Astronauts back home The Shenzhou-12 spaceship completed circumnavigation and radial rendezvous tests on Thursday, and the three astronauts have returned home on Friday. The tests successfully verified the radial rendezvous technology, laying an important technical foundation for the following manned missions, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The three astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo completed their journey home safely, after living and working in the space station core module Tianhe for 90 days, the longest stay in space by Chinese astronauts, the CMSA said. Sichuan quake Three people were confirmed dead and 60 others were sent to hospitals after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted Luxian County of Luzhou City, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province, on Thursday. Among those hospitalized, three were seriously injured, according to the city’s emergency management bureau. China Earthquake Administration has dispatched a work team to guide on-site disaster relief work. A total of 890 commanders and fighters from nearby fire-fighting and rescue brigades have been mobilized, while another 4,600 rescue workers are on standby. Student loan ceiling The country raised its State loan ceiling for students by 4,000 yuan (US$620.2), the Ministry of Finance said last week. Undergraduates can borrow up to 12,000 yuan annually in State loans while graduate students can borrow up to 16,000 yuan annually, Assistant Finance Minister Ou Wenhan told a press briefing. Previous limits were 8,000 yuan and 12,000 yuan, respectively. In the latest adjustment, students can use the loans to cover their living expenses after paying off their tuition and dormitory fees, said the official. Launched in 1999, the student loan scheme aims to help financially disadvantaged students pursue their academic ambitions, part of China’s efforts to block the inter-generational transmission of poverty and improve equity in education, said Ou. Off-campus tutors The authorities have issued a set of rules on managing staff working at off-campus tutoring institutions to ensure that the country’s ongoing efforts in regulating the sector and reducing the burdens on students deliver the expected results. The rules, now in a trial version, were jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Primary school, secondary school and kindergarten teachers will not be permitted to work concurrently in off-campus tutoring institutions, according to the rules. The rules also propose setting up a blacklist of offenders, including those who discriminate against or insult students, and those who physically abuse minors.(SD-Agencies) | 