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five officials with connections to fifa and who were all involved in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups are at the centre of a swiss criminal investigation , according to the man who wants to be fifa 's next president . and jerome champagne , a former long-standing fifa insider who is the only currently declared rival to sepp blatter for next year 's presidential race , has told the mail on sunday that if any of the five are found guilty of wrong-doing , the entire bidding process should be invalidated . russia was awarded the 2018 tournament and qatar the 2022 event in a vote that happened four years ago next month . but corruption allegations have persistently swirled around those decisions and fifa announced last week they had lodged a criminal complaint with the office of the attorney general of switzerland into ` the possible misconduct of individual persons in connection with the awarding of the hosting rights of the 2018 and 2022 world cups . ' jerome champagne told the mail on sunday that five fifa officials are to face a swiss criminal investigation . no information has been confirmed by fifa about the number of individuals or their identities although it is believed more than one are fifa exco voters who influenced the destination of the 2018 and 2022 events . this development came amid the ongoing controversy of the fifa ethics judge hans-joachim eckert 's summary of fifa investigator michael garcia 's investigation into the process . ` i am a strong defender of the principle of innocent until proven guilty but it is clear that what is at stake is enormous , ' champagne told the mail on sunday . ` we need to know how the voting unfolded and how it was influenced . even if one vote was improperly influenced that is too many . ` was it one or none ? or five ? if it was five then is that enough to change outcome ? yes . qatar won 14-8 . the problem is we need to know and we do n't know . ' corruption allegations have swirled around the decision to award russia and qatar world cups . champagne added that it is his belief that fifa 's probe into corruption allegations is effectively ongoing . ` it is an unfinished fifa ethics investigation ... the request -lsb- to the swiss attorney general -rsb- is about five officials of fifa . ' champagne called for the full findings of garcia 's report to be made public , even though eckert has insisted that will never happen . ` i 've consistently and repeatedly called for transparency , ' champagne said . ` what has happened over the past week only reinforces the need for that , more than ever . ` it has been almost four since that vote on 2 december 2010 and it continues to make me sad that the world cup , the pinnacle of our game , remains tainted . we need to know what happened . ' this brazilian fan holds up a sign towards the end of the 2014 world cup , saying ` see you russia 2018 ' eckert 's 42-page summary caused huge controversy in identifying - and then traducing - two whistleblowers who gave extensive assistance to garcia . bonita mersiades , a former australian bid insider , and phaedra almajid , who worked for qatar 2022 , spoke out in these pages last week about their disgust at their treatment . they both subsequently made formal complaints to fifa about eckert allegedly breaching article 16.1 of fifa 's own ethics code in making them clearly identifiable in his summary . they have not even received any acknowledgement of their complaint , let alone any explanation . ` i was stunned that the whistleblowers were described in the way they were so that they could be identified , ' champagne says . ` they are courageous people and they were failed by this report . ' eckert effectively dismissed both mersiades and almajid as inaccurate and unreliable . but the mail on sunday can exclusively reveal that garcia found them so valuable to his intelligence-gathering that he used tens of thousands of dollars of fifa money to facilitate meeting them . meanwhile , campaigning mp damian collins , who has a track record of pushing for fifa reform , has secured a parliamentary debate on december 1 in the house of commons on the subject of the serious fraud office and fifa . it is expected that various allegations of corruption surrounding the world governing body and the 2018 and 2022 process will be aired under parliamentary privilege .<doc-sep>-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- is this the moment the world finally gets to know what really happened in december 2010 when fifa decided to award the 2018 world cup to russia and the 2022 tournament to qatar ? football 's world governing body has decided to publish a redacted version of michael garcia 's report into alleged corruption surrounding the bidding process for the tournaments after months of delay and intense criticism . the decision did not require a vote and was unanimously endorsed by fifa 's 25-person executive committee during its two-day meeting in marrakech , morocco . `` i have asked the fifa exco to vote in favor of the publication of the 2018/2022 inquiry report by the investigatory chamber , '' said fifa president sepp blatter . blatter also insisted that there would not be a re-vote on the decision to award the 2018 and 2022 world cups to russia and qatar respectively . `` the report is about history and i am focused on the future , '' added blatter while referring to the recommendation made by domenico scala , fifa 's head of compliance . `` we will not revisit the 2018 and 2022 vote and a report by independent , external legal experts commissioned by mr. scala supports the view that there are no legal grounds to revoke the executive committee 's decision on the award of the 2018 and 2022 world cups . `` we are already in the process of incorporating recommendations made by independent experts including the ethics committee for how the fifa world cup selection process can be improved so that everyone can be confident that the 2026 bidding process will be fair , ethical and open . '' in a press conference which followed his statement , he added : `` it would really need an earthquake , extremely important new elements to go back on this world cup in qatar . '' fifa says it will confirm the dates for the world cup in qatar at its next executive committee meeting in switzerland in march . it is expected to be held in the winter with fears over the intense heat in the gulf state . meanwhile , the report will not be published until current investigations into five individuals are completed , and it 's expected to be heavily redacted . three members of the committee -- spain 's marãa villar llona , wowrawi makudi , of thailand and belgium 's michel d'hooghe -- were being investigated by garcia for either alleged code breaches during the bidding process or for failing to comply with his probe . harold mayne-nicholls , who led the inspection team visiting the candidates to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and former german world cup winner franz beckenbauer are also facing charges from the fifa ethics committee which both men have denied . blatter also confirmed that garcia has been replaced by his deputy , cornel borbã © ly , who he describes as `` an outstanding lawyer '' .<doc-sep>-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- organizers of the 2018 russia world cup insist they have nothing to hide ahead of an investigation into the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments . football 's world governing body fifa awarded the 2018 competition to russia and the 2022 world cup to qatar in december 2010 , a decision which has been dogged by allegations of corruption and wrongdoing . michael garcia , a former new york attorney , is head of the investigative arm of fifa 's ethics committee and will visit all of the countries involved in the bidding process for the two tournaments , beginning in london next week . garcia has always insisted he is completely independent from fifa and would not hesitate to take action against president sepp blatter or other top fifa officials if he found evidence that they broke the rules . the head of media for russia 2018 says the committee will co-operate fully with garcia 's fact-finding investigation . `` we can confirm the local organizing committee -lrb- loc -rrb- will fully support mr garcia 's work if he contacts us , '' read a statement issued to cnn . `` the russia 2018 committee ran a bid campaign in full compliance with fifa rules and ethics , and we were awarded the right to host the fifa world cup because of the unique and compelling proposition we put together . `` the loc continues to conduct itself with exactly the same degree of transparency , commitment to excellence and spirit of fair play . ''<doc-sep>u.s. investigators are stepping up the pace of a corruption investigation into senior leaders of fifa , even as the world soccer body is giving itself a clean bill of health , according to u.s. law enforcement officials . the fifa ethics committee announced thursday that it was closing its investigation into alleged corruption in the 2018 and 2022 bidding process that awarded the world cup to russia and qatar , respectively . fifa said its investigation found no corruption and has no reason to reopen the bidding process . related : fifa embroiled in world cup civil war . but the fbi , which is leading the u.s. probe , is n't ready to do the same . investigators are moving ahead with their probe , which could result in charges against senior fifa officials , the u.s. law enforcement officials said . fbi agents based in new york are moving ahead with their 3-year-old investigation , which will likely benefit from the findings of a former u.s. prosecutor , michael garcia , who was hired by fifa to do an internal probe . the fbi plans to seek access to garcia 's report , which fifa has n't yet released . the fbi declined to offer an official comment . garcia on thursday distanced himself from the fifa ethics announcement , saying : `` today 's decision by the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber contains numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of the facts and conclusions detailed in the investigatory chamber 's report . i intend to appeal this decision to the fifa appeal committee . ''<doc-sep>russia and qatar have been cleared to host the 2018 and 2022 world cups after a corruption probe ruled there were no grounds for reopening the controversial bidding process . but there was severe embarrassment for england after the world governing body 's ethics committee launched a scathing attack over its doomed bid for the 2018 event . the verdict by fifa ethics judge hans-joachim eckert on the investigation into the murky world cup bids concludes that qatar and russia did not do anything that warranted stripping them of the tournament . astonishingly , he reserved his strongest language for the england campaign , reprimanding its attempts to woo the support of disgraced former fifa committee member jack warner . he also criticised england for a $ 55,000 -lrb- # 35,000 -rrb- sponsorship of a gala dinner , but let qatar off lightly for a similar $ 1.8 million -lrb- # 1.1 million -rrb- deal . scroll down for video . russia and qatar -lrb- announced , above , by fifa president sepp blatter in 2010 -rrb- have been cleared to host the 2018 and 2022 world cups after a corruption probe ruled there were no grounds for reopening the bids . eckert 's long-awaited findings accused england on a number of occasions of ` damning the integrity of the bidding process and the image of fifa ' in chasing warner 's vote . england 2018 were reprimanded for finding a job for a friend of warner , hosting a caribbean football union dinner , setting up a training camp for a trinidad under-20 team and offering help to warner 's joe public football side . the 42-page summary by the chairman of fifa 's ethics adjudicatory chamber into 430-page report by new york lawyer michael garcia will cause considerable embarrassment to the fa as well as anger . relationships between the fa and fifa , already at rock bottom , will take a long time to recover from these findings . the fa considered their bid for the 2018 world cup to be the most transparent of the nine countries involved and the monies spent on the breaches of bidding regulations listed by eckert are a fraction compared with qatar 's spending . click here to read the full verdict by the fifa ethics judge . england have been criticised for trying to woo disgraced former fifa vice-president jack warner . lord triesman was fa chairman from 2008-10 and 2018 ceo andy anson led the bidding process . and while some countries , especially 2018 hosts russia , were highly unco-operative with garcia 's investigation , england look to have suffered for being so open about all their bid activity . an fa spokesman said : ` we strongly refute any suggestions of impropriety by those involved in the england bid . ' and conservative mp damian collins said fifa 's report is a whitewash , adding : ` fifa are trying to con people that there has been a proper independent inquiry when there has n't been ' . as expected , eckert names and shames warner , the biggest rogue in the fifa gallery who has resigned all his football positions . despite england 's lavishing attention on him and him promising his support to prince william and pm david cameron in person , warner reneged on his vote .

