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Coverage: Live on BBC Two (16:00 BST), Radio 5 live sports extra (15:25 BST), online, tablets, mobiles and BBC Sport app. |
South Africa's Cameron van der Burgh set a new world record for the men's 50m breaststroke in the heats at the World Swimming Championships. |
The defending champion's time of 26.62 seconds eclipsed the 26.67 he set at the World Championships in 2009. |
Britain's Adam Peaty swam 26.62 last August, but that time is still to be ratified because of an error in the blood-testing procedure. |
Peaty won the last of Tuesday's nine heats in Kazan, clocking 26.68. |
The 20-year-old, who beat Van der Burgh to win the 100m breaststroke title on Monday, said of his heat: "I just went out there and had fun and didn't take it that seriously. |
"There's definitely more in there." |
The semi-finals take place later on Tuesday, with the final on Wednesday. |
Peaty told BBC Sport: "I'm really confident. I missed a few strokes and I could be a little bit more powerful so it will be nice to get out there tonight and fully enjoy it." |
Van der Burgh is the first man to set a world record at this year's event, with four women having done so across the opening two days. |
His previous best was set when performance-enhancing neoprene suits were still permitted. |
The 27-year-old said he was "really happy" after the "bitter-sweet disappointment" of the 100m final. |
He added: "We are all so close, it's not going to be a one or two-horse race, there are a lot of guys in the mix and it's going to very tight." |
Siobhan Marie O'Connor, who won Britain's first world 200m individual medley medal with a bronze on Monday, is into the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle. The 19-year-old set the 11th-fastest qualifying time - finishing fourth in her heat in one minute 58.27 seconds. |
Stephen Milne clocked seven minutes 46.41 seconds to qualify third-fastest for Wednesday's men's 800m freestyle final. |
One unexpected result of the Arab upheavals has been the renewed relevance of the 22-member League of Arab States. Long denigrated as a largely toothless organization, "a cross between the forces of fiction and futility," the league became an integral part of the diplomatic maneuvering in a number of areas. It provided... |
Saudi Arabian sheikh Yusuf Yassin (center), the acting minister for foreign affairs, signs the League of Arab States charter in Cairo, Egypt, March 1945. The Arab League was inaugurated ostensibly to promote greater inter-Arab cooperation, but in reality, it was created largely in opposition to the Zionist enterprise i... |
Why the change? On one level, most ruling Arab elites, cognizant of the widespread sympathy for the protest movements, find it necessary and useful to demonstrate their attentiveness to the public mood, at least when it comes to supporting protest movements elsewhere. But at base, the league's actions have been not so ... |
The league was founded in March 1945 to promote closer political and economic cooperation between newly emerging Arabic-speaking states in the name of an overarching pan-Arab identity; but the organization has generally failed to achieve anything more than ad hoc collaboration between its members, and the bulk of its r... |
Nonetheless, Arab League summit conferences—the league's de facto supreme decision-making body—have occasionally produced significant outcomes: the 1964 creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its endorsement as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people ten years later; the 1978 suspens... |
Over the past decade, Arab summit conferences faded into irrelevance. This was particularly visible at the 2004 summit hosted by Tunisia's autocratic president Ben Ali, which proclaimed a commitment to comprehensive reform of political life, including the establishment of genuine democracy and freedom of expression, th... |
The gathering storm in Tunisia rendered most Arab leaders speechless, apart from Qaddafi, who expressed the hope that Ben Ali would succeed in restoring order. Momentarily, the Libyan dictator was on the same side of the fence as the conservative Arab monarchies led by Saudi Arabia, as well as the Egyptian and Algerian... |
As the protest movements spread, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) quickly emerged as the only cohesive bloc of Arab states. Having banded together in 1981 in the shadow of the Iran-Iraq war, this club of pro-Western, oil-rich, tribally-based, geopolitically vulnerable monarchies has generally been like-min... |
