Guangzhou Daily
December 1, 2008

Most of the country's newspapers put up HIV/AIDS-related cover stories to coincide with the 21st annual World AIDS Day.

Guangzhou Daily reported that 40 sex workers in Guangzhou took an oath yesterday, swearing to use condoms during their professional life:

Health is wealth, the basic guarantee of happiness. For the health and happiness of ourselves and others, from now on we will use condoms. We will insist on them every time!

The Beijing News ran a photo showing Premier Wen Jiabao in Fuyang, Anhui Province, on a visit to a family of three orphans who lost their parents to AIDS.

Both newspapers cited statistics released by the Ministry of Health which state that 264,302 people in China have contracted HIV, and that 77,753 are AIDS patients. The Ministry, in coordination with the WHO, estimates that there are about 700,000 HIV carriers in China, and that 440,000 of them are not aware that they are infected.

The Beijing News
December 1, 2008

Also:

● The annual national civil service examination, which started yesterday, attracted about 775,000 people from across the country, up from about 720,000 last year. Despite an increase in government recruitment this year, the success rate is still quite low, about 1.75%.

● The Beijing municipal government announced that it has fulfilled its "blue sky day" promise for the year, one month ahead of schedule; that is, "second grade air quality and above would account for 70% of days of this year." Beijing has had 256 "blue sky days" so far this year. In an interview with TBN, Du Shaozhong, vice director of the city's Environment Protection Bureau, said that air quality will continue to improve in Beijing next year.

● Former table tennis world champion Deng Yaping finished her doctoral studies at Cambridge University and received her degree in economics on November 29.

● Over 1,000 Chinese tourists still stranded in Thailand will take four chartered airliners and return home today.