NEW SATELLITE China launches its third geostationary meteorological satellite Fengyun-2-06 at 8:54 a.m. on December 23. The satellite entered its preset orbit 24 minutes later

Job Assurance

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao pledged to "put the issue of graduate employment first" on December 20, during a visit to the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

A report from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has expected a tougher employment situation in 2009 when about 6.1 million will be seeking jobs.

"We are studying a package to guarantee jobs for graduates, and it will kick in soon," Wen said. "The government will encourage major enterprises to increase recruits from graduates, seek more jobs at the grassroots level, and offer opportunities for further study and skill training."

Clean River

A total of 48.6 billion yuan ($7.1 billion) will be spent by mid-2010 to clean up the Pearl River and its tributaries in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, the local government said on December 23.

The announcement was made in a city program on sewage treatment and comprehensive improvement of streams. Guangzhou City is the center of the Pearl River Delta region in Guangdong Province.

The program aims to ensure an 85-percent treatment rate of domestic sewage and a fundamental enhancement of the water system before it holds the 2010 Asian Games from November 12 to November 27.

Guangzhou Mayor Zhang Guangning said that as Guangdong Province faces continuous pressure from an increasing population and high economic growth, the program will meet urgent needs.

New Salary System

China will adopt a new payment system for teachers working in compulsory education to ensure they are paid according to their performance, while their average pay will not be lower than that of civil servants.

At a recent executive meeting, the State Council approved a document on the implementation of results-and-performance-linked salaries in schools of compulsory education. Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the meeting.

According to the meeting, the reform is aimed at attracting talented people to work in the educational field for life, so as to promote the country's educational undertakings. Meanwhile, the government will give subsidies to retired teachers from schools of compulsory education.

The new policy will be launched on January 1, 2009.

Joint Exhibition

Artifacts from Beijing's Palace Museum and Taipei's National Palace Museum will be displayed together after nearly six decades of separation.

The 43-year-old Taipei museum, which has 650,000 antiques moved from Beijing's Palace Museum in 1948 and 1949, and the latter, better known as the Forbidden City, which houses over 1 million items, have never exchanged collections for exhibition.

A joint display could bring treasures, such as a rare set of three calligraphy works, together for the first time since 1949. Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) collected the set of three but they are no longer together: Two are in Beijing while the third is in Taipei.