Olympics

The BBC used half-time of the Euro 2012 final last night as the perfect time to reveal the title sequence for their coverage of the London 2012 Olympics. The animated trailer works on the idea of the whole of the UK becoming a giant stadium for the Games. It features music created by the band Elbow specially for the campaign, which will be available for with all profits going to Children in Need and Sport Relief.

The Olympics are starting on 27 July and in the UK will be shown exclusively on the BBC. So without further ado, watch the video below.

London is preparing for a truly international summer, as the world's attention begins to turn on the English capital. With a focus on European countries already prominent at Euro 2012, it will soon be time for the rest of world to join in with the Olympics.

This unique and very busy summer in London started with the truly British celebration that was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. Thousands of Union Jack flags were put up around the Capital for the festivities, though they are now rapidly being replaced by flags of the world. Flags are adorning most streets in central London, with Regents Street looking particularly impressive as it prepares to welcome the nations of the world. The photo above is of Conduit Street, which is just off Regents Street and right outside the ForeignStudents.com offices.

A Summer of Sport

London is currently gripped by football fever (it's very contagious) with Euro 2012 building (or should that be breaking?) international relationships. With the group stages almost finished, the tournament is starting to take shape, and England will be hoping to win their final match against Ukraine tonight to take their place in the quarter-finals.

It is Day 3 of the Olympic torch's relay through the UK, and already over 250 people have carried the torch as part of its 70-day relay for the London Olympics 2012. Today the torch will be passed between 113 torchbearers, including triple jumper Jonathan Edwards and cricketer Marcus Trescothick, as it travels between Exeter and Taunton.

The Journey So Far

After travelling around Greece for a week, the lit torch was flown over to Britain in a special gold-painted plane with a rather unusual set of passengers. Amongst others, the passengers watching over the torch included London mayor Boris Johnson, Olympic organiser Lord Seb Coe, David Beckham and Princess Anne.

East London residents received an unusual letter last week, warning them that surface-to-air missiles may be placed on their roof during the Olympics. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) sent the leaflets out to 700 people living on an estate in Bow, many of whom were not best pleased.

In leaflets handed out and posters put up, the MoD revealed that an old water tower (above right) that now houses flats may well be used as a base for a "Higher Velocity Missile system". They explained that "the location has been chosen as it is situated close to the Olympic Park and offers an excellent view of the surrounding area and the entire sky above the Olympic Park".

Despite these warnings, it is still unclear whether the MoD will even deploy ground based air defence systems during the London Olympics 2012. Though they have been a common feature of a number of previous Games, the logistics of placing them are proving difficult. A spokesman described how these specific missiles are "designed to counter threats from very high performance, low-flying aircraft", though would only be used "in response to a confirmed and extreme security threat".

As you may have heard, the Olympics are being held in London this year, and today marks the start of the 100-day countdown. As the day of the London 2012 opening ceremony draws nearer and nearer, we look at today's events celebrating the landmark.

Perhaps the most important news to come out today is the revealing of the official London 2012 slogan. And the slogan is...(drum roll please)... "Inspire a generation". Head of the organising committee Lord Seb Coe explained that the typically dull slogan "should come as no surprise as it is the heartbeat and DNA of the London Games".