By Associated Press When Michael Phelps walked away from swimming after the London Olympics, he was adamant about one thing: His career was over. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at ESPN Headlines
Tag Archives: London Olympics
London Marathon runners offer tributes to Boston victims
The London Marathon started in defiant mood on a glorious sunny morning Sunday despite concerns raised by the bomb attacks on the Boston Marathon six days ago.
Thousands of runners offered tributes to those killed and injured in Boston. The race began after a dignified moment of silence for the victims in Boston, and many wore black armbands as a sign of solidarity.
“It means that runners are stronger than bombers,” said Valerie Bloomfield, a 40-year-old accountant from France just before she started the marathon.
Most participants said they weren’t worried by the Boston bombings, and the impressive turnout of enthusiastic fans lining the routes showed the same spirit, but one runner acknowledged an undercurrent of anxiety.
“It definitely affects us,” said Chris Denton, a 44-year-old engineer who was stretching his legs by the start line. He said he’d been concerned enough to ask that his family not come out to support him because of a possible copycat attack.
“I left them at home,” he said. “If only for my peace of mind.”
His friend, 45-year-old David Wilson, said there was no question of canceling the marathon. Londoners had come back onto the streets the day after the lethal July 7, 2005, transit system bombings and weren’t easily cowed.
“You can’t not do anything, because otherwise you’d stay on the outs all the time,” he said.
Moments before the majority of runners set off on the grinding race, announcer Geoff Wightman used the loudspeakers to ask for silence. He described marathon running as a global sport that unites runners and supporters in every continent in a spirit of friendship.
“This week the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events at the Boston Marathon,” he said. “In a few moments a whistle will sound and we will join together in silence to remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness.”
Blackheath, where the runners were gathered, fell silent. The only noise was the buzz of helicopters and the rumble of a distant truck.
Runner Martin Connell, 42, wore a picture of 8-year-old Boston bombing victim Martin Richard on his jersey in tribute to his young namesake.
“It’s a sign of peace and goodwill,” said the runner, an IT worker from near Liverpool.
Some 36,000 runners are expected to take part in the race, which also draws tens of thousands of spectators. Police said they planned to add 40 percent more officers and extra surveillance as a precautionary measure.
Security was plentiful but not intrusive near the finish line at the Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. It was mostly good-natured, as it was at the London Olympics.
Marathon staff, officials and media had their bags thoroughly checked as they entered security, which wasn’t deemed necessary at the event last year. Officials said this was in response to the Boston attack.
London‘s is the first major international marathon since the double bomb attack near the finish line in Boston, which left three people dead and more than 170 injured, including many who are still hospitalized. In
From: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/world/~3/Ad5aMtIZxe8/
Lawrence Okoye puts on show at London pro day workout
By Special to NFL.com Lawrence Okoye, who placed 12th in the discus at the London Olympics last summer, turned heads at the NFL Super Regional Combine, and is attracting a “double-digit number of teams.”
WNBA, ESPN Extend Television Agreement, Announce Rebranding Initiative
On the heels of the 40th Anniversary of Title IX and USA Basketball’s London Olympics gold medal performance, WNBA President, Laurel J. Richie, is capitalizing on women’s sports‘ momentum by writing the WNBA’s next chapter. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Head of UK domestic spy agency to step down
The head of Britain’s domestic spy agency, MI5, will step down from his post next month at the end of his contract.
Jonathan Evans has led MI5 as director general since 2007, and Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May announced to lawmakers Monday that the spy chief would be “moving on” after 33 years in the security services.
May praised Evans’ “invaluable contribution to public safety and national security.”
She says Evans led the service through “particularly challenging” times such as the aftermath of the 2005 bomb attacks on London‘s transport network.
The home secretary also commended Evans for ensuring a “safe and successful” London Olympics last summer.
Should I Invest in These 5 FTSE 100 Shares?
By Kevin Godbold, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
LONDON — To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return from any share investment and, as you might expect, my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.
