Best of British not on offer in copious amounts on the Olympic Park
For some time now London Olympic Games organisers have been insisting that food at the London Olympics would be the best of British.
There were visions of high tea, Sunday roast, Beef Wellington, steak and kidney pie, Cornish pasty, fish and chips, Eton Mess all washed down with a nice hot cup of tea, or a pint of ale.
But it’s not to be, sadly.
The scale and complexity of feeding hundreds of thousands of people at speed means the London 2012 Olympic Games threatens to be like every other recent Games before it: a poor convergence of the expensive and the pedestrian.
Most spectators might accept the higher prices if the quality and consistency was apparent, but if the catering at the Olympic test events were a taster then prepare to be underwhelmed.
The Olympic Park offerings were bland and overpriced, with only the tucker on offer at Horse Guards Parade – where the beach volleyball will be played – the only exception.
Let’s look at the expense first. Locog released its pricing card on Wednesday and immediately the chief executive Paul Deighton was on the defensive, claiming the cost was similar to those found at other major sporting events and the premium was justified because "their temporary nature are often more expensive than the high street".
He forgot to mention the Games’ food suppliers don't pay rent. Or perhaps they do – it’s called 'sponsorship'.
So how much more expensive is it to queue at Olympic Park, rather than bring in food to the Olympic Park from the Local Sainsbury's?
The cost of a 500ml bottle of water (£1.60), an Innocent orange juice (£2.50), a blueberry muffin (£2.50), some oats with maple syrup (£2.20) and a gourmet cheese sandwich (£3.80) at the Olympic Park will cost £12.60 in total.
The same five items from the Sainsbury's en route to the train station cost £5.69.
But I can't bring my four-pack of Heineken 330ml beers (£4.49 for the lot) to the Olympics as they will be confiscated by security.
I would be forced, therefore, to shell out £4.20 for one small bottle at the Olympic Park. Forget ale, unless you happen to be at Lord’s – the archery venue – where it will be available, but only from unmarked taps.
The line at the supermarket might be too long, so consider the High Street alternatives. Olympic coffee priced at £2.60 is £2, and Olympic Coca Cola costing £2.30 is £1.60. At Pret A Manger the water is 95p. At Upper Crust the tea is £1.65.
Next, consider the lack of variety – the very spice of life – as English poet William Cowper famously said.
"We have gone to great lengths to find top quality, tasty food that celebrates the best of Britain," insists Deighton.
The menu – and this comes from the sample provided by the organisers because the whole list is too big and complex to release in its entirety, apparently - is as follows: Singapore noodles; chicken wings; pizza; penne pasta; and chicken burrito. There is Coke and Heineken to drink.
Best of British? No wonder McDonald’s has built its world's biggest restaurant on the Olympic Park capable of seating 1,500.
Jaguar purrs into top spot as its customers are rated most satisfied with their cars - Daily Mail
By Ray Massey
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Jaguar has leapt for the first time to the top of a major customer satisfaction league table.
Britain’s big cat roared ahead of Japan’s luxury car-maker Lexus - which has held the top spot for eleven years - with experts citing it as proof that UK cars were now matching the best in the world on quality, style and desirability.
But Vauxhall - this month celebrating the survival and expansion of its Ellesmere Port factory in Cheshire - scored badly with its ageing Vectra model finishing last in the individual car section.
British manufacturer Jaguar has topped the customer satisfaction table for the first time
Jaguar beat long-time winners Lexus into second place, followed by Volkswagen-owned Skoda, Japan’s Honda and Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW in the survey by What Car? magazine and customer satisfaction experts JD Power.
It crowns a remarkable week of good news for the UK manufacturer as booming Jaguar Land Rover this week announced record profits of 1.5billion at a time of unprecedented expansion and investment. Prime Minister David Cameron and senior cabinet ministers use the Jaguar XJ as their official cars.
