um. Lit in Olympia on 10 May, the flame was taken on a week-long tour of Greece. A British delegation including David Beckham are due to fly with the torch to the UK on Friday. It will then be carried 8,000 miles (12,875 km) by 8,000 bearers in a 70-day relay ending at the Olympic Park. The relay begins at Land’s End on Saturday when triple Olympic sailing champion Ben Ainslie will be the fi…
Spectators who attended a preview of the Olympic Games opening ceremony have been urged to keep the details secret and not spoil the surprise for others. Thousands of people who attended a rehearsal on Monday were asked not to circulate images or videos. Danny Boyle, the ceremony’s artistic director, reportedly addressed the audience to “save the surprise”. About 62,000 are set…
st tally since 1908. In all, 44 world records have been set during London 2012, and 117 Olympic records broken. Among those to have set new world bests included Kenyan David Rudisha in the men’s 800 m and the Jamaican sprint relay team, one of three golds during the Games for Usain Bolt. US swimmer Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history while cyclist Sir Chris Hoy’…
ivilege for me to be asked but, more than anything, it is an exciting moment for the country. “The arrival of the torch on home soil really brings home how close the Games are.” Carried by 8,000 torchbearers, the Barber Osgerby-designed torch will cover 8,000 miles across all of the country’s nations and regions. It is due to reach the Olympic Stadium in Stratford on 27 July to l…
said to be a quirky take on British life. Some 15,000 sq m of staging and 12,956 props will be used, and the event will boast a million-watt PA system using more than 500 speakers. The crowd of about 80,000 will include the Queen and a host of dignitaries and celebrities. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip will host a Buckingham Palace reception for heads of state and government and an opening…
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has begun an investigation into claims Olympics representatives were willing to sell thousands of tickets for the London Games on the black market. The IOC’s ruling executive board met after fresh claims by the Sunday Times involving more than 50 countries. This included allegations that tickets for top events were available for up to 10 times their…
Danny Boyle, artistic director of the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony, has apologized to volunteers over “spoilers” appearing in the press. In an email sent to the 10,000 members of the public participating in the 27 July event, Danny Boyle asked them to “stay virtuous” and “protect the show”. “Many of you have been dismayed by the media scrutiny on…
…flew over the stadium to the sound of the Bond theme tune, as two figures parachuted down, one dressed as the monarch. As if by magic, the Queen appeared in the stands – part of a crowd of about 80,000 – amid cheers. James Bond was not the only much-loved British character to take part. Mr. Bean prompted laughter when he appeared as part of the orchestra playing the Chariots of Fire th…
Queen Elizabeth II has declared the London 2012 Paralympics officially open, during a spectacular opening ceremony watched by some 80,000 spectators. Britain’s first Paralympic Games gold medallist, Margaret Maughan, 84, had the honor of lighting the cauldron. Paralympics chief Lord Sebastian Coe told the crowd: “Prepare to be inspired, prepare to be dazzled, prepare to be moved.̶…
…are rather proud of the diversity of our city £nothingleftwingaboutit,” he tweeted in reply. Aidan Burley lost his job as a parliamentary private secretary after media reports of the party on December 3 last year in a restaurant in the French Alpine resort of Val Thorens, at which one guest is alleged to have dressed in an SS uniform and others are said to have chanted Nazi slogans. The Cannock Ch…
…eron earlier said the London Games would show the world “beyond doubt that Britain can deliver”. The flame ended the day in Hyde Park where the final torchbearer lit a cauldron in front of 60,000 people who have gathered for a celebratory concert. London Mayor Boris Johnson wished the crowds a “wonderful” Olympics, and thanked them for their support. “Are we ready? Ye…
food during Olympic Games. At 3,000 sq ft the building, next to the Olympic Stadium, is bigger than the current largest McDonald’s, in Moscow. The Russian restaurant will regain its title on September 9, however, when the London branch is bulldozed after the Paralympics closing ceremony. Yesterday McDonald’s gave the media a preview of its flagship store, which includes 20 till points and 1,500 se…
mbodiment of the Olympic spirit and represent the best of who we are as a nation.” Europe’s largest bell will ring inside the stadium to start the Shakespeare-inspired spectacle, featuring 900 children. One billion people are expected to watch the opening ceremony. Danny Boyle, best known for directing Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire and Trainspotting, said the show was inspired…
…om selling or republishing the pictures and said its decision to use them had been a “brutal” invasion of the couple’s privacy. However, the injunction was branded a “hollow victory” because more than 500,000 copies of the magazine have already been sold, about 100,000 more then normal. And there were fears that the ruling would do little to halt the worldwide spread of the pictures because the ma…
Volodymyr Gerashchenko, a senior Ukrainian Olympic official, has been suspended after a BBC investigation showed he was willing to unofficially sell 2012 tickets for cash. Volodymyr Gerashchenko, of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), told a reporter posing as a UK tout he would have up to 100 tickets to sell. It is a criminal offence, punishable by fines of up to £20,000 ($32,000),…
