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Friday 8 June 2012

London 2012 Olympics: Aaron Cook's Games dream over as BOA ratifies nomination of Lutalo Muhammad - Daily Telegraph

London 2012 Olympics: Aaron Cook's Games dream over as BOA ratifies nomination of Lutalo Muhammad - Daily Telegraph

“The results are plain for everyone to see, he is world No 1, European champion and has beaten 10 of the top 15 athletes in the Olympic rankings in his most recent fights. It makes a mockery of the taekwondo -80kg competition in the London Olympics.”

Cook would have been selected if the criteria was on performance, one of the GB Taekwondo selectors, Dr Steve Peters, said. Peters sat in all three meetings but did not vote because he said his role was as an ‘athlete advocate’.

“We all agreed that if world ranking and success in tournaments were the only selection criteria, then Aaron would be selected as he’s an outstanding athlete who could get gold at the Olympics,” said Peters. “All we’re saying is that there are two athletes who can achieve this.”

Peters said Muhammad was ultimately chosen several compelling reasons: he was improving at a rapid rate, including a victory over Cook (although Cook beat his rival soon afterwards) and that his height and flexibility give him an advantage to double tap and earn extra points for headshots in fights.

“People have been confusing the issue, thinking there is something secret or underhand or another agenda and it is nonsense. The fact Aaron is working outside of the academy has never come into the meeting, it is not an issue,” said Peters.

However the BOA has reserved the right to reconsider Muhammad’s selection – an unlikely situation – subject to the findings of an inquiry instigated by the World Taekwondo Federation. Last night Cook was considering his legal options.

The BOA chief executive Andy Hunt said: “After a thorough review, the panel is now sufficiently satisfied that the agreed selection procedures have been followed, and it is on that basis we are ratifying the nomination.”


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Olympics: London 2012 remaining tickets go back on sale - WalesOnline

More tickets for some of the most popular events at the Olympic Games go on sale today.

Thousands of tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as for athletics, swimming, boxing, table tennis, volleyball and football at Wembley Stadium, will be available through the official Olympic website from 11am.

Prices range from £20 to £720 across the 96 available sessions, while tickets for the two ceremonies start at £995.

All the remaining tickets, both for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, are on sale on a first come, first served basis, and more will be available in coming weeks.

As with previous tickets, they can only be bought using a Visa card.

Locog, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, said more than eight million tickets have now been sold across both games.

But there are still about three million tickets left up for grabs, including more than half a million Olympic tickets, 1.2 million Paralympic tickets and 1.25 million tickets for Olympic football.

Locog commercial director Chris Townsend said: “There are still plenty of ways to join in and be part of London 2012.

“We are at advance stages of venue planning and these represent the final release of ceremonies and other sport tickets tickets.

“Over the next few weeks we will release further tickets for other Olympic sports and keep people informed when tickets are available.

“We are delighted with ticket sales to date, and have sold another 1 million tickets in the last four weeks, prioritising people who were unsuccessful last time around.”

For more information or to buy, visit www.tickets.london2012.com.

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Source: www.walesonline.co.uk

London hotels persist with Olympian price hikes - Daily Telegraph

This week JacTravel, which provides wholesale accommodation for inbound tour operators, said its London bookings were down by 35 per cent during July and 30 per cent during August, compared with the same months last year. By contrast, it said that bookings for summer holidays to Barcelona and Berlin had grown by more than 100 per cent.

JacTravel found that some four-star London hotels were charging up to £415 per night for stays during the Games, nearly four times more than usual.

A second hotel booking website, Hotels.com, found that the average price for a room during the Olympics had fallen slightly by five per cent since March, to £202. However, this is still 93 per cent more expensive than the same period last year.

A spokesman for Hotels.com said that some cheaper rooms could still be found if travellers were willing to look to outlying districts.


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Sussex League Division 3 Burgess Hill 192-8 Crawley 196-8 Crawley won by two wickets - crawleyobserver.co.uk

ATIF Elahi emerged the hero for Crawley by smashing 83 to pave the way for Crawley’s third successive away victory.

Burgess Hills’ opening batsmen took the attacking route and played some aggressive shots increasing the score rate.

Crawley’s breakthrough came in the ninth over when Richard Genge bowled an inswinging yorker to bowl the batsmen round the leg.

Hill’s ace Jack Simpson was the next batsmen in, and cautiously Burgess Hill went about for the next ten overs taking the score to 81-2.

New bowler Razwan Hussain took the prize wicket of Simpson in his second ball owing to a sharp catch by Lewis behind the stumps.

