LONDON (AP) — Around the 2012 Olympics and its host city with journalists from The Associated Press bringing the flavor and details of the games to you:
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BITTER TWEET
Politicians beware: those tweets can land you in hot water with your boss.
Prime Minister David Cameron has lambasted a lawmaker in his own Conservative Party. Aidan Burley called the Olympic opening ceremony "multicultural leftie crap."
"I did once say something about people who use Twitter, particularly politicians, and I think in this case I was absolutely spot on," Cameron told the BBC on Monday. "It was an idiotic thing to say."
Burley, who was forced to quit as a ministerial aide after attending a Nazi-themed bachelor party last year, made the tweet during the show on Friday: "The most leftie opening ceremony I have ever seen - more than Beijing, the capital of a communist state! Welfare tribute next?"
Later, he added: "Thank God the athletes have arrived! Now we can move on from leftie multicultural crap. Bring back red arrows (sic), Shakespeare and the Stones!"
— Paisley Dodds — Twitter http://twitter.com/paisleydodds
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WATER RINGS
Eleven meters high and 24 meters long, they dominate the view from the south bank of the River Thames in central London. "It is kind of showy," says Shanice Collins, 19, from Birmingham.
The structure sits on a barge in the middle of the river where throngs of tourists walk past every day, making it very difficult for anyone to ignore the fact that the Olympics are in town.
Shanice thinks they are a good thing, though. She seems especially worried about London's recent bad press. "If it makes the city look good and it doesn't give us that bad riot mentality that everyone thinks we have, then I think it is a good thing."
See them here: http://www.whosay.com/fergusbell/photos/208868
— Fergus Bell — Twitter http://twitter.com/fergb
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CHINA DIVING GOLD
Yuan Cao and Yanquan Zhang of China are the gold medal winners in the men's synchronized 10-meter dive.
The Chinese trailed the hometown Brits after three dives, but executed nearly flawlessly in the second half of the event. The partisan crowd was hopeful to see the hometown team of Thomas Daley and Peter Waterfield keep the gold in London. They drilled their first three, leading at the halfway point while being serenaded to chants of "GB! GB! GB!"
But a rough fourth dive score of 71.28 opened the door for China. The crowd even booed the judges for giving their boys an 87.69 on their fifth dive. Mexico took the silver and the American team of Nicholas McCrory and David Boudia finished with the bronze. Britain finished fourth.
— Jon Krawczynski — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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JORDAN'S FIRST PUNCH
Ihab Almatbouli is Jordan's first Olympic boxer, and now he has his nation's first Olympic boxing victory.
Almatbouli won a 19-7 decision over Nigeria's Lukmon Lawal at ExCel on Wednesday, thrilling the small delegation of Jordanian athletes and fans cheering him on and singing to him.
He is the second of five boxing brothers from Baqa'a, a Palestinian refugee camp outside Amman. Somber after his workmanlike victory, he credited God and his Cuban coach. Still, the wolf tattoo on his right bicep suggests Almatbouli might have a little more flair in store for his next fight.
— Greg Beacham — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/gregbeacham
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MOM WATCHES, ZARA RIDES
A good time for Zara Phillips on the difficult and dangerous cross-country portion of her first Olympic equestrian eventing competition. The 31-year-old Phillips, Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter, finished well under the pace time with 9 minutes 55.11 seconds, cheered on wildly by thousands of fans — some of them royal — in London's oldest royal park.
Princes William and Harry watched her from the main equestrian arena, joined by William's wife, Kate, and Camilla, the wife of Prince Charles. Seated alongside them were Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew. Phillips' mother, Princess Anne, watched from the grounds of the twisty, hilly 5.7-kilometer course dotted with 28 obstacles.
— Nicole Winfield — Twitter http://twitter.com/nwinfield
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SPARTACUS' DEFENSE
Fabian Cancellara is planning to defend his time-trial gold medal.
The man known as "Spartacus" had his Olympic future thrown into doubt when he crashed while trying to navigate a right turn late in Saturday's road race. Cancellara had broken his collarbone earlier this year at the Tour of Flanders, and was worried that he'd done it again.
He was taken for X-rays that turned out negative, and the four-time world champion said Monday that he's planning to race through the pain Wednesday at Hampton Court Palace.
"I feel better with every hour passing," he says. "I have to be positive, otherwise I would have been home already. I'm a hard man."
Swiss team doctor Andreas Goesele likened the spill to being in a "car crash, with a whiplash injury." He also said that Cancellara would have to ride through pain because the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of prohibited substances limits what he can prescribe.
Cancellara remains one of the favorites for the race, along with reigning world champion Tony Martin of Germany and Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins of Britain.
— Dave Skretta — http://www.twitter.com/apdaveskretta
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DIVING DERRING-DO
The Brits are still searching for that first gold medal of the games, and the partisan crowd at the Aquatic Center is trying to will their boys to one in the men's synchronized 10-meter dive.
Thomas Daley and Peter Waterfield are putting on quite a show, too.