What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett said: ‘This is a great accolade for everyone at Jaguar. This study shows that customers are really satisfied with their Jaguars, a hugely important feat for any car maker.’
Jaguar customers praised the ‘top-notch workmanship’ and their dealerships for their clean and comfortable waiting areas, helpful staff, but criticised the significant rise in labour rates for servicing and repairs.
What Car? said: ‘Jaguar’s hard work in knocking Lexus off the top spot is even more impressive considering one of Jaguar’s featured cars, the X-Type, isn’t even made any more.'
But with a new F-Type roadster sport car and an XF Sportbrake estate in the pipeline it said ‘the future for Jaguar looks bright.’
Luxury car brand Lexus, which has long topped the satisfaction tables, has been pipped into second place this year
Jaguar sold 13,787 of its XJ, limousines, XF saloons, and XK sports cars in the UK last year but builds around 50,000 - the majority of which are exported.
Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark praised the efforts of the 2,000-strong British workforce at the firm’s Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham adding: ‘This award has huge significance beyond the UK. Jaguar has created cars that are world class in their quality, design and engineering - it’s a huge accomplishment and a tremendous honour to achieve the Number One spot.’
Kia’s stylish Sportage 4X4 topped the league table for the most satisfying car to own - just pipping Jaguar’s XF saloon which took second place ahead of the Toyota Prius, Skoda Superb and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
KIA's Sportage 4x4 was voted the most satisfying vehicle to own
Owners praised the Sportage’s good looks, value for money, seven year warranty and many extras as standard. What Car? noted: 'The Sportage was the only car in the survey to score five stars across all categories, from mechanical reliability to ownership costs and the dealer experience.’
Worst performing car for satisfaction is the now discontinued Vauxhall Vectra - once famously lambasted by BBC Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson - which ceased production four years ago to be replaced by the Insignia.
What Car? noted: ‘As a manufacturer, Vauxhall climbed off the bottom of the pile this year, but the company won’t be celebrating anytime soon because its Vectra took the wooden spoon in the individual category.
‘The car suffered problems in almost every area. Owners complained about its looks, driving dynamics, and air-conditioning (the biggest single cause of complaints). Vauxhall customer service didn’t sweeten the pill either; many owners were disgruntled about the costs to run and fix the Vectra.’
It noted:’In Vauxhall’s defence, the Vectra is no longer on sale.’ However it added: ‘Its Insignia replacement didn’t cover itself in glory, scoring well below average. In 95th place, but at least it ranked 23 places higher than the Vectra.’
The now-discontinued Vauxhall Vectra, lambasted by Jeremy Clarkson, was also panned by the survey
Worst performing manufacturer with a ‘shocking’ result is budget brand Chevrolet, Vauxhall’s sibling in the giant General Motors’ stable. Vauxhall is languishing close behind in second from bottom place -just ahead of Italy’s Fiat, Japan’s Suzuki and France’s Renault.
What Car? said this was down to the poor performance of the ageing Matiz and that more recently launched models such as the Spark and Cruze were too new to be included.
The satisfaction survey results are based on Based on 18,000 online interviews of owners covering an evaluation of 66 car ownership attributes grouped into four main sections: vehicle appeal including performance, design, comfort, features (37 per cent of the marks); quality and reliability (24 per cent); ownership costs including fuel consumption, insurance and cost of service and repair (22 per cent); and dealer service (17 per cent).
Among the different categories of vehicle, Toyota’s iQ is the best city car, Honda Jazz is best supermini, Skoda Octavia is best small family car, Toyota Prius the best family car, Lexus IS is best compact executive, Jaguar XF is the best executive car, Volkswagen Scirocco is the best sports and cabrio car, Mercedes B-Class is the best multi-purpose vehicle, Kia Sportage is the best compact sports-utility vehicle (SUV), and the Lexus RX is the best large SUV.
