Beijing turns on polluting kebabs

BEIJING – Beijing, wary of blowing its clean air target before next year’s Olympic Games, will crack down on outdoor kebab sellers as part of a 20-day campaign against street-level polluters, local media said yesterday.

Beijing’s air pollution is a major concern for athletes and officials planning for next August, and Olympic chief Jacques Rogge said that some Games events would have to be rescheduled if air quality were not good enough. Local Olympic organisers have pegged Beijing’s efforts to improve air quality to its “blue sky day” quota, referring to a targeted number of days with acceptable levels of pollution.Experts have dismissed the gauge as unscientific and based on incomplete data, but organisers defend it as a means of raising awareness of air pollution problems among residents.Nampa-ReutersLocal Olympic organisers have pegged Beijing’s efforts to improve air quality to its “blue sky day” quota, referring to a targeted number of days with acceptable levels of pollution.Experts have dismissed the gauge as unscientific and based on incomplete data, but organisers defend it as a means of raising awareness of air pollution problems among residents.Nampa-Reuters