<t> jerome champagne wants to take sepp blatter 's job as fifa president . </t> <t> he has told the mail on sunday that five officials are being investigated . </t> <t> the officials , who were involved in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 world cups , are at the centre of a swiss criminal investigation . </t> <t> corruption allegations have swirled around the bid decision . </t>

five fifa officials who were involved in the 2018 and 2022 world cup bidding process to face new swiss probe<T>

after arsenal qualified for the second round of the champions league for the 15th successive season , arsene wenger joked that he would send someone different to the draw . when they have played their final group game against galatasaray in istanbul next month , where wenger is ` 90 per cent ' sure they will finish second in the group , the last 16 will hold all the usual pitfalls . it is an achievement to reach the second round , but nothing more than that . arsenal beat borussia dortmund at the emirates on wednesday to qualify for the last 16 . yaya sanogo celebrates scoring his first arsenal goal with supporters at the emirates stadium . 1 . real madrid -lrb- # 411.5 m -rrb- . 2 . barcelona -lrb- # 382.39 m -rrb- . 3 . bayern munich -lrb- # 341.66 m -rrb- . 4 . manchester united -lrb- # 335.80 -rrb- . 5 . paris st germain -lrb- # 316m -rrb- . 6 . manchester city -lrb- # 250.54 m -rrb- . 7 . chelsea -lrb- # 240.4 m -rrb- . 8 . arsenal -lrb- # 225.26 -rrb- . based on arsenal 's status within the game , progressing to the last 16 of the champions league is standard for a club of this size . they are up there now with the biggest teams in the world and expectations at a club with the commercial clout of arsenal are high . this club charges more than any other to watch their football and yet they consistently sell their supporters short in the champions league . they are much , much bigger than the club will allow you to believe because it gets them off the hook when they are beaten by bayern munich or barcelona when the competition gets serious . the minimum acceptable target for one of the biggest teams in world football is to reach the quarter-finals as a matter of course . arsenal 's victory over dortmund meant they have now qualified for the second round 15 years in a row . alexis sanchez celebrates after scoring in arsenal 's 2-0 victory on wednesday . arsene wenger 's side are yet to win the competition despite making the second round 15 years in a row . 1 . manchester city -lrb- # 102,653 per week -rrb- . 2 . real madrid -lrb- # 96,027 -rrb- . 3 . barcelona -lrb- # 94,256 -rrb- . 4 . bayern munich -lrb- # 84,671 -rrb- . 5 . manchester united -lrb- # 83,120 -rrb- . 6 . chelsea -lrb- # 76,626 -rrb- . 7 . arsenal -lrb- # 75,037 -rrb- . -lrb- average wage per player -rrb- . at least wenger , who developed an obsession with the competition , accepts that it is not enough to reach the second phase . he wants more , just as he did when his team came close to beating barcelona in the 2006 champions league final in the stade de france . ` when you work at the football club we realise it 's not a waste to have that continuity and consistency and i 'm very proud of that , ' he admitted . ` the club deserves a lot of credit for that . but it 's not enough . we want more than that . ' his ambition is admirable , but this club is geared up for far more than the occasional appearance in the quarter-final of the competition . arsenal 's team may not be as expensively assembled as their rivals , but their wage bill is right up there .<doc-sep>arsenal were beaten 2-1 by barcelona in the 2006 final at the stade de france in paris . steven gerrard scores a penalty in liverpool 's 5-3 quarter-final victory in 2008 . 1 . borussia dortmund -lrb- 80,295 -rrb- . 2 . manchester united -lrb- 75,205 -rrb- . 3 . barcelona -lrb- 72,115 -rrb- . 4 . real madrid -lrb- 71,565 -rrb- . 5 . bayern -lrb- 71,000 -rrb- . 6 . schalke 04 -lrb- 61,570 -rrb- . 7 . arsenal -lrb- 60,015 -rrb- . -lrb- average attendances per game -rrb- . since reaching the final in 2006 , they have lost in the second round to psv eindhoven , barcelona , milan and bayern munich -lrb- twice -rrb- . they were beaten by liverpool in 2008 , cuffed by manchester united in the second leg of the semi-final in 2009 and taken apart by barcelona in 2010 , when they lost 6-3 on aggregate . winning it takes a special team and a good slice of luck , but we still laud the achievements of 10-time winners real madrid , milan -lrb- 7 -rrb- , bayern -lrb- 5 -rrb- , liverpool -lrb- 5 -rrb- , barcelona -lrb- 4 -rrb- and ajax -lrb- 4 -rrb- . every which way you look at the set-up around the emirates , from matchday revenue to salaries to stadium and training ground facilities to transfers , arsenal should be doing better in europe . according to deloitte 's money league , published last january , arsenal are the eighth biggest club in european football by revenue . last year , arsenal were beaten 3-1 on aggregate by bayern munich in the first knockout round . david villa scores for barcelona as they beat arsenal 4-3 on aggregate in the last 16 in 2011 . here they are : real madrid -lrb- # 411.5 m -rrb- , barcelona -lrb- # 382.39 m -rrb- , bayern munich -lrb- # 341.66 m -rrb- , manchester united -lrb- # 335.80 -rrb- , paris st germain -lrb- # 316m -rrb- , manchester city -lrb- # 250.54 m -rrb- , chelsea -lrb- # 240.4 m -rrb- and arsenal -lrb- # 225.26 -rrb- . in terms of wages , sportingintelligence.com 's salary survey , which was published in april claims the arsenal squad have the seventh biggest wage packets in world football . here is the list : manchester city -lrb- # 102,653 per week -rrb- , real madrid -lrb- # 96,027 -rrb- , barcelona -lrb- # 94,256 -rrb- , bayern munich -lrb- # 84,671 -rrb- , manchester united -lrb- # 83,120 -rrb- , chelsea -lrb- # 76,626 -rrb- and arsenal -lrb- # 75,037 -rrb- . this team , which qualified for the next phase of the competition after beating borussia dortmund 2-0 last night , also has the seventh biggest attendances in european football . borussia dortmund -lrb- 80,295 -rrb- , manchester united -lrb- 75,205 -rrb- , barcelona -lrb- 72,115 -rrb- , real madrid -lrb- 71,565 -rrb- , bayern -lrb- 71,000 -rrb- , schalke 04 -lrb- 61,570 -rrb- and arsenal -lrb- 60,015 -rrb- . with a state-of-the-art stadium , always packed with fans , arsenal need to start acting like a club of their size . manchester united got the better of arsenal in 2009 in the champions league semi-finals . where arsenal really are streets ahead of the competition is , of course , their season ticket prices . that is where their fans are forced to pay through the nose . according to a bbc study last month , the cheapest season ticket at the emirates is # 1014 , although this does include seven cup credits on top of 19 games in the barclays premier league . remember , you can buy a season ticket to watch cristiano ronaldo play every other week at real madrid , who won the champions league last season , for # 174.65 . you can watch the other best player in the world lionel messi , who has already won the champions league three times , at the nou camp for # 103.38 . the seats will be up in the gods , but barcelona fans can still get to watch a genuine great setting records . a season ticket to watch real madrid play costs as little as # 174.65 . a season ticket to watch lionel messi 's barcelona in action starts at # 103.38 . at arsenal , where ticket prices can fetch # 97 for a seat , they get to admire the brilliance of alexis sanchez now that he is wearing their famous red and white shirt . it is something of a shame that arsenal continue to announce their official attendance because it is actually the number of seats sold . last night , for example , there were perhaps 5,000 more empty seats dotted around the stadium . still , the cash has already been counted from the fans who pay through the nose to watch this team and that means they can pay the bills . when the draw for the second round of the champions league on december 15 , it is time for arsenal to pay them back .<doc-sep>football fans continue to be squeezed for every penny by inflation-busting ticket price rises , a survey into the staggering cost of following your team has revealed . the cheapest match-day ticket price across the top four divisions of english football has increased by an average of 4.4 per cent over the last 12 months -- nearly three times the rate of inflation . the bbc price of football survey finds arsenal have the highest adult match day ticket price at # 97 , though this is a reduction from # 126 last season . football fans up and down the country continue to be squeezed as ticket prices rise above the rate of inflation . arsenal topped the list for the most expensive matchday ticket at # 97 and dearest season ticket at # 2,013 . fans at the emirates get automatic entry to champions league and fa cup games with their season tickets . arsenal # 2,013 . tottenham # 1,895 . chelsea # 1,250 . manchester united # 950 . queens park rangers # 949 . west ham # 940 . liverpool # 869 . manchester city # 860 . southampton # 853 . leicester city # 730 . crystal palace # 720 . everton # 719 . newcastle united # 710 . burnley # 685 . aston villa # 615 . stoke city # 609 . hull city # 574 . sunderland # 525 . swansea city # 499 . west brom # 449 . source : bbc price of football survey 2014 . arsenal also have the most expensive season ticket in the premier league at # 2,013 while their cheapest -- at # 1,014 -- is still higher than the dearest season ticket at 17 other top-flight clubs . the arsenal price , however , does include automatic entry to champions league group matches and four other cup ties . the cost of watching tottenham for a season is as much as # 1,895 and the top-level season ticket price at chelsea is # 1,250 . these prices are before extras such as travel , programmes , food , drink and merchandise such as replica shirts are taken into account . premier league champions manchester city have the lowest priced season ticket at # 299 . newcastle united offer matchday tickets for as little as # 15 per game , the lowest in the premier league . arsenal # 97 . chelsea # 87 . tottenham hotspur # 81 . west ham # 75 . queens park rangers # 70 . liverpool # 59 .<doc-sep>premier league and football league ticket prices rise at three times the rate of inflation as the staggering cost of following your team is revealed . sports minister helen grant has warned that clubs must not take fans for granted with their ticket prices , which a new survey shows have risen at twice the rate of inflation since 2011 . fans of premier league clubs are also paying almost four times the amount for a season ticket compared with supporters in germany , according to the bbc sport price of football study . arsenal topped the list for the most expensive matchday ticket at # 97 and dearest season ticket at # 2,013 . the average premier league season ticket costs # 508 compared to # 138 in the bundesliga - bayern munich fans can pay as little as # 109.65 , and in spain barcelona fans can get a season ticket for just # 103.38 . arsenal is the most expensive club in europe to watch via a season ticket , ranging from # 1,014 to # 2,013 . the survey shows that the average price of the cheapest match-day ticket across all four divisions is # 21.49 , up 13 per cent since 2011 , compared to a 6.8 per cent increase in the cost of living . grant told bbc news : ' i can see why fans are cross . i 'm cross , and i feel that clubs really must not take their fans for granted . bayern munich fans can pay as little as # 109.65 for a season ticket to watch the german champions . ` to take a family of four to a premier league match now , you 're talking about # 130 . that is just not affordable for most families , so clubs really do need to look at this . ' manchester city have the cheapest season ticket in the premier league , starting at # 299 . the cheapest match-day ticket in the premier league has risen by 15.8 per cent , 31.7 per cent in league one and 19 per cent in league two . only in the championship has it dropped - by 3.2 per cent . chelsea have the highest-priced cheapest match-day ticket of all premier league clubs . arsenal have dropped their most expensive match-day ticket from # 126 last year to # 97 . chelsea have the highest-priced cheapest match-day ticket of all premier league clubs - prices at stamford bridge begin at # 50 . at qpr , where adult tickets can cost as much as # 70 for category a matches , chief executive philip beard said his club 's priority lay in filling their ground and their prices were fixed accordingly . rangers also offer tickets to category c matches from as little as # 25 at loftus road - whose capacity of 18,100 is the smallest in the premier league , leading to plans to relocate to a new stadium in the nearby old oak area . sports minister helen grant has warned that clubs must not take fans for granted . beard told bbc london : ` we liaise with fans on pretty much everything and when it comes to ticket prices , we want to be fair . ` the most important thing is that every single seat at loftus road is filled for every single game . ' derby and sheffield wednesday both boast # 10 match-day tickets - the cheapest in english football and only matched by southport in the conference . the study also shows the average price of the cheapest match-day ticket in scotland 's football 's top flight has increased by almost eight per cent since 2011 - from # 18.92 to # 20.42 .<doc-sep>-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- it 's official . to watch the 2013 european champions league final -- arguably one of the most prestigious matches in world football -- will be not much more expensive than watching some top-flight english premier league games . with europe in the grip of an economic downturn , european governing body uefa has cut prices by 25 % for its cheapest ticket for the may 25 final . the cheapest ticket for the match at london 's wembley stadium will cost # 60 -- roughly $ 94 -- compared to # 75 in 2012. , though fans based in the united kingdom will also have to pay an # 8 administration fee . not cheap by any means , but only # 6 more expensive than the price fans of english champions manchester city had to pay when they watched their team take on london-based arsenal last month at the emirates stadium . of the 59,000 wembley seats on sale to the public for the biggest game in european club football , 20 % will be sold at the cheapest `` category 4 '' price . the other three ticket categories available to punters increase in price from # 140 to # 330 . the capacity of wembley stadium for the match will be 86,000 , with each team receiving 25,000 seats and the remaining 9,000 going on sale to fans around the world . according to uefa 's website , the remaining 27,000 tickets will be `` allocated to the local organising committee , national associations , commercial partners and broadcasters , and to serve the corporate hospitality program . ''<doc-sep>with clubs out to maximise revenues to be able to compete in the premier league within the constraints of financial fair play , fans are once again paying increased prices and 13 sides have raised season-ticket prices this season . the biggest price hikes have been made by burnley and qpr , both promoted last season -- burnley have raised the price of their cheapest season ticket prices by a whopping 47 per cent . substantial rises have also been announced at stoke and hull . burnley chief executive lee hoos has defended the increases by pointing out that fans able to watch premier league football this season and because # 100 from this year 's season-ticket price will go towards the 2015/16 season tickets when fans renew . cost of success : burnley fans will see their prices raised by 37 per cent following promotion . victors : despite winning the premier league , manchester city have frozen some ticket prices . with the premier league acknowledged as the most lucrative in the world , only two clubs have lowered prices this season . football for some fans in the north east has come down in price after mike ashley announced marginal price cuts at newcastle and sunderland kept their prices down , too . arsenal have instigated three per cent price rises in line with inflation , taking their most expensive season-ticket prices above the # 2,000 mark , the highest in the league . arsenal also have the most expensive low-cost season ticket , priced at # 1,014 , which , with the exception of tottenham and chelsea , is more costly than every other clubs ' most expensive ticket . despite winning the league last term , manchester city have frozen the cost of their cheapest season tickets at # 299 -- the cheapest in the premier league -- although the club have announced a 10 per cent rise on the most expensive season tickets at the etihad to # 860 .

