IN BRIEF

Beijing

Poverty relief funds to get oversight

Authorities started a targeted inspection on the use and management of poverty relief funds in 28 provinces and regions on Thursday. The inspection, headed by the Ministry of Finance and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, aims to uncover any irregularities in this government-invested initiative.

Runway to close for maintenance

Beijing International Capital Airport will close one of its three runways between April 2 and 29 for a maintenance project. The airport released a notice on Friday to remind passengers to arrange their trips accordingly and contact airliners. During the maintenance project, only two runways will be in use.

Zhejiang

21 arrested over toxic diet drugs

Police said on Thursday that they had taken 21 suspects into custody for the alleged production and online distribution of toxic diet drugs. Police discovered four workshops and nine distribution venues in the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, Heilongjiang and Guangdong, seizing 15,000 boxes of toxic capsules, according to the Taizhou Public Security Bureau in Zhejiang. They also confiscated 2.8 million uncompleted capsules, 2.8 million capsule shells and 1,300 kilograms of raw materials.

Hubei

Funds to control soil erosion

The province plans to spend 2 billion yuan ($290 million) this year controlling soil erosion, its provincial department of water resources said on Wednesday. Eroded soil in Hubei accounts for about one-fifth of the total area of the province, with an estimated 125 million metric tons of soil washed or blown away each year.