After drinks Crawley halted the scoring-rate while getting two further wickets by Elahi (1-41 off 14 overs) and Razwan Hussain (3-26).

Better fielding and bowling saw the run-rate decline but wickets were hard to come by as the batsmen showcased their defence.

More breakthroughs near the end of the innings saw Burgess Hill finish on 192-8 off 53 overs.

Both teams were satisfied in the interval with their performances.

Crawley began their chase in the most appalling manner as Harry Choudhary played an ambitious shot of the second ball of the innings only to be caught on mid-on.

Elahi joined Tomkins (31) and their fruitful stroke-making took the game to Hill. Their only blemish was their running between the wickets.

Tomkins took a suicidal run only to be sent back to the pavilion.

At 82-2 of 20 overs Crawley looked in dominant position only to loose 5 batsmes for the score of of 21.

At 103-6 Crawley’s camp was looking very agitated although not out of the game as they had strong batting all the way down to 11.

Overseas player Genge joined Elahi who was looking sublime in the other end.

Genge opened his big shoulders to bludgeon a few boundaries in a useful partnership with Elahi before being stumped for a good 19.

Experienced Warren Shulze (22 not out) now joined Elahi, and unlike other batsmen, Schulze supported Elahi, and endeavoured to give the strike to him.

Crawley needed just 14 to win of three overs when Elahi got out from a beauty taking out his middle stump, for a superb and maybe match-winning innings of 83.

With only two wickets remaining, Yorkshire youngster Pearson came to the crease and looked at home, exhibiting brilliant technique and with Shulze finished the game of in style.

Crawley have dominated all the games they have played so far and are disappointed in not being further head of the pack.

They are currently joint leaders with Crowhurst Park after five games.



Source: www.crawleyobserver.co.uk

London 2012: Selection 'a fairytale' for Mohamed Sbihi - BBC News

Mohamed Sbihi has described his selection in the men's eight boat for the London Olympics as "a dream".

The 24-year-old took up the sport nine years ago after being discovered through a talent identification scheme while at school in Surbiton.

He told BBC London 94.9: "An opportunity has become a dream and the dream has started to become a reality.

"I feel very fortunate. It's almost like a fairytale. If I hadn't gone into school that day, I wouldn't be here."

The Molesey Boat Club member was identified after British Rowing's  World Class Start programme visited Hollyfield School in south west London.

"They wanted all the tall kids in the year to go to a special PE lesson," Sbihi added.

"I didn't really want to go because I wanted to play football but my PE teacher pulled me back and told me that as I was the tallest guy in the year, I had to go.

"Before I knew it, I was in the top four out of 10,000 kids who had been tested in our area. I didn't like it to start with but then it slowly hooked me.

"I feel honoured and proud to wear the GB flag. I have to thank everyone who has been involved in my development."


Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Shard, London, view described as awesome! Defying vertigo, Robert Hardman climbed to the top of the highest building in Europe - Daily Mail

By Robert Hardman

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The only other human beings any higher than me anywhere in Britain - or Europe for that matter - are in aircraft or up mountains. I really am the king of the castle up here.

In fact, I can see a castle down below but it looks so puny that its toy soldiers are invisible. It’s just the teeny-weeny Tower of London.

It’s a pity that haze has descended, because visibility today is down to just seven or eight miles. So I can see London’s Olympic stadium to the east, Hampstead Heath to the north. But on a really good day, you can see as far as Southend and the North Sea in one direction, Berkshire in the other.

This is the best view in Britain for those without helicopters. From up here, it really is the London of a Lilliputian miniature village

This is the best view in Britain for those without helicopters. From up here, it really is the London of a Lilliputian miniature village

In a year or so, everyone will be able to come up here to the 72nd floor of The Shard, the European Union's tallest building, and look down on the capital of the UK

In a year or so, everyone will be able to come up here to the 72nd floor of The Shard, the European Union's tallest building, and look down on the capital of the UK

Sometimes, of course, this place is just too tall for its own good. During much of Sunday’s Thames Jubilee pageant, for example, it had its head in the clouds. Literally.

In a year or so, everyone will be able to come up here to the 72nd floor of The Shard, the European Union’s tallest building, and look down on the capital of the United Kingdom. For now, though, it is still work in progress.

Some poor soul has yet to clamber out and dismantle the crane which has just finished attaching the last steel girder to the top of this 1,016ft stalagmite. Inside its glass walls, a thousand workers are still beetling away on the wiring and plumbing.

