Pickpockets’ En Route to London

Romanian pickpocket’ gangs have left Dublin for London to take part in a planned Olympic crime spree. Officials say the gang members who want to take advantage of the pouring in of fans and visitors into London for the 2012 Olympic Games have dispersed with the hope of regrouping once they get into London. Police say they got the files of some of the ring leaders.

Tamil Stages Hunger Strike

British Police, Scotland Yard are monitoring a hunger strike by a Tamil activist close to the Olympic Stadium. Thirty-two-year-old Gabi Sivanthan who is protesting against the participation of Sri Lanka in the Olympic Games is refusing food and water. According to the father of two, Sri Lanka should be banned from the competition for war crimes against the Tamils. About 200 Tamils were dispersed after they tried to gather in the park.

Giant Screen Solution

After several fruitless attempts to get entry tickets into the game grounds, some visitors and fans have turned to giant-state-of-the-art screens placed at strategic positions like the Hyde Park and Victoria Park where they are treated to several musical and other attractions. Some say watching the games on screen and getting the voices from the stadiums is more exciting.

Hotel Fares Drop

Several hotel managers in London have dropped their prices following a fall in demand. A few days to the start of the 2012 Olympic Games, many of them had hiked their prices, with some doubling. Rooms that cost FCFA 200,000 moved up to FCFA 300,000 or even FCFA 500,000. Because of the high cost, some people prefer living in hotels on the outskirts and travel into the city and games park by car, bus or train.