Olympics: Michael Phelps wins 19th medal, becomes most decorated athlete in Olympics history

LONDON -- Michael Phelps' historic 19th Olympic medal was pure gold Tuesday night at the Aquatics Centre. Phelps became the most decorated Olympian ever by anchoring the United States to a commanding victory in the 800-meter freestyle relay less than an hour after he lost a heartbreaking race. On a night Phelps got touched out at the wall in the 200 butterfly by South Africa's Chad le Clos, the Baltimore swimmer rebounded to remind the world his time has not passed. Phelps leaped past Larisa Latynina, an 18-medal winner in gymnastics for the former Soviet Union from 1956 and 1964. Latynina, 77, had planned to watch Phelps after attending the women's team final in gymnastics not far from Olympic Park. Phelps had trouble describing his emotions afterward but he left no doubt how Wholesale Soccer Jerseys much he appreciated being able to share the moment with teammates. The swimmer huddled with the others afterward to thank them for being part of history. "There's no better feeling than to do it with those guys," he said. Phelps acknowledged feeling uptight at the start of the London Games -- and it showed when he finished a disappointing fourth in the 400 individual medley on the opening night of swimming. The more he began to relax, the better Phelps has performed. His teammates have taken notice. Phelps is "a little more like a human and not a machine this time," his coach Bob Bowman said. Phelps swam a brilliant leg in the 400 relay Sunday when France's Yannick Agnel chased down Ryan Lochte to win in the final 25 meters. With all the pre-Olympic hyperbole about the Phelps-Ryan Lochte rivalry, the Americans worked together to enjoy the momentous race Tuesday. Lochte gave the United States a strong lead — just as Phelps had requested beforehand. "We all wanted to get him a big lead so when Michael dove in he wouldn't have to work," Lochte said. "Any time you can make history it's incredible." Not that Phelps just cruised through the two laps without straining. He maintained the big margin to make sure his record medal became his 15th gold one. The United States led from the start to finish in 6 minutes, 59.70 seconds. France finished second while China took third. In Beijing, Phelps became the first swimmer to win eight gold medals and has been Germany Euro 2012 Jersey a bona fide celebrity since. Now he has secured a place in sport that won't soon be forgotten. For all the accolades, Bowman found the most satisfaction from how Phelps reacted to a bitter defeat in the 200 butterfly, an event he had won at two consecutive Olympics. Four years ago Phelps barely touched the wall ahead of Cal graduate Milorad Cavic in the 100 butterfly by finishing on a full stroke. Tuesday night he miscalculated the final stroke as le Clos struck first to win in 1:52.96, well off Phelps' world record of 1:51.51. Phelps got the silver in a time of 1:53.01. "Phelps is my hero and I love the guy," le Clos said. "To beat him, I can't believe it. You don't understand what this means to me. This is the greatest moment of my life." It was not Phelps' favorite memory. But his teammates expected something special in the relay. "A mad Michael Phelps is a good one to have in the pool," teammate Ricky Berens of Charlotte, N.C., said. But by the time Phelps started to prepare for the relay he looked fine. That left Bowman happy. He has coached the swimmer for 17 years, a remarkable streak of its own in a sport where frequent coaching changes is the norm. "It showed how much he has matured and understands what this is all about," Bowman said. The coach couldn't help but reflect on meeting a 10-year kid at a club pool in suburban Baltimore. "He just had something different," Bowman said. "It was hard to define." It has been difficult for Phelps in his fourth Olympics, but in a way he and his coach are appreciating the experience all the more. They never set out to break Latynina's record. They just wanted to swim fast. Many say Phelps' final count after the London Games will last a long time. Phelps, though, isn't as confident. "Nothing is untouchable," he said. Phelps knows that better than most.