To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of around 3% per annum since January 2008.
Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators and buy at prices that offer decent value.
So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities and during recent weeks I’ve looked at Rio Tinto , Amec , G4S , Meggitt and Hargreaves Lansdown . This is how they scored on my total-return-potential indicators (each score in the table is out of a maximum of 5):
|
Share |
Rio |
Amec |
G4S |
Meggitt |
Hargreaves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dividend cover |
4 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
|
Borrowings |
4 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
|
Growth |
1 |
5 |
2 |
5 |
5 |
|
Price to earnings |
4 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
|
Outlook |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
|
Total (out of 25) |
16 |
23 |
14 |
21 |
20 |
There’s a clear winner on the scoring with Amec, but each company has its investment attractions:
Big mining
After a difficult 2012 that led to a headline loss of $3 billion, Rio Tinto has hopes of a turnaround in its fortunes under its new CEO and its new CFO. The incoming directors have promised to focus on pursuing greater value for shareholders by targeting more focus, discipline and accountability throughout the organization. Despite a patchy trading record, and if commodity prices hold up, having new management with a recovery plan makes the optimistic outlook sound convincing. To demonstrate their confidence, the directors recently hiked the dividend by 15% and new investors will enjoy a forward yield predicted to be around 3.7% at current share-price levels. Rio looks interesting.
Engineering management
The directors at Amec expect low- to mid-single-digit revenue growth to continue into 2013. The firm is one of the world’s leading engineering, project management and consultancy companies and 57% of its revenue depends on the natural resources sector, 23% on the power and process sector and 20% on the environment and infrastructure sector. The commodity-price environment will influence Amec’s trading but, given the current stable outlook, Amec looks well placed to please investors on total-returns from here, and I’m encouraged to think about buying some of the shares.
Security
Despite losing £70 million on its Olympic contract during 2012, G4S’s underlying earnings were slightly up on 2011. The firm has consistently grown its dividend, which will probably be a big contributor to investor total returns, going forward. However, I’m uneasy with the high debt carried and the companies wavering cash flow doesn’t reassure. As the London-Olympics debacle demonstrates, pursuing revenue growth can lead to a loss of control, particularly when your main resource is people. I’m happy to remain out of G4S, despite its forward dividend yield around 3.4%.
Manufactured engineering solutions
Trading has been good at Meggitt. The firm’s engineered solutions and manufactured components are going into worldwide sensing, control and aircraft breaking systems and other high-specification applications. The directors expect …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Should I Invest in G4S?
By Kevin Godbold, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
LONDON — To me, capital growth and dividend income are equally important. Together, they provide the total return of any share investment, and my aim is to invest in companies that can beat the total return delivered by the wider market.
To put that aim into perspective, the FTSE 100 has provided investors with a total return of about 3% per annum since January 2008.
Quality and value
If my investments are to outperform, I need to back companies that score well on several quality indicators and buy at prices that offer decent value. So this series aims to identify appealing FTSE 100 investment opportunities, and today I’m looking at G4S , which is the world’s largest security-services provider. With the shares at 295 pence, G4S’ market cap is almost 4.2 billion.
This table summarizes the firm’s recent financial record:
|
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Revenue (millions of pounds) |
5,929 |
7,009 |
7,258 |
6,966 |
7,501 |
|
Net Cash From Operations (millions of pounds) |
373 |
509 |
448 |
372 |
287 |
|
Adjusted Earnings per Share |
16.6 |
20.2 |
21.9 |
21.3 |
21.2 |
|
Dividend per Share (pence) |
6.43 |
7.18 |
7.9 |
8.53 |
8.96 |
With more than 620,000 employees in more than 125 countries, G4S is a major employer and, undeniably, a business built around people, with all the unpredictability and challenges entailed. We don’t need to look any further than the outcome of the firm’s London Olympics contract to see how things can go wrong.
