Topic: 2012 Summer Olympics

Sports in 2012: here are some Monitor highlights

It’s impossible to list all the records set in 2012, but here’s a short rundown of some heralded highlights, plus 20 of our favorites, including some you might have missed.

2012 enters the record books. Were you paying attention? A news quiz.

The year 2012 brought no shortage of significant news, from scheduled political transitions in the US and China to unexpected tragedies, moments of human triumph, and more record-setting in the realm of social media.

It's gone by quickly. Were the London Olympics really just a few months ago? Test your knowledge of these events with the Monitor's 2012 news quiz.

Google Zeitgeist reveals the most searched terms of 2012

Google Zeitgeist 2012 reports that people wanted to know about Whitney Houston, PSY, iPad, and many other terms.

Nurse left suicide note, Aussie radio sets up $525,000 fund (+video)

Nurse left suicide note: Jacintha Saldanha, a hospital nurse, left a suicide note, report British media. Will the note clear the Australian DJs of responsibility for her death or reinforce public opinion?

Cover Story
Is Europe really on the brink?

Europe's biggest crisis in the postwar era is not just about the economy. It's about a search for identity – and a rationale for staying unified.

Latin America Monitor
Rio: An island of relative safety in a sea of vulnerability?

Rio de Janeiro has made strides to improve public safety, leading the way for Brazil's other 26 states. But with upcoming mega-events, coordination between federal and state forces is still needed.

The Monitor's View: With Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour de France titles, cycling can recover

The International Cycling Union stripped Lance Armstrong of his Tour de France titles – the result of a sport trying to clean up its act after years of doping scandals. The cleanup should be commended.

The Monitor's View: Let us now praise the popularity of presidential debates

The audience size for the Romney-Obama presidential debates was a near record, showing a hunger for civic life and for leaders who can uplift society.

SNL: Usain Bolt is fast, but is he funny?

SNL: Usain Bolt joined a parody of the vice presidential debate on SNL. In the sketch, Paul Ryan, claimed he (not Usain Bolt) won the 100-meter race at the London Olympics

How much is Romney backed in Britain?

Most of the British public and political class – including many Tories – prefer President Obama to his Republican challenger, but Mitt Romney is not without fans among the British government.

Mitt Romney to lay out foreign policy, national security agenda (+video)

Following a series of rhetorical stumbles, Mitt Romney is scheduled to lay out his more muscular foreign policy and national security agenda at the Virginia Military Institute Monday. But is it really all that different from President Obama's?

Gordon Brown: Lack of global education fuels security threats (+video)

If countries don't close the global gap in access to education, unrest will grow – not because young people are anti-American, but because they have lost hope. We must persuade governments and publics that educating a child in a poor country is a worthwhile investment. 

Scottish independence: Who would get the nukes, and other questions

As it considers a 2014 referendum on independence from Britain Scotland still has a litany of issues that must be resolved beforehand, including its role in the EU and NATO.

Tennis grunting ban: Why it gets Maria Sharapova's support (+video)

Tennis grunting ban: Maria Sharapova's screams have been measured at more than 101 decibels. Martina Navratilova calls grunting "cheating, pure and simple" and wants tennis to ban it sooner rather than later.

Five ways big banks' Libor scandal affects you

London, this year's host of the Olympics, is also home to a bank scandal that threatens to rock the financial world as much as the Games influence the world of sports. Here's why: Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) is a global benchmark for interest rates that reaches deep into the international financial system. Allegations that banks rigged those rates means that everyone from mortgage-holders and indebted students to cities and mutual funds may have had their interest rates unnaturally altered. Already tainted by other scandals, banks are under investigation because of charges that they profited illegally from their rate-rigging scheme. The mess further taints big banks and puts more strain on the credibility of the global financial system. Here are five ways the Libor scandal could affect you:

Murray's US Open tennis win caps spectacular British athletic summer

Andy Murray became the first British man to win a Grand Slam tennis event since Fred Perry won the US Championship in 1936. That feat, along with a Tour de France champion, and successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, have the British in a sporting splendor.

Serena Williams rallies back to US Open - again (+video)

Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 to win her fourth U.S. Open title and 15th Grand Slam title. Serena Williams won her first major championship at age 17 at the 1999 U.S. Open.

One year after bomb blinded Afghan vet, Paralympic gold

Navy Lt. Brad Snyder was blinded a year ago by an IED blast in Afghanistan. On Friday he won a gold medal for the 400-meter freestyle in the London Paralympics, a performance he hopes will inspire other wounded vets.

'I'm finna start training so hard …'

A new form of a familiar idiom shows how an Olympian went for the gold.

Solo: A Memoir of Hope

'Solo' – a no-holds-barred, tell-all autobiography – has already rocked some boats.

Tomorrow can wait

The best concerts are coming from artists who are 60 and up.

After Olympic 'warm-up,' Paralympics set to take stage in London (+video)

Londoners are gearing up for what should be a record-breaking Paralympic Games, with sell-out crowds and new highs in both the number of athletes and the number of countries participating.

Serena Williams: Why she is the favorite at 2012 US Open

Serena Williams is already a three-time U.S. Open champion. Serena Williams also took home gold at the Olympics, and won at Wimbledon.

Why there's been so little ado in Britain over naked Prince Harry pics

British reaction to Prince Harry's Las Vegas photos has been relatively muted, with the media holding back due to ethical concerns and the public enamored of the prince's charm.