But the outside is virtually finished. And a month from now, the red carpet will be unfurled for a grand royal inauguration. The Duke of York is coming to do the honours, along with the Prime Minister of Qatar, the tiny Gulf emirate which is busy buying London as a second home (the Stock Exchange, Harrods, the Olympic Village . . .).

The outside is virtually finished. And a month from now, the red carpet will be unfurled for a grand royal inauguration

The outside is virtually finished. And a month from now, the red carpet will be unfurled for a grand royal inauguration

This is the best view in Britain for those without helicopters. From up here, it really is the London of a  Lilliputian miniature village.

You can stare at an empty road and see how quickly congestion breaks out. It only takes one van driver doing a spot of unloading. Who’d have thought that the metamorphosis of a traffic jam could be so absorbing?

At this altitude, you realise what a lot of boat traffic there is on the River Thames, how much green space there is in South London, how lots of red buses aren’t red on top. 

The tranquillity is astonishing. The viewing deck is open to the elements, yet it sounds like the countryside — without birds. The pigeons don’t venture this high. Train-spotters and model railway enthusiasts will be glued to the comings and goings on the rail-sprawl below.

True, this thing would not greatly impress the average New Yorker.  Plonk it in Manhattan and it would be just another face in the crowd. But, in Britain, it is monumentally different. It isn’t even finished and already has the ‘iconic’ tag slapped on it for evermore. You need only write ‘The Shard’ on an envelope and your letter will get here.

Considering the size of it — 32 acres of floorspace protruding from an area smaller than a football pitch — one might have expected more controversy. This is by far the most prominent landmark London has ever seen. There were certainly angry voices during the planning stages a decade back.

But while organisations like English Heritage argued that The Shard would diminish the dominance of other historic buildings, public opposition has never really taken off.

The Prince of Wales, who is not without views on architectural matters, has confined himself to the observation that it looks like ‘an enormous salt cellar’. ‘He hasn’t had much to say about us really,’ says Irvine Sellar, the man behind it. ‘But his brother, the Duke of York, has always been a great supporter.’

Sellar, 72, has been eating and breathing this project for 14 years now. He is the veteran property developer who bought Southwark Towers, an unprepossessing office block on the south bank of the Thames, in 1998.

And then he had a spot of luck. Within weeks, the Blair Government decided on a new policy of encouraging major new developments attached to transport hubs. And Sellar’s new building was slap bang on top of London Bridge Railway Station.

He decided not to go big, but huge. And he soon had the backing of the new Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.

‘Luck is an evenly dispersed commodity, but you have to make the most of your opportunities,’ he says. As someone who built up one property empire and lost the lot — in the early Nineties — and then built another, Sellar knows about risk. ‘Back then, I had the Rolls-Royce, the plane, the big house and it was a long fall,’ he says. ‘But I had a few loyal friends, I got lucky with a couple of deals and if you have bad news and you’re fit and healthy, then you just have to say: “Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life”.’

Sellar’s first fortune was born out of Carnaby Street fashion in the Sixties and Seventies (his wife, Elizabeth, is a former model). His second fortune, rooted in commercial property, puts him in 395th place in the latest Rich List with an estimated worth of 190 million. London-born and bred, he divides his time between homes in London, Surrey and the Sussex coast. No bolthole overseas in the sun? ‘I’d never go there enough. It’s a waste of time.’

A tennis-mad grandfather who does not even include his birthday in the slimmest of Who’s Who entries, he doesn’t do politics and says London has been ‘very lucky’ to have both Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson as mayor. But he is no fan of the coalition system. ‘We need strong leadership,’ he says. 

Having bought his plot at London Bridge, he wanted to plant something distinctive and historic on the skyline. But he says that, from the outset, aesthetics rather than size was the dominant factor. So, he recruited the distinguished Italian architect, Renzo Piano, an odd choice, perhaps, since Piano disliked tall buildings, finding them ‘arrogant’ and inaccessible.

But Piano saw the opportunity to do something new. The Shard is not a City skyscraper. It peers down on the bankers from across the water in the relatively deprived South London borough of Southwark. Piano took his inspiration from ships which used to populate the Thames and from the profusion of churches dotting the old London skyline. He wanted to create a new spire, but this one would be full of light.

Modern skyscrapers are rather like celebrities, always in sunglasses whatever the weather. This building would not be clothed in dark, reflective glass. The Shard would remove the shades.
In an early Press conference, while struggling to find the mot juste, Renzo Piano likened his vision to a ‘shard of glass’. The name stuck.

‘I wanted to call it LBT — London Bridge Tower,’ says Sellar. ‘But the marketing people talked me round. They said: “The Shard’s a great nickname. Let’s keep it”.’

London's world famous Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament overlook the river, with giant Waterloo station on the southern side

London's world famous Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament overlook the river, with giant Waterloo station on the southern side

Landmarks: The London Eye is clearly visible from the top of the Shard, as is the vast expanse of Waterloo Station adjacent to it visible from the top of the Shard, as it the vast expanse of Waterloo Station adjacent to it

Landmarks: The London Eye is clearly visible from the top of the Shard, as is the vast expanse of Waterloo Station adjacent to it

The BT Tower stands tall in front of Regent's Park in the background and the bright green domed roof of the British Museum in the foreground

The BT Tower stands tall in front of Regent's Park in the background and the bright green domed roof of the British Museum in the foreground

Sellar says he wanted to build a ‘vertical town’ as opposed to an office block. The average skyscraper is all about cramming in the optimum number of worker bees. But if you set out to build something which includes offices, restaurants, a hotel and some very grand apartments, then each section will have different needs.

Hotel guests and residents need to look out of the window in a way that office workers don’t. Therefore, you make the residential floors smaller so that everyone is nearer the outside. Office grunts can stare at the wall. That’s why this thing tapers from a large base to a pointy top.

The fatter, lower section is all offices until three floors of restaurant space kick in from floors 31 to 33. Above that, it is a five-star Shangri-La hotel all the way to the 53rd floor. The upper section will be among the most expensive and unusual apartments in Europe — each with an estimated price of more than 30 million and a 360-degree view of the metropolis. 

But the residents will still have the likes of you and me clomping around above them. Because floors 68 to 72 will be observation decks like the one I am on now. The uppermost levels (rising to the equivalent of a 95th storey) will house plant and machinery in what surely constitutes Britain’s most spectacular attic.

The very top consists of several shards of glass which simply taper off into thin air. This a clever optical illusion, since it fools the human eye into carrying on upwards, suggesting that the Shard is even taller than it actually is.

Robert Hardman experiences life on the 72nd floor of the highest building in Europe, The Shard in South London

Some poor soul has yet to clamber out and dismantle the crane which has just finished attaching the last steel girder to the top of this 1,016ft stalagmite

Some poor soul has yet to clamber out and dismantle the crane which has just finished attaching the last steel girder to the top of this 1,016ft stalagmite

And so it would have been, had it not been for the Civil Aviation Authority. The original plan was for something 1,400ft tall, but the custodians of Britain’s skies decided this represented a hazard to air traffic. Piano’s plan was cut back to 1,000ft.

Needless to say, the process was not straightforward. Sellar was preparing his initial planning application when terrorists brought down the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Suddenly, no one was keen on new skyscrapers. When he finally got his planning permissions, there were strings attached — not least a requirement to give the paying public the viewing platform on which I am now standing.

A full decade after Sellar had bought the site, he had not even started building when the 2008 banking collapse stopped the project in its tracks. Along came the Qataris with their bottomless shopping trolley and ended up with 80 per cent of the equity.

Even now, it is unclear who is going to rent all this office space or pay 30 million for a flat in Southwark. But London has plenty of bored trillionaire non-doms. The hotel portion of the tower has already been leased and there are said to be several takers for the various restaurant spaces.

It is self-evidently a bold addition to the London skyline. I like its originality. And it is an eloquent riposte to those dreary modernists who spent all last weekend moaning that Britain is stuck in the past. But there will be some people who hate it, just as many people regarded, say, St Paul’s Cathedral as an eyesore when it opened.

They might care to follow the example of the French writer, Guy de Maupassant, who hated the Eiffel Tower so much that he ate in its restaurant every day. When asked why, he explained that it was the only place in Paris where he didn’t have to look at it.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

Haha stupid comments. Why would a viewing platform be a security risk for a bomb. Any floor could be a security risk. Someone could take a bomb in the restaurant. Think people before writing utter nonsense

Quebec is the most beautiful Province in Canada. The People are so warmhearted and humorous and hospitable so it is a pleasure to go there for the weekend! The new Tower in London really symbolize the NWO! Cheers!

cain L Westmount Quebec... two things come to mind when reading your comments, heritage envy & I hope to God, people don't think you don't represent for the vast majority of intelligent, enlightened Canadians...

I'd of thought a public viewing platform after 9/11 would be a security risk, will there be security to stop someone with a bomb going up and taking the whole building down in an explosion?

