Zhu Shenshen/Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai plans to ring the site of the 2010 World Expo with spy balloons that can alert authorities to security breaches and look out for bad weather, the city's information technology regulator said yesterday.

The system, which should be in place by the end of next year, will consist of an undisclosed number of balloons tethered 2 kilometers above the Expo site. The balloons, equipped with radar, video recorders and telecommunications equipment, will be used for security monitoring, emergency operations and weather forecasts, according to the Shanghai Municipal Information Technology Commission.