Sunday,  July 29, 2012 • Vol. 13--No. 015 • 43 of 48 •  Other Editions

(Continued from page 42)

EYES ON LONDON: Awaiting the royals, angst over empty seats and some arrested activists

• LONDON (AP) -- Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:
• ___
• APPETITE FOR ROWING
• Yes, there were plenty of empty seats at the tennis and gymnastics on the open

ing day of the London Olympics. But the crowds continue to flock to the rowing regatta in Windsor.
• A capacity crowd enjoyed a packed day of action on Saturday. And despite there being a shorter schedule 24 hours later, the grandstands were close to full by start of racing Sunday. There were even so-called "Mexican waves."
• ___

Will the problem be the solution? Divided Cyprus drifts away from thoughts of reconciliation

• PYLA, Cyprus (AP) -- Tell a Greek Cypriot that your next destination is the Turkish city of Istanbul, once the seat of empires, and there's a chance you will be gently chided. "You mean 'Constantinople,'" the conversation partner might say, referring to the former Byzantine capital, which fell to Ottoman armies in 1453.
• This allegiance to the past is tinged with defiance, a stubborn refusal to call a place by the name chosen by the inhabitants of a hostile country. But it is more recent civil strife and war, nearly half a century ago, that infuse the psyche of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island favored by vacationers for its sun and beaches.  
• In a strange twist, divided Cyprus has taken on a role meant to unify, this month assuming the rotating presidency of the European Union, a six-month stint that gives it a self-promotional platform even as it scrambles for a multi-billion dollar bailout to support its troubled banks. In another quirk of split-screen Cyprus, it is seeking money from oil-rich Russia, an increasingly important friend, in addition to the EU, as it tries to avoid the austerity measures that would likely come with any European aid.
• At the heart of these dueling directions lies the "Cyprus problem," as it is blandly known.

(Continued on page 44)

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