<t> arsenal beat borussia dortmund on wednesday to seal place in last 16 . </t> <t> victory means arsenal have reached second round 15 years in a row . </t> <t> arsenal have eighth highest revenue and seventh highest wage bill . </t> <t> north london club have seventh highest attendance in europe . </t> <t> ticket prices at the emirates are some of the highest around . </t> <t> gunners should be aiming higher than just a place in the last 16 . </t> <t> arsenal have yet to win the champions league . </t>

arsenal tickets cost most in europe ... but they sell fans short in champions league<T>

locals in northern new jersey believe they filmed a black bear hunting for food hours before a 22-year-old hiker was mauled to death in nearby woods at the weekend . two men splitting wood on saturday captured a video of a bear going through garbage just a few feet from where they were working , before scampering off into the woods , according to cnn . on sunday , darsh patel , a senior majoring in information technology and informatics at rutgers university , was found dead in apshawa preserve - about 45 miles northwest of new york city - with a 300-pound bear guarding his body . officials say the attack was the first fatal bear-human encounter on record in new jersey . scroll down for video . attacks : northern new jersey locals captured this black bear looking for food in their garbage in september . just a day after the footage was shot , a black bear mauled a 22-year-old student to death in the woods nearby . patel had been hiking with four friends in the 526-acre woods . the five friends noticed the bear beginning to follow them and ran , splitting up as they did . when they could n't find patel , they called police , who found his body about two hours later . the bear was about 30 yards from the body and circling , department of environmental protection spokesman larry ragonese said , and would n't leave even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones . the male bear was killed with two rifle blasts and is being examined at a state lab for more clues as to why it may have pursued the group of five hikers . kelcey burguess , principal biologist and leader of the state division of fish and wildlife 's black bear project , said the bear could have been predisposed to attack but more likely was looking for food . state and local officials stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests .<doc-sep>` this is a rare occurrence , ' west milford police chief timothy storbeck said , noting that his department receives six to 12 calls per week regarding bears , usually involving them breaking into trash cans . locals : residents in northern new jersey often spot bears in and around their yards . there are as many 2,400 bruins in the area 's dense forests , but until now had never been a fatal human-bear attack . preserve : this photo from njurbanforest.com shows the apshawa preserve , a 526-acre park with hiking trails . wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of the acorns and berries that bears eat . the hikers had granola bars and water with them , storbeck said . officials do n't believe the hikers provoked the bear but they may have showed their inexperience when they decided to run . the safest way to handle a bear encounter is to move slowly and not look the bear in the eye , dep spokesman larry ragonese said . new jersey division of fish and wildlife guidelines direct law enforcement to euthanize ` category i ' bears , which are deemed an ` immediate threat to human safety . ' nj advance media reports that the new jersey state medical examiner , the fish and wildlife division of the state department of environmental protection and the west milford police department are looking into the circumstances of patel 's death . idyllic : the wooded preserve provides hiking trails and a peaceful setting for visitors to the northern new jersey site . ` bear sightings are not unusual by any stretch in new jersey , ' said bob considine , spokesperson for the department of environmental protection . ` they have been seen in all 21 counties , although they 're obviously most common in the northwest part of the state . ' black bears rarely pose a threat to humans and often retreat when confronted . in 2006 , a tabby cat scared a black bear up a tree in west milford . the bear only climbed down and left after the cat 's owner had called it back into the house .<doc-sep>these photographs show a killer black bear as it closes in on its victim , a 22-year-old student who tried to flee but was caught and mauled by the creature . the images were taken by darsh patel , a senior year student who died in september while hiking with friends in new jersey . police officers - who found the bear standing guard over his corpse before they shot it dead - recovered the photographs from his phone , which seemed to have been bitten by the bear . scroll down for video . killer : this bear , photographed by its victim darsh patel , 22 , killed him while he was hiking with his friends .<doc-sep>a hiker has been killed by a black bear after it confronted his group of friends - forcing them to scatter in different directions . police identified the body as that of darsh patel , who had been hiking with four friends on sunday when the bear began following them in the 526-acre wooded apshawa preserve . the 300-pound animal , which authorities say was likely looking for food , continued to stalk them through the woods , causing them to become frightened and run off in separate directions . when four of them regrouped around 3.45 pm , they realized 22-year-old patel was not with them and they called police . scroll down for video . wild : a new jersey hiker has been killed by a black bear -lrb- file photo -rrb- after walking through a wooded preserve on sunday . officials have suggested that the animal was looking for food when he followed the group . patel 's body was found two hours later . ` evidence at the scene indicated that the victim had been attacked by a bear , ' west milford police chief timothy c. storbeck said . police say that a bear was found circling the body and would n't leave even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones . it was killed with two rifle blasts . the bear 's body is being examined at a state lab for more clues as to why it may have pursued the group , a spokesman for the state department of environmental protection said . kelcey burguess , principal biologist and leader of the state division of fish and wildlife 's black bear project , said the bear could have been predisposed to attack but more likely was looking for food . preserve : this photo from njurbanforest.com shows the apshawa preserve , a 526-acre park with hiking trails . wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of the acorns and berries that bears eat . the hikers had granola bars and water with them , storbeck said . officials do n't believe the hikers provoked the bear but they may have showed their inexperience when they decided to run . the safest way to handle a bear encounter is to move slowly and not look the bear in the eye , dep spokesman larry ragonese said . new jersey division of fish and wildlife guidelines direct law enforcement to euthanize ` category i ' bears , which are deemed an ` immediate threat to human safety . ' nj advance media reports that the new jersey state medical examiner , the fish and wildlife division of the state department of environmental protection and the west milford police department are looking into the circumstances of patel 's death . idyllic : the wooded preserve provides hiking trails and a peaceful setting for visitors to the northern new jersey site . ` bear sightings are not unusual by any stretch in new jersey , ' said bob considine , spokesperson for the department of environmental protection . ` they have been seen in all 21 counties , although they 're obviously most common in the northwest part of the state . ' black bears rarely pose a threat to humans and often retreat when confronted . in 2006 , a tabby cat scared a black bear up a tree in west milford . the bear only climbed down and left after the cat 's owner had called it back into the house .<doc-sep>authorities say the first known fatal bear attack in new jersey was unprovoked and the bear was acting in a ` predatory ' manner . officials attribute the death of a 22-year-old rutgers university student from edison to ` mauling . ' darsh patel was hiking with four friends in the apshawa preserve last month when they noticed the bear following them . scroll down for video ... unprovoked : darsh patel , 22 , is confirmed as the first person in new jersey history to be killed by a bear , according to authorities -lrb- file photo -rrb- . attacks : northern new jersey locals captured this black bear looking for food in their garbage in september . just a day after the footage was shot , a black bear mauled a 22-year-old student to death in the woods nearby . locals : residents in northern new jersey often spot bears in and around their yards . there are as many 2,400 bruins in the area 's dense forests , but until now had never been a fatal human-bear attack . the group scattered , and patel 's friends , who were not injured , called police when they realized he was missing . a search team found patel 's body , which showed signs of a bear attack . his body sustained numerous bites and claw marks . . a nearby bear was later destroyed . west milford police and the environmental protection department issued a statement saying the bear did not seem interested in food . officials said the bear exhibited ` stalking type behavior . when authorities found the bear , it was about 30 yards from the body and circling , department of environmental protection spokesman larry ragonese said . it would n't leave even after officers tried to scare it away by making loud noises and throwing sticks and stones . mr patel is confirmed as the first person in new jersey history to be killed by a bear , according to authorities . at the time , locals believed they had filmed the same black bear hunting for food hours before mr patel was mauled to death in nearby woods . preserve : the apshawa preserve is a 526-acre park with hiking trails . kelcey burguess , principal biologist and leader of the state division of fish and wildlife 's black bear project , said the bear could have been predisposed to attack but more likely was looking for food . state and local officials stressed that bear attacks are rare even in a region of the state that may have as many as 2,400 bruins in its dense forests . ` this is a rare occurrence , ' west milford police chief timothy storbeck said , noting that his department receives six to 12 calls per week regarding bears , usually involving them breaking into trash cans . wildlife officials believe there is a current shortage of the acorns and berries that bears eat . the hikers had granola bars and water with them , storbeck said . officials do n't believe the hikers provoked the bear but they may have showed their inexperience when they decided to run . the safest way to handle a bear encounter is to move slowly and not look the bear in the eye , dep spokesman larry ragonese said . new jersey division of fish and wildlife guidelines direct law enforcement to euthanize ` category i ' bears , which are deemed an ` immediate threat to human safety . ' idyllic : the wooded preserve provides hiking trails and a peaceful setting for visitors to the northern new jersey site . ` bear sightings are not unusual by any stretch in new jersey , ' said bob considine , spokesman for the department of environmental protection . ` they have been seen in all 21 counties , although they 're obviously most common in the northwest part of the state . ' black bears rarely pose a threat to humans and often retreat when confronted . in 2006 , a tabby cat scared a black bear up a tree in west milford . the bear only climbed down and left after the cat 's owner had called it back into the house .<doc-sep>police warned residents to stay indoor after the spotted the large bear on tuesday . officials said the bear weighed approximately 301 pounds . this follows a fatal bear attack on darsh patel at a new jersey nature reserve about 30 miles away from ridgeway on september 21 . local residents looked on with concern as the incident continued throughout tuesday afternoon .

