Touristlink offers hill station tours

Travel company Touristlink has launched of a selection of packages aimed at travellers seeking to visit central India’s hill stations during the monsoon season.

On offer are trips to Pachmarhi, Mahabaleshwar and Lonavala, all locations that are awash with greenery during the rainy season and which provide hiking trails, dramatic waterfalls and visits to ancient forts.

With their cooler climate, the hill stations were originally a favourite of European colonialists who were keen to escape the summer heat.

London prepares for the Olympic Games

Architects are not always overly complimentary of their fellow professionals’ work, so it perhaps says much for Zaha Hadid’s Olympics Aquatic Centre (above) that it has almost without exception impressed the men and women of her profession.

British architect Amanda Levet, a winner of the UK’s prestigious RIBA Stirling prize, is but one example. ‘Without question, the Aquatics Centre is the star building,’ she says. ‘It is a spectacular expression of its sport, resolved in its form and beautifully detailed.’

With its undulating roof reminiscent of a wave and sinuous, aquatic lines, Hadid’s creation is one of the most memorable sights of the Olympic Park that has been created in east London to host the games of the XXX Olympiad.

Jordan picks easyJet for Olympic flights

Jordan has confirmed easyJet as its official Olympic Games carrier, with the announcement that the budget airline will fly its athletes and support staff between Amman and London, according to a report in the Financial Times.

It is the first time a UK carrier has sponsored a foreign team. British Airways will fly a number of overseas athletes to London for the Games, but its only official sponsorship deals are with Team GB, ParalympicsGB and London 2012.

Lana al-Jaghbeer, secretary-general of Jordan’s Olympic committee, said: ‘In today's financial climate, sponsorship is crucial for our athletes and this contribution is very much appreciated by all.’

EasyJet expects to fly around 75 people as part of its sponsorship deal. They will be given seats on one of theairline's scheduled flights between Amman and London Gatwick.