BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) — Beijing will lift a red alert for air pollution on Wednesday night as cold air disperses the smog that has affected the city for several days. The red alert, in force since Friday evening, will be lifted at midnight. Air quality should improve markedly after midday Thursday. Emergency measures such as even-odd car restrictions will end and classes will resume at schools, closed since Monday. PM2.5 density in the capital remained high on Wednesday. although density dropped by 75 to 150 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday and by 75 to 200 micrograms per cubic meter on Tuesday, according to a preliminary report by the Chinese Academy of Sciences institute of atmospheric physics. Poor visibility continued in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei, on Wednesday morning, with the PM2.5 density at 500 micrograms per cubic meter. Kindergartens and schools there will remain closed on Thursday. More […]