London Broncos coach Rob Powell understands review decision - BBC News
London Broncos head coach Rob Powell says he understands the club's decision to hold a performance review.
The Twickenham Stoop outfit's board announced the mid-season review last week after picking up just two wins in the Super League so far this year.
Powell told BBC London 94.9: "There's been a decision to look at what we are doing and they are well within their right to do that.
"It's a performance-based industry and we haven't been performing."
He added: "They want to look at who we've got and who's doing what roles. They are right to want to challenge us and make sure we are getting it right.
"How it unfolds is not for me to answer but we're more than happy about it."
The Broncos have the third-worst defensive record in the Super League but following their performance in the 14-12 defeat to Hull FC on Sunday, Powell believes his side are close to turning the corner.
"I think we defended really strongly and if we can build on that, take it forward and do it on a consistent basis, we'll be okay and get through this tough period," he added.
"It's pretty pointless if we only do it once. I'd like to think this is a benchmark that we can achieve more often.
"We've got a very hard-working group of players and staff who want to make amends and make things right.
"There's a lot of effort that goes on behind the scenes in many different departments."
Far East buyers beware in London property rush - Reuters UK
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - When Hong Kong businessman Mr. He paid a 35,000 pound deposit on a four-bedroom apartment in Britain, he believed it was a 40-minute walk from central London, his lawyer says. In fact it was a 40-minute journey by high-speed train.
The 350,000 pound home was in Lincolnshire, eastern England. He sued the developer for misrepresentation last year, getting his money back before the case got to court in what his lawyer told Reuters was an attempt by the developer to avoid its marketing material being splashed around a courtroom.
His experience shows the potential pitfalls facing a growing number of Far Eastern people buying British homes unseen as developers target places such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore because British buyers are struggling to get mortgages.
"It is a matter of developers saying: 'Here are some people who are likely to be interested. They probably do not know too much about the market, so why don't we advertise there'," said David Eldon, former chairman of HSBC's Asia unit (HSBA.L) who has witnessed the practice during two decades in Hong Kong.
"I think they are being a little economical with the truth," he told Reuters, saying properties could be sold for higher prices in the Far East.
Major developers including Barratt (BDEV.L), Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) and Berkeley (BKGH.L) have stepped up efforts to court cash-rich Far Eastern buyers since 2009 after the global financial crisis sapped demand at home. Developers do not all use exactly the same marketing methods.
Berkeley said it had had many repeat purchases from Asian buyers over 20 years, although it acknowledged a mistake in one of its press releases. Taylor Wimpey said it offered a high level of service to all customers. Barratt declined to comment.
The number of Chinese and Pacific Asian buyers of the best quality newly built London homes jumped to 37 percent in 2010 from four percent in 2009, data from property consultancy Savills (SVS.L) showed. The majority purchase for investment and are used to buying off-plan - before the home is built.
Mr. He was told his flat was 40 minutes from central London at a face-to-face meeting with the developer, said David Linklater, head of litigation at law firm Alan Broadhurst, who represented He. Broadhurst declined to give his client's full name or the developer's identity.
"Lots of people go to the fairs in Hong Kong and get a sheet of paper with a picture of Big Ben. You think you are going to be the Queen's neighbour when actually the Queen has a great big garden with a big wall around it," said Linklater, who deals with 20-30 unhappy overseas buyers a year.
PICTURES OF HARRODS
Sold at exhibitions in plush hotels, many properties are not in the most desirable London neighbourhoods despite the prominent pictures of Harrods or Buckingham Palace. Details of exact locations tend to be omitted rather than inaccurate.
"There is a lot of embellishment going on working off the naivety of the Chinese buyer," said James Moss, managing director of property consultancy Curzon Investment Property.
A brochure advertising 375 Kensington High Street, a luxury London scheme marketed in the Far East and developed by a Berkeley joint venture alludes to the proximity of the High Street Kensington underground station in a brochure entitled "London's most sought after new address".
