The EO's bilingual podcast is produced every working day and normally goes online at about 5pm in the afternoon. The first 10 or so news items are in Chinese and they are followed by two or three items read in English by the staff of the EO's English department. Click on the player to your left to listen to this episode

1. Traffic Police Will be Fired if they Accept Cash Payments for Fines

China's Public Security Bureau yesterday held a meeting to discuss the recent case of traffic police in two counties of Shanxi Province being exposed for illegally collecting "fines" from coal truck drivers. Huang Ming, one of the deputy ministers of the bureau, said that in the future, any traffic officer found to have accepted cash payment for a traffic violation fine would be fired. Huang Ming also said that "the problem wasn't limited to Shanxi and that other provinces also had problems." The deputy minister also said that the bureau would launch a widespread investigation into the practice that would include the use of undercover officers.  Huang Ming also emphasized that when traffic police are issuing fines to drivers of motorised transport, that must never accept cash on the spot.

China's Public Security Bureau yesterday held a meeting to discuss the recent case of traffic police in two counties of Shanxi Province being exposed for illegally collecting "fines" from coal truck drivers. Huang Ming, one of the deputy ministers of the bureau, said that in the future, any traffic officer found to have accepted cash payment for a traffic violation fine would be fired. Huang Ming also said that "the problem wasn't limited to Shanxi and that other provinces also had problems." The deputy minister also said that the bureau would launch a widespread investigation into the practice that would include the use of undercover officers. 

Huang Ming also emphasized that when traffic police are issuing fines to drivers of motorised transport, that must never accept cash on the spot.

2. Chairman of CNPC Officially Warned Over Series of Explosions at Dalian Refinery 

The chairman of China National Petroleum Corp., the parent of PetroChina Co., was given a disciplinary warning by the government after a series of accidents at or near the company's Dalian refinery. The State Council said that CNPC and PetroChina hadn't done enough to ensure production safety at the refinery. Chairman Jiang Jiemin was given a disciplinary warning as punishment. Along with the company's chairman, the State Council punished another 63 individuals for their role in the four explosions and fires that have taken place at PetroChina's largest refinery since last July. Fourteen of those punished were also suspected of criminal acts and have had their cases handed over to the judicial authorities.

3.Draft Regulations Seek to Establish Uniform Pay System for Public Institutions

The Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council has started public consultation on draft Regulations related to the Personnel Management of Public Institutions (事業單位人事管理條例). The draft regulations include measures aimed at ensuring that the salaries and pensions of public institutions across the country are determined according to a uniform system. The draft regulation also suggest methods for resolving conflicts between employees and their governmental employers. The government is accepting public comments until Dec. 30.

今天的熱點新聞有：事業單位擬執行統一工資制度，內蒙古鄂爾多斯新城房價下跌7成，中國成為智能手機消費第一大國。

1、事業單位擬執行統一工資制度

國務院法制辦昨天就《事業單位人事管理條例》公開征求意見。意見稿明確規定，事業單位工作人員的工資制度、工資構成，需執行國家的統一政策。工作人員工資將由崗位工資、薪級工資、績效工資和津貼補貼組成，其中，崗位工資、薪級工資執行統一標準。

輿論認為，名目眾多的津貼補貼是造成事業單位之間收入差距的主要原因。對于國家建立統一的工資制度，中國人民大學勞動人事學院副教授文躍然認為可能會造成實施的困難，中國上百萬的事業單位，有3000萬事業單位人員，情況極為復雜，現在事業單位的多元薪酬制度，能否大一統值得立法部門研究。

2、國務院要求證監會牽頭清理整頓各類交易場所 

針對一些交易場所未經批準違法開展證券期貨交易活動，存在嚴重投機和價格操縱行為，甚至發生管理人員侵吞客戶資金、經營者卷款逃跑等問題，國家將進行清理整頓。

國務院昨日正式對外發布《國務院關于清理整頓各類交易場所切實防范金融風險的決定》?！稕Q定》指出：自決定下發之日起，除依法設立的證券交易所和從事金融產品交易的交易場所外，任何交易場所均不得將任何權益拆分為均等份額公開發行，不得采取集中競價、做市商等集中交易方式進行交易；除法律、行政法規另有規定外，權益持有人累計不得超過200人等。