Syrian tanks attack convoy carrying head of UN observer mission

Syrian tanks attacked a convoy carrying the head of the UN observer mission, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Monday. He again told the government to halt its violent crackdown on those fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad's regime. "Yesterday, the convoy of Lt. Gen. Babacar Gaye was attacked by cheap toms glitter pink armed tanks. Fortunately, there were no injuries," Ban told reporters. He said a dozen armoured vehicles used by the observers have been destroyed by blasts and shelling. The UN observer mission's latest 30-day mandate is due to expire in August. The mission has largely been sidelined by the violence. "It's important, again, that the Syrian government must fully co-operate with the UN mission and must cease these violent measures. We are deeply concerned that they are using all kinds of heavy equipment, including military airplanes, attack helicopters and heavy weaponry," Ban said. "This is an unacceptable situation. Every day, more than 100 people are being killed." Turning to fears of a wider Middle East war, Ban said, "A sectarian civil Toms Shoes Cheap war would also gravely imperil Syria's neighbours." They are Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. "As many as 2 million people are affected by violence. More fighting is not the answer," Ban said. Syria recently acknowledged for the first time that it possesses chemical weapons but said it would only use them if the country came under foreign attack. "The use of these arms is prohibited under international law. Any use of such weapons would be an outrageous crime and a major concern for the entire international community," Ban said. The UN Security Council has been stalemated with Russia and China vetoes of Western and Arab attempts to impose sanctions on Assad's government. Saudi Arabia is circulating a draft General Assembly resolution demanding an end to the violence in Syria, backing political dialogue and transition and calling for Syria's chemical weapons to be held secure. However, General Assembly resolutions are not enforceable by sanctions or military intervention. No date has been set for the introduction of the Saudi Arabia-sponsored, Arab-backed draft resolution.

Asian markets fall on weak China imports

Asian markets fell on Tuesday, as weakening demand for imports in China provided new evidence of a slowdown in the region's biggest economy and investors shrugged off a eurozone bid to help Spain. Official data showed China's trade surplus expanded in June as demand for imports fell more sharply than expected, adding to investor nerves before the release of more key data this week including second-quarter GDP. Tokyo's Nikkei index ended 0.44 percent, or 39.15 points, lower at 8,857.73, with shares of China-linked stocks weighed down by the latest data from the country. Construction equipment maker Komatsu gave up 3.45 percent to 1,818 yen, while Nike Sko Hitachi Construction Machinery lost 2.90 percent to 1,371 yen. "Caution remains over the release of (China's) GDP for the April-June quarter" on Friday, said a senior strategist at a Japanese brokerage. Sydney finished 0.49 percent, or 20.3 points, down at 4,098.0, and Seoul was off 0.36 percent, or 6.68 points, at 1,829.45. Shanghai closed down 0.29 percent, or 6.37 points, to 2,164.44, while Hong Kong was off 0.16 percent, or 31.73 points, to end at 19,396.36. Regional bourses tracked declines in the United States and Europe, extending heavy losses they made on Monday. "The market is currently holding a very negative view on China's economy," Ben Kwong, chief operating officer at KGI Asia, told Dow Jones Newswires. The trade surplus widened last month to 42.9 percent compared to the same period the previous year, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs. Exports for the month rose 11.3 percent year-on-year to $180.21 billion, but imports climbed just 6.3 percent to reach $148.48 billion, according to the government's data. Amid a string of negative data from the world's second-biggest economy, the government has sought to revive growth with measures including two interest rate cuts in the past month. Analysts had already flagged more government action to boost growth after China reported Monday that the pace of inflation slowed to a 29-month low in June. The economy expanded an annual 8.1 percent in the first quarter, its slowest pace in three years. The government will release the gross domestic product for the second quarter on Friday, with growth expected to have slowed further. The euro meanwhile slipped against major currencies after European leaders' latest effort to shore up the ailing currency bloc was met with scepticism. After marathon talks in Brussels, eurozone finance ministers agreed to offer Spain 30 billion euros ($37 billion) this month to help its distressed banks. They also extended a deadline for Madrid to cut its public deficit to the European Union's 3.0 percent limit by one year to 2014 because of the difficult economic conditions. But traders were unimpressed. The Spain agreements were "more or less details of procedures and unlikely Nike Free 3.0 Dame to affect the entire picture of the eurozone trouble", said Yosuke Hosokawa, head of FX sales team at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank. "Everybody knows it will take considerable time to resolve the problem." The euro was changing hands at $1.2296 in Tokyo afternoon trade against $1.2312 in New York late Monday. Against the Japanese currency, the euro bought 97.59 yen from 97.95 yen in US trade the previous day, while the dollar was also weaker at 79.36 yen from 79.56 yen. On Monday, American stocks fell ahead of the earnings season, with The Dow Jones Industrial Average closing down 0.28 percent. London slipped by 0.62 percent, Frankfurt was off 0.35 percent, and Paris edged 0.38 percent lower. On oil markets, Brent North Sea crude fell below $100, dropping $1.75 to $98.57, after a Norwegian oil workers' strike ended. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in August dived 97 cents to $85.02 a barrel. Gold was worth $1,585.19 ounce at 0830 GMT, compared with $1,585.20 late Monday. In other markets: -- Taipei fell 0.80 percent, or 58.61 points, to 7,251.35. Hon Hai Precision lost 1.96 percent to Tw$90.1 while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. ended 1.13 percent lower at Tw$79.1. -- Wellington fell 0.44 percent, or 15.47 points, to 3,464.72. Fletcher Building was down 1.6 percent at NZ$6.10, Telecom Corp. was up 0.4 percent at NZ$2.25 and Air New Zealand held steady at NZ$0.91. -- Manila closed 0.45 percent, or 23.46 points, lower at 5,240.28. Ayala Land Inc. fell 2.55 percent to 21.05 pesos while Banco de Oro remained unchanged at 62.25 pesos.