The station, which is at the heart of one of London's most popular shopping districts, is a 15-20 minute walk away while the flats are at the scruffier end of the same long street and closer to two other tube stations.
In a press release issued in Hong Kong on Friday, the development was described as "a short walk from the luxury shopping available at Harrods". The world-famous store is a 50-minute walk according to the Transport for London website.
"To an unsuspecting buyer, you think wow, it is amazing, but actually it is the wrong end of Kensington High Street, right next to Kensington Olympia," said Camilla Dell, managing partner at Black Brick Property Solutions, which helps overseas buyers find London homes.
A Berkeley spokesman said the "short walk" description was "an error".
"We have had a lot of customers from Asia over the last 20 years, many of whom are repeat purchasers," he said.
"It (the development) has excellent transport links and easy access to well-known shops; the distances to which are clearly marked in our brochure. In addition, by far the majority of buyers have or will visit our developments before buying."
Ingrid Skinner, managing director of Taylor Wimpey Central London, said: "Buyers need to be able to trust the company they are buying from. At Taylor Wimpey we offer the same high level of service to all of our customers."
HIGH PRESSURE
The ballrooms of Hong Kong's luxury hotels hold property shows nearly every weekend. The city's two Mandarin Oriental hotels are particularly popular.
At one event attended by Reuters on Friday, prospective buyers were offered San Pellegrino bottled water, chocolate cupcakes and a choice of finger sandwiches. An HSBC banker was on hand to help with financing and a lawyer in case a purchaser was ready to sign.
Buyers can feel the pressure.
Judith, a native of Zhejiang in China who lives in London and declined to give her full name, said her father paid the deposit on six off-plan flats in Colindale, north London, at a Shanghai exhibition a year ago despite the fact she warned him about its remote location.
"The moment my father sat down, the agent wanted him to pay a reservation fee. Once he showed that he liked them, they said he had to pay the fee or someone else would snap them up," she said.
They are in a legal dispute with the agent in an attempt to recover 24,000 pounds, claiming they were sold the properties on the basis they could be converted into nine units, which they subsequently discovered was not possible.
"The developer and agent are not obliged to educate the buyers, it is down to the buyers to educate themselves," said Ken Xiao, president of Chinese Property Professionals Society in London. "Of course the agents will try to show the shiny side because they are trying to sell the property."
There may be little legal recourse. Those buying new homes as an investment are not protected under the National House Building Council's consumer code as opposed to those looking to occupy them, a spokeswoman for the watchdog told Reuters.
Estate agents said overseas buyers of property as an investment were at risk of getting lower-than-expected returns as the mass marketing of the homes at events meant many landlords would likely have to vie for tenants all at once, pushing rents down, Dell said.
"I have yet to see a development where the rents have exceeded the advertised rent," said Ashley Jones, managing director at London-based estate agent Barclay Residential. "I cannot see all of this having a happy ending."
(Additional reporting by Alex Frew McMillan; Editing by Tom Bill and Matthew Tostevin)
London 2012 Olympics: torch goes out on day three - Daily Telegraph
The Olympic torches were designed in London by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, who commended its ability to withstand adverse weather and stay lit in an interview last week.
"The torch had to be economical and sustainable as well as being beautiful and strong, so it’s an incredibly complicated piece of design," they said.
"It has to function at high altitudes, sub-zero temperatures, in strong winds and also be incredibly light as so many different types of people will be carrying it."
The flame is supposed to remain alight even in high winds because of a gas burner system held in the centre of the torch which emits a gas mix that optimises flame height, colour and luminosity.
The relay is in its third day and the torch is travelling between Exeter and Taunton. Former Long jump gold medal winner Jonathan Edwards and cricketer Marcus Trescothick are among Monday's runners.
