British Queen shops for private jet

London, Jun 29 (PTI) From horse-drawn buggies to
aircraft, the Buckingham Palace will soon have it all -- the
British Queen is shopping around for a private jet.
Buckingham Palace is "in charge of procurement" of
the aircraft and drawing up its its own specifications for the
interior, an unnamed British government source was quoted by
'The Sunday Times' as saying.
The interior is expected to include a bar, catering
facilities and in-flight entertainment systems, as well as up
to 12 seats to accommodate courtiers, officials and the Queen.
Apart from the Queen, senior members of the British
Royal Family will also be able to use the aircraft, including
Prince William, the second-in-line to the throne, who recently
got his pilot's licence.
The plane will be used for internal flights and short
trips abroad so that the Royals will no longer have to charter
larger planes or book seats on scheduled flights for long-haul
domestic or international trips.
"We are currently working with the British Department
for Transport to identify an appropriate aircraft for the use
of members of the Royal Family..." a Spokesman for the Queen
was quoted as saying.
However, he added: "We are in the early stages of
this review and no decisions on the type of aircraft have been
taken as yet."

Obama forced to flashID at gym

Washington, June 29 (PTI) Barack Obama may be running
for the most powerful job in the world, but an employee of a
gym here stopped him as well as his secret service agents as
they tried to breeze past the front desk without stopping.
Wanting to get a quick treadmill session before his
first public event with Hillary Clinton, the 47-year-old
Illinois senator headed to the newly-opened Washington Sports
Club in the Columbia Heights neighbourhood.
But the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who
hopes to be the first black-American president, did not get
far when he and his entourage of agents tried to walk past the
front desk without stopping, according to the gym's general
manager, Gonzalo Perez-Tamayo.
Perez-Tamayo said the club trains its employees to adopt
a strict policy of asking every member for his or her gym ID
upon entry, even if they happen to be seeking the Oval Office.
The employee manning the front desk on Friday, Takehia
Wheeler, immediately stopped Obama as he rushed inside.
"It's always a rush in the morning, everyone's trying to
come in quickly," Perez-Tamayo said. "She asked him for his
last name and he said 'Obama,' then she asked him for his
first name."
"It was very funny, she then realised who he was and
said, 'Oh I am so sorry!" Perez-Tamayo was quoted as saying
by CNN.
For the record, Obama is a member at the Washington
Sports Club gym network.
The first-time Illinois senator did not appear
frustrated by the inconvenience, Perez-Tamayo also said, but
he probably realised he needs to get a gym card if he wants to
avoid the mix up in the future.
"If he doesn't want to get stopped he needs a card,"
Perez-Tamayo said. "It's the same for everybody."