The firm provides outsourced security services for buildings, infrastructure, materials, valuables, and people, and it has been winning major contracts all over the world from both public and private-sector customers. During 2012 about 33% of revenue and 37% of profits came from fast-growing emerging markets. Although the company lost 70 million pounds on its Olympic contract during 2012, underlying earnings were slightly up on 2011. G4S has done a good job of growing its dividend, and I think that will be a big contributor to investor total returns going forward.
G4S’ total-return potential
Let’s examine five indicators to help judge the quality of the company’s total-return potential:
1. Dividend cover: Adjusted earnings covered the recent dividend more than twice. Score: 4/5
2. Borrowings: Net gearing is 146%; net debt is around seven times normalized earnings. Score: 1/5
3. Growth: The firm has had growing revenue, flat earnings, and declining cash flow. Score: 2/5
4. Price to earnings: a forward 11 compares quite well to growth and yield forecasts. Score: 4/5
5. Outlook: Recent trading is mixed, and the outlook is optimistic. Score: 3/5
Overall, I score G4S 14 out of 25, which inclines me to be cautious about the firm’s potential to outpace the wider market‘s total return going forward.
Foolish summary
High debt and wavering cash-flow can be a dangerous combination. G4S is growing its turnover, but the London Olympics debacle demonstrates that growth can lead to a loss of control. Underlying financial figures make sense if one-off losses prove to be just that. If such challenges should occur more frequently, underlying figures will be nonsense. In such a scenario, the firm’s high debt could become unforgiving. For those reasons, I’m happy to remain out of G4S …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Should I Buy G4S?
By Harvey Jones, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
LONDON — It’s time to go shopping for shares again, but where to start? There are loads of great stocks to choose from, and I’ve got my wallet out. So should I buy G4S ?
Olympics loser
To the public, G4S is a running joke. It was the biggest loser of last year’s London Olympics due to the security recruitment debacle. Being publicly condemned as “incompetent, amateurish and irresponsible” is a hard tag to shake off. The tabloids still love to unearth fresh examples of G4S security guard uselessness. Yet the G4S share price tells a different story: It is up 25% since November. Should I buy it?
Group 4 Securicor was formed in 2004 when Securicor and Group 4 merged. It’s a massive operation with 657,000 employees in 125 countries, making it one of the world’s largest employers. The security of the nation is in its hands. But is it secure enough for your portfolio?
Play the Games
G4S has just published its preliminary results, and the instant market reaction was mild disappointment: As I write, the share price is down 2.9%. Yet it shrugged off its Olympic stumble to post a rise in 2012 revenue, with total turnover up a healthy 10.4% to 7.5 billion pounds, or 8.1%, excluding the Olympics. Organic growth, ex-Olympics, was 6.9%. PBITA profits, ex-Games, rose 6% to 516 million pounds. Adjusted earnings per share rose 3.4%, and the group increased its full-year dividend by 5% to 8.86 pence per share. Its Olympics blunder cost it 70 million pounds, plus another 18 million pounds in related costs. On the plus side, it generated 35 million pounds’ worth of savings through structural reorganization. Separately, G4S announced that chief financial officer Trevor Dighton will retire at the end of April.
CEO Nick Buckles praised the group’s solid organic turnover growth and margins, which both topped 7%, helped by new contract wins with U.S. companies and the U.K. government (the latter a triumph of hope over experience). Like many FTSE 100 companies, G4S is also growing strongly in developing markets, which now account for one-third of group revenue. Buckles also hailed the group’s broad customer base and the steady income stream from its 3.5 billion pound annual contract pipeline. Who’s laughing now?
Joking aside…
The market would have liked more, but the numbers don’t look too bad to me. I’m particularly impressed by its emerging-markets expansion. With the West halfway through its first “lost decade,” the growth has to come from somewhere. Recent share-price growth means the stock isn’t cheap, however, trading at 14.5 times earnings. Its dividend isn’t spectacular either, yielding 2.9% and covered 2.4 times (giving it scope for further hikes). EPS growth looks promising at a forecast 18% this year and 10% next year, and the stock trades at an undemanding PEG ratio of 0.7. G4S may remain a national joke, but investors can afford to see the funny side. If it were …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
South Africa's Nelson Mandela spends night in hospital
South Africa‘s presidency says Nelson Mandela has spent a night in the hospital after he was admitted for tests.
Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said Sunday there were no updates on 94-year-old Mandela’s condition since he went to a hospital in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.
In a statement Saturday, Maharaj said the medical tests for the anti-apartheid leader and former president were scheduled and that doctors have indicated there is no cause for “alarm.”
Mandela was hospitalized for nearly three weeks in December before going home on Dec. 26. At that time, he was treated for a lung infection and had a surgical procedure to remove gallstones.
Mandela’s latest hospitalization comes at a time when South Africa is enduring a series of setbacks that serve as a reminder of how it has fallen short of the kind of harmonious society that he envisioned, but could not realize during his five years as the country’s first black president.
The nation of 50 million has long struggled with poverty and inequality since it emerged from white minority rule. But crisis hit in August, when police shot and killed 34 striking miners at the Marikana platinum mine in a spasm of violence that drew comparisons among some South Africans with Sharpeville in 1960, Soweto in 1976 and other mass killings by agents of the apartheid state.
Then came February, when the gang-rape and killing of 17-year-old Anene Booysen highlighted the scourge of violence against women in South Africa; the arrest of Oscar Pistorius, South Africa‘s double-amputee athlete who inspired millions at the London Olympics, on charges of murdering his girlfriend; and the killing of Mado Macia, a Mozambican taxi driver who was found dead in a South African police cell after he was dragged from a police vehicle in view of onlookers who filmed the shocking incident.
Just a few days ago, Graca Machel, the Mozambican wife of Mandela, appeared at a memorial service for Macia east of Johannesburg and issued a rare denunciation of conditions in South Africa, warning of “big trouble” because of the alleged role in his death of police officers who are supposed to protect the public.
“We have all been correctly angered by the rogue elements and criminals who molest women and children and commit other extreme forms of violence,” President Jacob Zuma said in a recent speech to traditional leaders.
“The outrage expressed by our people at such recent violent incidents in particular is most welcome as it indicates that South Africans have not lost their sense of right and wrong,” he said. Zuma asserted that “general crime” had decreased over the years, but acknowledged that violence against women and children remains high and he encouraged efforts to rebuild the “moral fiber” of South African society.
The former president has become increasingly frail over the years. In January 2011, Mandela was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection. He was discharged days later. He also had surgery for an enlarged prostate gland in …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Aggreko Powers Ahead on Excellent Results
By Jon Wallis, The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
LONDON — Aggreko , the global power and temperature control equipment rental company, rose more than 8% on the week, following this week’s release of its final results for 2012.
Group revenue grew by 13%, to 1,583 million pounds, with trading profit also up 13%, to 388 million pounds, and pre-tax profit 11% higher at 367 million pounds.
In its “Local” business, which operates 194 rental service centers in 47 countries, the company reported a “flawless execution” of its London Olympics contract, a strong performance in its North American operations, and more than 30% growth in emerging-markets business.
Aggreko’s “Power Projects” division reported that revenues were up 15%, although trading profit was down 1%, partly because of increased debt provision. It also said there had been “strong growth” in demand for gas-powered generation.
Earnings per share put on 16%, to 104 pence, and the company is raising its dividend 15% to 23.91 pence, covered a comfortable 4.2 times.
Rupert Soames, Aggreko’s chief executive, commented:
The Local business has had a very strong start to the year, with almost 20% more power on rent than a year ago, helped in part by our acquisition of Poit Energia in April 2012. Encouragingly, growth in the Local business has been broadly spread, with most areas other than Europe showing healthy year-on-year increases in MW on hire.