London Olympics: BT needs 25,000 more Wi-Fi hotspots - zdnet.co.uk
Moonlight wasn't a Microsoft product, so it's not really a failure for Microsoft, more a failure for open source. Or, specifically, for Novell,...
13 hours ago by Jack Schofield on The future of .NET (Mono) on non-Windows platformsOpel/Vauxhall workers need an international strategy - World Socialist Web Site
Opel/Vauxhall workers need an international strategy
Statement by the Socialist Equality Parties of the UK and Germany
31 May 2012
The European head of General Motors, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, will put forward a restructuring plan involving annual savings of $1 billion (800 million euros) at GM’s supervisory board on June 28.
GM is initiating a new round of drastic attacks on wages, working conditions and jobs at its European subsidiaries Opel and Vauxhall. The 50-year-old Opel plant in Bochum (Germany) is likely to close.
Workers who oppose this onslaught are forced to fight on two fronts. Their enemy is not just the company management, but also the trade unions and works councils.
For years management, trade unions and works councils have collaborated to enforce massive cuts. While the unions maintain close international connections, rub shoulders in the European works council and sit on the board of Opel / Vauxhall, they play off one production site against the other in order to get further concessions from the workforce.
Pay cuts, increased flexibility, job losses, etc., are routinely presented as the only way to secure the future of a plant—until the next round of cuts began.
Three years ago Opel closed down its first plant in Amsterdam, with the loss of 2,600 jobs. Shortly before the closure the European works council, which had helped to organise the shut down, held a solidarity demonstration in order to save face.
Now the same pattern is to be employed once again. The British trade union Unite has agreed to drastic concessions at the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port—three instead of two shifts working 51 weeks per year; a four-year pay deal including a two-year pay freeze, making wages cheaper for GM; the use of subcontracted workers making up to 30 percent of the total workforce.
In return, Opel has pledged to shift production of its best-selling Astra model from the company’s principal factory in Rüsselsheim (Germany) and to concentrate it in Ellesmere Port and Gliwice (Poland). The main victim of this process will be the Opel plant in Bochum, which is likely to lose construction of the Zafira model to Rüsselsheim. The closure of Bochum would result in the redundancy of 3,100 Opel workers, of an extra 2,000 employed in subsidiary work in the factory and of 15,000 in supplier companies.
Workers at Ellesmere Port too would be making a big mistake if they regard their jobs as safe. Within the framework of the agreed alliance of Opel / Vauxhall with the French auto group PSA Peugeot Citroen, the two companies plan to save an additional billion dollars per year from 2017 onwards. This means that more plant closures in Europe, including at Peugeot Citroën, are inevitable.
Neither are the jobs of workers at Opel’s main plant in Rüsselsheim guaranteed. The union constantly assures them that their plant is of crucial importance because it houses the global development division of GM. But the company plans to share development departments in its new partnership with Peugeot Citroën.
GM’s policy of divide and rule is not limited to Europe. The company has leaked rumours about moving production of Chevrolet-branded cars from South Korea to Germany and of its Corsa model from Eisenach (East-Germany) to Zaragoza (Spain). The Eisenach factory’s future would then be entirely dependent on the success of a smaller model to be built from 2013 onwards.
The constant haemorrhaging of jobs is supported by the jingoistic slogans by which local union officials and politicians seek to incite one workforce against another.
The Labour MP for Ellesmere Port, Andrew Miller, praised the two union officials who negotiated the deal with GM. “These two have found common ground between the interests of GM and the interests of the local community,” he said, calling for protectionist measures in the same breath: “As a nation we now need to respond positively to this announcement, especially by making sure that no more public bodies follow the North West police authorities in buying cars with no UK content.”
For his part the Bochum works council chairman Rainer Einenkel insulted British workers at a factory meeting, saying that GM’s decision meant that “Those who supply the crap quality should build the cars.”
Rüsselsheim works council chairman, Dr. Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug, also claimed that “The most modern factory in the Opel / Vauxhall Network, namely Rüsselsheim,” produces at 219 euros less per vehicle than Ellesmere Port and at a better quality.
