The sun began to peek through the clouds in Beijing on Saturday, after the Olympic host fended off wet weather for the Games' eye-popping opening ceremony by firing a volley of rain dispersal rockets into the skies. It was the largest such operation undertaken in China, the official Xinhua news agency said, and the first time such technology had been used to ward off showers over an Olympics opening. The host nation has been experimenting with “cloud seeding” to induce rain over the city as well as scrupulously tallying its “blue sky” days in an effort to curb stubborn pollution. Overcast, still weather has thwarted its attempts to showcase clear skies to the world as the Games begin, but on Saturday for the first time all week the weather began to clear. – Reuters __