The arena roars every time the step out on to the platform, and they have responded with three tremendous dives to surge into the lead at the halfway point.
They're in the seventh position of eight, and just ripped a pair of back 3 1/2 somersault tucks that scored 91.08.
They are just in front of China and the Germany with three dives to go.
— Jon Krawczynski — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski
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COLONIAL SPIRIT
Senegalese wrestler Malal Ndiaye had kind words for the president of France — and a little dig at his own.
He was one of the many athletes who exchanged words with Francois Hollande at the athletes' village on Monday.
Ndiaye, who is competing in the 120 kilograms weight class, pushed his way through bodyguards to shake his hand. "I'm really glad that he is here, it will give me strength," Ndiaye said, before adding: "More than the president of my own country."
The west African nation was once a French colony.
— Samuel Petrequin — http://twitter.com/sampetrequin
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ZOE'S HOME CROWD
The decibel level in the weightlifting arena reached new heights as 18-year-old Zoe Smith set a British clean and jerk record of 121 kilograms in the "B'' session of the women's 58-kilogram category on Monday. She also went for a British record in the snatch, but tensed up and missed.
"At first I was getting used to the fact that there were that many people and maybe that's why I sort of messed up the snatches a little bit," Smith says. "I think I was just overwhelmed."
Smith must now wait for the higher-ranked lifters in the "A'' group to compete to find out where she places, though her 211-kilogram total is unlikely to be enough for a medal.
— Karl Ritter - Twitter: http://twitter.com/karl_ritter
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POWER OF THE MULLET
At 17, Puerto Rican lightweight Jeyvier Cintron is among the youngest boxers at the London Olympics. And if they awarded gold medals for hair, he'd be going home with some serious hardware.
Cintron took the ring today sporting a classic mullet, but with a twist. He also has a jagged strip of blond dyed hair across the top of the business-in-front part, and much of the party-in-the-back section is also blond.
Cintron's headgear popped off in the middle of an exchange during his fight with Botswana's Oteng Oteng, giving fans an extra look. He then won a 14-12 decision over Oteng, ensuring the mullet will live to fight another day.
— Greg Beacham — Twitter http://twitter.com/gregbeacham
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SEEN MY SHADES?
Elizabeth Armitstead gained a silver medal — but lost her lucky sunglasses.
And the cyclist wants them back before the time trial on Wednesday.
Armitstead became Britain's first medalist of the London Olympics, winning silver in the road race on Sunday after sprinting down The Mall in central London just behind Marianne Vos.
But as she raced through Surrey, south of London, she lost her shades after removing them during a downpour to see better.
And now the police are helping her.
In a message posted Monday on Twitter, (at) SurreyPolice said: "Lost: 1 pair lucky Oakley Sunglasses. Owner: (at)L_ArmiTstead. If found, pls hand them in. She'd like them back for the TimeTrial on Weds."
— Rob Harris — Twitter http://twitter.com/RobHarris
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FOLLOW ME
Ryan Lochte has closed the gap on Michael Phelps both in the pool and on social media. On Monday, Lochte checked his Twitter count, which now trails Phelps by roughly 55,000 followers. His tweet: "Over 400,000 followers? That's crazy! Thanks to everyone out there who is following me. That's really cool." (http://twitter.com/ryanlochte)
— Jenna Fryer — Twitter http://twitter.com/jennafryer
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NOT THAT WAY!
As the row continues over empty seats at venues, Olympic officials seem to have a partial solution: ensuring television viewers can't see them.
Organizers have been embarrassed by the sight of blocks of seats left unused, largely by Olympics and sports officials, while the public craves tickets.
"They are not huge banks (of empty seats) and we tend to put them, if we can, out of camera range" International Olympic Committee vice president Craig Reedie of Britain told broadcaster ITV.
— Rob Harris — Twitter http://twitter.com/RobHarris
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HOT TICKET
Some seats may be empty, but that hasn't stopped fraudulent ticket sales: Some 29 suspected ticket touts have been arrested since the start of the Olympics. Eleven have been charged, Scotland Yard said Monday. The suspects, aged between 30 and 57, will appear in various courts around the British capital in the coming weeks.
— Paisley Dodds — Twitter http://twitter.com/paisleydodds
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SECURITY RIVALRY
All's fair in love, war and the Olympics? Not quite.
A security guard is under investigation after he allegedly spat at a military worker during an Olympic event and hurled verbal abuse at him for his service in Afghanistan.
Adam Mynott, a spokesman for the private security contractor G4S, confirmed the incident Monday. He said an investigation was pending and the guard had not yet been suspended.
He said the circumstances of the fracas weren't clear, including whether the guard was Muslim. G4S came under fire this month after admitting a shortfall of security guards for the Olympics — an admission that forced the military to provide thousands of extra military personnel.
— Paisley Dodds — Twitter http://twitter.com/paisleydodds
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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item, and get even more AP updates from the games here: http://twitter.com/AP_Sports