Dense fog blanketed several cities, especially those in east, north and central China from Monday to Wednesday, reducing visibility to less than 50 meters in some areas and causing the closure of many expressways.
In east China's Shandong Province, dense fog blanketed Dezhou City on Tuesday, with visibility reaching less than 100 meters in districts like Wucheng, Ningjin, Lingcheng, and less than 50 meters in some areas.
Local meteorological authorities in Dezhou issued an orange fog warning, while Ningjin County and Lingcheng District issued red fog warnings, the severest in China's four-tier weather warning system that is color-coded with red, orange, yellow and blue.
Due to the dense fog, some expressways were temporarily closed, and the traffic was not resumed until Wednesday morning.
For the past three days, parts of Handan City, in north China's Heibei Province experienced intermittent periods of heavy fog, with visibility across the area reaching only around 100 meters, and less than 50 meters in some areas.
The dense fog led to temporary closure of 20 expressway toll stations in the area.
So far, local meteorological authorities have issued three consecutive orange fog warnings.
"In foggy weather, we remind drivers to drive cautiously, reduce speed, always turn on fog lights and hazard lights, and keep a safe distance while driving," said Li Xuemin, traffic police officer in Handan.
Dense fog also occurred in parts of central China's Henan Province, with a total of 30 fog warnings still in effect.
In some areas of cities of Hebi and Puyang, visibility was less than 50 meters. The Henan provincial meteorological department issued a yellow fog warning at 17:00 on Tuesday, and simultaneously activated a Level IV emergency response plan.
Dense fog shrouds expressways, disrupts traffic across multiple Chinese cities
African officials on Wednesday pledged to scale up investment to accelerate development across the member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at a meeting in Accra, Ghana's capital.
They made the commitment during the 24th Annual General Meeting of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), where leaders highlighted the need to expand the bank's capital base to finance transformative projects.
Ghanaian Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson stressed that timely capital payments would strengthen EBID's leverage and sustain its growth, enabling the institution to stimulate inclusive economic expansion across the region.
"Timely capital payments are critical. It strengthens EBID leverage and sustains its growth and impact across our region. Expanding our capital base is essential to strengthen our ability to finance transformative development projects and stimulate inclusive economic growth among our member states," said Forson.
EBID recorded strong achievements in 2025, with total disbursements of about 722 million U.S. dollars, up 47.7 percent from 2024. Building on that momentum, President George Agyekum Donkor said the bank remains committed to helping member states tackle poverty and close infrastructure gaps across the region.
"We aim to direct at least 63 percent of new commitments towards the private enterprises to catalyze job creation and innovation. Simultaneously, the bank would embed environmental, social and governance principles across its operations, dedicating over 41 percent of resources to climate mitigation and social inclusion projects," said Donkor.
With disbursements surging nearly 48 percent last year, EBID officials said the bank is positioned to channel more resources into private-sector growth and climate-focused projects, reinforcing its role as a driver of inclusive development across West Africa.
African officials vow stronger investment push at ECOWAS bank meeting in Accra