This is not the first occasion on which the Olympic flame has been extinguished in recent days. A gust of wind blew out the flame during a ceremony in Olympia, Greece while it was being held by an actress playing a high priestess who was re-enacting a scene from the ancient Olympics.
London NHS trust fined £90,000 for data breach - BBC News
An NHS trust has been fined £90,000 after 59 patients' details were sent to the wrong person.
Personal data, including diagnoses, was faxed to a member of the public 45 times for three months from last March.
The Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust did not have sufficient checks in place, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said.
The trust said the breach was regrettable, but it intended to appeal against the the fine.
'Acted incorrectly'Stephen Eckersley, the ICO's head of enforcement, said: "Patients rely on the NHS to keep their details safe.
"In this case Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust failed to keep their patients' sensitive information secure.
"The fact that this information was sent to the wrong recipient for three months without anyone noticing makes this case all the more worrying."
A spokesman for the trust said: "We deeply regret that the Information Commissioner has decided to impose a fine and so we have instructed our lawyers to commence an appeal against this.
"We consider that the commissioner has acted incorrectly as a matter of law and so we have no alternative but to bring an appeal."
But she added that protecting patient confidentiality was a top priority and the incident, which was a result of human error, was "hugely regrettable".
The trust had apologised to those affected and changes have been made to procedures following an internal investigation.
Watch out London Collections: Men, here come the Women - fashion.telegraph.co.uk
The British Fashion Council has announced plans to promote London designers' womenswear collections with a special showcase in June.
BY Olivia Bergin | 21 May 2012
A model backstage at Matthew Williamson spring/summer 2012 Photo: SEAN CUNNINGHAM
The gap between February and September's London Fashion Week is a large one, so the British Fashion Council have today announced that they are filling the void with a new event, London Collections: Women.
Hot off the heels of the inaugural London Collections: Men - a three-day showcase of the capital's brightest menswear brands and new talents from June 15-17 - Women will promote the growing number of brands and designers selling mainline or Resort collections during this period.
READ: What to expect from London Collections: Men
"Many designers showing at London Fashion Week have now introduced pre-collections, some for the very first time this season," explains Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council.
"There are great showrooms here in London and we want to encourage as many as orders as possible to be written here."
READ: Prince Charles to host London Collections: Men reception
Designers who have been in business for at least three years will be eligible to apply to show under the umbrella. Their applications will be reviewed by an advisory panel comprised of leading opinion formers, press and retail representatives. Established names such as Matthew Williamson, Mulberry, Alice Temperley and Issa have already signed up. June 18 is slated as the official launch date, but designers have flexibility over the duration of their showroom openings.
London 2012 Festival: Coldplay to headline Paralympic closing ceremony - Daily Telegraph
His band formed in 1996 at University College London, and has since gone on to become one of the most successful acts of the last 15 years, topping the charts on both sides of the pond and selling over 55 million records worldwide. Coldplay's most recent album, Mylo Xyloto, was released last year.
London 2012 - Adlington backs Carlin to qualify - Yahoo! Eurosport
Four years ago Jazmin Carlin was cheering Rebecca Adlington on to success - now it is the double Olympic champion who will be doing the supporting as her friend bids to resurrect her London 2012 hopes.
Carlin provided one of the shocks of the British Gas Championships back in March, first failing to book an Olympic place in the 400m freestyle and then neither an individual nor relay spot in the shorter 200m.
The 21-year-old was to eventually pull out altogether before the final of the 800m freestyle, still not fully recovered from a bout of glandular fever, with all but one individual place for this summer's Olympics being taken.
Carlin's London 2012 hopes now rest on the 200m freestyle, an event in which she holds a Commonwealth silver medal, and the second Olympic trials in June, where one individual and two relay places are on offer.
And Adlington, who set herself up with a shot at retaining her 400m and 800m Olympic titles with double gold in March, insists Carlin isn't nicknamed Pit Bull for nothing believing she will make the team.
