After passing through Hong Kong and Macau, the Olympic torch is now safely back on the mainland following a treacherous trip around the world. From the International Herald Tribune:
The torch relay will wind through every province and region of China before arriving in Beijing several days before the start of the Olympics on Aug. 8. The protests and last-minute route changes that haunted the torch along its international relay route were expected to be over.
The start of the route was lined with crowds waving the Chinese flag.
The first torch carrier was Yang Yang, a gold medalist in short-track speedskating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Meanwhile, the mysterious second torch is reportedly making its way up Mount Everest. According to a Xinhua report, a spokesman for the mountaineering team has said the climbers, “are beefing up for the ascent of the Olymic [sic] flame over Qomolangma,” without disclosing where they are at the moment. He continued:
“The torch relay to Mount Qomolangma is a highlight of the whole relay, and it also represents the idea of Green Olympics, High-Tech Olympics and People’s Olympics,” Zhang said of the significance of the ascent.
“It will be the Olympic flame’s first trip to the peak, so I think the torch relay on the summit will push the Olymic [sic] spirit to a new high.”
Meanwhile, at the Everest Base Camp, with nothing much else to do, the Reuters correspondents are blogging their stay:
We are currently at a make-shift press centre located near Everest Base Camp. Facilities consist of an extremely good media centre, with amazingly fast internet, a press conference room, that doesn’t provide the media with any information (but I will get onto that later), small basic cabins that offer fairly comfortable beds but are just plain freezing, a dining room with excellent food, and last but certainly not least, the toilet block. Oh wow!! I cannot even begin to try and find the words … I will leave it at that.
Times of India provides a timeline of highlights of the torch relay so far.
Al Jazeera reported on the Hong Kong leg of the relay:
