Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 04-08-11

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] THE OLYMPIC GAMES OPEN TODAY WITH THE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

[02] THE "QUEEN MARY II" SAILED INTO THE PORT OF PIRAEUS

[03] AGREEMENT ON THE MISSING IN CYPRUS

[04] PRIME MINISTER KARAMANLIS WILL VISIT THE GREEK ATHLETES

[05] ROUSOPOULOS ON THE BOMB ATTACKS IN TURKEY AND THE TURKISH VIOLATIONS

[06] ROUSOPOULOS: GREECE TODAY CROSSES THE FINISHING LINE OF A MARATHON

[07] THE OLYMPIC FLAME IN ATHENS

[01] THE OLYMPIC GAMES OPEN TODAY WITH THE FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

In essence, the Athens Olympic Games open today with the Olympic football tournament at the stadiums of the four Olympic cities namely, Volos, Iraklion, Thessaloniki and Patras.

The four cities are absolutely ready and able to host the football games that will be watched by millions of television viewers around the world.

The games between the women's Olympic football teams of Brazil and Australia (6 pm local time) and between the men's Olympic football teams of Greece and Korea (8:30 pm local time) will take place in Thessaloniki's Kaftatzoglio Stadium.

In Volos' Panthessaliko Stadium will be held the game between the women's Olympic teams of Sweden and Japan (6 pm local time) and between the men's teams of Mali and Mexico (8:30 pm local time).

The women's football teams of Germany and China and the men's teams of Argentina and Serbia will play at the Panpeloponnisiako Stadium in Patras, while at Pankritio Stadium in Iraklion will play the women's teams of Greece and the United States and the men's teams of Tunisia and Australia. All games will take place at the same time namely, the women's teams will play at 6 pm and the men's teams at 8:30 pm (Greek local time).

The second and last rehearsal for the Athens Olympic Games opening ceremony took place at the Athens Olympic Stadium yesterday in almost real conditions and in the presence of 70,000 spectators. The rehearsal proceeded as planned.

Two French nationals who attempted to sell free of charge invitations issued by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee were spotted and taken to the Olympic Stadium police station.

Athens 2004 Organizing Committee President Yianna Angelopoulou-Daskalakis speaking to the Athens television station ALPHA stated that Greece is absolutely ready to host the Olympic Games.

[02] THE "QUEEN MARY II" SAILED INTO THE PORT OF PIRAEUS

The biggest cruise ship in the world, the Queen Mary II, which will host the members of the international jet set who will come to Greece to watch the Olympic Games, sailed into the port of Piraeus today.

The Queen Mary II can accommodate 2,620 passengers and has a crew that numbers a total of 1,253 members.

This unique cruise ship cost about US$ 800 million and it is five times longer than the historic ship Britannia.

Meanwhile, the yacht with former US President George Bush Senior, his wife and his two granddaughters (daughters of US President George Bush Junior) arrived at the sea region of Molivos, in the northeastern Aegean island of Lesvos today.

They arrived in Greece yesterday to attend the Athens Olympic Games. Their yacht that belongs to the Latsis family of shipowners will sail into the port of Piraeus tomorrow.

[03] AGREEMENT ON THE MISSING IN CYPRUS

Nicosia has announced that it accepts all proposals made by the UN Secretary General on those missing in Cyprus since the Turkish invasion.

Our side will do everything possible to materialize those proposals, mentions a statement issued by the office of the President of the Cyprus Republic.

According to Nicosia, the UN Secretary General in his letter reiterates the proposals submitted in December, while it also includes some new ones.

Nicosia thanked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for his efforts aimed at the solution of the problem.

[04] PRIME MINISTER KARAMANLIS WILL VISIT THE GREEK ATHLETES

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis will be at the Olympic Village at 7 pm this afternoon to visit the Greek athletes and wish them success in their effort for Olympic medals.

Mr. Karamanlis will have a cordial meeting with the Greek athletes and will listen to their comments concerning the Olympic Village.

The Prime Minister will also tour the Olympic Village and see from up close the facilities created to host the athletes of the Olympic family.

[05] ROUSOPOULOS ON THE BOMB ATTACKS IN TURKEY AND THE TURKISH VIOLATIONS

Greek government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos expressed the government's regret for the bomb attacks in Turkey, pointing out that it is an action condemned by the international community.

On the violations of the Cypriot airspace by Turkish jets, Mr. Rousopoulos stated that they are sad incidents, stressing that they do not agree with the spirit of the Olympic Games and the effort for the creation of a climate of friendship in the Athens-Ankara relations.