Wandering Cape Cod bear captured in Boston suburb

BOSTON (Reuters) - He's baaack: A male black bear captured on Cape Cod earlier this month, where it was tranquilized and moved to central Massachusetts, showed up again on Tuesday just six miles from downtown Boston. State officials said they had captured the bear in a tree in the Chestnut Hill area of Brookline, just west of Boston, and confirmed it was the same bear which roamed the Cape for about two weeks before being captured and relocated on June 12. The bear was identified by a tag placed in its ear. It had probably traveled 2012 Nike Free Herre about 100 miles. "Because this bear was in a highly congested urban area, an interagency Large Animal Response Team was deployed to the area," said the Massachusetts' wildlife agency, known as MassWildlife. The 180-pound bear was then shot with a tranquilizer dart by the Environmental Police. Later, MassWildlife officials transported the animal to a remote location in western Massachusetts, about 150 miles away. The Boston Globe reported that the bear was spotted in a white pine tree in the backyard of Alan Leventhal, chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the United States, and on Boston University's Board of Trustees. The agency said that black bear sightings have been reported in a number of towns west and south of Boston recently but could not confirm that all sightings were the same bear. The Boston Globe reported that the bear was spotted in a white pine tree in the backyard of Alan Leventhal, chief executive of Beacon Capital Partners, one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the United States, and on Boston University's Board of Trustees. The Brookline Police Department tweeted photographs of the bear in the tree, with a caption that was a twist on the classic children's book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See": "Black bear, black bear what do you see? I see Brookline police looking at me." The so-called Cape Cod bear was first spotted May 27 in the Cape Cod area, the Herre Nike Free Run easternmost part of the state. State wildlife officials think the bear swam across the Cape Cod Canal from the mainland. The Massachusetts bear population was last estimated at 3,000 in 2005, with most bears in northwest and western parts of the state, including the Berkshires region. The black bear population has been slowly growing and expanding its range into eastern and southeastern Massachusetts, state officials said. Of the three species of bear found in North America, the American black bear is the smallest.

Married with a baby? Study finds you may be less satisfied with work

Life-changing events such as getting married and having your first baby can have a detrimental effect on your job satisfaction, according to a study by Kingston University's Business School in the UK. The researchers found that people feel significantly less happy at work for 2012 Nike Free Dame up to five years after the birth of their first child -- with the negative effect on job satisfaction hitting women particularly hard. The study, published in a recent issue of the Journal of Vocational Behavior, tracked the annual job satisfaction levels of nearly 10,000 people in the UK between 1991 and 2008. It also suggested that there is a peak in happiness at work just prior to marriage and the birth of a first child, as people anticipate these life-changing events. "Quite often how you feel about your job is determined by outside factors," said study author Professor Yannis Georgellis in a press release dated July 4. "Before the happy life event, people may experience increased job satisfaction because of the 'spillover' effect, where happiness at home influences happiness at work." "But afterwards, people's focus inevitably shifts more towards home life as priorities change and the work-life conflict kicks in," he adds. "This is particularly true for people when they start a family." A good role to help new mothers find their footing is to offer a more generous Dame Nike Free Run maternity leave, such as in Scandinavian countries. "Sweden, for instance, allocates parents 480 days per child, of which the father must take 60, and which can be taken any time until the child is eight years old," he said. A separate recent study found that mothers who work part time may enjoy better overall health and fewer signs of depression compared to stay-at-home mothers or those who work full-time.