In Power Projects, we have signed new contracts totalling 140 MW in the year to date, and importantly, we have secured our first large order for our new Heavy Fuel Oil engine, with a 56 MW contract in the Caribbean. We have also secured a contract for 57 MW of diesel-powered generation in Djibouti. Trading continues to be subdued and is likely to remain so in the first half; however, in recent weeks there has been some improvement in the prospect pipeline.
Our expectations for the year as a whole remain unchanged from previous guidance.
The company’s share price is still slightly down on the year to date, owing to a slump at the end of January, and is down almost 20% on this time last year, almost entirely because of a huge sell-off in December, when Aggreko’s management said 2013’s results may well be below 2012’s. Today’s results may well help restore some investor confidence in the company.
Here at the Fool, our analysts have been focused on finding “The Motley Fool’s Top Growth Share for 2013” for our readers, which is named in our latest report, only just released.
It’s completely free of charge, but like all special reports from TMF, it will be available for only a limited period, so get your copy delivered to your inbox now!
The article Aggreko Powers Ahead on Excellent Results originally appeared on Fool.com.
Jon Wallis has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Aggreko. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Former Pistorius detective quits South African police force
South African police say the former lead detective in the investigation of the murder case against Oscar Pistorius has resigned from the police force.
Police Brig. Neville Malila said Thursday that detective Hilton Botha voluntarily applied to leave the service.
Botha made several procedural errors in his role as the lead investigator after Pistorius, the double-amputee athlete who competed at the London Olympics, shot and killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Feb. 14.
It later emerged that Botha faced attempted murder charges for a case in which he fired on a vehicle in an attempt to make it stop. His superiors then removed him from the Pistorius case.
Nike: No plans for Oscar Pistorius in future ads
Nike said Monday that it has no plans to use Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius in future ad campaigns after the South African sports star was charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend.
Nike Inc. spokesman KeJuan Wilkins confirmed the shoe company’s plans to The Associated Press. He declined to say whether Nike had previously had any plans for Pistorius, or whether it will pull current advertising that includes him.
Pistorius is a double-amputee who races on carbon-fiber blades and competed in the London Olympics last year. He has been charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend in his South Africa home.
A Nike Internet ad showing Pistorius starting to sprint in his blades with the caption: “I am the bullet in the chamber” has already been pulled.
Pistorius’ website, which has been posting statements from his manager and his family, still shows another Nike ad and logos from other sponsors.
One of those, sunglasses maker Oakley, did not respond to a message from The Associated Press on Monday.
However, Peet Van Zyl of Pistorius’ management company said Monday that “at this point in time, all sponsors are still on board, and they have given us their commitment towards Oscar, based on the relationships that they have formed with him over the past years.” He added that the sponsors “are quite happy to allow the legal process to take its course before they make any other further and formal announcements about it.”
Pistorius’ agent has canceled the athlete’s future scheduled races.
'Roid Rage? Steroids reportedly found in Bladerunner's home
Illegal steroids and a bloody cricket bat were reportedly found in the South African home where so-called “Bladerunner” Oscar Pistorius allegedly gunned down his model girlfriend.
The paralympic athlete will be tested for the banned drug, possibly in anticipation of a possible defense claim that Pistorius acted in “roid rage.”
“Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’s home together with evidence of heavy drinking,” a source told The Sun. “That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids.”
It’s not yet known whose blood was on the cricket bat, according to South Africa’s City Press. Investigators believe Pistorius may have bash Steenkamp with the bat, or she may have used it to defend herself, according to the paper.
“There was lots of blood on the bat,” a source is quoted as saying. “Forensic tests will show whose blood it was.”
Pistorius, 26, is accused of murdering Reena Steenkamp, 29, on the morning of Valentine’s Day. The athlete, who was born without fibulas and was outfitted with carbon-fiber running blades to compete as a sprinter, will appear in court on Tuesday.
Steenkamp, 29, was declared dead shortly after 3 am on Thursday morning at Pistorius’ home in a gated compound outside Pretoria. She had been shot in the head, hand, hip and arm, and her skull was reportedly fractured. Pistorius, 26, was arrested immediately, and claimed that he mistook Steenkamp for a burglar.
