China's top legislator Wu Bangguo called the Olympic Movement "a common wealth of mankind" in Beijing on Monday, while addressing the opening of the 16th general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC)".

Olympic chiefs will this week discuss scrapping international torch relays for future Games, following protests that have disrupted the run-up to the Beijing event.

Organisers of the Olympic torch relay in Canberra say they are braced for protests from pro-Tibet activists when the torch travels through the city on April 24.

The head of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, says he is very concerned about the situation in Tibet, following protests that have targeted the Olympic torch relay overseas.

The Beijing Olympics torch was placed on a bus for safety after its relay across Paris was interrupted by pro-Tibet protestors, journalists at the scene said on Monday.

A French minister says President Nicolas Sarkozy will boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics unless China frees political prisoners and starts dialogue with the Dalai Lama.

The International Olympic Committee has rejected a report by London-based human rights group Amnesty International that argues the Olympics have failed to bring human rights improvements to China.

China is seriously concerned about and strongly discontented with a reported statement by the U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the Beijing Olympics, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Thursday.

Seeking to allay Beijing's concerns over safety of the Olympic torch during its relay, India has conveyed to China that all measures will be taken to ensure success of the event next month.

Swimming Australia admits it is between a rock and hard place in the Nick D'Arcy affair.

The International Olympic Committee says it has received assurances from China's government that journalists will have free access to the Internet and that live television feeds will not be restricted during this year's Games in Beijing.

Officials at the International Olympic Committee are calling on Beijing to open Internet access during the upcoming games. The issue is a sensitive subject for authorities in China, who have long restricted access to information in the country.