3、農村學生營養餐補助將建實名系統防止冒領

在昨天召開的部署實施全國農村義務教育學生營養改善計劃電視電話會議上，教育部部長袁貴仁表示，教育部門要建立實名制的學生信息系統，防止出現冒領、套取國家補助資金的行為。

此前，國務院常務會議決定啟動農村義務教育學生營養改善計劃，為680個國家試點縣的所有農村義務教育學生提供每天3元錢的營養膳食補助。通過這一政策，首先解決最貧困地區農村中小學生在校吃飯問題，受益學生達到2600多萬，占中西部農村學生的近30%。

4、 內蒙古鄂爾多斯新城房價下跌7成

鄂爾多斯新城康巴什樓市全面崩盤！據一位長期生活在鄂爾多斯的人士透露：繼高利貸危機之后，康巴什樓市大面積降價，從去年的均價10000元暴跌至現在3000多元。

從2004年開始政府就在荒漠中著手興建新區，建設總投資達50多億元，由于地產供給過剩，加之配套設施不完備，這里建成之后少有人住，大部分人還是選擇了老城區東勝。

政府投資了那么多的錢，但是百姓不需要，康巴什這座空城已經成為中國房地產泡沫的“最佳展品”。

盡管“鬼城”康巴什震驚了不少人，但還是希望這是中國一個最特殊的例子，但愿別成為中國的一個普遍縮影。

5、 百事承諾本周出臺停工事件解決方案

昨天，百事公司大中華區主席孟可仕向全體百事員工發送了一封最新溝通信件，孟可仕在信件中談到了 “員工方案”“兩年不變”“聯盟前景”等問題，并首度列出了百事中國制定“員工方案”的詳細時間表。

在該時間表中，孟可仕承諾在本周內制定出一個盡可能全面的方案，將此方案于28日~29日與各區域和灌瓶廠相關負責人討論，并于30日向工會解釋。不過有員工指出，工會被排除在了討論范圍之外。

百事的一名員工說，百事公司通過信件穩定軍心之意在此顯現出來，“因為接下來的這個檔期是中國新年，這期間的銷量一般會占到全年的20%到25%，對飲料商而言至關重要。百事當然不希望這個時候軍心大亂。”

6、惠譽將葡萄牙主權信用評級降至垃圾級

國際信用評級機構惠譽將葡萄牙的主權信用等級從“BBB-”下調至“BB+”。

惠譽在聲明中表示，葡萄牙財政嚴重失衡且負債高企，意味著該國的評級不再符合投資級標準；葡萄牙評級展望被調降是由于歐洲形勢惡化，預計該國2012年GDP下滑3%； 葡萄牙經濟衰退將使其削減赤字的挑戰性大幅增加；預計葡萄牙借助一次性措施將會實現2011年財政目標。

7、中國成為智能手機消費第一大國

美國調查公司“戰略分析”昨天發布報告指出，今年第三季度中國智能手機出貨量達2390萬部，首次超過美國，創出歷史新高，成為世界上最大的智能手機消費國。美國則小幅下滑7%，出貨量為2330萬部，但是美國依然是世界智能手機銷售收益最高的國家。

該機構認為，中國出貨量的迅速增長除了得益于龐大的人口數量和經濟的迅速增長外還主要受益于三大因素：零售渠道智能手機的增長，運營商對蘋果、三星等品牌高端智能手機的補貼，中興等本土品牌安卓中低端機型的熱銷。

另外，艾瑞咨詢日前發布報告指出，在中國智能手機中，采用谷歌安卓操作系統的手機廠商最多、機型最豐富、整體銷量最大。華為、中興、酷派三家企業在國內安卓手機市場占有率合計超過30%，聯想排名第四。