<t> darsh patel , 22 , was hiking with friends in the apshawa preserve in west milford on sunday when a bear started following them . </t> <t> the group fled in different directions and when the four other hikers could not find patel , they called police . </t> <t> patel 's body was found two hours later . </t> <t> the 300-pound bear was circling the body and could not be scared away . </t> <t> it was shot dead in accordance with division of fish and wildlife guidelines . </t> <t> on saturday locals splitting wood filmed a bear rifling through their garbage . </t>

bear that killed new jersey hiker darsh patel caught on video before attack<T>

the homeowner accused of deliberately shooting dead a german exchange student allegedly told his barber just days before : ` i 've been up three night with a shotgun waiting to kill some kids ' . markus kaarma is charged with baiting diren dede , 17 , into his garage on april 27 before firing at him four times with a shotgun . it came weeks after two teenagers stole from kaarma 's garage - a move prosecutors say sparked the montana father-of-one to plot his revenge . kaarma has pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was legally defending his life and his property when he opened fire . but that argument took a blow today as his hair stylist tanya colby told a court he said : ` i 've been up three night with a shotgun waiting to kill some kids . ' he added : ` i 'm not kidding , you 're seriously going to see this on the news , ' she claimed . case opened : markus kaarma listened as the court heard he said he was waiting to kill teenagers with a gun . the development came as prosecutors opened their case on thursday . on the first day of testimony , two teenagers , mykle martin , 17 , and trsitan staber , 18 , described how they went ` garage hopping , ' or burglarizing garages , in search of alcohol and other things after dark and hit markus kaarma 's house . martin and staber have been convicted in the incident in which they stole a wallet , marijuana , alcohol and an iphone from kaarma 's garage about a week before dede was shot . staber said he acted as lookout while martin stole the items . ' i was the previous break-in , ' martin said , his voice at times barely audible . ` i 'm the reason he -lrb- kaarma -rrb- was waiting for another person . ' both teens said kaarma and his partner made a call to karma 's iphone . staber said he heard kaarma 's partner janelle pflager make a threat ; martin said the couple did n't . victim : diren dede -lrb- left -rrb- , 17 , was shot dead on april 27 after allegedly breaking into kaarma 's garage . tearful : dede 's mother gulcin -lrb- left -rrb- and father celal -lrb- center -rrb- were emotional as they watched proceedings . kaarma has pleaded not guilty to deliberate homicide , citing fear of harm to his family and property after he had been burglarized twice before the shooting . deputy county attorney jennifer clark said kaarma gave no warning before firing in the darkened garage four times after tripping the motion sensor , and that kaarma paused between the third and fourth shots .<doc-sep>` neighbors heard the sequence of shots , ' clark said . ` they heard boom , boom , boom , pause , boom . ' she held the pump-action shotgun used in the slaying and simulated firing it . clark said dede may have been crouching behind a car after the first shots were fired . ` we 'll be back to ask you to hold this man responsible for deliberately taking the life of diren dede , ' she said . days before the shooting , kaarma had gone for a haircut at a great clips and three women from the shop testified thursday that they heard kaarma say his house had been burglarized twice and that he had been waiting up nights to shoot an intruder . arguments : jennifer clark , chief criminal deputy county attorney , demonstrates the pump action of the mossberg 590-series shotgun , which kaarma used to kill diren dede on april 27 , 2014 , in her opening words . ` i 've been up three nights with a shotgun waiting to kill some kids , ' hair stylist tanya colby said when asked what kaarma talked about during the hair cut . she said he later told her , ` i 'm not kidding , you 're seriously going to see this on the news . ' colby also said kaarma believed police were n't doing anything about the burglaries . defense attorney paul ryan said montana law allows homeowners to protect their residences with deadly force when they believe they are going to be harmed . kaarma did n't know whether the person inside the garage was armed , ryan said . he said kaarma is a man who does n't like to be around a lot of people , and he felt targeted and increasingly anxious for the safety pflager and their infant son after the first burglaries . montana 's ` stand your ground ' law makes it easier for people to avoid prosecution in a shooting if they felt an imminent danger , whether or not the person shot was armed . dede , from the german city of hamburg , was not carrying a weapon . dede 's parents , celal and gulcin dede , are attending the trial . ` we have lost a bit of our joy for life , ' celal dede said in a prepared statement to germany 's rtl television . ` we can no longer laugh , no longer be happy . a huge part of us was taken from our lives - a part that made our family very happy . '<doc-sep>by . associated press reporter . a german exchange student shot dead by a homeowner broke into the garages of different homes with a companion three or four times before the shooting , it has been alleged . markus kaarma has been charged with deliberate homicide in the april 27 slaying of diren dede , 17 , in missoula , montana . prosecutors allege kaarma , 29 , shot blindly into his garage , hitting dede , after sensors and a video monitor alerted him to an intruder . but kaarma 's lawyer , paul ryan said dede 's companion that night was an exchange student who has returned home to ecuador . he did not release the student 's name . ryan says the ecuadorian student told police the boys started ` garage hopping ' after learning about the practice from other students at their high school . tragic : german exchange student diren dede , 17 -lrb- pictured left and right -rrb- was shot dead by a montana homeowner on april 27 . meanwhile , authorities are looking into whether marijuana or alcohol played a role in the shooting . a newly published court document reveals missoula police received a judge 's permission to test whether kaarma was drunk or high when he shot and killed dede . officers found a jar of pot in kaarma 's home the day he shot dede , a police statement accompanying an april 28 request for a search warrant said . kaarma also might have had marijuana stolen from his garage in a previous burglary , the document said . police believe kaarma ` may have been impaired by alcohol , dangerous drugs , other drugs , intoxicating substances or a combination of the above , at the time of the incident , ' the statement from detective dean chrestenson said . charged : markus kaarma , pictured at his home in missoula , montana , has been charged with deliberate homicide in the shooting death of 17-year-old diren dede , an exchange student from germany .<doc-sep>by . chris pleasance . germany has demanded justice today following the death of a 17-year-old exchange student who was shot in montana on sunday morning . diren dede , from hamburg , was killed when 29-year-old markus kaarma fired four shotgun blasts into his garage after dede set off home intruder alarms inside . it is not clear what dede was doing inside the garage . julia reinhardt , spokesman for the . german consulate in san fransisco , said the investigation should make it . clear it is illegal to kill an unarmed juvenile just because he is trespassing . scroll down for video . the german consulate in san fransisco has demanded justice today after exchange student diren dede , 17 , was shot to death in the early hours of sunday . dede was killed after markus kaarma fired four shotgun blasts into his garage after dede entered and set off intruder alarms . it is not known what dede was doing in the garage . ` we consider what happened completely out of proportion to the probable risk , ' reinhardt added . meanwhile dede 's father , celal , has travelled in missoula to collect his son 's body from his host family . he arrived last night with a family friend but refused to comment on his son 's death . at the time of dede 's killing , the teenager was studying at missoula 's big sky high school and was due to leave the u.s. after the school term ended in just six weeks . just days before the fatal shooting , kaarma told a woman that his house had been broken into twice and he had been staying up at night , waiting to shoot an intruder , court records said .<doc-sep>by . associated press . a teenage german foreign exchange student who was shot dead by a montana homeowner when he wandered into his garage was apparently looking for alcohol , authorities have said . according to court records made public on monday , diren dede , 17 , and ecuadorian foreign exchange student robby pazmino were out walking in the missoula neighborhood when dede entered markus kaarma 's garage on april 27 . pazmino told police he thought dede was looking for alcohol . tragic : german exchange student diren dede , 17 -lrb- pictured left and right -rrb- was shot dead by a montana homeowner on april 27 . mr kaarma and his girlfriend said they had . been burgled twice in the three weeks before the shooting . kaarma . allegedly told a hairdresser several days prior that he was waiting up . to kill the intruders , whom he referred to as ` kids , ' according to court . documents . he faces one count of deliberate homicide . pazmino . also informed police that they had learned about ` garage hopping ' or . ` garage shopping ' from local friends and had participated with other . friends three or four times in the past . but he denied taking any items .<doc-sep>a montana man who shot and killed a german exchange student caught trespassing in his garage was convicted of deliberate homicide wednesday . it was a case that attracted attention as a test of ` stand your ground ' laws that govern the use of deadly force to defend life and property . cheers erupted in the packed courtroom when the verdict was read in the case against markus kaarma , 30 , of missoula . scroll down for video . markus kaarma -lrb- pictured today -rrb- was found guilty of deliberate homicide today after shooting diren dede . parents gulcin and celal dede embrace following the guilty verdict against marcus kaarma who was convicted of deliberate homicide for the killing of their 17-year-old son diren last april . kaarma shot 17-year-old high school student diren dede in the early hours of april 27 after being alerted to an intruder by motion sensors . witnesses testified kaarma fired four shotgun blasts at dede , who was unarmed . kaarma faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced feb. 11 . his lawyers plan to appeal . dede 's parents were in the courtroom and hugged and cried when they heard the jury 's decision . kaarma 's lawyers argued at trial that he feared for his life , did n't know if the intruder was armed , and was on edge because his garage was burglarized at least once in the weeks before the shooting . they said under montana 's ` stand your ground ' law , kaarma 's actions were justifiable because he feared for his family 's safety . diren dede -lrb- pictured from his instagram -rrb- was to leave the u.s. just weeks after the incident that killed him . deputy county attorney jennifer clark hugs diren dede 's mother , gulcin dede , before the verdict today .

