The Olympic torch, symbol of this summer's 2008 Games in Beijing, arrived on Monday for an expected trouble-free relay in Oman, its sole stop in the Middle East on its way to China.

Argentine athletes and celebrities have carried the Olympic torch through downtown Buenos Aires, past hundreds of China supporters and protesters.

Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson says he would not be surprised if the Olympic torch relay is cancelled before it gets to Canberra later this month.

Some French media seemed quite excited about what happened during the Olympic torch relay in Paris a few days ago. Le Figaro ran a headline story titled "The torch's fiasco in Paris", while the top story in La Libération reads as "Give China a slap in the face", describing the "fiasco" in a kind of schaden-freude. Hysterical excitement can be seen in their descriptions.

The president of the International Olympics Committee says the Beijing Games will recover from a "crisis" involving anti-China protests that have marred the international torch relay.

The European Parliament says it wants the 27 EU members to consider boycotting the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies if the Chinese government does not resume talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

Amid tight security, runners carried the Olympic torch through San Francisco Wednesday, as protesters called attention to the human rights record of this year's Olympic host, China.

Chinese ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong said on Wednesday that the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco was "successful" under enthusiastic reception of the American public, including the Chinese Americans and overseas Chinese.

Authorities in San Francisco are bracing for anti-China protests Wednesday as the western U.S. city hosts the latest leg of the Olympic torch's world relay.

Authorities in San Francisco are bracing for anti-China protests Wednesday as the western U.S. city hosts the latest leg of the Olympic torch's world relay.

Beijing has said "no force" can stop the Olympic flame relay as it faces protests on the US leg of its journey while seven demonstrators have been arrested in San Francisco and the flame has since arrived in the city.

The Chinese government has warned protesters against further disrupting the Olympic torch relay after anti-China demonstrators disrupted the relay in Europe. Meanwhile, an International Olympic Committee official has said the committee is considering scrapping torch relays altogether to prevent future incidents.