BEIJING

China to hasten efforts to fix up rural houses

China's housing authorities on Monday pledged to speed up efforts to renovate dilapidated rural houses as the deadline to eradicate absolute poverty by 2020 approaches. China will ensure that renovation work on 1.35 million dilapidated rural homes will be completed in 2020, Wang Menghui, minister of housing and urban-rural development, said at a work conference. In addition, the government next year will continue to focus on enhancing housing conditions and the living environment in rural areas, building new types of rural homes and accelerating garbage treatment, Wang said.

INNER MONGOLIA

Police nab fugitives in 1991 murder case

New technology has helped police in northern China nab two suspects, wanted in a murder case, who had been on the run for 28 years. Police in the city of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said one suspect surnamed Zhang was accused of killing a man, while his wife, surnamed Liu, was believed to have covered up the crime. Police said Zhang went into hiding after bludgeoning a man to death with a club in 1991 for raising questions about his relationship with Liu, who also went missing after the killing. The couple drew attention from authorities this year after police used big data technology to analyze the fugitives' information and identified a man in Heilongjiang province as Zhang. In late November, police arrested Zhang and Liu, who had changed their identities. Police said Zhang has admitted his guilt, and that further investigation is underway.

SICHUAN

Int'l air routes target famed Jiuzhaigou park

Overseas passengers will be able to fly directly to famed scenic spot Jiuzhaigou National Park in Sichuan province without transferring through other airports, local authorities said on Monday. The Jiuzhai Huanglong Airport plans to open four overseas air routes, including one from Thailand's Chiang Mai and another from the Republic of Korea's Busan, in December 2020, according to the government of Jiuzhaigou county. Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is famous for its spectacular waterfalls, lush forests and serene plateau lakes.