Anti-smog measures increase in buildup to APEC summit

Beijing has ordered its five neighboring provinces to cut their emissions by 30% from November 3 to 12 in preparation for the upcoming APEC summit, South China Morning Post reported. In Beijing itself, 69 major polluters have been ordered to shut down completely while another 72 must reduce output. Beijing’s PM2.5 index, a measure of hazardous particles in the air, was at 310 micrograms per cubic meter for the Beijing international marathon last week, and after dipping for a short period was back to 311 Sunday. Those figures were more than 12 times the World Health Organization’s recommended safe level.