Sun smiles as Olympic torch is lit

OLYMPIA, Greece: A "high priestess" in white, basked in bright sunshine, lit the Olympic flame yesterday at the sacred site of ancient Olympia.

The flame for the Beijing Games was ignited in a traditional sun-ray ceremony in front of the Hera Temple, raising the curtain on the torch relay - which will span an epic 130-day, 137,000-km journey around the world.

Although dark clouds shadowed the rehearsals in previous days, the sunshine broke out just in time to help Greek actress Maria Nafpliotou, portraying the High Priestess, light the first torch out of a concave mirror at about 11:45 am local time.