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Beijing issues warnings as unhealthy pollution persistsAFP BEIJING -- Beijing urged residents to stay indoors on Wednesday as emergency measures were rolled out aimed at countering a heavy cloud of smog blanketing the Chinese capital and swathes of the country.
January 31, 2013, 12:06 am TWN The municipal government said children, the elderly and people sensitive to poor air quality should remain indoors, after authorities announced the closure of 103 factories and ordered 30 percent of official cars off the road on Tuesday. As the thick cloud of toxic air choked Beijing for the third consecutive day, the now familiar sight of mask-wearing pedestrians venturing out on heavily polluted roads was broadcast regularly on state media. Visibility in central Beijing was reduced to 300 meters, according to China Central Television, causing 29 flights to be canceled and another seven delayed. The state-run broadcaster also showed images of the eastern province of Jiangsu — some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) south of Beijing — covered in a thick blanket of smog.
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