Beijing orders outdoor work to be halted as scorching summer heat soars

Beijing has recorded 10 days of temperatures above 35C (Andy Wong/AP)

Employers in Beijing have been ordered by the government to stop outdoor work after scorching summer heat in the Chinese capital was forecast to reach 40C (104F).

Government departments were ordered to ensure the elderly and ill could stay cool after the city of 22 million people issued a “red alert”, the highest level of a warning system for extreme temperatures.