Beijing choked under a thick layer of toxic smog after the Chinese capital issued its second-ever red alert and put its emergency response plan into action. (Photo: AP)
A woman uses a scarf to cover her face from pollutants as she walks out of an underpass tunnel on a polluted day in Beijing. The recurrent pollution has driven Beijing residents to hospitals in growing numbers, according to a report on Internet
Workers install a Christmas tree on display outside a shopping mall during a heavily polluted day in Beijing. (Photo: AP)
Visitors take photos from a pavilion overlooking the Forbidden City in Beijing. Most of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating particularly when demand peaks in winter which is also the key
China’s scenic town, Wuzhen plays a perfect host for the Second World Internet Conference. China last year declared it as the permanent host place of the World Internet Conference.
Cars clog a main road during peak hour in Beijing. On the streets of the city centre, cars were moving with ease as the measures came into effect. (Photo: AP)
The off-white smog reduced visibility, blurring the edges of even nearby buildings, though the concentration of toxic microparticles had not yet reached the highs recorded in recent weeks, according to official readings. (Photo: AP)
A man with a mask looks on as a child gets off a donkey cart in smog-hit Beijing. The notice from the capital's environmental bureau ordered factories to close and pulled half of all private cars off the streets. (Photo: AP)
The red alert, the highest tier of a four-colour warning system, will last until Tuesday, according to a statement on the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau's website Friday. (Photo: AP)
Beijing climbs back into unhealthy range, smog triggers red alert