LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) – The British women’s hockey team
is match fit and ready to rip up the pitch at the London 2012
Olympics after a fitness schedule that has included Royal Marine
training and improv comedy.

Coach Danny Kerry told reporters at a pre-Olympics media
briefing that he has subjected his players to a rigorous
training and playing schedule that has prepared the world number
four ranked team mentally and physically for every aspect of
their toughest tournament at home and in front of the world.

DORNEY, England (Reuters) – Australian rowing threw down the gauntlet to their British rivals and revealed they have established a “day house” just outside the Olympic regatta venue at Eton Dorney Lake in southern England in order to cut travel times for athletes.

Australian High Performance Director Andrew Matheson told reporters on Tuesday that the day house helps level the playing field for Australian athletes with their hosts who are staying nearby.

DORNEY, England (Reuters) – Australian rowing threw down the gauntlet to their British rivals and revealed they have established a “day house” just outside the Olympic regatta venue at Eton Dorney Lake in southern England in order to cut travel times for athletes.

Australian High Performance Director Andrew Matheson told reporters on Tuesday that the day house helps level the playing field for Australian athletes with their hosts who are staying nearby.

DORNEY, England, July 24 (Reuters) – Australian rowing threw
down the gauntlet to their British rivals and revealed they have
established a “day house” just outside the Olympic regatta venue
at Eton Dorney Lake in southern England in order to cut travel
times for athletes.

Australian High Performance Director Andrew Matheson told
reporters on Tuesday that the day house helps level the playing
field for Australian athletes with their hosts who are staying
nearby.

DORNEY, England (Reuters) – New Zealand single sculls champion Mahe Drysdale and the rest of the Kiwi rowing squad are being cautious with the health risks by insisting on a quarantine order at their first press meeting.

The five-time world champion, along with pairs gold hopefuls Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and other New Zealand rowers invited the press back to their day house about 700 meters from the gates of the Olympic rowing lake at Dorney for a relaxed lunch.

DORNEY, England, July 24 (Reuters) – New Zealand single
sculls champion Mahe Drysdale and the rest of the Kiwi rowing
squad are being cautious with the health risks by insisting on a
quarantine order at their first press meeting.

The five-time world champion, along with pairs gold hopefuls
Hamish Bond and Eric Murray and other New Zealand rowers invited
the press back to their day house about 700 metres from the
gates of the Olympic rowing lake at Dorney for a relaxed lunch.

DORNEY (Reuters) – The blue-blazered officials in the start tower above barked out instructions, the stake boat jockey had a firm grip on our stern, my heart was beating wildly already as the light went green and we heaved our first stroke through the water.

We were off and racing in a heat for crews of eight on the Olympic rowing lake near the southern English village of Dorney in one of the last regattas on the proper 2,000-metre course before the real athletes turn up to fight for gold at the summer Games in London.

DORNEY, England, June 8 (Reuters) – The blue-blazered
officials in the start tower above barked out instructions, the
stake boat jockey had a firm grip on our stern, my heart was
beating wildly already as the light went green and we heaved our
first stroke through the water.

We were off and racing in a heat for crews of eight on the
Olympic rowing lake near the southern English village of Dorney
in one of the last regattas on the proper 2,000-metre course
before the real athletes turn up to fight for gold at the summer
Games in London.

LONDON (Reuters) – Suave and brutal British superspy James Bond will find himself in the thick of danger at the end of the swinging ’60s in a new, official novel by author William Boyd due out next year.

The best-selling British novelist told Reuters on Thursday that he will put his knowledge of Cold War espionage to good use to pen the next adventure of the 007 character created by Ian Fleming, who has grown into a global book and film phenomenon.

LONDON, Feb 29 (Reuters) – Canada’s natural beauty,
multicultural society, health care service and security made it
the top place on the planet for UK expats, according to an
annual index released on Wednesday.

The NatWest International Personal Banking Quality of Life
Index also reported that despite a global economic malaise, more
than two thirds of UK expats had not seen a reduction in their
quality of life abroad and fewer planned to return home.