Long jumper Shara Proctor was also victorious in Eugene with a winning leap of 6.84 metres that claimed the scalp of American world champion Brittney Reese and put her third on the all-time UK list, while Barbara Parker sliced nearly five seconds off Helen Clitheroe’s UK record in finishing fourth in the 3,000m steeplechase in 9min 24.24sec.
But the star of the meeting was China’s former Olympic champion Liu Xiang, who blazed to victory in the 110m hurdles in 12.87sec, which would have equalled the world record had it not been for the illegal 2.4m/s tailwind.
Jo Pavey, who missed out on selection for the Olympic marathon, became only the second British woman after Paula Radcliffe to win a medal in the European Cup 10,000m when she finished runner-up in Bilbao in 31min 32.22sec yesterday.
The Devon athlete had an extra reason to celebrate as her time was almost 13 seconds inside the Olympic ‘A’ qualifying standard. She has already achieved the ‘A’ standard in the 5,000m.
Several British athletes produced lifetime bests in Geneva on Saturday, with Lawrence Clarke going top of the UK 110m hurdles rankings with a time of 13.33sec and Eilidh Child setting a Scottish record of 54.96sec in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Conrad Williams and Luke Lennon Fold, both of whom are coached by Linford Christie, also smashed their 400m personal bests with times of 45.08 and 45.23 respectively.
In Regensburg, Anyika Onoura equalled her personal best with a 200m victory in 22.93 – well inside the Olympic ‘A’ standard.
However, there was bad news for Welsh 800m runner Joe Thomas, one of the stars of the indoor season, who announced yesterday that he was out of the Olympics after suffering a stress fracture in his shin.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Keith Law Says That Miguel Montero Contract A Good One - SB Nation
Since Miguel Montero signed his five-year contract extension, there has been a lot of talk about whether it was good or bad deal, or simply overpaying to keep a guy who is good, but basically the team cannot afford to lose becaus ethey have no one in the minor leagues to replace him.
However, ESPN baseball insider Keith Law says it was a good deal for Arizona.
According to him, had the team waited to try and sign him on the open market, it would have cost even more than the $60 million that it took to extend him. Plus, statistically, he is one of the best catchers in all of baseball and is good on all facets of the job now.
This is what Law said on Friday on the Doug and Wolf show:
"All he's got to do is stay healthy, but that's the caveat on every contract, but especially catchers because they get hurt a lot, but Montero has had basically one major injury so far in his big league career, and it's not the kind of thing you're going to expect to recur."
The money looks like a lot right now. However, considering the inflation of contracts for players at the top of their position, the money will likely be very reasonable. It is possible, though, by the end of the deal that Montero is playing part time at another position like first base, as frequently happens with catchers, but even so, he is still improving.
Sure it cost a lot, but with the young pitching coming up in the system, the team needs a good signal caller and could ill afford to lose him.
At the end of the day, overpaid or not, the deal is a good one right now.
Get more Diamondbacks coverage over at AZ Snakepit.
For the latest AZ sports, follow us on Twitter @SBNArizona and "Like" us on Facebook.
Source: arizona.sbnation.com
A Million Line The Thames For Queen's Pageant - Sky.com
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11:39pm UK, Sunday June 03, 2012
The Queen and other members of the royal family have taken part in a flotilla of more than 1,000 boats that made its way along the Thames in the Diamond Jubilee river pageant.
Some 1.2 million people gathered in central London to watch the pageant and cheer on the royal barge, the Spirit of Chartwell, in the centrepiece of celebrations marking 60 years of Her Majesty's reign.
Bells rang out to mark the start of the pageant, and among those in the flotilla were narrow boats, tugs, Dunkirk little ships, pleasure cruisers and steam boats.
Bridges and embankments were filled with spectators, all desperate to catch a glimpse of the myriad of vessels passing by.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were joined on their vessel by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, who earlier attended a special Jubilee lunch in London's Piccadilly, as well as Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The royal barge, decorated with 10,000 flowers from the royal estates, began its journey from Cadogan Pier in west London.
The 86-year-old monarch wore a silver and white dress and matching coat - an outfit that has been a year in the planning and was designed by the royal dresser Angela Kelly.
Its colour scheme was chosen to stand out against the red, gold and purple hues of the royal barge.
Prince William's wife Kate took to the Thames wearing a red Alexander McQueen dress and matching Sylvia Fletcher hat.
Plush red velvet seats with a canopy were in place for the royal party to use on the lavishly decorated royal barge.
After travelling for around seven miles through the capital, the royal barge moored just past Tower Bridge, as heavy showers began to fall.
The Queen then braved the rain without an umbrella and stood under an ornate canopy to watch the spectacle of the flotilla, that had been travelling behind her.
The boats passed under all 13 central London river crossings from Battersea Bridge to Tower Bridge in what was thought to be the largest live public event ever held in London.
Kayaks, family boats, barges, motor boats and vast sailing ships from all over the nation joined some of the most iconic craft of British history in the flotilla which travelled along the Thames.
The belfry carrying the Royal Jubilee Bells was the first vessel to reach the end of the route, followed by the million-pound row barge Gloriana led by Olympic gold medallists
Sir Matthew Pinsent and Sir Steve Redgrave, rowing with 16 others.
A Royal Navy flypast which had been planned for the end of the event had to be cancelled because of the bad weather.
Nine helicopters of the Fleet Air Arm were scheduled to form a 'Diamond Nine' in the skies above London to salute the Queen.
But the crowd's spirits were not dampened as the pageant was brought to a close with an orchestra playing Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia and the national anthem.
Rory Neville-Clarke from Balham in south-west London said: "Seeing the Queen was great but I also love the kayaks and all the colours.
"The music is brilliant too."
Classical music, Bollywood anthems, Scottish tunes, English folk songs and military marches were some of the performances staged on the river.
Many began gathering more than seven hours before events started despite the cold and wet weather in order to secure a prime spot to watch the monarch and royal flotilla.
Some had travelled across the world to watch the spectacle.
Maggie Boyle, 74, from Auckland in New Zealand, said: "It is all so much fun. All the different boats are amazing.
"Everybody has gone to so much trouble so we are going to stay and enjoy the
atmosphere. We couldn't ask for better."
Anglophile Americans Nancy Prall and Christienne Morgan were also among the crowds.
Ms Prall, from Palm Beach, Florida, said she caught the royal bug while living in London and came over especially for the Jubilee.
"We were at the Derby yesterday and we are going to all the events to mark her 60 years of service.
"[The Queen] is a terrific lady," she said.
Ms Morgan, from Newport Beach, California, added: "I just love the Royal Family. They seem so friendly."
The pageant achieved a new world record for the largest parade of boats - surpassing the previous record of 327 boats set in Bremerhaven, Germany, last year.
Meanwhile, millions more people were attending street parties up and down the country as part of 'the big Jubilee lunch'.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were the first royal guests to venture out into the rain as they arrived at a special picnic stretching along London's Piccadilly.
Charles, wearing his trademark double breasted suit, and Camilla, dressed in a raincoat, stopped to chat to revellers in the street.
The royal couple later took their seats at a table where the table cloth, plates and even a cake were decorated with the red, white and blue union flag.
:: Read more the Diamond Jubilee:
:: Jubilee Celebrations: Full Schedule Of Events
:: In Detail: Diamond Jubilee River Pageant
:: Prince Charles In Tribute To 'Devoted Mama'
:: Picture Perfect: Photos Of The Queen's Reign
Source: news.sky.com
Wakefield 24 London Broncos 6: Amor the merrier as Wildcats strike - Daily Mail
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London Broncos sank to the foot of the Stobart Super League after going down to a seventh consecutive defeat with an insipid display against Wakefield.
The Broncos, whose disappointing performances prompted a mid-season review by chairman David Hughes, hit rock bottom after fellow strugglers Widnes pulled off a surprise 26-22 win over Huddersfield ahead of Saturday's trip to the Twickenham Stoop.
Unstoppable: Broncos could not match the power of Kyle Amor (centre)
Wakefield were hardly tested as they atoned for a 36-0 defeat at London in March and were 22-0 up before having their line breached for the only time in the game just after the hour.
The Londoners made life difficult for themselves by conceding five penalties inside the first 15 minutes and, other than occasional glimpses of the talent of exciting winger Keiran Dixon, were a sorry-looking bunch.
They certainly had nobody with the power of prop Kyle Amor and veteran New Zealand second rower Ali Lauitiiti, who destroyed the visitors almost single-handedly in the first half.
The former Leeds favourite put centre left Vince Mellars through a gap in the visitors' defence for the opening try on five minutes and romped over himself on 28 minutes, leaving a trail of London defenders in his wake.
Right centre Dean Collis also touched down, finishing off a flowing move, and former London stand-off Paul Sykes kicked three goals to put the Wildcats into an 18-0 half-time lead.
The Broncos lacked ideas on attack, even before stand-off Michael Witt went off with a shoulder injury after being trampled on by Lauitiiti, and paid the price for some indiscipline and indifferent defence.
They were down to 12 men on 50 minutes when winger Michael Robertson was sin-binned by referee Tim Roby for delaying a Wakefield re-start and Wakefield instantly took advantage, with loose forward Danny Washbrook getting second rower Danny Kirmond over for a fourth try.
An evening up of the penalty count enabled London to keep the score in check, without threatening the Wildcats' stranglehold on a disappointing game played in constant drizzle.
London prop Scott Wheeldon took hooker Chad Randall's pass to cross for a consolation try, to which Shane Rodney added the goal, before Sykes kicked a second penalty to stretch the Wildcats' lead.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
London 2012: Rebecca Adlington receives abusive message on Twitter - The Guardian
Rebecca Adlington has been receiving abusive messages on Twitter after revealing "nasty comments" meant the double Olympic champion would be using it sparingly during London 2012.
The 23-year-old was catapulted into the public eye after her triumphs in the 400 metres and 800m freestyle in Beijing, with the Mansfield-born swimmer feted on her return to Great Britain.
However, not everybody was so pleased – something she discovered the painful way. Now she does not read on-line interviews she has given and neither will she be using Twitter as much during the London Olympic Games.
On Sunday Adlington pasted a message that has been sent to her on Twitter, prefacing it with: "I had a perfect example of what has been said in the papers this week tweeted to me this morning. I apologise for the swearing when I RT it!"
She then posted: "How lovely is this person…" before retweeting a message to her which read: "@BeckAdlington you shark fin nosed d*******, you belong in that pool you f****** whale."
Adlington quickly received support from many of her Great Britain team‑mates. The former world 100m freestyle silver medallist Fran Halsall tweeted: "what a small insignificant life that person must lead", echoed by the former double Commonwealth champion Caitlin McClatchey, who wrote: "his parents must be so proud to have raised such a pathetic idiot! Well done for ur amazing 800 hun BOOM! Good luck today xx"
The Olympic open water bronze medallist Cassie Patten addressed the perpetrator directly, saying: "It must be hard for you, you obviously have achieved nothing in your life, as you feel the need to Insult @BeckAdlington."
It all follows the revelation by Adlington to a number of reporters that she has been subject to abuse on Twitter as well as negative comments online. She had said: "I love the block button on Twitter. I don't know how people expect to send a nasty comment and not get blocked.
"With Twitter I think it's one of those things if you like it like Liam [Tancock] who is on it every two minutes – 'just having my lunch, just doing this' – he loves it, he is like that in real life. Whereas I am on Twitter every now and again, I tweet here and there but not every day all the time.
"I think I will be going on every now and again but I won't be checking it.
"I want to stay focused – obviously the messages of support are absolutely amazing and I love reading all of those but you have got the chance of somebody saying something just to annoy you and you don't want that added stress. For myself, I think I'll tweet once it's over."
She added: "I used to [read articles] when it first happened but I am one of those people who then scroll down to the bottom and read the comments and I learned very quickly not to do that. Because it is awful and I get angry: even if there are 10 nice comments you always get one idiot.
"It makes you angry and frustrated. I've now given up because it upsets me or makes me angry."
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Law firm's scheme investors face losses - Stuff
Investors who contributed $1 million to a Timaru law firm's contributory mortgage scheme face potentially significant losses after a Dunedin student complex with a bizarre sales history went into liquidation.
Pureikeriki Investments, the owner of an 11-studio student accommodation complex known as Hazelwood House, collapsed in April over unpaid taxes. The company's principal, Alistair McGaw, was bankrupted last February over other debts and is working as a real estate agent in Queensland.
Liquidators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) said in its first report into Pureikeriki that a first-ranked Raymond Sullivan McGlashan Law contributory mortgage had swollen to $1.48m following missed interest payments and this amount exceeded the property's current rating valuation of $830,000. The property has been on the market for the past three years for $1.2m.
RSM Law practice manager Greg O'Brien declined to respond directly to questions on whether investors would be short-changed, but said in a statement: "Investors have been kept fully informed of all aspects."
Hazelwood House has had a tortured past and now has four mortgages from fringe financiers.
In the year before McGraw's Pureikeriki's acquiring the property, it had changed hands twice with the sale price nearly doubling.
According to property records Hazelwood House was bought on August 17, 2005, by Gladstone Road, a vehicle for Dunedin-based investors for $980,000. A week later, on August 23, it was sold for $1.2 million to FIIC, a company owned by Tapanui man Christopher Brenssell.
On August 17, 2006, FIIC sold the property to Pureikeriki for $1.6m. Gladstone Road directors and Mr McGaw could not be contacted. Mr Brenssell said when he sold the property, $100,000 of the proceeds was kept in the property as a fourth mortgage, an amount he had now written off.
PWC liquidator Malcolm Hollis said the escalation of the property's price raised questions but was outside the remit of his administration.
Century 21 Real Estate agent Bawden Curson, who facilitated the sale between Gladstone and FIIC, said that sale was underpinned by a registered valuation of $1.4m.
He said the multiple sales and dramatically rising price were merely a function of the recent property boom. "A substantial property moving two or three times within a 12 month period, at the time, was not unusual," Mr Curson said.
Mr O'Brien said he was unable to comment on the sale history of the property. "I don't think I can responsibly or factually comment on historic fluctuating market forces," he said.
Mr McGaw received funding for his 2006 purchase from a variety of sources.
Four mortgages underpinned the Pureikeriki purchase. In order of ranking, $999,000 came from RSM contributory mortgages, an unknown amount from now-collapsed Dunedin lender Hurricane House, $466,000 from the RSM-linked Cheyne Finance and $100,000 from FIIC.
Cheyne Finance, an entity whose directors are all partners at RSM law, borrowed money from South Canterbury Finance (SCF) and lent it to developers.
Cheyne was declared a related-party loan by SCF in its December 2008 prospectus because of RSM partner Ed Sullivan's position on the finance company's board.
The prospectus records Cheyne as being the recipient of an $18.6m loan attracting 11.9 per cent interest.
According to property records, the Cheyne loan over Hazelwood attracted interest of up to 17 per cent.
Mr O'Brien said any loss from Cheyne's Hazelwood loan would be borne by shareholders – whose identity is kept hidden behind the firm's trust company – and he has said Cheyne had no outstanding loans with the collapsed SCF.
In February 2009, after defaults, RSM Law as mortgagor took possession of Hazelwood House. A year later the firm bankrupted Mr McGaw, who had by then moved to Australia.
- © Fairfax NZ News
Source: www.stuff.co.nz
London Olympics: James Bond star Daniel Craig to abseil into stadium as part of opening ceremony - Daily Record
Source: www.dailyrecord.co.uk
London Symphony Orchestra miming at London Olympics Opening Ceremony - Examiner
Slideshow: Lady Gaga made Twitter history with 25 million followers.
See 50 pics of Mother Monster
Source: www.examiner.com
Why are the French getting an 'MP for London'? - BBC News
French citizens in the UK will for the first time be able to vote for an MP, with the creation of a Northern Europe constituency in the French parliament. What role will London play?
London is home to the majority of the vibrant UK French population for whom the capital is not just a city of transit.
They will soon be represented by a new French MP for the recently established Northern Europe constituency comprising the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
It is difficult to measure the exact number of French people living in the British capital. Over 120,000 are officially registered at the French consulates in London and Edinburgh, but not everybody decides to register and other London estimates put the French population at anywhere between 300,000 and 400,000 citizens.
London could hold the key to victory for any candidate as it has the largest concentration of French people across the whole constituency.
"All of the main parties have chosen candidates based in London," says Philippe Marliere, professor of French and European politics at University College London.
"It's going to be a London contest."
Of the 20 official candidates for the seat, nine are based in London, and a further three live in other regions of the UK.
'Key issue'Although the French have long had a tradition of MPs from their overseas territories, this is the first time France will allow elected MPs for its expat population to have a seat in parliament.
The decision to create new constituencies for the French abroad was taken by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, whose government passed legislation in 2008 to give them the right to elect their own MPs.
Prof Marliere argues this can be seen a political move by the right to boost votes. Traditionally, the French abroad are less likely to support the left, even if the gap is narrowing in the UK.
Statistics from the French Ministry of the Interior show that the majority (53.05%) of overseas French citizens voted for right-wing candidate Mr Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.
But French people in the UK bucked this trend for the first time by voting for Socialist candidate Francois Hollande - though Mr Sarkozy won almost 52% of the second round vote in London.
Party politics aside, Prof Marliere says there are more and more French people living abroad. They can encounter problems with the education, pension, tax, social welfare and health systems in their host country, issues that an expat MP could help them with.
Candidates for Northern Europe constituency
- Axelle Lemaire, Socialist Party (London)
- Emmanuelle Savarit, UMP party (London)
- Yannick Naud, Democratic Movement (London)
- Will Mael Nyamat, independent (London)
- Olivier Bertin, Green Party (London)
- Olivier Cadic, Centrist Alliance (London)
- Denys Dhiver, supported by the Christian Democratic Party and France Ecologie (Leicester, UK)
- Gaspard Koenig, Liberal Democratic (London)
- Guy Le Guezennec, National Front (Kent, UK)
- Jerome de Lavenere Lussan, independent (London)
- Marie-Claire Sparrow, Gathering of French residents overseas (Essex, UK)
- Bertrand Larmoyer, independent liberal (London)
- Aberzack Boulariah, independent (Ireland)
- Olivier de Chazeaux, supported by the Radical Party, New Centre, and Republican, Ecologist and Social Alliance (Paris)
- Lucile Jamet, Left Front
- Patrick Kaboza, independent candidate (Riga, Latvia)
- Ezella Sahraoui, Radical Party of the Left (Lille, France)
- Christophe Schermesser, European Federalist Party (Finland)
- Edith Tixier, Solidarity and Progress party
- Anne-Marie Wolfson, independent (Paris)
This is reflected in the official manifestos of the candidates, which also mention the challenges faced by French people abroad in business.
But Prof Marliere says that the "key issue" for the UK-based candidates is education, as French families are keen to send their children to French schools.
Providing a French education for their children can be costly for parents and French-speaking schools are oversubscribed.
Because of this, the French embassy, teachers and parents have been working to deal with the shortage of places, opening a new school in Kentish Town, London, last September, says Frederique Brisset, headmistress of L'Ecole des Petits and L'Ecole de Battersea.
"The choice of French schools is limited and there are fundamental differences between the French curriculum and the British curriculum."
"French schools are not free," says Prof Marliere. "Although the French state subsidises education by sending French teachers, the rest is not paid for by the state."
This issue is not going away as within the UK, the make-up of the French community is changing. It is getting younger, and therefore more likely to have children.
In addition to those working in the financial sector and employed by international companies, the UK's French population now includes "students, people in the service industries, public servants and young families", says Prof Marliere.
French LondonersClelia-Elsa Froguel, a 26-year-old consultant born in France, is part of this younger generation.
She says the creation of an expat MP enables the voices of French emigrants to be heard in the French parliament.
"We are French Londoners, not expats," she says. "The election of an MP for us is extremely important."
While she can vote in the French presidential elections, up until now she did not vote in the French parliamentary elections because she felt she was "not represented."
And David Medioni, a political journalist based in Paris, points out that French people in France view it as "normal" that expats should have some political say.
'More and more British'But others are less than enthusiastic about the idea, arguing that the MP will have little impact as the French abroad are not the government's priority.
Prof Marliere says it is difficult to see how the French abroad can place demands on the government, as many do not pay taxes in France.
He asks: "Why would the government in France supplement our life choices?"
And Muriel Demarcus, a 39-year-old business owner, says the introduction of an expat French MP is unlikely to change anything.
"After four or five years you turn a corner and you become more and more British. I don't think we are French any more."
The successful candidate will sit in the French National Assembly in Paris and will have the same duties as any other French MP, representing a vast constituency stretching across 1.5m sq miles (4m sq km).
Prof Marliere expects that the elected representative will divide their time between the French capital and their home country, making frequent trips to other regions.
Although the figures are disputed, the London population has grown so big that it is sometimes referred to as France's sixth city. Because of this, French people in other European countries, such as 22-year-old Maite Delvarre from Stockholm, say that the views of non-UK based constituents won't be heard.
"The culture in the UK and the Nordic countries is not the same. That's why we need somebody else here."
Even for experts like Prof Marliere, the outcome of the election is difficult to predict.
"It's totally new. Nobody knows what is going to happen."
Registered French citizens in the Northern Europe constituency |
||
|---|---|---|
| Country | French Consulate* | Electoral List** |
|
*As of 31 December 2011, **As of 29 Feb 2012 |
||
|
Denmark |
5,214 |
3,450 |
|
Estonia |
182 |
126 |
|
Finland |
2,569 |
1,596 |
|
Ireland |
8,881 |
5,799 |
|
Iceland |
341 |
244 |
|
Latvia |
193 |
123 |
|
Lithuania |
379 |
215 |
|
Norway |
5,034 |
3,337 |
|
UK |
123,306 |
80,750 |
|
Sweden |
6,329 |
4,312 |
|
The actual number of French people living in these countries is estimated to be significantly higher. |
||
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
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