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Beijing to ban polluting vehicles for Olympics

Cars falling short of the lowest European emissions standard will be banned from the streets of the Chinese capital from July to September, state media reported, in order to improve air quality during the summer Olympics.

There are currently more than 3.3 million vehicles in the capital, the report said. Yellow labels are displayed on the windscreens of more than 300,000 vehicles in Beijing that fall short of the Euro I emissions standard, the lowest of the European emission standards.

"All yellow-labeled vehicles, most of which are freight trucks, will be banned from roads in Beijing from July 1 to Sept 20," Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau, was quoted as saying. "Limiting high-emission vehicles is the top priority in dealing with pollution," Du said.

" While a target of 246 "blue-sky days" was achieved last year, the report said, air pollutants remain a major problem for the city.

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