11.   Education Minister Sukavich Rangsitphol, whose ministry oversees sports, told the press he appointed a new secretary-general to speed up preparations.

12.   Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, head of the troubled organizing effort, said Monday the new deadlines would meet demands by the International Olympic Committee to speed preparations.

13.   On the sensitive issue of human rights, Zhu said Beijing was speeding up preparations to sign a U.N. treaty on protecting political and civil rights.

14.   Sony Corp. said Thursday that it will jointly develop a digital electronic news production system with Oracle Corp. that will simplify and speed the preparation of television news.

15.   The Duma has agreed to speed up preparation for the debate, and many lawmakers have voiced optimism that the treaty can be ratified.

16.   The IOC has told Greece it must speed up preparations and increase government involvement to get the games on track.

17.   The IOC repeatedly warned the beleaguered organizers that they must speed preparations that already have been endangered through delays and bureaucracy.

18.   The Russian president had ordered his Security Council chief Ivan Rybkin to speed up preparations for the meeting, a Kremlin spokesman told the Itar-TASS news agency.

19.   The Russian president has ordered his Security Council chief Ivan Rybkin to speed up preparations for the meeting, a Kremlin spokesman told the ITAR-TASS news agency.

20.   The US initiative had been interpreted as speeding up preparations for a possible UN withdrawal from Bosnia.