 At time of writing the Olympic medal count for team GB has not lived up to expectations. Of course the pressure is high on Olympians from the host nation but in the past that has served to apparently uplift competitors and improve their medal tally. Not so in 2012 for team GB. Still it is early days. In 2008 team GB came fourth in the medals table. They followed China, the USA and then Russia. So how are things going so far? Currently the UK is only just on the medals table, in 20th place. They have won 2 bronze, and one silver. Already previous team GB winners have competed and lost out. Perhaps London 2012 is just going to be dogged with peculiarities and problems. It certainly has had more than its fair share of back room problems to date. China leads the table with a total of 17 medals. The USA has the same total number of medals but less are gold. China has nine gold medals and the USA five. France, North Korea and Italy follow. Russia trails behind in seventh place. You cand find full Olympic cuverage, including schedules and the medals count at the BBC hereUK Olympian hopeful Tom Daley and partner were pushed into fourth place in the diving. The pair were expected to win a medal. Tom's diving partner Peter Waterfield admitted the fault was his but these things happen in sport. Better luck next time. Team GB quest for Gold continues.
 Live Blog
BBC coverage of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics began at 9pm July 27, 2012. Music ranging from the Sex Pistols to classical accompanied views of the UK. The count down to the London 2012 Olympics had begun in earnest,
The man to ring the huge Olympic bell was Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins. With such a recent win that was fitting. Then it was traditional singing by children. William Blake's Jerusalem was sung with a backdrop of pastoral England, country cricket and all. Danny Boy was next for Ireland followed by The flower of Scotland. It was Wales then before it was back to the end of Jerusalem.
 Since arriving in the UK the Olympic Flame has been the length and breadth of the UK. Now whilst we accept that the UK is not huge by US standards the Olmypic Torch has covered many miles. It has been carried by people from all walks of life. Heroes, sports personalities, celebrities and ordinary folk have all played a part. In general those promoting the carrying of the torch around the country have ignored its history. If you did not know the nationalistic carrying o the Olympic Torch dates back to the Nazi era and the German Olympic Games of that time.
Today July 27, 2012, as the finishing touches are added to the Olympics opening ceremony, the Flame has reached its penultimate destination. There does however remain one unresolved matter. That is just who will light the Olympic Flame in the London Stadium?
Of course there must be at least a handful of people who already know who the selected person will be. Those that do have remained tight lipped. When the flame is lit tonight it will be a surprise for most of those looking on.
There are a couple of favourites for this role. People seem to favour Sir Steve Redgrave or Sir Roger Bannister. Both have broken records during their sporting careers. Sir Roger Bannister is famous for being first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Sir Steve Redgrave won five Olympic rowing gold medals between 1984 and 2000, plus he twice carried the British flag at the opening of the Games in 1992 and 1996.
There are other sporting suggestions such as Dame Kelly Holmes, Daley Thompson and David Beckham. We think that it should not be Beckham. He is too commercial these days and gave up playing sport in the UK many moons ago. There have eve been suggestions that Lord Seb Coe or Prince William should be the person selected. Coe does have a n Olympic past but he is too linked to the Conservative Party and the Olympics, these could be leaving days.
As for Prince Willam, or heaven forbid his wife Kate, neither would be suitable for obvious reasons.
So who will it be. It is becoming one of the best kept Olympic secrets. If Sir Steve Redgrave is telling the turth it wont be him. Only two dys ago he said he had not bee called. Of course the Olympic Organisers the selection to the grim death but we doubt it That could lead to too many problems.
There have been rumours that more than one person will light the flame or that a gizmo will do it. Hopefully the latest rumour that it will be David Beckham passing the torch to John Terry is a joke!
Our choice though would be Sir Roger Bannister, whose World Record dates back to the fifties, almost 60 years ago, and the decade that our Queen ascended the throne. For now it is a case of, wait and see...........
 In less than 48 hours the London 2012 Olympics will be underway. Teething problems still dog the Games so will it be "alright on the night?" Hopefully it will but here are the latest range of problems hitting the Games before they even begin. Olympic LanesIn London lanes of traffic have been designated as Olympic Lanes. Veer into one of these at your peril, If you choose to drive in the Olympic Lanes without the necessary authority expect a £130 fine. In order to "test drive" the Olympic Lanes they were opened today, causing traffic chaos. As the lanes remained empty, road users became stuck in gridlocked traffic. Olympic BansThe number of Olympic athletes has dwindled slghtly due to participants banned for doping and one for a racist tweet. Nine Olympic athletes have been suspended from the Games today by the World Olympic Authority, accused of doping. Triple jumper Voula Papachristou has been dropped by the Greek Olympic team over a racist tweet on twitter. She has since gone online offering heartfelt apologies for what she claims was a tastless joke. Others viewed it as offensive and she has paid the price. Korean Flag mix upToday, July 25, 2012, the North Korean Women's football squad walked off the pitch in protest when the South Korean flag was shown in error on a pitch screen at Hampden. Whoops. Apologies all around and eventually the game kicked off, albeit one hour late. Underground problems.On Monday July 23 there was a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony. Wth 60,000 people enjoying the preview the logistics of crowds in London was tested. Whoops again. A fault on an underground line caused major disruotion and delays.It is expected that the underground or Tube will transport a huge amount of passengers during the Games.