Men selv om Sane og hans kollega Djiby Falls succes i Danmark er blevet kendt i hjemlandet, s?

Randers FCs Tidiane Sane har udviklet sig fra at v?re en af b?nkevarmerne p? holdet til at v?re en af profilerne i p? holdets offensive midtbane, og han succesen kan bringe ham p? landsholdet. Tidiane Sane h?ber p? at komme p? Senegals landshold: - Jeg vil gerne p? landsholdet. Der er mange gode spillere, selv om folk i Danmark ikke kender dem alle sammen, men jeg h?ber p?, at det sker p? et tidspunkt, siger Tidiane Sane til Onside.dk. Men selv om Sane og hans kollega Djiby Dame Nike Free Run 3 Falls succes i Danmark er blevet kendt i hjemlandet, s? er det stadig sv?rt at finde vej til landstr?nerens trup gennem SAS ligaen. - Det er sv?rt at komme p? landsholdet. Ikke kun p? grund af det fodboldm?ssige, men fordi at der ikke er s? meget fokus p? den danske liga i Senegal. Der holder de mest ?je med den franske og engelske liga, fort?ller Tidiane Sane. Tidiane Sane har forel?big nettet 3 gange Herre Nike Free Run 3 for Randers i s?sonens hidtidige syv kampe, og han er sammen med Bedi Buval topscorer for Randers.

Giv mig dog plads Jesper Nielsen er tr?

'KASI-Jesper' Nielsen er s? tr?t af Divisionsforeningen, at han truer med at forlade dansk h?ndbold med et brag. AG K?benhavn-ejeren har l?nge v?ret p? kant med Divisionsforeningen, som han f?ler med vilje modarbejder det projekt, som han fors?ger at g?re til lokomotivet i dansk h?ndbold. L?S OGS?: -H?ndboldfolket i Danmark m? til at Nike Free Run Mænd forst?, at vi alle sammen skal udnytte det produkt, vi har. I stedet l?gger man latterligt mange forhindringer ud for mig hele tiden. - Vi m? s?tte os ned og finde ud af det her, vi skal sgu have plads, ellers ender det jo med, at vi skrider, siger Jesper Nielsen til B.T. Kasi-Jesper: Giv mig dog plads Jesper Nielsen er tr?t af den dobbeltmoral, som han f?ler, han st?der p? fra de jyske klubbers side. L?S OGS?: -Jeg ved godt, at de jyske klubber bliver glade, hver gang jeg kommer forbi med mit hold, for s? har de fulde huse og tjener penge. Men s? m? de sgu ogs? give plads til mig. - N?r vi vil lave vores egen tv-kontrakt Nike Free tilbud eller have lov at skrive langtidskontrakter, s? m? vi ikke, lyder det videre fra AGK-chefen. L?S OGS?: -Helt ?rligt, vi f?r det samme i tv-penge som Skive. Det duer jo ikke. Hvis vi ikke finder plads til AGK herhjemme, s? er det p? l?nt tid. Jeg skal ogs? have lov at tjene penge, sl?r Jesper Nielsen fast.

