China greets Olympic flame

BEIJING — The Olympic torch touched down in Beijing on Monday amid high security before it leaves on a round-the-world relay expected to be a lightning rod for protests against China's policies and human rights practices.

The lighting ceremony a week ago in Greece was marred by protests, and a pro-Tibetan group demonstrated again Sunday when Greek officials handed over the Olympic flame to organizers of the Beijing Games in Athens.

The torch arrived in Beijing aboard a chartered Chinese plane, allowing the government a brief respite before the relay sets off on a problematic, monthlong world tour.

Authorities have given few details about a torch welcoming ceremony later in Tiananmen Square, the heart of China's capital.

After a one-day stop in Beijing, the flame goes Tuesday to Almaty, Kazakhstan, the start of the 20-country, 85,100-mile global journey.

The grandiose relay is the longest in Olympic history and has the most torchbearers — a sign of the vast attention lavished on the Games by Beijing, which hopes to use it to showcase China's rising economic and political power.