What does the giant golden key symbolize?

Amid pomp and ceremony, China launched the 2008 Olympics. Together with a Chinese counterpart, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, used a giant golden key to symbolically open what he called the most important market in the world. In his speech, he emphasized the power of the Olympic brand in China’s emerging market.

British news reporter Alan Johnston says his kidnapping by Palestinian militants was like being buried alive. A militant group called the Army of Islam held the reporter for nearly four months. His release came early Wednesday in the Gaza Strip.