Since when is a city the capital of 4 countries? London isn't even the capital of England, it's the financial capital of the UK yes but not the capital city. - Carlo, Edinburgh, 9/6/2012 0:17 *************** Dunno where you learned your geography, but the capital city, seat of government, and largest city of the United Kingdom is London. The capital of England is is London, the capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, the capital of Wales is Cardiff and the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

that fine architecture and engineering at its best

Looking down from the highest building in Europe doesn't matter much when you're looking down at the ugliest city/country in Europe. :/ - Cain L., Westmount, Quebec ----------------------------------------------- In that case I honestly don't understand why you bother creating account to comment on articles on UK website on articles about London/England/UK if you hate it that much. And millions of tourists every years(including myself) visit London every year-and get our money's worth!

Looking down from the highest building in Europe doesn't matter much when you're looking down at the ugliest city/country in Europe. :/ - Cain L., Westmount, Quebec, 8/6/2012 18:55 Hmmmmm you have a right to your opinion, but what is this Westmount place you live in? Never even heard of it. Does anyone know it exists.....? - Anna, NYC, 8/6/2012 ************************** Westmount is the richest, most elitist with their noses-stuck-in-the-air, neighbourhood in all of Montreal AND Canada. But Montreal is a magnificent city. They have fine architecture that was drawn from all over, because Montreal was built by the French, Italians, British, amongst others, who settled there over the centuries. Unfortunately the beauty of Montreal and Quebec is ruined by the people who live there, people like Cain who never stop whining about everything. He may write negative things about England, but take my word, it's nothing compared to what he and his fellow Quebecois will say about our Canada!

@AKN, UK, 09/6/2012 01:05. Pyramids symbolise power, yes. Pyramids also symbolise slavery - so your correct in part.

Canada is the second biggest land mass in the world after Russia, with one of the smallest industrialized country populations (35 million). Cain L., Westmount, Quebec>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Canada is the 2nd biggest country in total area ( including waters) but both the USA and China have more land mass. I'm beginning to realize that some Canadians have severe ego problems.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.


Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Sussex v Surrey evenly poised on Day Three - wscountytimes.co.uk

Sussex have built a slight first innings lead over Surrey after a patient morning session on Day Three at Horsham.

Resuming on 90-6, Luke Wells and Naveed Arif Gondal added 82 runs before lunch in blustery but dry conditions to give Sussex a 48-run lead.

But Arif Gondal was caught on 34 with the last ball before lunch to leave the game right in the balance.

After a slow start Wells brought up his 50 - justifying his selection in place of the dropped Murray Goodwin - and a pull to the rope from the left hander took Sussex beyond their opponent’s 124 first innings score.

Having allowed Wells most of the early strike Arif Gondal took a while to find his first boundary, but the following ball he drove Murali Kartik over long on for Sussex’s first six of the innings.

After losing four wickets in the six overs played yesterday because of the heavy rain, the Sussex pair’s patient approach was much needed, though Surrey found a late breakthrough when Murali Kartik had Arif Gondal caught behind by Gareth Batty with the final ball of the session.

Sussex will resume on 172-7 with Wells edging towards his century, unbeaten on 82 with Steve Magoffin joining him at the crease.

Despite yesterday’s heavy rain the pitch at Cricketfield Road looks immaculate with the ground staff doing an excellent job to get today started on time while a host of other County Championship games are yet to begin.



Source: www.wscountytimes.co.uk

West Sussex County Council outsources back office to Capita - CIO UK

West Sussex County Council has chosen Capita as its preferred partner in a 10-year back office outsourcing contract.

Under the contract, worth approximately £154 million in additional revenue, Capita will deliver services including HR, payroll, finance, online service delivery, office services, procurement and pensions administration.

The contract is expected to be signed later this month, with work starting from September.

Sarah Burnett, head of public sector outsourcing at analyst firm NelsonHall, said that the contract would have been highly contested.

“There aren’t many of these multi-process contracts coming through. Serco and Arvato would have been competitors and been very disappointed at not winning,” she said.

She added: “They haven’t said what savings they would have to achieve yet. I expect savings will be a big part of it.”

Burnett also believes that the breadth of the services being outsourced will mean a “reasonable level of staff transfer” will occur.

In October 2010, the council brought in Capita to provide IT services as part of a seven-year deal worth an ‘initial’ £56 million.

At the time, the council said the deal would provide a “flexible and sustainable IT service at significantly lower cost”.

Serco already has a desktop management contract with the council, and, through its acquisition of The Listening Company, a contract for West Sussex’s contact centre.

“Capita will have to work with them,” said Burnett.


Source: www.cio.co.uk

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