London 2012: London bus drivers vote to strike over bonuses - BBC News
Bus workers in London have voted to take strike action in a row over their workload during the Olympics.
Nearly 40% of Unite members working for 21 bus companies voted 94% in favour of strike action. No dates have been set.
The union, which is asking for a £500 bonus, says bus workers are the only London transport workers not to receive an Olympics bonus payment.
Transport for London (TfL) said bus workers were employed by private firms who set their pay.
Dates for strike action could be announced early next week.
Unison says it expects 800,000 extra passengers to travel on buses during the Games.
'Patience run out'It said workers on London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railways, Network Rail and Virgin would all receive between £500 to £900 in extra payments.
In May, a survey of 2,955 London bus and rail passengers commissioned by the union found that 88% were in favour of Olympic bonus pay.
Peter Kavanagh, Unite regional secretary for London, said: "It's a disgrace that London's mayor, Boris Johnson, and the bus companies have allowed this dispute to get this far.
"Our members are only asking for an extra £17 a day which will just about buy you a pint of beer and a portion of fish and chips at the Olympics.
"Our members want the Games to be a success but their patience has run out."
Leon Daniels, TfL's managing director of surface transport, has previously said: "London bus drivers are employed by private bus companies and their pay and conditions are set by those companies.
"If bus drivers are required to work additional hours they are always paid overtime accordingly."
Ace boxer Vijender Kumar aims for gold at London Olympics - indiatoday.intoday.in
Four years ago in Beijing, he captured the imagination of sports fans across the country by winning India's first-ever Olympic medal in boxing. As the London Olympics approach, ace boxer Vijender Kumar, who now enjoys star status in India, is eyeing the top of the podium.
Vijender said he wants to complete the task he left unfinished in Beijing when he enters the ring in the British capital.
"Though I won a bronze in the Beijing Olympics, I feel I can improve on it in London. I feel I left a task incomplete in Beijing and can finish it in London by changing the colour of my medal to white or yellow," he told Mail Today.
The 26-year-old Vijender may be determined in his approach, but he faces an uphill task in London as young contenders, and a familiar nemesis, have prevailed over him on crucial occasions.
Vijender was beaten in the first round of the 2011 World Championships by Cuban Emilo Correa Bayeux, who also ended the Indian's campaign in Beijing in 2008. Vijender could qualify for the London Games only in the final qualifiers in Baku in April, and there too he lost in the semi-finals.
Will he cope with the stiff competition in London?
"Competition was there ever since I started boxing and will be there even after I will hang up the gloves. I don't think too much about competition because the more you think about it, the more your resolve is weakened. I train hard and give 100 per cent in the ring. This is all I am going to do in London," said the 2010 Asian Games gold medallist.
"Wearing the India colours also encourages me to do that extra bit, which probably works in my favour. I think support and affection of the people from India will help me get better results in London," said the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee.
The boxer, also the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championships in 2009, keeps a low profile, is reserved by nature, and carries himself with dignity, despite achieving much in his career. These qualities make him popular among boxing fans to the extent that three of the current Olympic qualifiers - Shiva Thapa (52kg), Vikas Krishan (56kg) and Sumit Sangwan (81kg) - claim to have taken up boxing after getting inspired by Vijender.
The three have put Vijender on a pedestal and he is determined not to let them down at the Olympics.
"I used to take inspiration from my seniors in the early days of my career and now these youngsters take it from me. So, whenever on tour, I consider them as friends and help them in every possible way. In London, I would love to live up to their expectations," he said.
Vijender is a witness of the transformation in Indian boxing over the last few years. He has seen the sport grow in India from the time when boxers had the reputation of being punching bags to now when they are feared in the ring. He says India can expect a good return from their boxers in London.
"There was a time when boxers from other countries would hope to face an Indian in order to score an easy win. But my Beijing medal changed the psychology of Indian boxers. They feel they can dream and win, and that put pressure on our opponents. Our results in last four years are a testimony to that. And if we fight with the same resolve in London, we can came back with more than one medal," he said.
Will he be one with a medal dangling around his neck at the London Games? Only time will tell.
London 2012 Olympics: British trio added to triathlon medal push - The Guardian
Vicky Holland, Lucy Hall and Stuart Hayes will join Alistair Brownlee, Jonny Brownlee and Helen Jenkins in the Great Britain triathlon team at the London Olympics, the British Olympic Association announced on Saturday.
The latter trio booked their places last year after superb seasons, with Alistair Brownlee and Jenkins winning their second world titles and Jonny Brownlee establishing himself as the world No2.
Britain have never won an Olympic medal in triathlon but it would be a major surprise were they not to change that statistic this time.
Alistair Brownlee in particular has been utterly dominant over the last three years, winning 11 of the 15 World Triathlon Series races he has competed in, picking up two world titles as well as two European titles. The 24-year-old was a clear winner over the Olympic course in Hyde Park last year, as was Jenkins, who has been a consistent medal winner and began her 2012 season with second place in Sydney and then a runaway victory in San Diego.
Alistair Brownlee marked his first race back from an achilles problem with victory at the Blenheim Triathlon on Saturday morning. During the period he was out injured, his 22-year-old brother took on the mantle. Jonny Brownlee won in San Diego and then crushed the opposition in Madrid two weeks ago for his first victories over the Olympic distance at elite senior level.
