Police in new appeal over fatal crash - This is Southampton
Police in new appeal over fatal crash
1:58pm Saturday 19th May 2012 in News
POLICE are continuing to appeal for witnesses to a fatal head-on crash in Romsey in which a woman from the town died.
A silver Vauxhall Combo was travelling towards Romsey town centre on the A3090 bypass when it was in collision with a white Volvo tipper lorry.
A 57-year-old woman, who was travelling in the back of the Vauxhall, sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Vauxhall driver, a 67-year-old man, was taken to Southampton General Hospital with minor injuries and discharged the same night.
The driver of the lorry, a 38-year-old man from Portsmouth was uninjured.
The road was closed for nearly four hours for an investigation..
Witnesses to the collision, on Thursday around 2.20pm, or anyone who saw either vehicle just prior to the crash, are asked to contact Sergeant Andy Lynch of the Road Death Investigation Team at Eastleigh on 101, quoting operation Elmshurst.
LONDON CALLING: Ed takes on world challenge - This is Wiltshire
LONDON CALLING: Ed takes on world challenge
12:30pm Saturday 19th May 2012 in Latest News
BRADFORD on Avon paddler Ed McKeever will hope to stamp his authority on the world stage this weekend as his build-up to this summer’s Olympics continues.
McKeever, who has already secured his place at the Games in London, joins the Great Britain sprint squad in Poznan, Poland.
While many of his teammates were attempting to secure their 2012 Games places in the second round European Olympic qualification event on Wednesday and yesterday, McKeever will take to the water over the weekend for the first of the World Cup Series, also being held on the Malta Lake.
McKeever, the 2010 world champion, again contests the K1 200m event, as one of only three British canoeists to secure their places at the Games so far.
Further World Cup events take place in Duisburg, Germany, next weekend and Moscow at the beginning of June.
North West 200: Farquhar claims supertwins victory - MCN
Ryan Farquhar claimed an historic victory in the first ever North West 200 Supertwins race this evening (Thursday).
Ireland’s top road racer led the four-lap race from start-to-finish in the Vauxhall-backed race to cross the line 2.94s ahead of former GP rider Jeremy McWilliams with Michael Rutter third – all three riders on Farquhar built Kawasakis.
Farquhar has been instrumental in the development of the Supertwins class in Ireland and it’s his hard work that has also seen the TT adopt a Twins race on the mountain course this year for the first time.
He said: “This is unreal. I always knew the potential of these bikes and to come here and have the likes of Jeremy, Michael and Jamie (Hamilton) riding for me was a lot of pressure but also an honour.”
It was McWilliams’ North West 200 debut and he said: “This is a dream come true for me and a dream come true for Ryan. I never thought I’d be able to run this close to the front. I’ve really enjoyed it and I’ll be back if Ryan invites me to ride his bike again.”
The NW200 race stated on a wet track but it was drying throughout the four laps. Farquhar and McWilliams were on wets but Rutter opted for dry tyres and rode a masterful race in treacherous early going to overcome James Hillier (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) and Adrian Archibald (McKinstry Kawasaki).
Rutter’s last lap established a new lap record for the class. Farquhar’s fourth entry, Jamie Hamilton – another NW200 rookie - finished sixth.
MCN’s Adam Child survived a scary moment in wet qualifying when he hit a kerb to finish 24th in his Supertwins debut, riding his Ken Urwin Motorcycles Kawasaki. He ran a stock engine for the NW200, saving his tuned ER6 motor for next week’s TT debut.
London Olympics: 'Brothels should be made legal' - zeenews.india.com
London: Dennis Hof, the Nevada brothel owner who became famous as the star of HBO reality show ‘Cathouse’, has said that he wants to start a new and fully legal brothel in London during the upcoming summer Olympics.
He said he wants it -- not just because he could make “a couple million pounds”, but also because legal brothels would stop human trafficking by international criminal gangs.
Hof, 65, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, promoted legal prostitution during a Thursday night debate at the Oxford Union, and told ABC News that while he is in the UK, he is on a mission to sell London authorities on legal brothels.
“The girls are not tested for diseases and they’re trafficked and forced into it. I’m saying it’s not always like that and it doesn’t have to be like that. We can provide the client with a clean, safe and fun experience,” he stated.
Hof said he wouldn’t mind making some money out of a pop-up mini-Bunny Ranch during the Olympic Games, which begin July 27 and are projected to draw as many as 900,000 visitors to London.
He estimates that he would make “a couple million pounds” during the three-week event, which he said is “much more than the average” he would make during a similar period at his Nevada brothel, where he employs 500 girls.
But he said his main concerns are the health and safety of both sex workers and their clients, and stopping a short-term epidemic of human trafficking.
“I expect 1,000 girls to be trafficked in by Southeast Asian, Albanian and African gangs, violent gangs involved in crime and drugs,” said Hof, who based his prediction on what he said he witnessed at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.
While prostitution is legal in the UK, operating a brothel, pimping and streetwalking are all illegal, as is paying for sexual services from someone who has been coerced into prostitution.
Hof believes that establishing legal brothels around metropolitan London for the duration of the games would provide safe sex for both tourists and prostitutes, as well as much-needed tax revenue.
Hof’s girlfriend and employee, 25-year-old Cami Parker, who accompanied him on his UK trip, enthusiastically backed his proposal. “Sex is as much a human need as food or water,” said Parker.
The Oxford Union, however, seemed unconvinced by Hof’s reasoning.
During his Thursday speech, Hof told listeners legal brothels would “sort out all your problems. It would be a good thing for your country, I’m telling you.”
According to the debating society’s website, after Hof spoke a motion in which the Union would support “recognis[ing] prostitution as a legitimate business” was defeated.
ANI
'London 2012 - The Official Videogame of the Olympic Games' preview - Digital Spy
London Olympics 2012 torch relay starts in Britain - Bangkok Post
Yachtsman Ben Ainslie was the first torchbearer as the Olympic flame began its 70-day journey around Britain and Ireland on Saturday ahead of the 2012 London Games.
British sailor Ben Ainslie, the first torchbearer, waves holding the Olympic flame at Land's End, the southwesterly tip of England on May 19 as he begins the first leg of the torch relay around Britain and Ireland. The flame arrived in Britain from Greece and was flown to Land's End by a Royal Navy helicopter.
With the Atlantic Ocean behind him at Land's End, England's most southwesterly point, the triple Olympic gold medallist waited while the flame was flown in by a Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter.
Lieutenant Commander Richard Full carried the flame off the helicopter in a golden lantern, posed briefly for photographers, and took it a short distance to light the torch that Ainslie was holding in the bright morning sunshine.
Ainslie then set off, barely breaking into a jog as he let some of the 3,500 spectators lining the route touch the golden torch whose design has led it to be nicknamed the "cheese grater".
After travelling barely 300 metres (yards), he passed on the torch to 18-year-old Anastassia Swallow, a surfer who is hoping that her sport will one day become an Olympic discipline.
Over the next 10 weeks, the torch will travel 8,000 miles (12,875 kilometres) around England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and will also visit the Republic of Ireland.
Some 8,000 people -- one for every mile of the route -- will take part in the torch relay as it heads for the Olympic Stadium in east London for the opening ceremony on July 27.
Ainslie, who just a day earlier won a sixth world title in the Finn class as he steps up his efforts to win a fourth Olympic gold, said it had been a special moment for him to start the relay in his home county of Cornwall.
"I'm really very proud for the whole nation," said Britain's greatest Olympic yachtsman, who wore the number 001 on his white London 2012 top.
"It was pretty emotional, so much effort has gone into getting the Olympics in London and it means so much to everyone involved."
On its first leg, the torch was to be carried through Cornwall to the city of Plymouth.
On its 70-day odyssey, it will travel through 1,019 cities, towns and villages and visit landmarks such as Stonehenge.
From June 3-7, it will go to Northern Ireland and then the Republic of Ireland -- the only country outside the United Kingdom on the route.
No overseas legs of the relay have been planned this year after those before the 2008 Beijing Games were hit by protests against China.
The flame was lit in Ancient Olympia in Greece on May 10 and was handed over to the British delegation in Athens in a rain-sodden ceremony on Thursday.
It was flown to Britain on board a British Airways plane renamed The Firefly for the occasion, accompanied by football star David Beckham and Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Beckham had the honour of lighting the first torch at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall on Friday.
In contrast to the shoestring operation when Britain last hosted the Olympics in 1948, just three years after World War II ended, this year's relay is a big-budget affair, with parties and public events at each of its stops.
The oldest runner will be a 100-year-old woman, while Olympians past and present and soldiers injured in Afghanistan will also take part.
But the London 2012 organisers wanted the bulk of people taking part in the relay to be unsung heroes who have helped their community, individuals involved in sport and younger people.
Swallow, the teenager who had taken over the torch from Ainslie, said it was a memorable day but admitted she got "a bit excited and a little crazy and ran too fast".
"I was really surprised by the atmosphere here today. Everyone was cheering and calling my name. It is something I will never forget."
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London 2012: Haile Gebrselassie considers Olympic options - BBC News
Haile Gebrselassie has not ruled out the possibility of qualifying for the 10,000m at this summer's Olympics.
The 39-year-old said his Olympic dream was over after failing to win a place in Ethiopia's marathon team.
But the two-time Olympic 10,000m champion is considering his options ahead of a 10,000m race in Hengelo, the Netherlands, on 27 May that will serve as the Ethiopian Olympic trial.
He said it would be "wonderful" to compete in London.
The veteran is cautious about his chances of finishing one of the two fastest Ethiopians in the race in order to qualify for the Olympic team - but told BBC World Service Sport that his enthusiasm for the Games remains undimmed.
"I wish to take part in the Olympics because it's London," said Gebrselassie, who has won four World 10,000m titles.
"I believe London is going to host one of the best Olympics Games. These Olympics are going to be very special.
Haile Gebrselassie's medal haul
1993 World Championships: Gold (10,000m), Silver (5,000m)
1995 World Championships: Gold (10,000m)
1996 Olympic Games: Gold (10,000m)
1997 World Championships: Gold (10,000m)
1999 World Championships: Gold (10,000m)
2000 Olympic Games: Gold (10,000m)
2001 World Championships: Bronze (10,000m)
2003 World Championships: Silver (10,000m)
"The organisation here is so perfect and the people organise such wonderful races. I don't want to miss the Olympics, even if it's to watch."
While in no doubt that qualifying for the Ethiopian team will be difficult, Gebrselassie also knows that claiming a third Olympic gold in London would be an even greater challenge.
"If I qualify for the 10,000 metres, don't forget who will be there this year. Not just Kenyans and Ethiopians, also athletes like Mo Farah - they are stronger," he admitted.
"If Farah is in the same shape like last year he will be the one. Kenenisa Bekele will be strong too but there are many others."
Gebrselassie also spoke about the difficulties of facing up to the end of his competitive racing career ahead of running in Sunday's 10k Great Manchester Run, which he has won in each of the last three years.
"If you think about retiring then you retire automatically. It's the mind, not the body," said the 39-year-old.
"I don't want to miss a single race. It doesn't matter which one, a race is a race. I want to win each and every race - and if I don't win then at least run a good time."
The 2012 Great Manchester Run will be live on BBC Two at 10:00 BST on Sunday 20 May.
Olympics: London 2012 torch relay starts in Britain - Lebanon Daily Star
LAND'S END, United Kingdom: Sailor Ben Ainslie was the first torchbearer as the Olympic flame began its 70-day journey around Britain and Ireland on Saturday ahead of the 2012 London Games.
The flame arrived in Britain from Greece on Friday and was flown to Land's End, the southwesterly tip of England, on Saturday by a Royal Navy helicopter before it was used to light the torch for the start of the 8,000 mile (12,875-kilometre) relay.
Ainslie, who has won gold medals in sailing at the last three Olympics, then walked just 300 meters, allowing some of the 3,500 spectators lining the route in the morning sunshine to touch the gold-colored torch.
The yachtsman, wearing the number 001 on his T-shirt as the first torchbearer, then passed on the torch to 18-year-old Anastassia Swallow, a surfer who is hoping that her sport will one day become an Olympic discipline.
Ainslie, who on Friday won a sixth world title in the Finn class as he prepares for an attempt to win a fourth Olympic gold, said it had been a special moment for him to start the relay in his home county of Cornwall.
"It was pretty emotional, so much effort has gone into getting the Olympics in London and it means so much to everyone involved," he said.
On its first day, the torch will be carried through Cornwall to the city of Plymouth.
Over the next 10 weeks, 8,000 people will carry the torch as it makes its way around the United Kingdom and heads for the Olympic Stadium in east London for the opening ceremony on July 27.
It will travel through 1,019 cities, towns and villages and visit landmarks such as Stonehenge.
From June 3-7, it will go to Northern Ireland and then the Republic of Ireland -- the only country outside the United Kingdom on the torch route.
No overseas legs of the relay have been planned this year after those before the 2008 Beijing Games was hit by protests against China.
The flame was lit in Ancient Olympia in Greece on May 10 and was handed over to the British delegation in Athens in a rain-blighted ceremony on Thursday.
It was flown to Britain encased in a special lantern on board a British Airways plane renamed The Firefly for the occasion, accompanied by football star David Beckham and Princess Anne, the daughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Beckham had the honor of lighting the first torch at the Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall on Friday.
In contrast to the shoestring operation when Britain last hosted the Olympics in 1948, this year's relay is a big-budget affair, with parties and public events at each of its stops.
The oldest runner will be a 100-year-old woman, while Olympians past and present and soldiers injured in Afghanistan will also take part.
The chief organizer of the London Olympics, Sebastian Coe, said on Friday its arrival in Britain was "a magical moment for any host country".
The torch relay "will connect millions of people around the U.K. to the Games in a unique way and allows us to celebrate the best of the U.K. and its people," he said.
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