Chinese race to clear algae

A man walks through algae at a beach in Qingdao, the host city for sailing events at the 2008 Olympic Games More than 10,000 workers are battling against time to remove a thick algal bloom that has carpeted the Olympic sailing venue in Qingdao in east China, officials said. Qingdao Olympic Sailing Committee officials warned that it would take two weeks to clear the growth, which competitors - including members of the British sailing team - say is hampering training in the run-up to the games. It has blocked practice routes and covered almost one-third of the competition area. A total 5,000 square miles (13,000 square kilometres) is affected, the state news agency Xinhua reported. A thousand fishing boats have been dredging the area and already 100,000 tonnes of lurid, blue-green algae have been removed. Organisers are also... [read full story]