<t> markus kaarma fired four bullets into diren dede , 17 , in his garage . </t> <t> he has pleaded not guilty and claims he was defending himself . </t> <t> his barber said kaarma told her : ` i 've been up 3 night with a shotgun waiting to kill some kids ... i 'm not kidding you 'll see this on the news ' </t> <t> development came as prosecutors opened montana case on thursday . </t> <t> two teenagers testified , said they think their ` garage-hopping ' prompted kaarma to plot revenge before killing dede . </t>

markus kaarma boasted days before he killed german exchange student<T>

russia 's deputy prime minister has tweeted a picture mocking barack obama 's masculinity just days after the u.s. president announced a fresh wave of sanctions against the country . dmitry rogozin uploaded an image of russian president vladimir putin posing with a leopard alongside an image of obama holding a white poodle . the peculiar display of one-upmanship was captioned ` we have different values and allies , ' making it clear what the kremlin thinks of the u.s. president and his western counterparts amid heightened tensions following the shooting down of flight mh17 in ukraine , which left 298 people dead . scroll down for video . mockery : russian deputy prime minister dmitry rogozin uploaded this image of russian president vladimir putin posing with a leopard alongside an image of obama holding a white poodle . macho : rogozin 's image is the latest attempt by russian officials to present putin as an ultra-manly figure . he has previously posed for staged photographs topless on horseback . rogozin 's image has so far been retweeted more than 1,000 times and is the latest attempt by russian officials to present putin as an ultra-manly figure . he has previously posed for staged photographs topless on horseback , swimming at sea , embracing a polar bear and hang-gliding with migratory birds . the image of his posing with a snow leopard is believed to have been taken during a visit to a sanctuary in the run-up to the sochi winter olympics last year . the photograph of obama , meanwhile , is understood to have been taken in the mid-2000s when he was campaigning to become senator of illinois .<doc-sep>it is not the first time rogozin has taken to social media to defend his country 's might . earlier he tweeted a short youtube documentary on the history of the russian-made ural tank . joke : the image mocking u.s. president barack obama -lrb- left -rrb- uploaded by russian deputy prime minister dmitry rogozin -lrb- right -rrb- has so far been retweeted more than 1,000 times . outdoorsy : russian president vladimir putin regularly poses for staged photographs to boost his macho image . tough guy : vladimir putin has long been keen to show off his physical prowess as well as his political strength . obama himself , meanwhile , is not exactly the most popular in the u.s. , with his approval rating close to an all-time low in the crucial ohio swing state . in many democrat-voting areas of u.s. he is now seen as a less-popular figure than potential presidential hopeful hillary clinton , amid anger over his domestic policies on illegal immigration , health care and gun control . he has also been criticised for being more concerned about his celebrity image than foreign policy and was accused of ` partying while the world burns ' when hosting a katy perry concert at the white house last night . as violence intensifies in gaza , isis militants continue their brutal campaign in iraq and syria , and tensions with russia reach cold war levels , obama introduced the pop star on stage with the words ' i love katy perry . she is just a wonderful person ... for her to take time out to do this is really special . '<doc-sep>winning mentality : putin is a fan of judo and often arranges photo shoots where he will take on and occasionally beat professional athletes . not so tough : although rogozin suggested obama was weak for posing with a dog , putin obviously considers does n't consider it a faux-pas . here he is seen snuggling up to his puppy he was given during a visit to bulgaria . rogozin 's mocking tweet comes after eu countries and the united states tightened sanctions on russia over its role in the ukraine crisis . russia has been accused of supporting anti-government forces in the east of ukraine . it has also claimed they provided the buk suface-to-air missile launcher that down malaysia airlines flight mh17 in the state of donetsk on july 18 , killing all 298 people on board . today it was announced that russia will impose import duties on products from moldova and its latest move to limit trade with the former soviet republic , which signed an eu free-trade deal in june . moscow has put curbs on trade with some other countries that have attempted to move out of its orbit , including ukraine . in . fact it was tensions over whether ukraine should position itself closer .<doc-sep>either to the eu or russia that kicked-off the violence in the country . late last year . unpopular : barack obama is not exactly the most popular in the u.s. , with his approval rating close to an all-time low in the crucial ohio swing state . party : barack obama has also been criticised for being more concerned about his celebrity image than foreign policy when hosting a katy perry concert at the white house last night -lrb- pictured -rrb- . russia is currently moldova 's third-largest export market after the european union and ukraine . the russian government today said import duties at ` most favoured nation ' rates will be introduced for moldova on august 30 , covering products such as meat , vegetables , sugar and wine . under the regime , russia applies basic import duties to products from countries that are not members of its free trade zone and do not enjoy any other preferences . moldova currently supplies products to russia with a zero duty , according to their agreement . the move follows russia 's decision to suspend imports of fruit and limit meat imports from moldova after the country of 3.5 million - one of europe 's poorest states - signed the free-trade and political cooperation agreement with the eu .<doc-sep>as israel and hamas crept nearer to the ignition of a regional war over the weekend , u.s. secretary of state john kerry was riding a pee-wee herman-style bicycle -- a female model -- near his home on the swanky island of nantucket . first president obama 's ` mom jeans , ' and now this . a boston herald columnist wrote monday that ` kerry -- rarely camera-shy -- could n't be found , ' on saturday and sunday . he was , apparently , out for a ride on a pink bike . everything but handlebar tassles : kerry 's feminine bicycle will likely be the subject of jokes for years to come . kerry ditched his sandals and his cute ride or the u.s.-africa business forum in washington on tuesday , but seemed less than pleased to be in the spotlight . big adventure : kerry 's island ride had all the masculinity of a pee-wee herman cameo -- without the horizontal bike crossbar . and as gaza turned into the world 's latest flashpoint , the herald writer noted , the job of explaining the united states ' position ` was left to president obama himself and other white house officials . ' national review online , a conservative website , was first to point a mocking figure at the secretary of state , courtesy of a photograph posted on a nantucket tourist owen perkins ' instagram feed . perkins told the publication that he took the photo early sunday afternoon near kerry 's home in nantucket 's swanky brant point neighborhood . conservatives will make hay over the photo , of course , which looks more like president barack obama in his ` mom jeans ' than vladimir putin and his bear-wrestling . the kremlin has spared no effort in the past to cast the white house as weak and feminine . after obama announced a new round of sanctions on russia last week , in response to moscow 's continued encroachment in the ukraine , russian deputy prime minister dmitry rogozin tweeted a split-screen photo of putin and obama side-by-side . in the image , the russian leader is posed with a leopard and the u.s. president is holding a poodle . kerry 's thrill ride as the middle east burns is n't his first bid to get out of dodge for some rest and relaxation during a global crisis . second time around : kerry was spotted sailing last year on a wednesday as egypt saw its president overthrown by islamist radicals . worse than ` mom jeans ' ? maybe . in 2014 as egypt 's political tumult led to the overthrow of then-president mohamed morsi , the state department insisted that the secretary was ` working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis . ' but cbs news obtained a picture of him on his sailboat in nantucket sound on a wednesday as regime change approached in cairo . a quick about-face followed , with kerry spokeswoman jen psaki conceding he was ` briefly on his boat ' before returning to the salt mines of international diplomacy . ` secretary kerry worked around the clock all day , ' she insisted , water sports notwithstanding , ` including participating in the president 's meeting with his national security council . ' russia 's deputy prime minister tweeted a picture last week mocking barack obama 's masculinity just days after the u.s. president announced a fresh wave of sanctions against the country .