of schools reported at least one incident of online threats to young people last year.

The study says that online bullying affected more than 460,000 children last year, with the majority of them in the most exposed group aged between 10 and 15.

The report says children are being increasingly exposed to online bullying that can leave them humiliated and depressed.

Officials say the latest findings confirm that cyber-bullying is widespread and can be serious. There is significant community concern about whether there are adequate response mechanisms available today.

The government's program "Enhancing Online Safety for Children" includes assisting schools to access accredited online safety programs, establishing an "Office of the Children's e-Safety Commissioner", and funding more Australian-based research and information campaigns on online safety.