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Beijing smog

Smog in the Chinese capital Beijing has got so bad the government has banned half of all vehicles from taking to the roads

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The story

Severe restrictions are in force in Beijing to limit air pollution after the city declared a red alert for the first time.

Half the city's vehicles have been banned from the roads.

Report from the BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing

Beijing's air has turned into a familiar smoggy soup with pollution well over ten times safe levels. But last week was actually much worse. Back then, some of the most dangerous pollutants reached almost 40 times the World Health Organisation's recommended maximum. And the lack of a red alert warning from the authorities was met with howls of derision. Now, the government has finally taken the costly steps of limiting car use and keeping children at home.

Key words and phrases

red alert
a warning that something dangerous will probably happen

toxic
poisonous

engulf
surround something completely

portmanteau word
a single word made from two words

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