<doc-sep>by . daily mail reporter . russian president vladimir putin has got in touch with his cuddly side as he prepares to host the winter olympics in sochi . putin - known for being a tough , rugged outdoorsman - visited a preserve for endangered persian leopards at sochi national park today . he visited a group of cubs born last summer - one of which he lifted onto his lap and stroked . scroll down for video . cuddling up : russian president vladimir putin is pictured stroking a persian leopard at sochi national park . ` we 've decided to restore the population of the persian leopard because of the olympic games , ' said putin . ` let 's say that because of the olympic games , we have restored parts of the destroyed nature . ' during his trip , putin entered one of the leopard 's cages and stroked the animal on the back of the head - before declaring : ` we like each other ' . however , the president did not feel the same about the local media , who apparently upset the big cat , which scratched one of them on the hand and bit another on the knee , according to russian news agencies . close encounter : he visited a group of cubs born last summer - one of which he lifted onto his lap and stroked . event : putin 's visit was designed as a show of environmental consciousness ahead of the sochi winter games . above , the bolshoy ice dome -lrb- left -rrb- and adler arena skating centre , which will be used during the games . putin 's first step on the olympic stage was designed as a show of environmental consciousness ahead of the sochi games , which open on friday . the leopard preserve was established at the park , situated between seaside sochi and the alpine venues in the towering caucasus mountains , five years ago as an olympics-related project . some of the new leopard population is to be released next year in hopes of repopulating southern russia , where they became extinct in the 1970 . the former kgb operative has thrown open the kremlin treasury to finance the olympics , lavishing a record $ 51 billion on sports facilities and transportation infrastructure in the resort city on the black sea coast . tough : putin - pictured riding a horse in a russian mountain range - is known for being a rugged outdoorsman . enjoying the sun : the russian president fishes during a mini-break in his country 's siberian tyva region . he has gambled big on the games , determined to host an event in a fashion befitting his image of a newly powerful russia that is a global economic and political power . putin drove to the reserve in an suv , with two international olympic committee -lrb- ioc -rrb- officials riding in the back seat . later today , the russian leader was due in sochi to address the ioc . with the vast sum putin invested in the games , he has turned the once-sleepy resort into a kind of disneyland of phantasmagorical structures - new highways , sweeping overpasses and top-notch sports venues . winding roads and rail lines were cut upward into the mountains to newly built alpine facilities . energetic : putin drove to the reserve in an suv , with two international olympic committee -lrb- ioc -rrb- officials riding in the back seat . above , the president , who is a judo black belt , swims in a lake in siberia 's tuva region . while the massive project does n't represent a do-or-die moment for russia , the most expensive olympics in history - with billions of dollars reportedly lost to graft - will still reverberate through the economy and kremlin politics . putin 's third term as president will end in 2018 . official business : putin was due in sochi to address the international olympic committee alter today . what 's more , the games are being shunned by president barack obama and key european leaders . the u.s. leader , in open protest of new russian anti-gay laws , dispatched an official american delegation made up of three openly gay athletic greats - former tennis star billie jean king , 2006 olympic hockey medalist caitlin cahow and figure skating wizard brian boitano . former homeland security chief janet napolitano leads the delegation . top officials from olympic heavyweights , including britain , france and germany , also wo n't be in sochi . the paucity of national leaders of major world powers leaves putin with a schedule of meetings that will begin on thursday with u.n. secretary-general ban ki-moon and chinese president xi jinping . on the following day , he will sit down with turkish prime minister recep tayyip erdogan and japanese leader shinzo abe . no western-aimed diplomacy is scheduled . while putin stepped in in syria to convince leader bashar assad to turn over his chemical weapons - therefore saving obama from having to initiate airstrikes - the white house remains angry that russia have given asylum to edward snowden , the contract worker who has leaked volumes of secrets about u.s. intelligence-gathering efforts .<doc-sep>by . lee moran . last updated at 4:40 pm on 1st february 2012 . russia 's prime minister was told exactly what his opponents think of him today when they unravelled a huge banner saying ` putin , go away ' on a rooftop facing the kremlin . a picture of vladimir putin , his face crossed out with an x , stared out from the black-and-yellow banner across the iced-over moscow river towards the seat of russian power . police quickly removed the banner - put up in protest at his plans to return to the presidency , currently occupied by dmitry medvedev , in an election next month . provocative : a picture of vladimir putin , his face crossed out with an x , stares out from the black-and-yellow banner across the iced-over moscow river towards the kremlin . controversial : the banner , which was one of the first displays of anti-government so close to the kremlin , was quickly taken down by police . posters and chants urging putin to give up power are common at demonstrations , sparked by claims of fraud in his party 's favour in a parliamentary election in december . but the banner , which bore the logo of the opposition movement solidarity , is one of just a few such big displays near the kremlin since he came to power in 2000 . pavel yelizarov , a solidarity activist who stood in the cold on the embankment near the building , said : ` we think 12 years under putin 's rule is more than enough . ' a solidarity leader , ilya yashin , said the banner faced the kremlin because ` putin was and remains the master of the kremlin . ' old guard : opponents are angry that russian . prime minister vladimir putin -lrb- left -rrb- is set to return as president , . taking over from the current leader dmitry medvedev -lrb- right -rrb- in next . month 's election . support : baristas in moscow have been getting into the election spirit by creating putin portraits , with cinnamon and cocoa powder , on top of cappuccinos . he wrote on his blog : ` he is the . constructor and ideologue of the political system that has destroyed . competition in this country . ' putin . angered middle-class urban russians eager for change when he announced . plans in september to return to the presidency , which he held from . 2000-2008 , in the election . polls indicate he will win a six-year term despite a decline in popularity and the biggest opposition protests of his rule , which are set to continue with a march in central moscow on saturday . putin has promised limited political concessions but has at times ridiculed the protests and accused their leaders of being in the pay of the united states and europe . yelizarov added : ` we realised that the authorities are not listening to our protests , even after many thousands of people gathered . we 're looking for new forms -lrb- of protest -rrb- demanding putin leave office . ' yashin said activists put up the banner - which was affixed to a billboard atop a seven-storey building - after climbing a fire stair and quickly left when they were done . strong image : a man decorates his car with the effigy of russian prime minister vladimir putin before taking part in a rally yesterday . solidarity : hundreds of cars flying white ribbons or white balloons drove around moscow 's garden ring in a show of support for a protest movement against russian prime minister vladimir putin yesterday .<doc-sep>` i . personally saw the scales and was present at the weighing . the pike . really weighed more than 20kg , ' he told the russian news service . the . pro-kremlin mass-circulation daily komsomolskaya pravda showed no such . suspicions , devoting a whole page to pictures of mr putin in his . camouflage outfit and fawning commentary . a video was also released showing mr putin petting reindeer and driving a motor boat . telling the truth ? critics are now accusing mr putin of falling into the classic amateur fisherman 's trap of exaggerating the size of his catch . in the air : when mr putin flew with migrating storks last year on the yamal peninsula , he was mocked online . famous photograph : mr putin has often burnished his image since first coming to power with outdoor exploits such as riding a horse with a bare torso -lrb- pictured , in august 2009 -rrb- and shooting a tiger with a tranquiliser . mr putin has often burnished his image since first coming to power in 2000 with outdoor exploits such as riding a horse with a bare torso and shooting a tiger with a tranquiliser . ' i personally saw the scales and was present at the weighing . the pike really weighed more than 20kg ' dmitry peskov , mr putin 's spokesman . but the kremlin admitted under pressure that a stunt in 2011 , in which mr putin found ancient artefacts at the bottom of the black sea , was staged . when he flew with migrating storks last year , he was widely mocked online . it later emerged that the cranes had failed to migrate and had ended up being transported by plane to fenced enclosures in nature reserves . mr putin remains russia 's most popular politician , with a recent opinion poll showing his trust level at 45 per cent , but his authority was dented by mass protests in moscow and other big cities that began in late 2011 and carried on into 2012 .

