International Franchise News--7-Eleven, New Horizons, Tommy Tang Express <b></b>

Dallas--In a deal that brings Big Gulps to Beijing, 7-Eleven has picked its two largest foreign operators to open up to 500 stores in the Chinese capital in the next five years. President Chain and Seven-Eleven Japan are the two biggest operators of 7-Eleven stores outside of the United States and will run the stores with a Chinese partner who will own 35 percent of the joint venture. The company hopes to have stores operating in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. -Reuters

Anaheim, California--New Horizons Computer Learning Centers will extend its worldwide information technology training network with the planned opening of 100 new centers in India. In an agreement with Shriram Global Technologies and Education, the first New Horizons will open in India by October. A total of 10 centers are planned by the end of the year. -Lages & Associates

Bangkok--Tommy Tang, a Thai celebrity in the United States, has teamed up with the operator of Sharky Mexican Grill with the goal of opening 400 Thai fast-food restaurants in the American market within five years. The partners plan to make Tommy Tang Express, which hopes to open its first five branches in Southern California next spring, the largest Thai restaurant chain in the United States. -Bangkok Post