"Put out the light, and then put out the light"? Massive London protests over Tibetan massacres as the Olympic flame is flaunted

What very expensive cigarette lighter is 72cm long, weighs 985g ,is made of anodised and etched aluminium burns with a 25 cm flame for 15 minutes, will stay alight in 65 km/hr breezes and 50mm of rain but is bright enough to show up on daylight photographs .

Well a clue is that this is intended to embody the ..er.... concept of a green, hightech Olympics.

The Olympic flame (preumably re-fuelled and re-lit every 15 minutes will be carried through London on Sunday April 6th by 80 bearers including runners, buses, cyclists, boats and even the Docklands Light Railway from Wembley to the Millenium Dome (ooops O2 Centre) as part of a global trip of 85,000 miles by 21,880 torchbearers through 135 cities. (map)

What will be more exciting of course are the people on the route who might wish to bring the attention of the world's press / TV to the plight of the ethnic Tibetans in the Western provinces of China.

Up to press 2,000 stout London bobbies are planned for deployment along the 31 mile route - about 1 every 50 yards. However sharp eyed readers will note that this takes place on the first day of the new fiscal year and so the Met's coffers will be full and plenty of overtime will be payable. Luvvly jubbly sarge.

Ideal opportuntity for the Met to try out " their massive security operation " (TM R Murdoch / Times) for the ever popular London Olympics in 4 years time for which preparations are so well advanced.

The route passes by Nelson’s Column, Downing Street and St Paul’s Cathedral. Let's hope protesters don't take the opportunity to cause trouble by showing how occupying powers destroy the lives of the occupied in Tibet , Kosovo, Baghdad, Fallujah Mosul, Basra ......

The flame is lit in Athens tomorrow by International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who has resoluteley refused to criticise China's attacks on the protesting Tibetans.

Chinese stop Tiananmen Square live broadcasts during Games.

Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co.,( BOB) is vast money making joint venture , between Beijing Olympic organizers and an IOC subsidiary which coordinates and provides technical services for the TV networks with rights to broadcast the Olympics, such as NBC.

This week officials with the Beijing Olympics Organizing Committee( BOCOG) told BOB that live shots (stand up shots where the journo speaks to camera) of Tiananmen Square will be cancelled. No explanation was given.

TV networks paid huge amounts for rights to broadcast the games , accounting for more than 50% of IOC's revenues. The biggest spender is NBC. It paid $2.3 billion for the rights for three Olympics from 2004 to 2008 — Athens, Turin and Beijing.

Officials at NBC (owned by General Electric Co.) have so far refused to comment. (AP)