<t> russia 's deputy prime minister dmitry rogozin uploaded picture to twitter . </t> <t> image captioned ` we have different values and allies ' retweeted 1,000 times . </t> <t> mockery comes amid heightened tensions between russia and the u.s. following the shooting down of malaysia airlines flight mh17 in ukraine . </t>

kremlin mocks obama 's masculinity by tweeting picture of him holding a poodle next to putin petting a leopard<T>

a hawaiian man has claimed the guinness world record for the largest non-surgically made stretch earlobes - which are so big you can fit a hand through them . kala kaiwi , who unsurprisingly works as a tattoo and body modification artist , has earlobe stretches or ` flesh tunnels ' measuring 109mm -lrb- 4.3 inches -rrb- in diameter , to go with his hundreds of other wacky body adaptations . he has just returned from milan , italy where he picked up his award , almost certainly setting off airport security scanners on his way . kala kaiwi is the new guinness world record holder for the largest non-surgically made stretch earlobes in the world . they measure 109mm in diameter and can fit a hand through . kala has hundreds of other body modifications , including nostril piercings , face tattoos and horns on his head .<doc-sep>along with his flesh tunnels , he has had silicon horns implanted on his head , stretches in his nostrils , tattooed eyebrows and studs all over his face . he even split his own tongue using dental floss , and has bolt holes on his forehead with spikes screwed in . kala trained in las vegas in 1999 before moving back to hawaii to open sin city body modification and tattoo shop . to find out more about kala kaiwi and body modification click here . ear stretches have become increasingly popular in recent years . the practice originated from indigenous people but has now become mainstream in the western world .<doc-sep>ancient egyptian pharaoh king tutankhamen is known to have had them , although these days , you are far more likely to see them on a regular person than you are royalty . the trendsetter was otzi the ice man , who dates all the way back to 3300bc and is the oldest human mummy in the world . he was discovered by german tourists in the italian alps in 1991 and as well as having 7-11mm ear stretches , he is covered in tattoos . when they first filtered into western cultures they were adopted by subcultures such as punks and rockers , but nowadays , you can find stretches on celebrities such as mcbusted 's dougie poynter or rapper lil wayne , as well as all over the streets of any town or city . however , extra large flesh tunnels are still associated with counter culture . professor victoria pitts-taylor , from the graduate center of the city university of new york , says they are ' a slightly more committed body art than temporary practices or ear piercing . the more you stretch the skin , the more commitment you are expressing to a counter cultural look . '<doc-sep>hidden talent : luciel could pass for a normal person , and perhaps does when she dons a trouser suit for work or weddings . only when she sticks out her tongue do we realise her enthusiasm for body modification . mary jose cristerna , is a mexican who is better known on the international tattoo circuit as vampire woman . sub-dermal implants form ridges around her entire skull , while her tattoos have a distinct supernatural theme . ms cristerna , pictured , has heavily modified her teeth to fit in her her vampire-inspired image . as well as extreme modification to her face , she offers people the key to her heart , pictured . this venezuelan man is known , unsurprisingly enough , as red skull . he appeared at the four-day event . kala kaiwi , pictured , holds the world record for the non-surgically made stretch earlobes , at 109mm wide . kala kaiwi , pictured , describes himself as a body modification artist from hawaii . colombian carlos dehaquiz , who looks lizard-like , is one of the more normal exhibitors at the event . this woman hitches up her jeans to show of the design on her left leg , pictured which includes a skull .<doc-sep>but no , ms schuyler completes the task and gracefully accepts her certificate as she is welcomed into the guiness world record ` family ' . where did it all go ? with a petite frame , at 5ft 7in and 125 pounds , her eating abilities are truly incredible . make mine a large ! ms schuyler has been competitive eating for less than a year and says she eats to support her four kids . not only has the ravenous mother defied previous records , she 's overcome the normal abilities of the human stomach , which can usually only stretch to hold a capacity of 8lbs . and it 's far from the first time she has demonstrated her eating prowess for the world to see . she is currently ranked the number one female independent competitive eater in the world . other records include demolishing a 12lb sandwich washed down with 1lb of french fries in just under an hour - the only woman to even finish this particular challenge .<doc-sep>an unfeasibly slender mother-of-four has set a new guiness world record by eating 12lbs of pudding in just three minutes . nebraska-based molly schuyler , 34 , a competitive eater with several food guzzling accolades to her name already , smashed the previous world record , which was a paltry 2lbs 15oz of pudding in the same time . the stomach-churning feat was performed on dish nation and uploaded to youtube , and sees the slim brunette consume a whopping 15,120 calories in one sitting - that 's the equivalent of over seven days ' worth of recommended calorie intake for a woman . scroll down for video . pudding guzzler : molly schuyler , a 34-year-old mother-of-four , consumed exactly 12lbs of pudding in a record-smashing three minutes , earning herself a guiness world record . in the three minute stunt , which tows the fine like between revolting and riveting , ms schuyler crouches eagerly over the enormous glass bowl of creamy pudding and shovels it down her throat with hawk-like concentration and lightning-fast spoon-to-mouth motion .<doc-sep>by . jonny singer . his dazzling skills once lit up world football , and former argentina player and manager diego maradona showed he has n't lost his silky touches . maradona , 53 , was invited to the stage by french guiness world record freestyler wassim benslimane , before being asked to join the juggler in some kick-ups .

<t> kala kaiwi now holds record for largest ` non-surgically made ' flesh tunnels . </t> <t> the tattoo and body modification artist travelled to milan to collect his award . </t> <t> he has hundreds of other body adaptations , including horn implants and face tattoos . </t>

hawaiian kala kaiwi claims guiness world record for biggest stretch earlobes<T>

queens park rangers will see the benefits of five years work when the barclays premier league make it 's first foray into the indian market later this month . the premier league will host their second international fan park event in mumbai between december 13-14 , which , among other events , will see coaches from england 's top-flight clubs head to india to hold clinics . however , qpr will be represented by their own mumbai-based coaches at the two day event , which takes place at mumbai metropolitan region development authority grounds . qpr have developed their own coaches to work with indian youngsters in mumbai -lrb- l-r -rrb- jesse foyle -lrb- education manager -rrb- , fardin shaikh , gulafsha ansari , sheetal hedulkar , kumar rathod , martino chevannes -lrb- community trust manager -rrb- .<doc-sep>rangers -- through the work of their charitable arm qpr in the community trust and their academy set-up -- have been working in india 's most populous city for five years , through their the mumbai soccer challenger initiative , which serves as a talent hunt for local youngsters at coaching clinics conducted by qpr coaches . and those coaches will lead qpr 's presence during the event , which will be attended by premier league legends peter schmeichel and robbie fowler . joey barton -lrb- centre -rrb- takes part in a qpr training session back home in london . manager harry redknapp -lrb- left -rrb- and assistant glenn hoddle discuss plans ahead of their next league game .<doc-sep>sheetal hedulkar -lrb- 28 -rrb- , kumar rathod -lrb- 21 -rrb- , gulafsha ansari -lrb- 18 -rrb- and fardin shaikh -lrb- 21 -rrb- will join dozens of uk-based coaches from other premier league clubs in delivering workshops . qpr 's vice chairman , amit bhatia , who was born in london and educated in delhi , said : ` we are the pioneers in breaking new ground in india and it gives me a great sense of pride when i see the impact qpr 's work is having in mumbai , in particular . ` prior to our involvement in the mumbai soccer challenger , children from municipal schools rarely got a platform to compete in tournaments thereby depriving them an opportunity to showcase their skills . '<doc-sep>by . janet tappin coelho . published : . 13:07 est , 5 october 2013 . | . updated : . 07:41 est , 6 october 2013 . he stands poised in a boat in the rainforest - his gaze straight , cheeks painted red and arrow sharp and drawn back . still of school age , this amazonian boy could be the next gold medalist in archery at the 2016 olympic games . talent scouts search tribes for youngsters born in the heart of the jungle , whom they believe possess traditional bow and arrow skills in their blood , it has been revealed . scroll down for video . hunt : brazilian talent scouts search tribes for youngsters born in the heart of the jungle , who possess traditional bow and arrow skills in their blood , it has been revealed . talented : many of the youngsters can already hunt and kill birds flying 100 metres high in the air and can spear fish in the local river with just one hit . aim : a young indian girl gazes straight ahead as she draws back an arrow , ready to shoot . future champion ? this amazonian boy could one day be a gold medalist in archery .<doc-sep>they hunt talented children from indigenous indian tribes - many whom can already hunt and kill birds flying 100 metres high in the air and can spear fish in the river with just one hit . they believe the youngsters have the potential to become successful competitors in archery in the rio de janeiro games . the brazilian scouts also explore the world 's largest rainforest - home to about 400 indian tribes - for skilled kayakers and canoeists . ' i find archers with innate ability , ' said marcia lot , an olympic selector from the amazonas sustainable foundation -lrb- fas -rrb- , who has been combining the jungle for talent since february . potential : the children , who belong to tribes in the world 's largest rainforest , have the potential to become successful competitors in archery in the rio de janeiro games . hereditary : traditional archery skills are believed to have been passed down from generation to generation . ` this strong tradition has been handed down from generation to generation and passed from parents to children . ` now , the indigenous youngsters are interested in using their skills to change their life . ' ms lot 's hunt has taken her to eight tribal communities with different ethnic groups , including the xingu , kambeba and aldeia kuana tribes . more than 80 candidates were initially chosen - all of whom were believed to possess ` natural ' bow and arrow skills . after a series of qualifying tournaments held by the amazonian federation of archery -lrb- fatarco -rrb- in june , the numbers were whittled down to the top 10 . further trials are set to take place this month , with selectors choosing their final top three . they will then continue with advanced training , before being put forward for the olympics . practice : ms lot 's hunt has taken her to eight tribal communities with different ethnic groups , including the xingu , kambeba and aldeia kuana tribes . ready , aim , shoot : three youngsters line up and prepare to shoot their arrows at a distant target .<doc-sep>clinton said the rewards for justice program , aimed at obtaining information that could help convict suspected terrorists , demonstrated washington 's seriousness in going after such people . the program , established in 1984 , has paid about $ 100 million to more than 70 people for information about terrorists . rewards go as high as $ 25 million for information on al-zawahiri and $ 10 million for information about hafiz mohammad saeed , a pakistani man wanted by indian authorities in connection with the mumbai attacks . clinton said the foiled bomb plot in yemen served as evidence that terrorists are getting more sophisticated .<doc-sep>former real madrid and chelsea striker nicolas anelka has announced he has joined mumbai city in the indian super league . it had been reported that the 35-year-old , without a club since leaving west brom following his ban for using the quenelle gesture , has agreed a short-term deal with the new isl franchise , managed by peter reid . ` i 'm pleased to join mumbai city fc & very exciting in joining indian super league , ' anelka wrote on twitter . nicolas anelka has been without a club since controversially leaving west brom in march this year . ` talented international players & top indian talent will make matches thrilling affairs . ' i look forward to using my ability to do well for my team in the matches we will play . ' anelka , capped 69 times by france , began his career with paris st germain before joining arsenal as a youngster , going on to play for real madrid , manchester city , fenerbahce , bolton , chelsea , shanghai shenhua , juventus and west brom in an often nomadic career marked by highs and lows .