"Jazz can definitely still make it to the Olympics," said Adlington - who won 4x200m freestyle relay bronze alongside Carlin at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.
"I have no doubt that she has the ability to come back in June and I have no doubt that she will come back fighting - I can't wait to watch that race.
"I am going to be cheering for her and I do want her to do well. I just have no doubt that she can do it, I have so much belief in her and I think everybody does.
"I think that was the thing when she was obviously upset at the Olympic trials back in March that everyone was saying to her, we were all saying ‘we know you can do this'.
"She just needs to believe in herself and I have no doubt that if she does exactly that then she will be on that team for the Olympics with me."
Carlin contracted glandular fever prior to the World Championships last year and when in Shanghai she was far from at her best, failing to reach the final of the 400m and 800m she had so comfortably qualified for.
And Adlington, who won world 800m gold and 400m silver in China 12 months ago, admitted Carlin's situation really hit her when on the national squad camp with the 37 other qualified swimmers last month.
"Jazz was the one person I was kind of shocked to see not make it in March just because I know how much of a tough athlete she is and how strong she is," she added.
"Jazz and Tom Haffield are two people that I really noticed weren't on the British camp we had recently because they have been there for so long. I really noticed their presence not being there.
London 2012: Olympic Flame Relay Reaches Exeter On Third Day - huffingtonpost.co.uk
Some of Britain's top sport stars will carry the Olympic Flame as the London 2012 torch relay enters its third day today.
Ashes winning cricketer Marcus Trescothick and Olympic gold medal winning triple jumper Jonathan Edwards are among more than 100 torchbearers who will get to hold the famous torch.
Communities stretching from Exeter, via the north Devon coast, to Taunton in Somerset will see dozens of unsung and hardworking individuals get their moment in the spotlight.
The torchbearers range in age from children from Minehead School to 91-year-old Arthur Gilbert.
Gilbert will be one of the oldest of the 8,000 torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Flame on the way to the July 27 opening ceremony.
The nonagenarian, from Burnham on Sea, will carry the flame through Minehead.
His nomination says he received an MBE in 2008 to recognise 35 years of charity work.
Gilbert ran his first triathlon aged 68 and completed his most recent race in June last year in 2hrs 45min 43sec.
"Arthur lost his son and his wife to cancer recently looking after both of them at home and still keeping his training going," his nominator says.
"He is a shining example to all the young people who use the local sports facilities and has a large following of supporters."
There is also dedicated milkman James Winter, 40, from Chard, who will carry the torch in Minehead.
His nominator says: "The community he delivers the milk in rely on him to be there in all weathers.
"Even in the deepest snow he manages to deliver extra milk and make sure the elderly people on his round are ok and have enough suppliers.
"He goes out of his way to call on people to check they are ok on a weekly basis."
Winter has also completed the London marathon three times for charity.
Organisers will be hoping for a repeat of the packed out scenes that were part of the first two days of the relay when excited people lined the streets of Cornwall and Devon to catch a glimpse of the torch.
Yesterday began at the Plymouth Life Centre with the torch in the hands of 18-year-old Jordan Anderton.
Inspirational former Royal Marine Mark Ormrod, who lost an arm and two legs in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, was a torchbearer in Plymouth.
The relay travelled from Plymouth the Devon south coast of Totnes, Paignton and Torquay before finishing in Exeter for an evening celebration.
More than 8,500 people filled Exeter Cathedral Gardens to watch a live show of music and dance.
The convoy travelling with the flame is made up of 14 core vehicles, including a pilot car, torchbearer drop-off and pick-up shuttles. There are also sponsors, media and security vehicles plus a command car.
The lead convoy provides some entertainment for the crowds. The torchbearer follows about five to seven minutes later.
A crew of approximately 350 people are set to be working on each day of the 70-day relay.
The relay also relies on the work of staff from London 2012, the Metropolitan Police Torch Security Team, the sponsors plus the host police forces and town halls.
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