…asked South Korea to bar Park Jong-woo from the bronze medal ceremony after he held up a political message after the team beat Japan South Korea won the Olympic football bronze medal by beating Japan 2-0. The IOC says that after the game, a player was photographed brandishing a sign allegedly asserting South Korea’s sovereignty over the islands. The committee urged the South Korean Olympic…
Thousands of people awaits the spectacular opening of the London Games, as a fly-past by the Red Arrows marked the start of the pre-show. The nine RAF jets flew over the Olympic Stadium at the symbolic time of 20:12 BST, amid cheers. The three-hour spectacle will be viewed by a TV audience of one billion people. Details of the ceremony remain a closely-guarded secret. Its artistic director, Danny…
ango with Sir Derek Jacobi, said: “I’m so happy that the BBC at last have decided to do love stories about people who are over 35. Some of us do have quite interesting lives when we get to 70.” BBC Two’s 7/7 One Day in London won for best single documentary and ITV’s Hillsborough – The Truth at Last (Granada Reports) took the BAFTA for best news coverage. Room a…
her former husband’s latest split. Nicole Kidman refused to get involved in the divorce drama unfurling between Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes, even though there are echoes of her 2001 split with the now 50-year-old movie star. Not least 33-year-old Katie Holmes’ decision to file for sole custody of the couple’s daughter Suri, six, after Nicole Kidman lost primary residence of her two adopted c…
s from Annie Lennox, Take That, the Spice Girls and The Who. Each sang one or more of their best-known songs. George Michael, wearing sunglasses and dressed in black leather, came on stage in front of 80,000 people to sing his 1990 hit Freedom. He followed it with White Light, a slower number inspired by his near-death experience. Some viewers felt this was inappropriate and expressed their object…
Heidi Klum has been the hostess of this year’s MTV Europe Music Awards but she certainly wasn’t winning the battle of the red carpet. For her first of her six outfits at the star-studded ceremony in Frankfurt, the 39-year-old left little to the imagination in a revealing dress. The mother-of-four showed off a lot of cleavage in the lace-up blue and gold studded Versace gown as she arr…
a Jolie, who own a 17th century manor house nearby. Later tonight James Righton’s band, the Klaxons, will entertain guests at an after-party in a marquee in the garden. It is thought that around 50 will attend, including Keira Knightley’s former co-star, Hollywood actress Sienna Miller. Keira Knightley and James Righton have employed a catering team to serve the wedding dinner and 120…
Elizabeth Smart and her new husband Matthew Gilmour incorporated their respective family traditions into their tradition-filled Hawaiian ceremony on Saturday. Elizabeth Smart, 24, who made headlines when she was found 9 months after being kidnapped at knife-point when she was a young teen, looked stunning in a lace boat-necked dress with a full, drop-waist skirt. The groom, Matthew Gilmour, 22, s…
…to “troop the colors”, and in 1748 it was announced that the parade would also mark the Queen’s official birthday. The Queen’s actual birthday was on 21 April, when she turned 86. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth II, who has recently celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, has attended Trooping the Colour every year except in 1955, when it was cancelled because of the national ra…
…bruary’s inconclusive poll there has been political stalemate in Italy, which is still plagued by economic woes after becoming one of the first eurozone victims of the global financial crisis of 2008. President Giorgio Napolitano said on Saturday that the government would have the support of both chambers of parliament. “I hope that this government can get to work quickly in the spirit…
Eva Longoria humiliating wardrobe malfunction at Cannes Film FestivalEva Longoria has suffered an extremely embarrassing wardrobe malfunction as she unfortunately revealed far more than she intended to upon screening of Jimmy P. (Psychotherapy…
Manotox: Nip+Fab man only anti-ageing product claims to reduce wrinkles and fine lines without surgeryMen's grooming is one of the fastest growing sectors in the beauty business with men now spending an estimated $10 billion on grooming products and beauty treatments every…
Mood lipstick: Green lipstick containing Red 27 reacts to your body chemistry to become perfect pink hueA green lipstick that appears clear when applied changes "magically" into different shades of pink, according to the wearer's body chemistry. The green lipstick - variations…
KORA Organics: Miranda Kerr unveils skincare line featuring Noni fruitMiranda Kerr is allowing mere mortals to try and emulate her impeccable look by unveiling KORA Organics, an organic beauty range that she created using her closely guarded…
Michelle Obama debuts her new longer hairdoMichelle Obama debuted her new longer hairdo on Friday during her commencement address at Bowie State University. The First Lady, who admitted last month that her bangs were…
Rihanna sues Topshop for $5 million over using pictures of her on T-shirts without her permissionRihanna says she will sue Topshop after claiming they sold T-shirts with her face on it without asking permission. Rihanna's team is said to have told the British high…
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