After Ophelia, and especially after a Fianna Fáil ard fheis, don’t forget that the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China opens in Beijing today. It may be more important.

The dimensions of Beijing and its minimalist architecture are alienating, and murals of China’s founding father, Mao Zedong, at odds with Prada stores, says Margaret Hickey.           

A new environmental police squad will root out illegal burning in Beijing, the latest government response to the widespread public anger over China's persistent problems with smog.

Beijing and other cities across northern and central China were shrouded in thick smog on Monday, prompting authorities to delay dozens of flights and close highways.

Sixteen more positive doping cases from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing have been confirmed, with all but one coming from Russia or a former Soviet republic.

The push by China’s policymakers to rein in property bubbles looks to be getting traction, according to early indicators from the nation’s biggest cities.

Brazil won a bronze medal in the athletics on Tuesday - but it was from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing rather than Rio.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised an "all-embracing and strategic partnership" with China during a visit to Beijing that takes place against the background of a drop in trade and lingering mistrust.

An EgyptAir plane that made an emergency landing in Uzbekistan following a bomb threat resumed its flight and has landed in Beijing, Egyptian officials said.

Bolt could lose one of his six Olympic gold medals.

An earthquake has struck the mountainous region of Tibet, with Chinese officials saying casualties are likely.

Rollercoaster riders at one of Beijing's major amusement parks were left hanging upside down for almost 20 minutes when a bird stood on one of the ride's safety sensors.

If China’s financial woes spell doom for Germany’s carmakers, somebody forgot to tell Daimler.

Aww, this is lovely!

Beijing was enveloped in eye-watering, throat-irritating smog on Saturday as the second red alert of the month went into effect in the Chinese capital, forcing many cars off the roads and restricting factory production.

China’s capital has issued its second smog red alert of the month, triggering car bans and school closures.

China’s activity data was stronger than expected in November, with factory output growth picking up to a five-month high, signalling that a flurry of stimulus measures from Beijing may have put a floor under a fragile economy.

Pollutants have been reduced by a third in Beijing during this week’s temporary restrictions to reduce heavy smog, China’s environment ministry said.

Smog hovered over Beijing as limits on cars, factories and construction remained in force after the city imposed its first red alert for air pollution.

Schools closed and rush-hour roads have been much quieter than normal as Beijing invoked its first-ever red alert for smog.

Beijing has issued its first red alert for smog.

Over 100 experts, 12 international organisations and more than 120 companies were represented at Beijing’s World Robot Exhibition at the end of November.

Beijing is experiencing its worst air pollution this year, with monitoring sites throughout the city reporting extremely hazardous levels of pollutants.

Air pollution in Beijing reached hazardous levels as smog engulfed large parts of the country despite efforts to clean up the foul air.

China’s economic growth dipped below 7% for the first time since the global financial crisis, figures showed yesterday, hurt partly by cooling investment, raising pressure on Beijing to further cut interest rates and take other measures to stoke activity.

Usain Bolt stormed to the World Championship sprint double at the World Athletics Championships when a runaway segway proved more problematic than Justin Gatlin. Four days on from riding to the rescue of his beleaguered sport in the 100 metres, the Jamaican attempted to make it four successive half-lap world crowns in Beijing.

An astonishing tearing up of the track by Wayde van Niekirk made massive history in the men’s 400 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Kenyans Joyce Zakary and Koki Manunga have become the first athletes to fail drugs tests at the World Championships in Beijing.

A shortened Day Four of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing saw David Rudisha elevated to the mantle of 800m champion once more, as a couple of surprise winners were crowned elsewhere.

Ireland’s four morning representatives have enjoyed no progress on Day 3 of the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

One of athletics’ nights to remember has seen Usain Bolt claim his third 100 metres World Championship title, edging out Justin Gatlin by a solitary hundredth-of-a-second – but Mark English and Thomas Barr both bowed out of their respective semi-finals.

Jessica Ennis-Hill has completed her golden comeback at the World Championships, winning her first major championship since London 2012 just 13 months after the birth of her son.

Usain Bolt has qualified for the 100m final in Beijing despite a poor start.

Alex Wright’s first major international championship for Ireland ended early as he was disqualified just past the halfway mark in the men’s 20k walk at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing.

Thomas Barr and Mark English both did enough to qualify for tomorrow’s respective semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing – in different circumstances.

The Jamaican sprint star on his diet (sans chicken nuggets), his facial hair and his birthday plans.

Usain Bolt returns to the scene of his first Olympic triumph in confident mood ahead of a heavyweight showdown with Justin Gatlin.

The Olympic movement, which now seems to be vying with the oily creeps of FIFA in a race for irrelevance, took a pretty substantial lead in that particular headlong rush a few days ago.

The snow will be fake, but the very real financial muscle China boasts proved decisive yesterday when Beijing won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.