Bahrain, of course, was one of their own, a member of the club. Unlike the others, however, it had a marginalized Shiite majority. Hence, the Saudis viewed the unrest there not through the lens of civic assertion, as it was seen in the West, but rather as a religious-communal struggle with potential to inflame the Saud... |
Hence, for GCC members, the choice was clear. Blatantly ignoring Washington's advice to engage with the protestors' demands, Bahrain's King Hamad welcomed the deployment in March 2011 of approximately a thousand mostly Saudi armed forces, together with smaller contingents from other GCC states. Their presence gave him ... |
Whereas the purpose of the GCC's Bahrain policy was to restore the status quo, stabilizing Yemen—Saudi Arabia's soft underbelly on its southeast border—necessitated delicate mediation over many months. The end result, the removal of Saleh and his replacement by his vice president, was the optimal outcome for the time b... |
Libya, however, was another story. As opposed to intervening to preserve the status quo as in Bahrain, or to brokering a leadership change while maintaining the regime as in Yemen, the GCC's goal in Libya was to demolish Qaddafi's personal rule. The Libyan ruler had never made any bones about his disdain for the gulf m... |
Of course, the challenge of toppling Qaddafi was of an entirely different order of business than in Bahrain or Yemen. At best, the GCC states could only play a supporting role, and the heavy lifting could be done only by Western powers and the Libyan opposition itself. To that end, Saudi Arabia and Qatar activated the ... |
Accordingly, on February 22, 2011, the league condemned the Libya government's violent crackdown of the protesters and suspended it from participation in league meetings. This marked the first occasion when a league member had been barred due to actions taken against its own citizens within its sovereign territory, and... |
To be sure, one could hardly speak of a large, activist anti-Qaddafi Arab bloc. Only five other countries besides the six GCC states actually attended the league meeting—only half of the total member states. Nor was support for the U.N. Security Council resolution unanimous: The Syrian and Algerian foreign ministers, a... |
During its first decades of existence, Syria was a weak state that suffered from chronic political instability, internal schisms, and a lack of cohesion. As such, it was the object of rival regional and international ambitions which, in turn, further destabilized domestic political life. This weakness stood in contrast... |
Hafez Assad's ascent to power in 1970 gradually inaugurated a new era. Syria became a brutal, albeit relatively stable mukhabarat (intelligence and security services) state with its leaders indulged and all opposition crushed as in Hama in 1982. Systematic repression was accompanied by alliances between the Alawite cor... |
Under Bashar al-Assad, however, the delicate balance that his father had usually maintained between Iran and conservative, pro-Western Arab states was abandoned in favor of deeper ties with Tehran and enhanced support for non-state violent Islamist movements (Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad). Even as he officially ... |
Following the uprising in Tunisia and in the midst of the protests in Egypt and Bahrain, Bashar gave a memorable interview to The Wall Street Journal, in which he explained that Syria was immune from unrest because, unlike elsewhere, his policies were in tune with the Syrian people's desire to promote "resistance." Wit... |
Many months would pass before the bridges would be entirely burned between Assad and the anti-Iranian, Arab Sunni bloc. Indeed, one of the first acts by the new Arab League secretary-general Nabil al-Arabi upon officially assuming his post in July 2011, after Moussa stepped down to run for the Egyptian presidency, was ... |
But the belief in Assad's commitment to reform withered away in subsequent months. A few weeks after condemning Obama, and just one day after a GCC condemnation of the Syrian regime's actions, Arabi issued an official statement expressing concern over the deteriorating situation in Syria and urged the government to end... |
Damascus's slowness in responding and efforts to limit the number and purview of the monitors, resulted in its suspension from league activities on November 12, as had been done with Libya. Eighteen states voted in favor of the suspension, with only Lebanon and Yemen opposing and Iraq abstaining. That same day, Jordan'... |
While clearly unhappy with the turn of events, the Syrians kept the door opened and eventually agreed to receive an Arab monitoring mission. Its very establishment was a novelty. Syrian forces intervening in Lebanon in 1976 had received the Arab League's qualified stamp of approval. Now, Syria was on the receiving end ... |
Bashar's response to Arab condemnations was predictably dismissive. Much more than them, he declared, it was Syria that represented Arab identity and had advanced Arab interests, politically and culturally. Suspending Syria from the Arab League simply meant that the league had suspended its Arabness. Syria, he insisted... |
In response to the mission's failure, the league called for Assad to step down in favor of his vice-president and for the establishment of a national unity government. The plan, officially tendered to the Security Council by Morocco, was endorsed by the United States, the European Union, and Turkey but was vetoed by Ru... |
Failing to achieve a consensual Security Council resolution, the U.N. secretary-general dispatched his predecessor, Kofi Annan, to Damascus in early March, as a specially designated U.N.-Arab League representative, to try to find a way out of the impasse but with no discernible results. As Syrian forces extended their ... |
In the many months since the Tunisian produce vendor Mohamed Bouazizi literally and tragically lit the spark that touched off the first of the Arab uprisings, the geopolitical contours in the region continued to be to the Arab states' collective and individual disadvantage. Egypt, traditionally the first among equals a... |
In its stead, the main Arab leadership roles have been assumed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, a surprising duo given the frequent friction between them generated by Doha's purposefully independent stand and Riyadh's own preference for conflict-avoidance and inter-Arab consensus building. But the recent uncertainties, chall... |
The Syrian case demonstrates that, despite U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton's praise of the league's actions and the hopes of liberal Arabs that the organization could help promote a new well-being for Arab citizens throughout the region, the league's leverage remains limited. Increasingly, it appears that among... |
Bruce Maddy-Weitzman is principal research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University. |
Rami G. Khouri, "The Arab League Awakening," Agence Global (Greensboro, N.C.), Nov. 16, 2011. |
"League of Arab States, Tunis Declaration issued at the 16th session of the Arab Summit," Tunis, May 22-23, 2004. |
Fox News, Feb. 10, 2011; The New York Times, Mar. 17, 2011. |
Reuters, Feb. 22, 2011; The New York Times, Mar. 17, 2011; The Guardian (London), Mar. 19, 2011. |
Voice of America News (Washington, D.C.), Mar. 17, 2011; The New York Times, Mar. 17, 2011. |
See, for example, The Telegraph (London), Mar. 30, 2009. |
Reuters, Feb. 22, 2011; Bloomberg News Service (New York), Feb. 22, 2011. |
U.N. press release on resolution 1973, Mar. 17, 2011. |
Christopher M. Blanchard, "Libya: Unrest and U.S. Policy," Congressional Research Service, Washington, D.C., Mar. 29, 2011. |
BBC News, Mar. 12, 2011. |
France 24 TV, Mar. 22, 2011. |
Curtis Ryan, "The New Arab Cold War and the Struggle for Syria," Middle East Report, no. 262, Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), Washington, D.C. |
Bruce Maddy-Weitzman, "Arabs vs. the Abdullah Plan," Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2010, pp. 3-12. |
Bashar al-Assad, Journalists' Union speech, Damascus, Aug. 15, 2006. |
The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 31, 2011. |
The Telegraph, Mar. 18, 2012. |
Al-Ahram (Cairo), July 13, 2011. |
Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv), Nov. 1, 2011; al-Jazeera TV (Doha), Nov. 3, 2011. |
The Guardian, Nov. 12, 2011. |
BBC News, Nov. 27, 2011. |
Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, "How can we save Syria?" al-Arabiya News (Dubai), Jan. 31, 2012. |
The Guardian, Jan. 11, 2012. |
Bashar al-Assad, speech, Damascus University, Jan. 2012. |
The Washington Post, Jan. 22, 2012. |
Los Angeles Times, Feb. 24, 2012. |
Reuters, Mar. 16, 2012; Day Press News Service (Damascus), Mar. 17, 2012. |
Marwan Muasher, "A League of Their Own," Foreign Policy, Jan. 11, 2012; Khouri, "The Arab League Awakening." |
Related Topics: Middle East politics | Bruce Maddy-Weitzman | Summer 2012 MEQ receive the latest by email: subscribe to the free mef mailing list This text may be reposted or forwarded so long as it is presented as an integral whole with complete and accurate information provided about its author, date, place of public... |
Angie Thomas' book has been met with opposition by police in South Carolina. |
One high school’s summer reading list has reportedly caught the attention of police in South Carolina. Angie Thomas‘ book, The Hate U Give has been flagged by a trade union that said teens at Wando High School, just north of Charleston, shouldn’t be reading it. |
Thomas’ young-adult novel has already won critical acclaim, prompting 20th Century Fox to do a movie adaptation with rapper Common and Issa Rae coming to theaters on October 19. Inspired by Black Lives Matter, the story spotlights the horrific reality of police brutality and the piecemeal healing of a community after a... |
A police union wants the books removed from Wando’s reading list and is trying to argue that the books promote a “distrust of police.” There are other “socio-economic” topics to read about, John Blackmon, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Tri-County Lodge #3 which represents local, state, and federal law enfor... |
Parents have also reportedly expressed opposition to the two books, according to the news outlet. A committee will review the complaints and hear from an opposing parent as well as the teacher who suggested the books be on the list. |
It’s important to note that South Carolina has been dealing with heightened racial tensions in recent years. Ex-police officer Michael Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison last December for killing Walter Scott, an unarmed African American motorist, during a traffic stop in 2015. Before that sentencing, the horri... |
Students actually have the option of choosing one of the five options from the book list including Thomas as well as Reynolds and Kiely’s books. The other books on the list are the sci-fi story 23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde, fantasy story Going Bovine by Libba Bray and another young-adult novel Love Letters To The D... |
(C)2019 Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO(R) and related channels and service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. |
(C) 2018 Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. |
Up to 50 feared drowned after nighttime ferry collision in Irrawady delta region. |
"There is very little chance of finding those missing alive. Most of them are women and children," said an official in Pathein, the provincial capital. |
Marine accidents are common in military-ruled Myanmar, whose 48 million people rely heavily on crowded, old boats for water transport. |
People in the remote areas particularly those living in the delta region often travel and transport goods by boat because of the low cost and the lack of access by road to many areas. |
In March 2008 about two dozen pilgrims drowned when their overcrowded motorboat sank in central Myanmar. |
The Irrawaddy delta region was badly hit by cyclone Nargis in late April 2008, killing more than 150,000 people. |
Create a PayPal Storefront widget for your website or blog. |
3 How Does a Paypal Account Work? |
PayPal is a useful service for online entrepreneurs, allowing them to make transactions over the Internet quickly. Those that sell products to others online can also take advantage of another PayPal feature: the PayPal Storefront. Selling products with PayPal Storefront is convenient, as it keeps track of the quantity ... |
Launch your Web browser and log in to the PayPal Labs Storefront page. |
Click the “Create New Storefront” button at the bottom of the screen. |
Click on a theme. If you’d rather have a solid color, click the “Colors” option and click on a color. |
Click the “Title and logo” tab. Enter a title for your storefront in the “Store title” box and select a text color from the color swatch. You can also add a logo for the storefront by entering the URL to an image in the “Store logo” box. |
Click the “Store policies” tab. Enter your storefront’s shipping policies, contact information and any other information about your store or products in the boxes provided. |
Click the “Products” tab. Enter the product name, price and description in the boxes provided. You can also include a picture of the product by entering the URL to a product image in the “Picture of product” input box. |
Click the “Inventory” tab in the product pane. If you’re selling items with multiple configurations, such as clothing of different sizes, click the “Show product options” box. Enter the quantity of items available in the “Set quantity available for sale” box. If you have an unlimited supply, click the infinity symbol n... |
Enter any additional information about the product in the “Product notes” box and click the “+” button at the top-right corner of the pane to add the product to the storefront. |
Repeat the previous steps for each product you wish to add to the storefront. |
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