Girl drowned

The couple suspected in the disappearance and death of a 9-year-old girl were longtime swindlers* and transients* who had run out of money and decided they no longer wanted to live, according to Zhejiang provincial police, who issued a statement on late Sunday.

“A preliminary investigation found the pair had, for some time, considered the idea of committing suicide, and had the motive and intention of seeking death along with the girl,” a spokesman said. The body of the girl, Zhang Zixin, was found on Saturday in the sea off Xiangshan County, Zhejiang Province.

Graduates’ employment

China has introduced a slew* of measures to boost the employment prospects of graduates in the country.

Residency curbs on the settlement of college graduates, vocational college graduates, and graduates from overseas institutions will be fully relaxed at provincial capitals and other cities, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said in a statement on Friday.

Buddy program

Shandong University has apologized for the negative social impact caused by its buddy program that implies local female students will be selected to aid male foreign students who live and study at the school.

The university said in a statement on Friday that online comments on its buddy program aroused public attention recently due to insufficient* checks during the implementation of the program, the improper expression, “making friends with foreigners of the opposite sex,” appeared on the application form, the statement said.

Fans condemned

The Chinese public and official organizations strongly condemned fans of several young celebrities for quoting a humiliating unequal treaty forced on the country by invaders during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to worship their idols, calling for historical education and punishment for those involved.

“You are my ‘Treaty of Nanking,’ the beginning of my fall,” some fans said to express their devotion to their idols on Chinese social media last week, and tagged* young celebrities, including singer Cai Xukun, pop band TFBoys’ Jackson Yi and actor Zhu Yilong on their Weibo posts. (SD-Agencies)