Shortest Day

It may be the longest day in Britain but not so here, thanks to the smog hanging over the city. It's the worst since we've been here. But there are many more polluted cities than Beijing. According to the World Bank, the Top 10 offenders, in terms of particulates per μg/m³, are Cairo (169), Delhi (150), Calcutta (128), Tianjin (125), Chongqing (123), Kanpur and Lucknow (109 each), Jakarta (104) and Shenyang (101). Which is no great consolation as I stare out of the office window to a vista of grey grey grey.