Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Chinese state media has criticised the response of local officials in north-eastern China, where air pollution has reached almost 50 times above the recommended levels.
Levels of PM2.5, the tiny airborne particles considered most harmful to health, reached 1,157 micrograms per cubic metre in Liaoning province's Shenyang on Sunday, data from the city's environmental protection bureau showed.
The level that is considered safe by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is 25 micrograms.
"As far...