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 (事业单位人事管理条例). 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.

今天的热点新闻有：事业单位拟执行统一工资制度，内蒙古鄂尔多斯新城房价下跌7成，中国成为智能手机消费第一大国。

1、事业单位拟执行统一工资制度

国务院法制办昨天就《事业单位人事管理条例》公开征求意见。意见稿明确规定，事业单位工作人员的工资制度、工资构成，需执行国家的统一政策。工作人员工资将由岗位工资、薪级工资、绩效工资和津贴补贴组成，其中，岗位工资、薪级工资执行统一标准。

舆论认为，名目众多的津贴补贴是造成事业单位之间收入差距的主要原因。对于国家建立统一的工资制度，中国人民大学劳动人事学院副教授文跃然认为可能会造成实施的困难，中国上百万的事业单位，有3000万事业单位人员，情况极为复杂，现在事业单位的多元薪酬制度，能否大一统值得立法部门研究。

2、国务院要求证监会牵头清理整顿各类交易场所 

针对一些交易场所未经批准违法开展证券期货交易活动，存在严重投机和价格操纵行为，甚至发生管理人员侵吞客户资金、经营者卷款逃跑等问题，国家将进行清理整顿。

国务院昨日正式对外发布《国务院关于清理整顿各类交易场所切实防范金融风险的决定》。《决定》指出：自决定下发之日起，除依法设立的证券交易所和从事金融产品交易的交易场所外，任何交易场所均不得将任何权益拆分为均等份额公开发行，不得采取集中竞价、做市商等集中交易方式进行交易；除法律、行政法规另有规定外，权益持有人累计不得超过200人等。

3、农村学生营养餐补助将建实名系统防止冒领

在昨天召开的部署实施全国农村义务教育学生营养改善计划电视电话会议上，教育部部长袁贵仁表示，教育部门要建立实名制的学生信息系统，防止出现冒领、套取国家补助资金的行为。

此前，国务院常务会议决定启动农村义务教育学生营养改善计划，为680个国家试点县的所有农村义务教育学生提供每天3元钱的营养膳食补助。通过这一政策，首先解决最贫困地区农村中小学生在校吃饭问题，受益学生达到2600多万，占中西部农村学生的近30%。

4、 内蒙古鄂尔多斯新城房价下跌7成

鄂尔多斯新城康巴什楼市全面崩盘！据一位长期生活在鄂尔多斯的人士透露：继高利贷危机之后，康巴什楼市大面积降价，从去年的均价10000元暴跌至现在3000多元。

从2004年开始政府就在荒漠中着手兴建新区，建设总投资达50多亿元，由于地产供给过剩，加之配套设施不完备，这里建成之后少有人住，大部分人还是选择了老城区东胜。

政府投资了那么多的钱，但是百姓不需要，康巴什这座空城已经成为中国房地产泡沫的“最佳展品”。

尽管“鬼城”康巴什震惊了不少人，但还是希望这是中国一个最特殊的例子，但愿别成为中国的一个普遍缩影。

5、 百事承诺本周出台停工事件解决方案

昨天，百事公司大中华区主席孟可仕向全体百事员工发送了一封最新沟通信件，孟可仕在信件中谈到了 “员工方案”“两年不变”“联盟前景”等问题，并首度列出了百事中国制定“员工方案”的详细时间表。

在该时间表中，孟可仕承诺在本周内制定出一个尽可能全面的方案，将此方案于28日~29日与各区域和灌瓶厂相关负责人讨论，并于30日向工会解释。不过有员工指出，工会被排除在了讨论范围之外。

百事的一名员工说，百事公司通过信件稳定军心之意在此显现出来，“因为接下来的这个档期是中国新年，这期间的销量一般会占到全年的20%到25%，对饮料商而言至关重要。百事当然不希望这个时候军心大乱。”

6、惠誉将葡萄牙主权信用评级降至垃圾级

国际信用评级机构惠誉将葡萄牙的主权信用等级从“BBB-”下调至“BB+”。

惠誉在声明中表示，葡萄牙财政严重失衡且负债高企，意味着该国的评级不再符合投资级标准；葡萄牙评级展望被调降是由于欧洲形势恶化，预计该国2012年GDP下滑3%； 葡萄牙经济衰退将使其削减赤字的挑战性大幅增加；预计葡萄牙借助一次性措施将会实现2011年财政目标。

7、中国成为智能手机消费第一大国

美国调查公司“战略分析”昨天发布报告指出，今年第三季度中国智能手机出货量达2390万部，首次超过美国，创出历史新高，成为世界上最大的智能手机消费国。美国则小幅下滑7%，出货量为2330万部，但是美国依然是世界智能手机销售收益最高的国家。

该机构认为，中国出货量的迅速增长除了得益于庞大的人口数量和经济的迅速增长外还主要受益于三大因素：零售渠道智能手机的增长，运营商对苹果、三星等品牌高端智能手机的补贴，中兴等本土品牌安卓中低端机型的热销。

另外，艾瑞咨询日前发布报告指出，在中国智能手机中，采用谷歌安卓操作系统的手机厂商最多、机型最丰富、整体销量最大。华为、中兴、酷派三家企业在国内安卓手机市场占有率合计超过30%，联想排名第四。