Police said Steenkamp was shot four times at Pistorius’ villa in a gated community. Officers found a 9 mm pistol inside the home.
Steenkamp will be buried tomorrow, even as Pistorius is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel on Friday claimed the shooting was premeditated murder.
“The alleged murder is disputed in the strongest terms,” a statement from Pistorius’ management team read. “He would also like to express his thanks through us today for all the messages of support he has received — but as stated our thoughts and prayers today should be for Reeva and her family — regardless of the circumstances of this terrible, terrible tragedy.”
Pistorius, a national hero and the first amputee to run at the Olympics, broke down in tears on his first appearance at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court last week.
Pistorius made history at the London Olympics last year when he became the first double-amputee track athlete to compete at any games. He didn’t medal but did make the semifinals of the 400 meters and the final of the 4X400 relay.
USA Basketball Receives Tiffany & Co. Rings for Winning Gold in the London Olympics
In mid-August, 2012, the Team USA men’s basketball team outlasted Spain by seven points to bring back the team’s second consecutive Olympic gold medal to America. While gold medals were draped around team members necks on a London night last August, team members were celebrated against stateside during NBA All-Star Saturday night when they were presented with their 2012 Olympic Championship rings designed by Tiffany & Co. Members of Team USA’s gold medal winning women’s basketball team also received championship rings. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Olympic organizers say agreement reached with G4S
The organizers of last summer’s London Olympics said Tuesday that security firm G4S has agreed to take a hit of 85 million pounds ($133 million) over its failure to meet the terms of its contract.
Organizers had to scramble to provide military personnel and other extra security after G4S admitted it could not provide all of the 10,400 security guards it had promised for games venues.
The two sides have been in talks over a final settlement for the 240 million-pound security contract.
The games’ organizing committee, LOCOG, said G4S had agreed to an adjustment of 85 million pounds in the terms of the contract.
That includes 48 million pounds to cover “all the additional military, police and other step-in costs” incurred by organizers because of G4S’s failure and a reduction in the project management costs and operational costs paid to G4S.
Home Secretary Theresa May said in a statement that the government fully backed the agreement. She said it met the government‘s objective that British taxpayers would not be “adversely impacted” by the failure of G4S to meet its obligations.
The statement also stressed that Olympic organizers did not have to pay for any services that were not delivered.
G4S said its total loss from the games would be 70 million pounds, more than its previous estimate of 50 million pounds.
G4S chief executive Nick Buckles said the agreement had been reached without protracted legal proceedings.
“The U.K. government is an important customer for the group and we felt that it was in all of our interests to bring this matter to a close,” he said.
Deng wants Britain to restore basketball funding
Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng is asking British Prime Minister David Cameron to pump government money into the country’s basketball program to ensure the legacy from the London Olympics isn’t “completely demolished.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at NBA
2014 Mini Clubman Bond Street: You’re Probably Better Off with a Used Goodwood Edition
Even after a decade of business under German management, Mini is still beating away at the “We’re Cheeky Brits” drum. Beyond Union Jack decals and London Olympics sponsorship, the company has offered such a flood of London-inspired special editions that one assumes they were the product of a weeklong pub crawl. (Ja, I vill have ze fish und chips!) The latest is the Clubman Bond Street, named for a posh shopping neighborhood best described as a rainier, colder, less-silicon-implanted Rodeo Drive.
The standard Clubman—with either the 121-hp Cooper engine or the 181-Cooper S unit—is sprayed in a metallic black paint, while the roof, C-pillars, and trim are done in a gold color called Cool Champagne. Seats, armrests, and the instrument panel are all trimmed in black leather with contrasting stitching. Mini is including a number of options as standard kit for the Clubman Bond Street, including chrome exterior trim, automatic climate control, and rain-sensing automatic headlights.
