Police are checking various popular student hangouts in Beijing’s university district to make sure they have no more than 10 foreigners inside at any one time, as the stability-obsessed authorities ramp up security for China’s biggest annual political gathering. Security is usually tight in the capital during important political events, with petitioners kept at arm’s length and activists kept under close watch. But this time, the focus is also on foreign students in Wudaokou, in the city’s north.

The heaviest rainfall to hit China's capital Beijing in 60 years has left 37 people dead and stranded thousands at the main airport. The deluge struck on Saturday afternoon and continued into the night, flooding major roads, state media said. Roof collapses, lightning strikes and electrocution from downed power lines were among the causes of the deaths.