Let the Games Begin?Ready or not the Games opening ceremony takes place on Friday July 27, 2012. After security issues and more people have been working hard to make sure that London 2012 goes off without a hitch. It may still be fingers crossed but we will get there in the end. We always do.
 UK authorities are working hard to keep the UK free from terrorist attacks. 2012 has been a busy time in the UK, what with the Diamond Jubilee and the forthcoming Olympics. Undercover officers and a huge security operation will ensure the safety of UK citizens and tourists during the busy time to come. This week anti-terror arrests have taken place, which of course means that the UK like all Western countries is under constant threat.
During the early hours of today, Saturday July 7, 2012, a 22-year-old woman was arrested at a house in Hackney, London, as part of the ongoing counter-terrorism operation. The official line is that she is "being held on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism."
This is not the first arrest this week. Earlier in the week six people were arrested as part of the same operation. Whilst officials maintained that those arrests were not linked to the Olympics they obviously raise safety concerns.
The six earlier arrests were all made in London and the individuals aged between 18 and 30. Three of the men are brothers, one even working as a community police officer in London in the past. Police have stated that he did not have direct connection with "sensitive information and the like", but he may still have information useful to a terrorist group.
As yet though there have been no formal charges made. Police investigating have until July 12 to formally charge those arrested or release them. Searches of related homes and one business in London have taken place.
The six are said to be part of an extremist Muslim group. Muslim convert Richard Dart, now called Salahuddin al Britani, was amongst the arrests. He posted a youtube video criticising the British Royal Family and Western involvement in conflicts in Muslim countries. That though means nothing. Similar views could be shared by many in the UK.
The Metropolitan Police continue to maintain that the arrests are not related to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. The West is, as we already stated, under constant threat.
Tags: counter terrorism arrests in UK, UK anti terror arrests, terrorism in UK, Metropolitan police, Olympics 2012, paralympics
 On New Year's Eve TEK blogger Maria Hardy, from London, posted a report about Alexander Webb. Young Lexi, as she is known, was raising money for charity. Only 10-years-old she had already proved herself a a hard working fund raiser. As Maria reported, "10-year-old Lexie has been able to complete an Olympic Triathlon. Alexandra "Lexie" Webb swam 1.5km then undertook a 40km bike ride, and finally she ran. He father Paul said, "I was flabbergasted. She's unbelievably determined." Lexie's main reason for wanting to achieve such an incredible performance was that she was hoping to raise cash for the British Heart Foundation." Lexie and a few of her friends have recently added some comments on the original article. At the site's request Lexie has left a link to her fund raising webpage. It can be found HEREAt time of writing Lexie has raised £445. With a little help from TEK readers that will hopefully continue to grow. We wish Lexie well for the future and for her fund raising efforts.
 Whilst many in the West continue to applaud the efforts of protesters in the Middle east and Russia it seems that we have little stomach for protest in our own backyard. We are full of hypocrisy for sure, these days. We bemoan unfair elections in Russia and the ME but if media reports are correct both the US and the UK system leave a lot to be desired. The last general election in the UK resulted in a coalition government with no clear majority of the people wanting then to represent the country. There were reports that polls closed whilst many UK voters had still not been able to cast their vote. In the US many claim that President Obama was not truly elected to office amidst reports of voter fraud. A bit late now, although if it is designed to scupper his 2012 bid for re-election it could hit home. Not that the Republican Party are any better. What happened in the Iowa 2012 GOP vote? What about allegations of fraud in 2004 when George Bush was re-elected? It seems to this blogger that western voting is shot to pieces. Yet we continue to offer advice and recommend that those countries in the Middle East follow our lead. As they are tribal countries our form of democracy and election is ill suited to their needs. Back to the Occupy Protest Movement though. In Washington DC yesterday, February 4, 2012, the Occupy camp was dismantled. Police moved in, four arrests followed and property such as tents were seized. In the UK the authorities have used similar action lately. With the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in the UK, plus the 2012 Olympics, they will want Occupy out of sight and out of mind. If you believe the mainstream press the whole movement is finished but is it? Washington could have had the jitters about Occupy DC for many reasons. An infiltrator could attack the President and of course on the world stage protests slap bang outside of the White House do not look good, do they? Especially when the President is berating other countries for their human rights. It could be that as better weather comes around again a new reformed movement takes to the streets. You may not agree with Occupy wholeheartedly but many run of the mill citizens, such as I, hear what they are saying. They are voicing concerns which so many of us have about politics, corporate greed, the present and the future. They have shown a certain amount of stamina and determination and hopefully it will not have al been in vain.
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