- Comparison Test: 2012 Chevy Sonic Turbo vs. Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio5, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris
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It’s an appealing package for a small number of buyers, many of whom, we suspect, will only learn the Clubman Bond Street exists when they fall in love with one at the dealer. For people who want a particularly special Mini, though, the real action is with a leftover or slightly used Mini Inspired by Goodwood, the brand’s we-won’t-say-Rolls-Royce homage to Rolls-Royce. There are unsold cars with delivery miles advertised for $40,000—that’s 23 percent off the original price—and used ones ring in for even less. Pricing for the Clubman Bond Street will be cheap as chips in comparison; the exact number will be released closer to the car’s arrival at dealers this March.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Car & Driver
Williams loses in quarters; Azarenka into semis
Serena Williams’ dominating run at the majors ended in a painful loss to American teenager Sloane Stephens.
After the biggest victory of her life, the 19-year-old Stephens is headed to the semifinals of the Australian Open.
Williams hurt her back in the eighth game of the second set, slowing down her serve, restricting her movement and causing her obvious pain.
Stephens kept her composure, blocking out the injury issue on the opposite side of the net, and rallied for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory on Wednesday — by far the most significant in her seven Grand Slams.
The gravity of it didn’t hit Stephens until she was warming down, and even then the victory had an unreal feeling.
“I was stretching, and I was like, ‘I’m in the semis of a Grand Slam.’ I was like, ‘Whoa. It wasn’t as hard as I thought.’ But it’s pretty cool,” she said. “To be in the semis of a Grand Slam is definitely I say a good accomplishment. A lot of hard work.”
It was Williams’ first loss since Aug. 17, ending a run of 20 consecutive wins.
The 15-time major winner hadn’t lost a match at a Grand Slam tournament since the French Open, where her first-round exit sparked her resurgence in the second half of 2012 that included titles at Wimbledon, the London Olympics, the U.S. Open and the WTA Championship.
After winning her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Stephens next plays defending champion Victoria Azarenka.
In the men’s draw, U.S. Open champion Andy Murray moved into the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over unseeded Jeremy Chardy of France.
The No. 29-seeded Stephens had been given barely a chance of beating Williams, who lost only four matches in 2012 and was in contention to regain the No. 1 ranking at the age of 31.
Williams’ latest winning streak included a straight-sets win over Stephens at the Brisbane International earlier this month.
And Stephens wasn’t even sure that she could beat Williams, until she woke up Wednesday.
“When I got up, I was like, ‘Look, Dude, like, you can do this.’ Like, ‘Go out and play and do your best,” she said.
It wasn’t until after losing the first set and being broken in the first game of the second that she really convinced herself she could.
“I was like, ‘Hmm, this is not the way you want it to happen. But you just fight and just get every ball back, run every ball down, and just get a lot of balls in play, I think you’ll be OK.’
“From then on I got aggressive, started coming to the net more, and just got a lot more comfortable.”
She started hitting winners, cutting down on the errors, and pushing the injured Williams around the court.
Williams walked around the net to congratulate Stephens, who then clapped her hand on her racket and waved to the crowd, a look of disbelief on her face.
She then went to her tennis bag, pulled out her phone and started checking for any text messages from her mother.
“I was hoping she had texted me right away. I thought maybe she was texting me during the match,” Stephens said. “I’m sure my grandparents are like freaking out.”
Stephens has said she had a photo of Williams up in her room when she was a child, and had long admired the Williams sisters.
“This is so crazy. Oh my goodness,” Stephens said, wiping away tears in her post-match TV interview. “I think I’ll put a poster of myself (up) now.”
For her part, Williams said the bad back was just another problem to contend with at a Grand Slam event that had been “absolutely” her worst for injuries. It started when she injured her ankle in the first round.
“I’m almost relieved that it’s over because there’s only so much I felt I could do,” she said. “It’s been a little difficult. I’ve been thrown a lot of (curve) balls these two weeks.”
