LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) – Olympic chief Jacques Rogge flew
into London on Friday a week ahead of the opening ceremony and
predicted a “great Games”, giving a boost to organisers who have
been on the defensive over a security fiasco, travel disruptions
and even persistent rain.

The biggest single problem in the runup to the July 27-Aug.
12 Games has been the shortage of guards to secure venues, after
the company G4S failed to meet its staffing targets and
thousands of extra soldiers were brought in to fill the gaps.

LONDON (Reuters) – The Olympic torch arrives in London on Friday a week before the Games begin, and organizers hope the media’s focus will shift from security fiascos, travel disruptions, strike threats and poor weather to the thrill of the sporting contest.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Olympic organizing committee (LOCOG) and a gold medal winner, said people were “overwhelmingly positive” about the buildup to the greatest show on earth, while London Mayor Boris Johnson told critics to “put a sock in it, fast”.

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) – The Olympic torch arrives in
London on Friday a week before the Games begin, and organisers
hope the media’s focus will shift from security fiascos, travel
disruptions, strike threats and poor weather to the thrill of
the sporting contest.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London Olympic organising
committee (LOCOG) and a gold medal winner, said people were
“overwhelmingly positive” about the buildup to the greatest show
on earth, while London Mayor Boris Johnson told critics to “put
a sock in it, fast”.

LONDON (Reuters) – Strikes by train drivers and passport officials threaten major disruptions to the London Olympics, prompting the government to warn unions on Thursday that they risked public anger if the industrial action went ahead.

In a blow on the sporting front, the Games lost one of their biggest draws when reigning tennis champion Rafa Nadal pulled out after failing to recover from injury in what he called “one of the saddest moments of my career.”

LONDON (Reuters) – Strikes by train drivers and passport officials threaten major disruptions to the London Olympics, prompting the government to warn unions on Thursday that they risked public anger if the industrial action went ahead.

The Aslef rail union announced on Thursday that 450 of its members in central England would walk out between August 6 and 8 in a dispute over pensions, affecting passengers travelling from cities such as Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby to the capital.

LONDON, July 19 (Reuters) – Strikes by train drivers and
passport officials threaten major disruptions to the London
Olympics, prompting the government to warn unions on Thursday
that they risked public anger if the industrial action went
ahead.

The Aslef rail union announced on Thursday that 450 of its
members in central England would walk out between Aug. 6 and 8
in a dispute over pensions, affecting passengers travelling from
cities such as Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby to the capital.

LONDON (Reuters) – Anyone wondering whether Shakespeare’s plays are relevant today could do worse than visiting a new exhibition at London’s British Museum dedicated to the “Bard”, and, more importantly, the world in which he lived.

Parallels between the works of Britain’s greatest cultural export, his own tumultuous times and the contemporary world run throughout “Shakespeare: staging the world”, which opens on Thursday in the vaulted, circular Reading Room.

LONDON (Reuters) – One art publication has likened the record-breaking summer sales just ended in London to walking on water, yet auction houses say there is no miracle behind the headline soaring prices that have defied broader economic gloom.

Three weeks of sales at Christie’s, Sotheby’s and smaller rivals wound up on Thursday, and while the rarest treasures from the 14th century to the present day were snapped up, plenty of less desirable lots went unsold.

LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) – Suave, sophisticated, sexist -
James Bond has meant many things to many people since he first
hit the screen 50 years ago. A new exhibition marking the big
anniversary looks at another side of the fictional secret agent
- his role as trend-setter.

“Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style” opens at London’s
Barbican Centre on Friday and traces the importance of fashion
and design in the 22 official Bond movies released so far.

LONDON (Reuters) – Contemporary artists have big business and social unrest in their sights in a politically charged exhibition that presents a far from flattering picture of Britain, and London in particular, in the run up to the Summer Olympics.

“The London Open”, which opens at the Whitechapel Gallery on Wednesday, comes as the city gears up for the sporting showcase and just weeks after spectacular Diamond Jubilee celebrations marked the queen’s 60th year on the throne.