Real Madrid manglede lyst til at pr?ge kampen

Efter en svag ?bning fik Real Madrid-spillerne samlet sig og besejret oprykkerne Real Betis med 4-1. Real Madrid f?r - i hvert fald for en stund - ?ren af f?rstepladsen i den bedste spanske fodboldr?kke, efter Herre Nike Free 3.0 V3 madrilenerne l?rdag besejrede Real Betis 4-1 p? Bernabeu. VIDEO: Hjemmeholdet kom ellers langsomt fra start og spillede en skuffede f?rste halvleg. Spillerne faldt i b?de tempo og initiativ efter en indledende periode med enkelte lyspunkter af blandt andre Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid manglede lyst til at pr?ge kampen Og i Real Madrids mangel p? lyst til at pr?ge kampen blev der plads til et par gode opspil af Real Betis, inden de hold gik til pause med 0-0 og temmelig meget at snakke om. Men efter pausen kom de hvidblusede blodekvilibrister p? banen med fornyet lyst p? fodboldlivet. VIDEO: Allerede efter et minut afleverede Cristiano Ronaldo bolden til argentineren Gonzalo Higuain, som sparkede den i m?l til 1-0. Kaka fik andet opl?g fra Cristiano Ronaldo Et kvarter senere var Ronaldo igen frisk med et opl?g, da han efter et l?b p? venstrekanten spillede bolden tilbage til Kaka, som med h?jrefoden dirigerede bolden i m?l til 2-0 via en smuk bue uden for r?kkevidde af Betis-m?lmand Casto Espinosa. VIDEO: Efter en omgang klumpspil i Madrids straffesparkfelt fik Betis-spilleren Jorge Molina imidlertid bragt sp?ndingen tilbage Nike Free tilbud med en reducering til 1-2. Men det varede kun et ?jeblik. L?S OGS?: Higuain stod for hattrick hos Real Madrid Efter lynhurtigt opspil af Real Madrid gjorde Higuain det til f?rst 3-1, og kort efter scorede han hattrick til 4-1. Barcelona kan dog generobre f?rstepladsen allerede om to timer, hvis holdet vinder over Santander p? hjemmebane.

Anf?rer Christian Poulsen spillede en skidt kamp

Danmark spillede en fin kamp p? Norges hjemmebane, men til slut sn?d Erik Huseklepp Danmark for sejren, og opg?ret sluttede 1-1. 4.000 danske tilskuere var p? plads p? Ullevaal til at bakke landsholdet op i den vigtige EM-kvalifikationskamp. Et helflugtsdr?n fra Dennis Rommedahl sendte Danmark p? sejrskurs i f?rste halvleg, men Erik Huseklepp udlignede 10 minutter f?r tid. Norge f?rer gruppe H med 10 point efter fire af otte kampe. Portugal og Danmark f?lger efter med hver syv point. Kun gruppevinderen er automatisk kvalificeret til EM. Norge, som ret beset leverede en halvskuffende indsats, spillede med en meget stram organisation i kampens f?rste 27 Nike Free Mænd minutter, mens stillingen endnu var 0-0. Den defensive midtbanespiller Henning Hauger bev?gede sig rundt lige foran sin egen firebackk?de, hvilket gjorde det vanskeligt for de danske spillere at finde spillerum i offensiven. Til geng?ld havde nordm?ndene intet presspil h?jt p? danskernes banehalvdel, men det ?ndrede sig efter Rommedahls flotte scoring. Anf?rer Christian Poulsen spillede en skidt kamp Fl?jspilleren udnyttede en returbold efter et hj?rnespark og dr?nede med en sublim helflugter bolden forbi Norges sagesl?se m?lmand, Rune Jarstein. Danskerne var som ventet farligst i h?jre side, hvor backen Lars Jacobsen supplerede Rommedahl glimrende, omend ikke alle afleveringer fandt dansk modtager. Det kneb generelt ogs? for den svagt spillende anf?rer, Christian Poulsen, at finde sine medspillere. Angriberen Nicklas Bendtner virkede uskarp med bolden, mens han klarede sig glimrende i luftduellerne mod de norske midterforsvarere, Brede Hangeland og Kjetil W?hler. Danmark kom som ventet under pres i anden halvleg, men defensiven omkring Daniel Agger virkede solid. Man sad med fornemmelsen af, at Danmark kunne afg?re kampen, ikke mindst da Rommedahl hamrede bolden p? overliggeren. I stedet fik Norge udlignet 10 minutter f?r Nike Free Run tid, da Michael Silberbauer ikke fik markeret Erik Huseklepp ordentligt. Danmark spiller sin n?ste EM-kvalifikationskamp i juni ude mod Island. Allerede tirsdag spiller holdet en venskabskamp i Slovakiet.