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Chinese officials expressed confidence in curbing the H7N9 strain of bird flu, citing how the country has built capacity to deal with epidemics since the SARS outbreak.

However, the possibility of the virus being transmitted between humans cannot be ruled out, a World Health Organization official said.

Michael O'Leary, the WHO's China representative, said such a possibility remains despite no one in close contact with the first human H7N9 cases having tested positive for the strain.

Trading of live poultry suspended following deaths, report Shan Juan and He Na in Beijing, and Wang Hongyi in Shanghai.

Few stalls were open on Sunday in Shanghai's Wanshang flower and bird market in the wake of deaths from the H7N9 strain of bird flu. Sunday is usually the busiest day of the week as bird lovers of all ages wander around and listen to the chorus of thousands of birds.

On April 6, the local government ordered the suspension of all trading in live poultry and pet birds, but so far there has been no official directive to close the market.

Hundreds of dead fish have washed up along the shorelines of a man-made river in Shanghai's Songjiang district since April 3, but the local water authority and environmental protection bureau insist the water is safe.

The number of people with high blood pressure is increasing at a rapid pace, and community intervention is vital to prevent the disease from posing a heavy burden on China's public health and economy, experts said on Sunday, World Health Day.

"It's estimated based on previous surveys that 24 percent of Chinese people over age 15 have high blood pressure," said Wang Wen, vice-chairman of the Chinese Hypertension League. "This means there are about 260 million such patients in the country."

Properties in the former US industrial city Detroit started to fall to as low as $100, attracting Chinese investors who have found their investments in the Chinese property market becoming harder under the central government's tightening policies.

As real estate hits rock bottom in Detroit, Chinese investors are planning to purchase properties there, the People's Daily reported.

There are more than a dozen properties priced lower than $100, with some extreme cases on offer for $1.

As an icy nightfall wind whipped across Miyun reservoir, a White-naped Crane raised its wings with a lazy flap, almost like a yawn, before rising into the air. Five hundred meters away, 20 bird watchers shivered in the bushes as they attempted to capture the bird's exotic dance through cameras and binoculars. More than 500 of the birds had alighted by the reservoir, 90 kilometers northeast of Beijing's urban area, pecking, preening and shaking their tail feathers.

Four more people in East China have been confirmed to be infected with the H7N9 bird flu virus, as a nationwide screening program has been launched for the rare but lethal strain.

The health authority in Jiangsu province said four people living in different cities are in critical condition after they developed fever, coughing and other symptoms around March 20. They tested positive for H7N9 on Tuesday afternoon.

Two men from Shanghai, aged 27 and 87, were confirmed dead on Sunday from H7N9 infection, with a woman from Anhui province in critical condition.

Well, scientists at Tianjin University of Science and Technology say they have developed a handheld tester that can detect pathogenic bacteria and excessive drug or pesticide residue.

The kit, which contains more than 60 strips of indicator paper - one for almost every contaminant listed by the State - works in a matter of minutes, said Wang Shuo, director of the college's biotech laboratory.

For example, users simply dip the right strip into milk, and if two bars on the paper turn purple, it contains melamine.

US President Barack Obama has chosen veteran agent Julia Pierson as Secret Service director, the first woman to lead the male-dominated agency, a year after its reputation was tarnished by a scandal involving agents and prostitutes in Colombia.

An interdepartmental agency comprising 28 Chinese government organizations last week released its annual intellectual property plan of action.

Composed of 84 detailed measures, the plan is intended to fulfill eight major tasks, including intellectual property creation, protection, utilization, management and awareness promotion.

Though the city’s top court upheld constitutionality of the long-running policy to deny permanent residency to foreign domestic helpers (FDHs), the government must look elsewhere to stop mainland babies born in Hong Kong from earning residency status.

China may see an increase in property transactions involving international investors in 2013, fueled by the economic recovery and the rosy outlook of China's commercial properties, industry experts said.

"On one hand, a number of deals are in the pipeline after lots of negotiations were conducted last year. On the other hand, the top management of international real estate funds are also under pressure because few deals were concluded last year," said Andy Zhang, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield China.