Helping out

Zha Wenhong (second from right), a devoted Shanghai woman who teaches in Weimiao Primary School in Dangshan County of Anhui Province, receives a donation of 6,636 yuan ($802) from inmates of Shanghai Education-Through-Labour Institution last Friday. Zha delivered a speech to correctional officers and inmates.

SHANGHAI

Social security cards

THE city's social security card system went into operation on Tuesday, aiming to offer local citizens more convenience. More than 5.8 million citizens have obtained the cards. And 3.8 million more residents including students and employees from the provinces will soon get the cards to enjoy the city's medicare and other social security benefits. The city government has spent 100 million yuan ($12 million) in establishing the system.

Lottery in Cambodia

SHANGHAI Lottery Centre has joined hands with China State Farms Agribusiness Corp and Shanghai Farms Agribusiness Corp on Monday to initiate Fortune Lottery in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with a total investment of about $2.5 million.

Knitting-wool

SHANGHAI Great World Guinness General Department on Wednesday presented a certificate to Shanghai Hengyuanxiang Investment Development Co Ltd for its sale of 500 grams of pure knitting wool at a price of 890,000 yuan ($107,618). The wool, which was auctioned at the Wool Festival held by Hengyuanxiang in September last year, was bought by a Beijing customer after he beat out his competitors.

Fewer jobs for graduates

IN spite of a 22 per cent increase in the number of university graduates compared with last year, the postings offered at different job fairs around the city have greatly decreased. Further, the average salaries offered by the employers this year has also witnessed a decrease of about 2,000 yuan ($241). Government officials said the employment pressure has something to do with the expansion of university enrollment, as well as the decline in certain trades in recent years.

Regulations passed

THE standing committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress has recently passed three local laws: the Mental Health Law, Patent Protection Law and Standardizing Law. All three laws will be put into practice next year. The committee has also approved the decision to hold the fifth session of the 11th People's Congress in February next year, by then the election for a new Shanghai mayor will also be held.

Returning scholars

NEWS from the Fourth Scientific & Technological Exchange Conference among Overseas Scholars held in Guangzhou said Shanghai is the hottest destination in eyes of those returning overseas scholars. Most of them have set their sight on Shanghai because of the city's sound business environment. Three State-level enterprise parks for returning overseas scholars respectively in Caohejing, Jading and Pudong of the city have drawn the most attention.

Former boyfriend rapist

JING'AN District People's Court has recently sentenced a local man named Jiang Jiandong to one year's imprisonment for sexual assault. Earlier last year, Jiang, 47 and single, lived with a woman migrant worker surnamed Gao for several months. Later Gao decided to break up their relationship, and paid 5,000 yuan ($602) to Jiang to compensate him. Jiang agreed, but it was not long after receiving the money that he went back to Gao's home demanding that she marry him. Encountering resistance from Gao, he raped her.

Night schools

STATISTICS show that the number of local citizens who choose to "recharge themselves" by studying in night schools has increased by 100,000 people annually over the past four years. Night schools organized by those famous universities are especially attractive to them. English and finance remain the hot courses. About 98 per cent of the people studying in night schools are employed. Some have even resigned from their former posts to engage themselves totally in study.

E-government Shanghai

SHANGHAI government website - www.shanghai.gov.cn - was formally launched on January 1 of this year. The website, with a list of over 800 relevant areas of data, offers convenience to local people by providing easy access to information on government policies. By the end of this year, different government organs will be linked to the website. Local people can deal with government affairs by surfing the net, to achieve a real sense of e-government.

(Star News)