Premier Wen seeks opinions on drafting education reform plan
Premier Wen Jiabao has held five meetings over the past month to seek opinions and suggestions on a draft featuring the guidelines of an education reform plan for the next decade. The document, entitled "State guidelines for middle and long-term educational reform and development", is intended to chart the course for educational development in China from now until 2020.

photo from :china.zjol.com.cn

Guangzhou Railway Station in Good Order amidst Heavy Rain
Over the weekend, snow and heavy fog hit northern China, closing expressways and delaying flights. Yesterday (February 7) in Guangzhou, heavy rainfall occurred amidst a growing number of people around the train station. Additional police officers and soldiers were dispatched to patrol the railway stations and guard the safety of passengers. Our journalist Wang Jianping has the details:
15 temporary shelters are set up at the Guangzhou Railway Station to protect passengers from the rain. Thousands of police officers and soldiers were keeping the crowd under control and were successful as no incident was reported. A policeman told us:
" the number of passengers is expected to reach a peak today. So we are working over-time and don't even get much rest during the night. We mainly help directing passengers to the trains, ensure their safety and prevent people from pushing. "

Cities volunteers are also contributing to the good order found around the station. A volunteer told us:
"compared to previous days, the passenger flow is increasing. We used to be responsible for directing people to the train. But now about 300 volunteers are helping give out free umbrellas. "

As for the passengers, they seemed to be quite satisfied with the situation:
"the order is good, not as crowded as before. Volunteers are also doing a good job. "

$60bn Aussie coal deal inked
Australian coal and iron ore company Resourcehouse said over the weekend it had signed a record $60 billion coal supply deal with Chinese power stations, a move analysts said underscored Chinese companies' growing demand for energy to fuel the country's economic development. Resourcehouse will supply 30 million tons of coal annually over the newt 20 years to China Power International Development Ltd. China's power consumption is expected to rise 7 percent this year, in line with the anticipated economic growth rate of 8 percent, according to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC).