Olympic flame sets out on 85,000-mile round trip

CHINESE President Hu Jintao presided over the re-lighting of the Olympic torch yesterday in the host city, signalling the start of an around-the-world torch relay that already has become a magnet for protesters.

Hu’s participation in the elaborate ceremony in Tiananmen Square in the heart of the capital underlined the importance China places on the Olympics and its hope to display a confident, strong nation to the world when the games open on August 8.

The torch ceremony, 130 days before the start of the Olympics, came a week after the lighting ceremony for the Olympic torch in Greece was marred by protests.