Michael Phelps takes 100 free
Michael Phelps knows if he can compete with his times from four years ago, he's got a good chance of holding off the rest of the top swimmers in the world.
Phelps capped a prosperous weekend by winning the 100-meter freestyle on Sunday at the Columbus Grand Prix, recording the second-best time in the world this year.
"I wanted to swim a good 100 and see where we were," he said. "I could compare where we are now compared to four years ago this time leading into (Olympic) trials. I'm happy, and hopefully this will set up a good 100 down the road or at trials. Who knows?"
A winner of eight gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and a total of 14 golds overall, Phelps was timed in 48.49 seconds to easily beat Nicolas Oliveira.
Phelps set the meet record four years ago at McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion when he was timed in 48.41. He pronounced himself pleased with his progress this year, after spending much of the last three years unfocused and unmotivated after his banner 2008.
"The only thing I need to do right now is continue what I'm doing. I can't have any more hiccups," the Baltimore native said. "Training does help and it does work and I can see that. The last three weeks we put in some good training and it showed here. Things are heading in the right direction. We just have to keep everything going."
Phelps won all three finals in which he competed, setting meet records in the first two in the three-day competition at Ohio State's pool. He also was scheduled to swim in the 200 backstroke on Sunday but elected to drop out to save himself for the 100 free.
He has already said this summer's Olympics in London will be his last.
"I want to be able to go out and end my career by doing everything I wanted to do," he said. "If I continue to train the next couple of months, I'll be able to do that."
In another highlighted race full of top swimmers, Allison Schmitt sprinted to a meet-record 54.77 seconds in the women's 100 free, beating fellow Olympians Natalie Coughlin, Zsuzsanna Jakobos (from Hungary) and Christine Magnuson.
Schmitt, a native of Canton, Mich., was proud she won a shorter distance where she usually doesn't excel.
"It's a really short race for me, so I was just going in there sprinting," she said. "It's not my best event but I guess I can swim it."
Coughlin, a three-time gold-medal winner from Vallejo, Calif., finished second in 55.74.
"I was joking with Schmittie. I said, 'I didn't see you over there! I really thought I had it. Darn you!'" Coughlin said with a laugh.
Coughlin had won in meet-record times on Friday and Saturday nights and said she was satisfied with her performance in the pool after a hectic training schedule.
She also expressed her admiration for the hard-charging Schmitt.
"Schmittie is one of the most lovable people on the team and she has had such a good year," Coughlin said. "Not only is she doing well in her signature events, not just her freestyles, but she's really coming on strong in the sprint freestyles, the flys -- she's pretty much kicked butt in everything she's raced."
Gillian Ryan of Kutztown, Pa., captured the women's 800 free in 8:29.25. Jakabos set the night's first meet record with a 2:11.98 in the 200 medley with Coughlin second, and Mexico's Maria Gonzalez Ramirez was first in 200 back in 2:10.75.
A night after nearly blacking out from going out too fast in a race, Matt Grevers of Lake Forest, Ill., won the men's 200 back with a meet-record time of 1:57.59, also the second-fastest time of 2012.
Mexico's Arturo Verti closed the meet by winning the 1,500 free in 15:30.69.
Source-Associated Press
Britain at court to keep life Olympic doping ban
Less than five months before the London Games, Britain's Olympic leaders will fight to keep lifetime bans for doping cheats during a hearing in front of world sport's top court on Monday.
No other country enforces such a strong sanction and the British Olympic Association is challenging the World Anti-Doping Agency's assertion that its code is violated by the 20-year-old rule.
If the Court of Arbitration for Sport rules in favor of WADA and against the 2012 Olympic host nation, sprinter Dwain Chambers and cyclist David Millar will be become eligible to compete on home soil this summer.
But BOA chairman Colin Moynihan is trying to keep them off the team, arguing that imposing life bans ensures the Olympics is "a big celebration of sport and not a competition between chemists' laboratories."
"The CAS case is about us having the right to select clean athletes for a clean games and the autonomy of the national Olympic committees to select who they think are right to represent their countries," Moynihan said on the eve of the hearing in London.
"This is no different to the right that Alex Ferguson has every Saturday to select the Manchester United players he feels are right," he added. "That right of selection is completely separate from the sanctions imposed by WADA and those are sanctions that we adhere to."
But the BOA's sanction has been under threat since the same court that will hear Monday's case last year threw out an International Olympic Committee rule barring athletes with doping suspensions of more than six months from the next games.
That CAS decision prompted the anti-doping agency to declare Britain "noncompliant" with its global code, deeming that lifetime bans amounted to a second sanction for the same offense. The BOA maintains its bylaw is an eligibility issue, not a sanction.
"WADA was established ... so that all the rules relating to doping in sport would be the same," WADA director general David Howman told British broadcaster ITV. "(The BOA rule) destroys harmony and so you have got athletes in one particular country who are subject to harder rules than you would have in other countries."
Howman's case is backed by a growing number of British Olympians, with Moynihan conceding that support among them for lifetime bans might have dropped from 90 percent to 70 percent. Marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe became one of the first leading British Olympians to publicly change her stance last year by declaring in an Associated Press interview that the BOA ban now unfairly penalizes compatriots like Chambers.
The 33-year-old sprinter, who won a bronze medal in the 60 meters at the world indoor championships on Saturday, served a two-year ban after testing positive for the steroid THG in 2003.
"My time is limited in the sport now, I only have a short window left," he said recently. "If the door of opportunity opens, it will be an honor to perform in front of the British crowd."
Chambers failed to obtain an injunction against the BOA ban in 2008 at London's High Court in order to compete in the Beijing Games. The BOA's legal team will again be led by David Panick on Monday.
Moynihan said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the case, but will have to wait until April for a verdict.
"The games should be clean," Moynihan said. "There will be no room in Team GB for those who had knowingly cheated, through the use of drugs."
But if CAS rules against the British body, there could be spots on the Olympics team for Chambers and Millar, who was suspended in 2004 for two years after testing positive for the blood-boosting agent EPO.
"Both of them have campaigned strongly now against drugs in sport but they have campaigned in full knowledge that our selection policy has not changed," Moynihan said.
"Those who argue there should be redemption for the most serious of drug cheats should pause to reflect that there is no redemption for the clean athletes who have never put on the Olympic kit and have never been selected because there are cheats out there who don't want to get caught and want to be selected, and have knowingly taken those drugs to deny clean athletes the right of selection."
The CAS ruling against the IOC's regulation last year cleared the way for American 400-meter runner LaShawn Merritt to defend his Olympic title in London. Merritt completed a 21-month doping ban last year.
---AP
Rooney sends Man United to top as City crash at Swansea
Wayne Rooney fired Manchester United to the top of the English Premier League as the champions defeated 10-man West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to take full advantage of Manchester City's shock 1-0 loss at Swansea yesterday.
Alex Ferguson's side secured their fourth successive league win thanks to a brace from England striker Rooney and that allowed the champions to move one point clear of bitter rivals City, who surrendered top spot when Luke Moore scored Swansea's winner with just seven minutes left at the Liberty Stadium.
At Old Trafford, United made a slow start and Albion midfielder Keith Andrews prodded wide from close-range before firing in a powerful drive that David de Gea did well to save.
But the hosts gradually found their rhythm and took the lead in the 35th minute thanks to Rooney's 23rd goal of the season.
First goal
Paul Scholes picked out Javier Hernandez and the Mexican forward made an incisive run in the penalty area before flicking a cross towards Rooney, who was just onside as he diverted the ball past Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster.
United were only denied a second goal by the woodwork as Hernandez's strike cannoned off a post.
Albion's hopes of a comeback began to fade in the 66th minute when Swedish defender Jonas Olsson was sent off for a second booking after tripping Hernandez.
Ferguson's team put the result beyond doubt when Rooney stroked home a penalty five minutes later after Andrews fouled Ashley Young.
United's success was made even sweeter by City's first defeat in five league matches and their second reverse of the week following a Europa League loss to Sporting Lisbon.
Roberto Mancini's men were fortunate not to fall behind in the sixth minute when referee Lee Mason ruled that England goalkeeper Joe Hart had fouled Wayne Routledge as he tried to save at the winger's feet.
Scott Sinclair took the spot-kick, but Hart plunged to his right to save the Swansea forward's tame penalty strike.
Swansea continued to dominate despite Sinclair's miss and Mancini responded by sending on Argentine striker Sergio Aguero before half-time in place of Gareth Barry, who appeared to exchange words with City assistant David Platt as he trudged off.
City duo Kolo Toure and David Silva both went close to breaking the deadlock, but the leaders' frustration appeared to boil over again at half-time, with reports of a tunnel argument between Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure.
Balotelli appealed in vain for a penalty early in the second half when the Italian striker made a theatrical tumble after a slight nudge from Joe Allen.
But City just couldn't get into their stride and smooth-passing Swansea made them pay for some sloppy defending in the 83rd minute.
Stefan Savic gave the ball away and Routledge crossed for unmarked substitute Moore to head past Hart.
Micah Richards thought he had equalised in the closing moments, but the defender's header was rightly ruled out for offside.
-AP
Australia readies for Windies
Australia captain Shane Watson said his side will be looking to build on the momentum they gained from success on home soil, when they face West Indies in the forthcoming Digicel 2012 Series.
Members of the Australian One-day and Twenty20 squads arrived on Saturday here, ahead of the Digicel 2012 Series, which includes five ODIs, two T20Is, and three Tests.
“Hopefully, we can produce some very good cricket for the fans over here,” said Watson. “We have just come off a very big series in Australia, and hopefully, we can continue the form that we showed and bring it in the games against West Indies.”
The Aussies arrived minus Michael Clarke. The regular Australia captain was sidelined with a hamstring injury and will miss the limited-overs matches on the tour.
Watson expected his side to overcome the setback and play with typical aplomb.
“We are always confident,” he said. “We know that if we are at the top of our game, we are going to be very hard to beat.
“Right now, the most important thing is to make sure we have recovered from our long flight and make the best of the next couple of days to make sure we are ready to go for the first match.”
Watson encouraged fans of the game to attend the matches, expecting spectators to get value for money from the battles on the field.
“We have some really talented players and we expect that this series will be a spectacle, so people should come out to see it,” he said.
“There is always an amazing following of the game in the West Indies and very passionate crowds always come out to the matches, so hopefully we can help to provide some entertainment that will allow the spectators to enjoy their days at the matches.”
The Digicel 2012 Series opens with the first three ODIs contested at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground here.
China reports large trade deficit as imports surge
China posted its largest trade deficit in at least a decade in February, after imports of commodities jumped as companies built up supplies.
The deficit was $31.5bn (£20bn) after imports rose 39.6% from a year earlier and exports rose 18.4%, the customs bureau said.
Analysts said the widening trade gap may signal deeper economic issues that China will need to address.
China has an export-led economy, but global economic growth remains slow.
Meanwhile, prices for many of the raw materials that China needs to fuel its growth are climbing.
Faced with these problems, many analysts are now predicting that China will have to do something to stimulate its domestic demand.
Anticipation
Last week, China said it was expecting its economy to grow by 7.5% in 2012, the lowest target it has set since 2004.
At the same time, it set an inflation target of 4%.
Price growth has been one of the biggest problems facing China over the past few years, not least because it imports most of the oil and commodities it consumes.
That is why, with crude oil climbing to close to $125 per barrel on the international exchange, many companies are stockpiling fuel in order to protect themselves from future price rises.
According to the trade figures released over the weekend, crude oil shipments hit a record-high of 5.95m barrels per day. China's imports of copper and iron ore also rose during the month.
"Imports were strong in February partly due to restocking among manufacturers in anticipation of rising commodity prices," said Hua Zhongwei of Huachuang Securities in Beijing.
While China is looking to stoke domestic demand and give its economy better balance, it still relies heavily on its export and manufacturing sector.
But problems in its key markets such as the US and eurozone have raised fears about whether Beijing can sustain its export-led growth.
There have been concerns that the debt crisis in the eurozone and the high rate of unemployment in the US may hurt consumer sentiment and dent demand for Chinese goods.
However, analysts said while those fears still exist, there were signs that things were improving.
Data released last week showed that the US economy created 227,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3%, the lowest level in nearly three years.
At the same time, Greece struck a deal with banks and other lenders on Friday to restructure its debt, an important step in winning a final approval of its second bailout.
"Europe and the US are slowly recovering. We should not be too pessimistic about China's exports," said Mr Hua of Huachuang Securities.
-BBC
Greece and Spain top agenda at Eurogroup meeting
Finance ministers from eurozone nations are to meet on Monday to discuss giving Greece's second bailout final approval.
The Eurogroup, which includes eurozone finance ministers, the president of the European Central Bank and European Commission chiefs, meets in Brussels.
Spain's financial status is also likely to be on the agenda.
Earlier this month, Spain said it would miss a deficit target of 4.4% of GDP for 2012 agreed with Brussels. It now expects the deficit to be 5.8%.
However, Spain is not expecting any punishment from the European Union for breaking the agreement.
In an interview with Spain's ABC newspaper, Economy Minister Luis De Guindos said he was sure that fellow finance ministers would acknowledge the huge efforts that Spain was making to cut its budget.
Spain is planning 30bn euros ($39bn; £25bn) of spending cuts this year, at a time when the economy is contracting.
Sony Kapoor, managing director of the think-tank Re-Define, told the BBC: "Spain has got its back against the wall.
"Even small cuts to public spending can translate into steep falls in GDP, worsening the debt situation," he added.
"That point is increasingly understood at a European level and a compromise is likely."
The Spanish government is also under political pressure at home. Over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of people protested against government labour reforms.
Under the new rules, severance pay will be slashed and it will be easier for firms to opt out of national pay agreements negotiated by unions.
Debt swap
Finance ministers are also expected to give Greece their approval for a second bailout.
Greece took an important step towards that goal on Friday after it managed to win a crucial debt swap.
The Greek deal with banks and other lenders is the largest restructuring of government debt in history, clearing the way for the country to receive a bailout worth 130bn euros.
Despite that deal, Mr Kapoor maintains that Greece will have to keep up the pace of reform. "Greece will be put on short leash. Even small disbursements will need to be approved," he said.
"Most of Greece's problems lie in the future. The economy is still in free-fall, unemployment is rising and capital flight is large."
In a statement on Friday, Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the 17-nation Eurogroup, said "the necessary conditions are in place to launch the relevant national procedures required for the final approval" of its bailout.
IMF head Christine Lagarde said it was "an important step that will dramatically reduce Greece's medium-term financing needs and contribute to debt sustainability".
The IMF will meet on 15 March to decide what it will contribute to the eurozone bailout.
Under the debt swap, banks and other financial institutions have agreed to exchange their existing Greek government debt for new bonds, which are worth much less and pay a lower rate of interest.
The deal involves 172bn euros' worth of bonds, according to the Greek government website, with investors taking a total loss of up to 74%.
Some lenders who lost money as a result of the deal will be compensated.
That is after the International Swaps and Derivatives Association classified the deal as a "credit event", triggering insurance payments.
Some investors bought a type of insurance against that happening. Those payouts could be worth in total up to $3.2bn, only a small fraction of the 105bn euros wiped-off Greece's debt burden.
US economy adds 227,000 jobs in February
The US economy created 227,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3%, the lowest level in nearly three years.
The Labor Department report also showed that job-creation figures in December and January were even stronger than first estimated.
President Barack Obama said the figures showed the economy "getting stronger".
Employment has been rising for the past six months, but the jobless rate has been stuck above 8% since early 2009.
That, largely, can be explained by the changing size of the workforce.
Americans who had given up looking for work have started streaming back into the labour market.
Those who re-enter the market but do not secure jobs are in effect counted afresh as unemployed.
That's why the unemployment rate in February remained unchanged at 8.3%.
The number of new jobs being created has been consistently above 200,000 in each of the past three months, fuelling hopes that the US recovery is gathering pace.
"Our job now is to keep this economic engine churning. We can't go back to the same policies that got us into this mess," Mr Obama said at a Rolls Royce plant in Virginia, insisting that better times lay ahead.
"We can't go back to an economy that was weakened by outsourcing and bad debt and phoney financial profits."
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said that the president had promised three years ago to get unemployment below 8%.
"It has not been below 8% since. This president has not succeeded. This president has failed and that's the reason we're going to get rid of him in 2012," Mr Romney said.
Fellow White House hopeful Newt Gingrich said: "Any new job is a welcome paycheque for the American worker, but as past recoveries show, the current rate of growth will leave the American economy sputtering for years to come."
Earlier, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, said the US may exceed a previous forecast of 1.8% growth in 2012.
On Friday, new figures showed the US trade deficit higher than expected in January.
High oil prices and renewed demand helped to push imports to a record high of $233.4bn, according to the Department of Commerce, with imports from China rising 4.7% to $34.4bn.
The trade gap was $52.6bn in January, the highest since October 2008, and its estimate of December's trade deficit was revised up to to $50.4bn from a previous figure of $48.8bn.
Expansion
Employment in February rose in professional and businesses services by 82,000, with half of that in temporary help services.
Jobs growth also occurred in health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, and mining.
Manufacturing added 31,000 jobs, with most car makers been taking on new workers and adding shifts and overtime to meet pent-up demand after production was disrupted early last year following the tsunami and earthquake in Japan.
Another positive note was provided by a revision to data showing that the economy had created 61,000 more jobs in December and January combined than was previously estimated.
Paul Ashworth, chief US economist at Capital Economics, said the figures added to evidence that the US jobs market had turned a corner: "Overall, another very strong payroll report and there's every chance that March will bring more of the same."
The number of people without a job remained all but unchanged last month, at 12.8 million, and the number of those working part time because their hours have been cut back or because they have been unable to find a full-time job was also stuck at 8.1 million.
Unemployment is one of the most hotly contested topics among the candidates battling to win November's presidential election.
An improvement in the figures is seen as favourable to the incumbent, President Barack Obama.
-BBC
Eurozone shows 'tentative' signs of recovery
The eurozone is showing "tentative" signs of recovery, according to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The OECD researches economics for the 30 nations that make up its membership.
For the eurozone, its leading indicator of economic activity rose in January and also turned positive for Britain.
The United States and Japan also continued to show signs of a pick-up.
"The United States and Japan continue to drive the overall position but stronger, albeit tentative, signals are beginning to emerge within all other major OECD economies and the euro area as a whole," the OECD said.
However, Brazil and China showed signs of weakness in January, according to the OECD report.
The OECD publishes its Composite Leading Indicators every month. The measure is designed to anticipate turning points in economic activity.
Aviation plea to leaders over EU price on carbon
Seven European aviation firms have written to governments complaining about the inclusion of airlines in the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
The signatories, which include Airbus, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, argue the move threatens jobs.
They are concerned about trade retaliation by countries not complying with the ETS, which puts a cost on carbon emissions beyond set limits.
China and the US both oppose the move.
"The measure is threatening more than 1,000 jobs (at Airbus) and another thousand through the supply chain," Airbus chief executive Thomas Enders is quoted as saying.
The boss of EADS, the parent company of Airbus, Louis Gallois told reporters last week that China had suspended the purchase of planes made by European manufacturers because of the levy.
"The ETS issue... is turning into a trade conflict," an Airbus spokesman told the Financial Times.
In a draft of the letter seen by the BBC, the companies urge politicians to pursue a "compromise solution... which will mitigate third-country concerns whilst protecting the environmental integrity of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme".
They believe that the proposals should be put on hold until a global plan for carbon emissions is agreed.
"Trying to impose a scheme on flights outside of Europe risks retaliatory action against EU airlines and EU trade at a time when the European economy is under severe pressure," a spokesperson from BA said in a statement.
"The amount of resistance to the EU's plans shows that the European Commission needs a Plan B in case there is retaliatory action," the statement goes on to say.
The European Union has gone it alone with its ETS, which levies a charge on flights in EU airspace based on carbon emissions.
The opposition campaign is being led by Airbus and has the support of the chief executives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France, Air Berlin and Iberia.
Letters have been sent to leaders including Britain's David Cameron, Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Francois Fillon.
Taliban Vows Revenge for Killing of 16 Afghan Civilians
The Taliban has vowed to seek revenge against what it called “American savages” after a U.S. Army sergeant went on an apparent shooting spree in southern Afghanistan, killing 16 Afghan villagers — many of them children.
U.S. and Afghan officials say the U.S. soldier walked off his base and attacked homes in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province early Sunday, shooting and killing civilians. Villagers say he set some of the bodies on fire.
U.S.-forces stepped up security a day later, as the American embassy warned U.S. citizens in Afghanistan of the possibility of reprisals. The Taliban said Monday it would avenge the death of every Afghan who was killed.
The Afghan parliament condemned the killings, urging the U.S. government to punish the culprits and put them on trial in a public court. Afghan lawmakers said Monday they have “run out of patience” with the lack of oversight of foreign solders.
The killings were the latest in a series of actions by international troops that have provoked outrage in Afghanistan. Last month, nearly 40 people were killed in deadly protests against the burning of Qurans at a U.S. airbase.
ISAF spokesman Brigadier General Carsten Jacobson said Monday the recent incidents are of grave concern.
“From ISAF’s point of view, of course, these incidents and in particular, the short distance between the incidents that we have seen in the recent weeks, are a burden and are of concern for ISAF.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has demanded an explanation for attack, in which nine children and three women were killed. He said the act was “an intentional killing of innocent civilians that cannot be forgiven.”
U.S. President Barack Obama called the Afghan leader Sunday to extend his condolences to the Afghan people. He also issued a statement, saying the “tragic and shocking” incident “does not represent the exceptional character of our military and the respect that the United States has for the people of Afghanistan.” Mr. Obama said he stands behind Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s call for a quick investigation and his commitment to hold accountable anyone responsible.
NATO officials say the suspect, identified as U.S. Army staff sergeant from a unit based in Washington state, turned himself in following the early morning shooting rampage in Kandahar. Many witnesses have said there were several attackers, but U.S. officials say the soldier acted alone and then surrendered.
U.S. military officials said the detained sergeant was married with children. They said he had served three tours in Iraq but was on his first Afghan deployment.
Sunday’s shooting in southern Afghanistan is likely to further fray Afghan-U.S. ties, just as U.S. and Afghan officials try to make progress on a strategic agreement outlining the U.S. role in Afghanistan after all American combat troops leave the country in 2014.
A day after the killings, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a previously unannounced trip to visit German soldiers serving with the NATO-led security force. She arrived in the city Mazar-e-Sharif on Monday and telephoned President Karzai to express her “deepest condolences” for the incident.
Germany is the third largest contributor of troops the NATO force in Afghanistan, with some 5,000 soldiers in the country.
-VOA