Schäfer-Klug plays a double game. He is also chairman of Opel’s European works council and deputy chairman of its supervisory board. In these capacities, he is not only informed at an early stage about the plans of GM, but helps to draw them up.
From June 1 Bob King, president of the American United Auto Workers, will assist him in this task. King will take up a seat on the Opel supervisory board. Sponsored by Germany’s IG Metall union, GM lobbied for King’s appointment because of the key role he played in collaborating with the Obama administration in imposing 30,000 job cuts at GM’s operations in the United States, reducing wages for new hires by half and downgrading working conditions.
Schäfer-Klug also maintains close relations with GM supervisory board chairman Stephen J. Girsky. In a joint press statement in January, Girsky and Schäfer-Klug agreed “that Opel has to be profitable—even in times of deteriorating economic conditions.”
Girsky is a key figure in the collusion of management and unions. He was an analyst at the bank JP Morgan Stanley and worked for GM, before the UAW hired him as a consultant. It was through the billion-dollar pension trust run by the UAW that he made his way back to the executive of GM.
It is impossible to stop the offensive against wages, jobs and working conditions without opposing the works councils and the trade unions. The downward spiral will accelerate. The initial benchmark is the wages in Poland. Opel workers at Gliwice have a gross income of only €770 per month. The next benchmark is the even lower wages paid in Romania, Bulgaria and China.
The works councils and shop stewards are determined to prevent any resistance to the onslaught by GM. “A Strike would be suicidal. We do not want to give Detroit an open goal,” declared Bochum works council chairman Rainer Einenkel. Schäfer-Klug also said that he is opposed to industrial action at Opel.
To defend jobs, wages and social rights, workers at Opel/Vauxhall need an international strategy. They cannot permit their ranks to be divided. They must break with the trade unions and works councils and work closely together with their colleagues in Europe, the US and internationally.
Factory and action committees must be established to organise joint international action involving strikes and the occupation of plants threatened with closure. Such action should not be limited to GM and Peugeot Citroën.
Jobs and living conditions can be defended only on the basis of a political perspective, which focuses on the needs of employees and their families rather than the profit interests of the corporations. What is required is a socialist program.
We call on GM workers and auto workers all over the world to establish contact with the editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site. We will help you organise a global offensive against the attacks levelled against you.
RFU Championship final: London Welsh 29-20 Cornish Pirates (agg: 66-41) - BBC News
London Welsh sealed the Championship title and a chance of securing a Premiership place after beating Cornish Pirates 66-41 over two legs.
Welsh are now expected to take legal action over the Rugby Football Union's ruling that they are not eligible for promotion to the top flight.
Matt Evans went over for Pirates but Alex Davies' fifth penalty put Welsh ahead before Hudson Tonga'uiha's try.
Ryan Storer reduced the deficit but Jack Moates rounded off Welsh's win.
An RFU report said the Exiles had not achieved the minimum standards criteria to go up but the Richmond-based side are expeted to explore "all possible avenues" to gain promotion after seeing off Pirates in the final.
Having proposed to play their matches next season at Oxford United's Kassam Stadium, where the second leg of the final was played, an RFU statement said that not having primacy of tenure at their chosen ground was one of "various failures" in Welsh's promotion bid.
Three Premiership sides share grounds with football clubs; London Irish with Reading, London Wasps with Wycombe and Saracens with Watford, while Sale will share with Super League side Salford City Reds next season.
On Wednesday club president John Dawes said chairman Bleddyn Phillips would take the "ultimate" action to ensure Welsh do go up .
Having won at Pirates 37-21 last week , Welsh fought back from a seven-point deficit which threatened their first-leg advantage, to secure the Championship title having finished the regular season in fourth place.
Aaron Penberthy's drop goal had put Pirates ahead, Alex Davies then levelled for Welsh before Rob Cook's penalty and a second from Davies made it 6-6.
Evans gave Pirates a clear lead with the opening try of the match, picking up on a loose ball after Cook's punt forward bounced into open space deep in the Exiles' half.
Cook then added the extras before Davies failed with a penalty attempt on the stroke of half-time.
The Exiles fly-half was successful with his next two attempts with the boot after the break, closing the gap to one point and putting the hosts nine points ahead on aggregate.
Davies added a fifth penalty before Tonga'uiha, who had scored in the first leg, broke through the Pirates defence to touch down and Davies then added his first of two conversions.
Pirates responded with a consolation try as replacement prop Ryan Storer forced his way over after a scramble on the line before Cook added the extras.
But Welsh were not yet done as a fine move saw Ed Jackson feed the ball to Jack Moates, who crossed over to add the gloss to their victory.
LINE-UPS
London Welsh: A. Davies, Ajuwa, J. Lewis, Tonga'uiha, Scott, Ross, R. Lewis, Lahiff, George, Tideswell, Mills, Corker, Beach, Denbee, Jackson.
Replacements: Ma'asi, Moss, Bateman, Purdy, Russell, Moates, Jewell.
Cornish Pirates: Cook, Evans, Pointer, Locke, D. Doherty, Penberthy, Cattle, Rimmer, Ward, Paver, McGolone, Nimmo, D. Ewers, Burgess, Maidment.
Replacements: Storer, Elloway, Myerscough, Marriott, Kebsel, Cooper, McAtee.
Referee: David Rose (RFU)
Food and drinks at the 2012 London Olympics won't be cheap - Examiner
If the price of airfare, hotel and tickets doesn't break your budget for the 2012 London Olympics, the cost of food and drink just might push you over the edge.
The average cost for a family of four to eat at an Olympic venue will be $61. The price of a bottle of water is reasonable at $2.50, but a hot dog will set you back $9.00. A meal of fish and chips and a Coke will run $16. A chicken burrito will sell for $10.
And if you planned on packing your own food, you’re out of luck. According to the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), “picnics are not allowed inside London 2012 venues," but they will let you through with small amounts of food to “snack on."
Bringing your own drinks is also out of the question. LOCOG states that only empty clear plastic water bottles will be allowed, although free drinking water from fountains will be available for refills.
LOCOG will feed more than 15,000 athletes across the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, with a total of 1.2 million meals set to be served including 1,300 different types of dishes.
“We want everyone who attends the Games this summer to have a fantastic experience and central to this is the food and drink that’s available,” said LOCOG Chief Executive, Paul Deighton. "We believe that our prices are more than comparable to those found at other major sporting events which because of their temporary nature are often more expensive than the high street.”
The London Olympics will offer the largest peace-time catering operation in the world, serving over 14 million meals across 40 locations. More than 800 concession stands featuring more than 150 different types of dishes will provide a mixture of British food and multicultural dishes including curries, seafood, noodles and salads.
And if you just can't get enough McDonald's, there will be four to choose from including one inside the Athlete's Village and two inside the Olympic Park.
Products from Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Cadbury, Nature Valley and Heineken will be the only commercially branded items at the London Olympics.
GM's Vauxhall announces new Astra at UK plant - Yahoo Finance
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LONDON (AP) -- General Motors' Vauxhall plant in northern England will build the company's top-selling Astra vehicles, the automaker said Thursday — a relief for U.K. politicians who had lobbied its American owner to keep the plant open.Tower Bridge lightshow for London 2012 Olympic Games - ITV
Tower Bridge, one of the most famous landmarks in the capital, has been given a glittering makeover ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The state-of-the-art lighting system, which is aimed at brightening the bridge and picking out its architectural features, had its first switch-on last night.
Coloured bulbs, which vary in intensity, beamed from the central London landmark where giant Olympic Rings and the Paralympic Agitos, the swirling symbol of the Paralympics, will shine during the London 2012 Games.
The lights will shine white this weekend to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
Work began in November to fit the 1,800 special energy-efficient LED lights, 6,562ft of energy-efficient LED linear lights, 16,404ft of cable and 1,000 junction boxes. The lights will be in place for 25 years.
London Mayor Boris Johnson predicted that Tower Bridge is now set to play "a starring role" in the 2012 celebrations:
Tower Bridge is already a global icon and this much-loved landmark is now even more spectacular thanks to a world-class illumination system.
As London gears up for a summer like no other, this fantastic lighting makeover is another example of how the capital is benefiting from the Games.
It is to be funded through a deal between the Mayor, City of London and London 2012 sponsors GE and EDF.
London 2012 Olympics: small bottle of beer at Games will cost £4.20 as organisers reveal food and drink prices - Daily Telegraph
"We have gone to great lengths to find top quality, tasty food that celebrates the best of Britain. We believe that our prices are more than comparable to those found at other major sporting events which because of their temporary nature are often more expensive than the high street.
"We are proud that the catering and industry has been quick to adopt the standards of our Food Vision, leaving a stronger and sustainable industry as a legacy of the Games."
- Fancy a drink? Maybe not at these prices...
Bottled water – £1.60
Fairtrade Tea from £2.00
Fairtrade Coffee from £2.60
500ml bottle of Coca Cola – £2.30
330ml bottle of Heineken – £4.20
London 2012 red wine 18.7cl – £4.80
There will be over 800 spectator concessions, featuring more than 150 different dishes that aim to "showcase the diversity and quality of British food".
Visitors to the Olympic Park will be able to purchase a wide range of foods but the only branded products are Olympic sponsors: the worlds largest McDonald's restaurant, Coca Cola, Cadbury, Nature Valley and Heineken.
Organisers says over 14 million meals will be served during the Games, across 40 locations. They claim this is the largest peace time catering operation in the world.
Well over a million meals will be served to athletes, with 1,300 different types of dishes on the menu. Organisers believe that on the busiest day of the Games over 65,000 meals will be served to athletes.
- What's on the menu?
- Porridge and maple syrup, made with UK oats and milk – £2.20
Toasted tea cakes, with Yorkshire butter – £2.10
Carrot and cucumber sticks with red pesto hummus – £2.50
6 Jerk Red Tractor assured chicken wings – £3.50
Red Leicester British cheese with British apple chutney and Farm assured lettuce on Oxfordshire bread – £3.80
Jacket potato with Dingley Dell bacon and Freedom Foods chicken in a herb mayonnaise, served with roquete and watercress salad – £5.80
Pole and line caught tuna and sweet potato British salad – £5.90
Freshly carved Dingley Dell hog roasted Red Tractor pork, served in Oxfordshire cross hatched bread roll with mixed leaf salad and assorted accompaniments – £6.50
Grilled Red Tractor chicken burrito – £6.50
Penne pasta Red Tractor chicken and mushroom white sauce – £6.50
Thin crust stone baked 10” pizza with spicy pepperoni, spicy beef, basil and oregano – £7.50
Farm assured Scotch Beef with Long Clawson Stilton Pie, Irish mashed potato with Red Tractor Cream and British butter and onion gravy – £8.00
Cod and chips – from £8
Singapore noodle, stir fried egg noodle, chicken, prawns, char sui Pork, chilli and shredded peppers in a hoi sin dressing – £8.50
Lamb Rogan Josh served with Pilaf or Saffron rice – £8.50
Vladimir Putin to snub London 2012 Olympics - The Guardian
Vladimir Putin will not be coming to the London Olympics, diplomatic sources have said, in an apparent signal of the Russian president's continuing displeasure and irritation with Britain.
Putin will not attend the London 2012 opening ceremony on 27 July, sources confirmed, despite the fact that Moscow will host the Winter Olympics in 2014 in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. Instead, the Russian president is likely to dispatch his prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, to London.
The snub follows Putin's controversial decision earlier this month to boycott the G8 summit hosted by the US president, Barack Obama. Putin claimed he was too busy forming his new government to attend, and sent Medvedev instead. He has accused the US of inciting street protests against him and is unhappy with Washington's missile defence plans in Europe.
Putin has a long list of grievances against Britain. As well as the unresolved Alexander Litvinenko affair – a source of smouldering tension – the Kremlin has been infuriated by calls to ban senior Russians accused of human rights abuses.
In March, a group of backbench MPs voted to refuse visas to officials implicated in the death of Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in prison in 2009. The Foreign Office has so far ignored the non-binding vote and ruled out a Magnitsky ban.
Putin was inaugurated for a third time as president on 7 May. Soon afterwards, he announced that one of Moscow's top foreign policy priorities was to prevent government and other officials from being placed on visa blacklists abroad. Campaigners say visa bans are one of the few effective measures against bureaucrats who enjoy visiting London and other EU capitals and typically hold bank accounts in the west.
On Wednesday, Denis MacShane, the former Labour Europe minister, said he welcomed Putin's decision to avoid the Games. Earlier this year, the MP said Downing Street should make it clear Putin was not welcome at the Olympics.
The threat of Magnitsky sanctions has received "phenomenal coverage" in the Russian press, he said, probably contributing to the decision to stay away. "I think Putin doesn't want to come to Britain and face difficult questions," he said.
He went on: "This is further evidence of the turning inwards of Putin towards a more nationalistic authoritarianism and a rejection of western values. He doesn't want to come to a democratic country and realise how unpopular he now is, because of his refusal to uphold the rule of law and justice back in Russia."
Putin attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games in August 2008. At the time Putin was prime minister, having installed his protege Medvedev as president. The ceremony was dramatically overshadowed by events in Georgia, which came under Russian air and artillery bombardment after Georgian troops briefly seized back the rebel province of South Ossetia. Putin and Bush were seen having a heated conversation about who was to blame for the unfolding war.
Since David Cameron's coalition government took over in 2010 there has been a modest improvement in bilateral relations, with foreign secretary William Hague – who was in Moscow on Monday – keen to promote bilateral trade. But Putin remains incensed about Britain's refusal to extradite leading Kremlin critics based in London, including the fugitive oligarch Boris Berezovsky and the Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev.
There are also major differences on international affairs, with the west exasperated by Moscow's stalwart support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and its spoiling role at the UN security council. Russia, for its part, sees US and UK support for Syria's rebels as part of a western-engineered plot to force regime change in Damascus.
Since returning to the Kremlin this month, Putin has kept a surprisingly low profile. There have been none of the stunts or photo opportunities that characterised his election campaign. Kremlin minders are apparently keen to avoid spontaneous – and potentially risky – encounters with ordinary Russians. Street protests in Moscow that began last December continue, with anti-Kremlin activists organising an Occupy-style camp and holding spontaneous mass walks.
Some 120 heads of state have said they will attend the London 2012 opening ceremony. It will be the largest top-level international gathering in diplomatic history, the Foreign Office believes.
The number far exceeds the 87 leaders who travelled to Beijing in 2008. Several controversial leaders on an EU blacklist will also not be coming: they include Assad, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, and Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko.
But other authoritarian rulers not on the list are likely to travel to London. They include Uzbekistan's despotic leader, Islam Karimov, and his counterpart from Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov. Both visited the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
This is odd. The gold standard of objective testing in the USA, the Consumer Reports organization, has blasted Jaguar (and Range Rover) for years and years for poor reliablity. In fact, the two of them have populated the bottom of the list for so long, they have become a standing joke. Are the Jags sold in the USA just the factory rejects? Lexus and BMW, Merc and Acura fare very well in the CR testing lists. I'm really puzzled by this.
- Observatoire, USA, 31/5/2012 05:05
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