The algae bloom covered 200 square kilometres (80 square miles) and was about 13 kilometres (eight miles) offshore and floating towards the coastal city of Jiaonan in Shandong province, Xinhua news agency said.

The local branch of the State Oceanic Administration, which monitors marine conditions, is sending boats in a bid to clear the algae, it said.

Algae blooms are typically caused by pollution in China and suck up huge amounts of oxygen needed by marine wildlife to survive and leave a foul stench when they wash up on beaches, the report added.

In August 2008, a large offshore algae bloom threatened the sailing competition of the Olympic Games when it engulfed waters surrounding the event’s venue in the eastern China city of Qingdao, near Jiaonan.

Up to 10,000 soldiers and volunteers were enlisted to clean up more than a million tonnes of the foul-smelling algae as they raced to clear the waters in time for the Olympics.

According to a 2008 State Oceanic Administration report, raw sewage and pollution from agricultural run-off has polluted 83 percent of China’s coastal waters, leading to algae pollution and other problems.

In 2008, China’s coastal waters witnessed 68 red tides — another type of algae bloom — covering 13,700 square kilometres (5,500 square miles), an increase of more than 2,100 square kilometres over 2007, the report said.

The main emblem of the Olympic Games is not bears with the five circles on the ab and not foxes or little dancing men, but Olympic objects, or architecture. Russian Sochi City is now being filled with awesome structures which are designed to take away the breath of the place’s visitors. There is only five years left for preparation as the Winter Olympic Games are going to be launched already in five years. The main point about it that the architectural objects are to remain as a part of the city, so each of them, no matter how gorgeous it is, has to be usability-proved for decades. The Central Stadium seems to one of the most practical objects suggested (you can see its drafts below ).

It’s a part of great Olympic park, which consists of the ice ring for curling and hockey and the sport palace for figure-skating. The whole project includes several objects, which are artistically scattered along the coastal line with one ceiling over the territory of main spectator routes. That doesn’t seem very stable and firm, though, but the architects assure there is nothing to be scared of. If you happen to visit Sochi, you’d still better stay outside the Stadium. Just in case.

The town, which doesn’t want the media knowing its exact location for fear of an influx of tourists, has so many ladybugs buzzing about that some trees, homes and grassy areas are just a mass of red.

The insects are out in force in the Front Range region of Colorado thanks to increased rainfall during spring and early summer. The additional moisture has made their food supply plentiful so their numbers have increased by 15 to 20 percent.

The building in the “Lotus Riverside” compound of Minhang District collapsed entirely at about 6 a.m., killing one worker who had gone into the building to fetch his tools.

Local authorities in Minhang have pledged to safeguard the legitimate interests and rights of the owners, although detailed plans are yet to come out.

The developer, Shanghai Meidu Real Estate, has been banned to sell the housing following the collapse. It had sold out 489 of 629 homes.

Sources at the Information Office of the Minhang District government told Xinhua that 255 owners have applied to the government for refunds or compensation.

But some owners also worried that they could not buy the same apartment with the refunds because of the increases in housing prices.

The sources said the government has taken “appropriate control measures” against nine people from the developer, construction contractor and supervisor.

The authorities will also examine the structure and foundation of the building on Monday.

The 132 households evacuated shortly after the collapse returned to their village nearby at 7:30 p.m. Sunday after their homes were confirmed safe.

I think, everybody should do that! Merry Christmas!

MrBabyMan – joined Digg on December 27th, 2005   

msaleem – joined Digg on September 12th, 2005

They actually submitted good quality contents. Thank’s to them!