Australia hosts torch relay
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CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Runners bearing the Olympic torch were cheered by thousands of people waving Chinese flags today during a 10-mile relay through this capital, unimpeded by sporadic anti-China protests that led to several arrests.
The event began as half a dozen officers in jogging pants, T-shirts and caps formed a loose cordon around the runner. Other officers stood at crowd-control barriers.
Overhead, an airplane sky writer wrote the words “Free Tibet” in white.
An hour into the relay, a man leaped out from the crowd and sat cross-legged about 35 feet in front of the runner. Police quickly hauled him away and the runner didn’t stop.
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