Bells rang across Britain yesterday to signal the final countdown to the Olympic Games, which would open with an exuberant and eccentric ceremony last night celebrating the nation in an explosion of dance, music and fireworks inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The three-hour showcase created by Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle was to take spectators on a journey from Britain’s idyllic countryside through the grime of the Industrial Revolution to end in an explosion of pop culture.
Watched by 60,000 people at the main Olympic stadium built in a run-down part of east London and a global audience of more than 1 billion, the event was to have passages described by British Prime Minister David Cameron as “spine-tingling.”
The spectators were to be urged to join in sing-alongs and help create spectacular visual scenes at an event that would set the tone for the sporting extravaganza, when 16,000 athletes from 204 countries share the thrill of victory and despair of defeat with 11 million visitors.
“There is a huge sense of excitement and anticipation because Britain is ready to welcome the greatest show on Earth,” Cameron said. “This is a great moment for our country so we must seize it.”
Although some details have been leaked about the ceremony, there were still plenty of secrets, including who would have the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron, the moment symbolizing the opening of the Games and ending the Olympic torch’s 14,800km journey the length and breadth of Britain.
Yesterday, the torch made its way up the River Thames aboard the royal barge Gloriana, which was used in Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee last month.
The 86-year-old monarch was to be in the crowd, along with US first lady Michelle Obama and a host of dignitaries and celebrities.
Showers forecast for London after a week of sunshine are expected to clear in time for the ceremony, according to Britain’s Met Office.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a