The selection of the rest of the team has been controversial, with British Triathlon making clear its stated intent to win a medal and leaving open the possibility of picking domestiques to help their team-mates rather than the best athletes individually.
The governing body is not saying in what capacity Holland, Hall and Hayes have been selected, but in the case of the latter two especially, it appears they will be there in a supporting role.
Holland has hit form at the right time with top-seven finishes in San Diego and Madrid and may well race in her own right.
Hall has never finished higher than 37th in a world series race over the Olympic distance but she is one of the fastest swimmers in the sport and may well be able to help Jenkins split the pack, giving her a better chance of victory.
Hayes, who will also be making his Olympic debut, at the age of 33, won the world series race in Kitzbühel in 2010 but has not had any results of note since. However, he is an experienced and highly respected team member and his prowess in the 40km bike leg is likely to have swayed the selectors.
If things go to plan, then the Brownlees will not need the extra help but Hayes will also be there should things go wrong, as they did at the European Championships last year when Alistair Brownlee picked up a puncture but still won after his team-mates worked with him to get back to the pack.
Speaking two weeks ago, the Olympic performance manager, Malcolm Brown, said: "There are more nuances to the domestique role than may be obvious. There's probably 100 different scenarios that could happen and we need to make sure we control as many as we can."
The selection means the likes of Tim Don, Will Clarke, Jodie Stimpson and Liz Blatchford, who have all had good results at elite level, missed out, and a number of athletes did ask for the decisions to be reviewed, although none were successful.
Jonny Brownlee said: "It feels fantastic to officially be part of Team GB. It's my first Olympic Games and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm confident that we have a strong team and that we'll put on a good show for the big crowds that are expected to come to Hyde Park on 7 August."
Holland added: "I've dreamed of going to the Olympic Games for 20 years. We have such an opportunity to do something amazing this summer and I can't wait to be part of it."
Father of four hits the road for epic 620-mile trip in Britain's first sports car after spending 12 YEARS rebuilding it - Daily Mail
- Spent 50,000 on restoring Vauxhall Prince Henry in his garage
- Started project in Bedfordshire in 1998 and later moved it to Scotland
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A father of four hit the road in Britain's first sports car after spending 12 years and 50,000 on lovingly restoring it to its former glory.
Alisdaire Lockhart, 67, painstakingly tracked down some of the last surviving original parts to rebuild the 100-year-old Vauxhall Prince Henry.
Mr Lockhart, from Selkirk in Scotland, then took an epic 620-mile trip through Sweden in the historic vehicle, following the route of Vauxhall founder Percy Kidner’s Great Swedish Winter Reliability Trial of 1912.
Mean green machine: Alisdaire Lockhart invested 50,000 in lovingly restoring the 100-year-old Vauxhall Prince Henry to its former glory
One of a kind: The 67-year-old car enthusiast has just completed a four-day drive across Sweden in the vintage vehicle
The retired university administrator spent four days driving from Gothenburg to Stockholm and back home in the gleaming vintage car.
He said: ‘It was fantastic driving the car in Sweden, especially because I have spent so long renovating every single detail of it using original parts which are extremely rare.
‘It drives superbly so I am very pleased. It was a once in a lifetime journey.’
Mr Lockhart bought the car as a rusting shell in 1998 and began restoring in in his garage, hunting down spare parts made in 1911 and 1912 to make his prized possession look like new.
‘In total we covered 620 miles in 22 hours of driving time spread over four days,’ said Mr Lockhart.
History buff: Mr Lockhart followed the route travelled by Vauxhall founder Percy Kidner during the Great Swedish Winter Reliability Trial of 1912. Pictured, Mr Kidner at the Standard Hotel in Norrkoping
‘With the open roads and low volume of traffic in Sweden, it was easy to cruise at 60mph without any mechanical trouble.
‘I love putting things to together and making them work. I have restored a few old Vauxhalls but this one was special because there are only five left in the world including mine – though mine is the only one with original parts.’
With a 21 horsepower, three-litre engine, the Vauxhall Prince Henry is thought to have been the first British-made car capable of reaching 100mph.
Mr Lockhart meticulously fixed every detail of the car to make it the only roadworthy model left in Britain.
He began work at his then home in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, before transporting his labour of love on the back of a trailer to his new home in Selkirk with his Scottish wife Patricia, 60, five years ago.
Prized possession: The retired university administrator bought the car as a rusting shell in 1998 and restored it in his garage, hunting down spare parts made in 1911 and 1912
Years of care: With a 21 horsepower, three-litre engine, the Vauxhall Prince Henry is thought to have been the first British-made car capable of reaching 100mph
He finally finished the car earlier this year before taking it on its maiden marathon on May 21.
He completed the route and posed with the car in the exact same spot as Percy Kidner outside the former Standard Hotel in Norrkvping, Sweden.
He said: 'We drove along the southern route of the original event, through Jonkoping and Linkoping, arriving in Stockholm on the Tuesday or a reception where the car was photographed with the original trophies for the event.
'The car was then driven back to Gothenburg by the northern route for the return to the UK on May 27. It was the first British Sports car and it must have been very impressive in its heyday.'
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