The National People’s Congress (NPC) and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have finally wrapped up. In their wake they've left behind many fashion reports and policy rumors, not to mention the political fallout. For those who like their news Beijing-specific, we've got pollution plans, subway updates and a new ranking where Beijing beats Shanghai.

Here’s a look at some news and opinions for the past week from the drain of sexpats on Beijing to China’s environmental efforts.

Take a break from the return of the work week with a look at what’s been going on in Beijing. What better way to procrastinate than with odd and interesting news and videos?

It’s been a foggy (and unusually damp) week in Beijing, which has had the unfortunate effect of locking in all that lovely air pollution, pushing the US Embassy’s air particle index up past the 400 (dangerous) mark for the past three days. State news agency Xinhua, however, says relief is on the way.

A report this week in the China Daily (spotted via the English People's Daily website) says officials with the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping have announced “more than 100 domestic and overseas companies that provide online mapping services have received licenses to continue doing business in China, while another 100 [are] still applying for a license.”

Nokia’s Alliance Internet Services (a joint venture between the Finnish handset maker and a Shanghai company) was among those on the list of approved companies, but mention of Google’s online mapping service was conspicuously absent from the article, which could spell bad news for the online giant and its users in China -- when asked about Google’s status, officials reportedly sidestepped the question, merely stating “China's Internet market is open and free and those who conduct online mapping services in China should abide by Chinese law.”