World Cup TV saturation coverage begins

The Pride of the Nation took off this afternoon from Luton airport taking with it England’s hope of winning the World Cup. The saturation coverage will continue for the next two weeks as News channels as well as terrestrial television bring the minute by minute action. Sky brought ‘exclusive’ Skycopter shots as the England coaches arrived shortly before 15:00 BST. BBC [BBC Sport] continued coverage as Sky broke for commercials. They too had aerial pictures of the A320 awaiting the all clear to fly to Baden Baden in Germany. Also in the news today was the debate over the number of flags flying on people’s cars with some taxi drivers and firefighters being ordered to remove them on safety grounds. There has also been the battle of an ‘official anthem’ as several bands compete for recognition with their tribute to the England squad. In three hours they will land in a rather damp Germany. They are due to play Paraguay on Saturday. Many other teams have already sent their teams including Iran, who are meanwhile playing a more difficult game as they spar with the international community over their nuclear policy. Stay tuned to CNN for the more serious news. Their headlines have focused on increased violence in Iraq. Insurgents wearing Iraqi security uniforms kidnapped 50 students. ‘Fake’ uniforms can be easily purchased for around $25 in Baghdad’s so called thieves market [CNN]. CNN also focused on the increased tensions in Somalia. And with further threats made against Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of oil ‘embargos’ if the US ‘and the rest of the International Community ‘misbehaved’ [CNN]. The effect of his remarks increased the price of fuel per barrel to $73. The tit for tat has also brought with it a threat of barring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from the World Cup.