Williams was up a set and a break before Stephens settled in. In the eighth game of the second set, Williams was chasing a drop shot to the net when she appeared to hurt her back. She needed a medical timeout after the set, and then slowly started to regain the speed in her serve.
She said her back “just locked up” on her.
“I couldn’t really rotate after that,” she said. “It was a little painful, but it’s OK.”
There were times when she barely concealed the pain, and had to bend over or stretch out her back. Yet the thought of retiring from the match only crossed her mind “for a nanosecond.”
It didn’t mean she wasn’t frustrated. Williams smashed her racket into the court in the third set, breaking the frame and then flinging it toward the chairs on the side of the court. She looked to the sky occasionally and yelled at herself.
The racket abuse cost her $1,500 in fines.
Azarenka, with her most famous fan sitting in the crowd wearing a shirt reminding her to keep calm, overcame some early jitters to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1 in the earlier quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena.
After dropping serve in a long fourth game that went to deuce 10 times, Azarenka recovered to dominate the rest of the match against Kuznetsova, a two-time major winner who was floating dangerously in the draw with a No. 75 ranking as she recovers from a knee injury.
Azarenka’s American rapper friend, Redfoo, returned from a concert in Malaysia to attend Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Wearing a red sleeveless T-shirt that read “Keep Calm and Bring Out the Bottles,” the name of his next single, Redfoo stood, clapped and yelled “Come on, Vika!” during the tight first set.
Asked if it helped to have her No. 1 fan wearing a keep calm logo, Azarenka said “I was looking more at the part that says ‘Bring out the bottles.'”
Of her game, she added, “I’m just glad I could produce my good tennis when it was needed.”
Williams’ loss was a boost for Azarenka, who lost all five head-to-heads against the American in 2012 and is 1-11 in their career meetings.
In the men’s quarterfinals, 17-time major winner Roger Federer was playing No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a night match for a spot in the semifinals against Murray.
The 25-year-old Murray had his service broken for only the second time while serving for the match. But he broke back immediately to clinch the quarterfinal victory.
“I’ll watch a little bit but I won’t watch the whole match,” Murray said of the night quarterfinal, adding that he hoped “Roger and Jo play 4 to 5 hours if possible!”
Defending champion Novak Djokovic plays No. 4-seeded David Ferrer in the other semifinal.
On the other half of the women’s draw, Maria Sharapova has conceded only nine games in five matches — a record in Australia — en route to a semifinal against 2011 French Open champion Li Na.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Official: Audi replaces Mercedes as official vehicle supplier to the IOC
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Audi, Luxury
The automotive sponsor of the International Olympic Committee for the past 22 years has been Daimler-Benz. No more, as Audi has just signed a four-year deal to be the official auto supplier to the folks who keep the torch alight and on the move. Audi will supply vehicles for the IOC‘s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and the organization’s international events.
In case you’re remembering all the stories about BMW and the London Olympics last summer and wondering where Mercedes-Benz was in all of that, the answer lies in the numerous mouths at the Olympic trough. The IOC is the organization and oversight body of the Olympics – much like the way the FIA oversees world motorsport. BMW, though, sponsored the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, so during the games IOC reps rode in Benzes, LOCOG and its guest dignitaries rode in BMWs.
The Volkswagen Group has other ties with the Olympics as well: The Group will be the official vehicle partner for the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and Audi currently partners the national Olympic federations of Germany, Finland, Russia and Switzerland. The press release below announcing the partnership has all the official details.
Continue reading Audi replaces Mercedes as official vehicle supplier to the IOC
Audi replaces Mercedes as official vehicle supplier to the IOC originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Jan 2013 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Autoblog
Gabrielle Douglas, Women's Sports Foundation: How Investing In Women Changes The World
By Alana Glass, Contributor Gabrielle Douglas of the United States celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Individual All-Around final in London, England. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife) 2012 was The Year of Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas. She rocked the world of sports by gracefully competing at the London Olympics and becoming […]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest