 Olympic torch for Rio games lit in southern Greece April 21, 2016 - 14:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece, BBC News reports. It will be taken by various runners on an international torch relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August. The ritual was established eight decades ago for the Berlin Games. The lighting ceremony took place in Ancient Olympia, where the games took place for more than 1,000 years. A priestess performed it, focusing the sun's rays on a metal torch. The flame was kindled on Thursday by Greek actress Katerina Lehou. The torch will now begin a six-day relay across Greece, passing through the town of Marathon - which which gave its name to the long distance race - as well as a camp for refugees and migrants in Athens, the International Olympic Committee has said. The flame is due to arrive in Brazil on 3 May for a 100-day relay across the country, travelling through 500 cities and villages in every Brazilian state. It will be carried by about 12,000 torch bearers.  Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