Asked to comment on whether the military exercise Nikiforos-Toxotis will take place, Mr. Rousopoulos reminded that the specific exercise has not taken place for the past few years and the issue is being studied by the responsible government ministries in Athens and Nicosia.

The Greek government spokesman was also asked to verify the information according to which, three Turkish nationals were arrested while trying to enter Greece from Evros River.

Ministry of Public Order spokesman Mr. Economou, to whom Mr. Rousopoulos redirected the question, clarified that the three were not arrested. He said that they were not allowed to enter the country because they did not have enough economic means for their stay in Greece, adding that the specific incident took place on August 6. He also stressed that the incident has nothing to do with security issues.

[06] ROUSOPOULOS: GREECE TODAY CROSSES THE FINISHING LINE OF A MARATHON EFFORT

Greece today crosses the finishing line of a marathon effort that leads to a global celebration, stated Greek government spokesman Thodoris Rousopoulos.

Only two days are left before the formal opening of the Olympic Games given the fact that today take place the Olympic football matches of the men and women teams in the four Olympic cities of Thessaloniki, Volos, Patras and Heraklion.

[07] THE OLYMPIC FLAME IN ATHENS

The Olympic Flame enters the web of the city of Athens on Wednesday, August 11, with the altar of the Olympic Stadium being its final destination on Friday night. The relay route includes virtually all the municipalities in the Attica Basin and the suburbs of Athens. The flame will be carried by 600 Torchbearers, including prominent figures in sport and society from Greece and abroad. Olympic medallists, artists, businesspeople, academics, and people with stories of personal struggle to tell will encounter one another in the streets of the Greek capital, as the final links in the chain of the eleven thousand people who have carried the flame around the world since March 25, starting at Ancient Olympia, and finishing at Athens, back in the homeland.

Come Wednesday, the Torch Relay will start from Marathon at 06.55. Going via Marathonos Avenue it will have crossed the Mesogeia by 10.30. It will reach Kifissia, by way of Halandri and Vrilissia, at 13.05.

At Drapetsona, the Flame will be shipped on to a replica of a classical trireme. It will then go by water to the Piraeus, arriving at Akti Miaouli at 21.50. The Olympic altar will be kindled in Plateia Korai by Leonidas Andrianopoulos, and the ceremony will be followed by a concert by Marios Frangoulis.

There will be several Greek celebrities, and some international ones, in the ranks of the Torchbearers. Names include E. Bakatsias, E.Christodoulou, C.Warzycha, N.Boudouris, N.Chatzinikolaou, A.Vissi, M.Simitsek, and P.Fasoulas).

The Flame's destination on Thursday is the Acropolis. The Relay will leave the Piraeus at 08.37 and go to Moschato, Rentis, Tavros, Kallithea and Nea Smyrni. At 10.40, the Flame will be at Faliro and will continue towards Glyfada.

It will pass through Lavrio at 15.00 and will go by way of the Mesogeia to Argyroupoli, Ilioupoli, and Ymittos. At 20.30 it will arrive in Vyronas and will enter the City of Athens. Then, on its way to the Acropolis, the Relay will cross Amalias Avenue and Dionysiou Areopagitou. Niki Bakogianni will light the cauldron at 21.00. At 21.50 the program of celebrations will begin at the Herodes Atticus Theatre.

Big names among the day's Torchbearers are: Carl Lewis, Pavlos Tsimas, Juan Rocha, Valerios Leonidis, Katy Garbi, Mimi Denisi, Jean Cousteau.

On Friday, the Flame will be borne across the city centre towards the northern suburbs and the Olympic Stadium, passing such key points in the city as the residences of the President of the Hellenic Republic and of the Prime Minister. It will continue its route through Nea Philadelphia and Nea Ionia, to reach Kifissias Avenue by way of the Attiki Odos. Its last and final stop is the Olympic Stadium, where it will arrive just before the start of the Opening Ceremony.

Among the Torchbearers are: Babis Holidis, Leonidas Kokas, Nikos Oikonomou, Ibrahim Kutluay, Petros Kostopoulos, Carmen Ruggieri, the sculptor Vassiliki, Dionyssis Savvopoulos, Sakis Rouvas, Naomi Campbell, Christoforos Papakaliatis, Klaus Orman, Angelos Pavlakakis, Sonia Theodoridou.

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