<t> queens park rangers are hosting a second fan park event in mumbai . </t> <t> premier league club will have their own dedicated coaches at the event . </t> <t> rangers charity has been working with indian youngsters for five-years . </t>

qpr hoping to reap rewards from five-year talent hunt for indian youngsters in mumbai<T>

luis suarez is now the third most valuable footballer in the world according to an authoritative new report , published today , that rates the liverpool striker as worth # 79million - at least . only barcelona 's lionel messi , with a ` starting price ' of # 161.5 m and real madrid 's cristiano ronaldo , worth at least # 85.2 m , are valued more highly in the study , compiled by a swiss-based expert research centre . the cies football observatory has detailed knowledge of actual prices paid in thousands of transfers to ` big five ' divisions over recent years , and have now published their annual review of players - including ` market values ' . video scroll down to watch messi scoring from behind the goal in training . hit man : luis suarez was the premier league 's top scorer last season with liverpool . revealed : the 20 most valuable players in europe . a huge range of information is considered for each player to produce a ` real world ' price tag of what each star should objectively be worth in the transfer market this summer . age , the length of contract remaining , position , performance data , international experience and the level at which the players are working are all considered . the stunning season enjoyed at anfield by uruguay forward suarez , 27 , has propelled him up the rankings of ` most wanted ' among a string of elite clubs . the cies study brackets his market value at between # 79.4 m and # 92.3 m. suarez cost liverpool # 22.8 m from ajax in january 2011 and has been linked with some of europe 's top clubs in recent days , from real madrid to manchester united , who are reportedly ready to bid # 65m . on the basis of the cies study , that would represent a huge under-valuation of the player . the fourth most valuable man on the list is chelsea 's belgium starlet , eden hazard , 23 , reckoned to be worth at least # 61.2 m. chelsea paid around half that sum two years ago . genius : messi did n't have his best season at barcelona , but is still the most valuable player in the world . the top 10 is completed by paul pogba of juventus , real madrid 's gareth bale - rated at # 47.1 m at least , or considerably less than he cost last summer - then arsenal 's mesut ozil , psg 's edinson cavani and bayern munich 's mario gotze .<doc-sep>four england players make the top 20 : wayne rooney plus three of the young lions from roy hodgson 's world cup squad - raheem sterling , ross barkley and daniel sturridge . rooney is thought to be worth # 29.6 m , a bit less than the younger sterling -lrb- # 31.2 m -rrb- and barkley -lrb- # 29.7 m -rrb- and very lightly more than sturridge -lrb- # 29.4 m -rrb- . outside the top 20 , arsenal 's jack wilshere is rated as worth at least # 27.6 m and southampton 's luke shaw is worth # 23.2 m. wizard : ronaldo was named ballon d'or winner , with the portugal striker enjoying a superb campaign . value : chelsea 's eden hazard -lrb- left -rrb- is fourth , and gareth bale , the most expensive player on earth , was seventh . any footballer is only worth what a club will pay for him , of course , but the cies study shows that their evaluation process stands up to scrutiny , with only a small historical variation between their valuations on players and the prices they actually move for . the margin of error is fairly insignificant 7.5 per cent . of the 20 highest valued players , nine of them play in the premier league , for now at least , seven in spain 's la liga , two in germany 's bundesliga -lrb- mario gotze and thomas muller at bayern munich -rrb- , one in france 's ligue 1 -lrb- cavani at psg -rrb- and one in italy 's serie a -lrb- pogba -rrb- . at the top end of the chart , messi 's value is almost twice that of ronaldo 's . the report 's author 's say : ` this is mainly related to the younger age of the argentinian prodigy , who was born 28 months after the portuguese superstar . ` however , with respect to the last year , messi 's market value has gone down -lrb- by $ 19m -rrb- while that of ronaldo increased -lrb- by $ 4m -rrb- . prospect : everton star ross barkley was ranked in the top 20 most valuable players in the world . england 's future : raheem sterling was also in the top 20 after rising to fame with liverpool . more information and access to the full report can be found at www.football-observatory.com .<doc-sep>suarez will be presented in front of barca fans at the nou camp before monday 's match , which could see him form a formidable front line alongside lionel messi and neymar . brazil forward neymar has been given medical clearance to play after breaking a vertebra during the world cup last month . barca begin their league season at home to elche next sunday . hunger : luis suarez says he feels like a footballer again after being allowed to train . goals : luis suarez won the european golden boot last season , despite being suspended for the first six games .<doc-sep>barcelona are set to hand lionel messi a new role behind a front two of luis suarez and neymar , according to reports in spain . manager luis enrique is in the enviable position of having three of the world 's best forwards at his disposal ahead of the new season . and he believes switching messi from his position on the right hand side of the attack will get the best out of suarez and neymar . moving on : luis suarez , signs uruguay shirts and flags and throws them back to fans outside his house . all change : lionel messi is set for a new role at barcelona , in behind suarez and neymar . video all star xi : lionel messi highlights .<doc-sep>by . anthony hay . follow @@ anthony_hay . thierry henry believes barcelona new boy luis suarez is the best out and out striker in world football . la liga giants barcelona have forked out # 75million to land the uruguayan international despite the fact he has to serve a four-month ban for biting italy 's giorgio chiellini . however henry believes suarez is worth the money as he is - in the frenchman 's opinion - the best goalscorer in world football when you take lionel messi and cristiano ronaldo out of the equation . video scroll down to see the moment suarez gets locked out of in-laws home in barcelona . question time : rio ferdinand -lrb- right -rrb- interviews fellow professional footballer thierry henry -lrb- left -rrb- . honest : henry does n't sit on the fence when he is asked some tough questions by ferdinand . henry , speaking in an exclusive interview with rio ferdinand 's # 5 magazine , said on suarez : ` if we are talking about strikers - not guys who score a lot of goals from anywhere - then i would say the best in the world is luis suarez . ` he has everything . he 's in your face , he 's arrogant in a good way , he can volley it , he can score headers . ` he has that vicious side to his game . i will not call it cheating . he knows how to score goals . we have seen it against england . they gave him two chances and he scored two goals . ' henry has also had his say on the everlasting debate regarding ronaldo and messi . current new york red bulls captain henry has revealed he thinks his former barcelona teammate is the better player because he is ` naturally gifted ' . ` lionel messi is the best player in the world but i respect the amount of work cristiano ronaldo has put into the game , ' added henry . ` but messi is just a freak . it is nice for kids to watch as they can see one guy who was given a gift and the other guy who does it through hard work . ` louis saha used to tell me he was the hardest worker at manchester united . i am not saying messi does not work hard - but it is more natural . ` ronaldo had to work really hard to reach the top . they have the same mentality but that 's the difference . ' close call : cristiano ronaldo -lrb- left -rrb- and lionel messi -lrb- right -rrb- are the best players in world football .<doc-sep>barcelona 's defeat to psg is their only loss under manager luis enrique , who took over from gerardo martino in the summer , and the catalan side will want to reassert their status in group f . it is also the last champions league match where barcelona will be without striker luis suarez , who is set to return from his suspension and make his debut against madrid . neymar -lrb- left -rrb- is excited at having the chance to forge a partnership with luis suarez -lrb- right -rrb- and lionel messi . neymar is excited at the prospect of forming a three-pronged attack alongside the uruguayan and lionel messi . ` for me messi is the best player in the world , and i am happy to play with him . but luis suarez is there among the best too and i am sure he will bring many good things to our team . '

<t> luis suarez third in the cies football observatory ranking of most valuable players . </t> <t> lionel messi is top of the list , with cristiano ronaldo second . </t> <t> england prospects raheem sterling and ross barkley are above daniel sturridge and wayne rooney . </t> <t> nine current premier league players make up the top 20 . </t> <t> a huge range of information is considered for each player to produce a ` real world ' price tag . </t>

luis suarez is world 's third most expensive footballer at ⁇ 79m but lionel messi will cost double<T>

legalising assisted suicide is a slippery slope toward widespread killing of the sick , mps and peers were told yesterday . a former euthanasia supporter warned of a surge in deaths if parliament allowed doctors to give deadly drugs to their patients . ` do n't do it britain , ' said theo boer , a veteran european watchdog in assisted suicide cases . ` once the genie is out of the bottle , it is not likely ever to go back in again . ' scroll down for video . how the toll has risen : the netherlands has seen deaths double in just six years . his . native netherlands , where euthanasia has been legal since 2002 , has . seen deaths double in just six years and this year 's total may reach a . record 6,000 . professor . boer 's intervention comes as peers prepare to debate the assisted dying . bill , promoted by lord falconer , a labour former lord chancellor . the . bill , which has its second reading next week , would allow doctors to . prescribe poison to terminally ill and mentally alert people who wish to . kill themselves . professor . boer , who is an academic in the field of ethics , had argued seven years . ago that a ` good euthanasia law ' would produce relatively low numbers of . deaths . peers are preparing to debate the assisted dying bill which was promoted by lord falconer , a labour former lord chancellor . but , speaking in a . personal capacity yesterday , he said he now believed that the very . existence of a euthanasia law turns assisted suicide from a last resort . into a normal procedure . a . ` slippery slope ' for assisted dying in britain would mean that . euthanasia would follow the same path as abortion , which was legalised . in 1967 . there are now .<doc-sep>nearly 200,000 terminations a year . anti-euthanasia campaigners and . disability activists called on politicians to listen to the professor 's . warning . the paralympian , baroness tanni grey-thompson , said : ` what dr boer says comes as no surprise . ` an . assisted dying law is playing with fire , especially when there are no . safeguards in place . lord falconer 's bill just is n't fit for purpose . ' baroness . jane campbell , who is a disability rights campaigner , said : ` as happens . in holland , lord falconer 's bill could end up encompassing significant . numbers of seriously ill people . ' euthanasia . is now becoming so prevalent in the netherlands , professor boer said , . that it is ` on the way to becoming a default mode of dying for cancer . patients ' . he said . assisted deaths have increased by about 15 per cent every year since . 2008 and the number could hit a record 6,000 this year . he . said he was concerned at the extension of killing to new classes of . people , including the demented and the depressed , and the establishment . of mobile death units of ` travelling euthanasing doctors ' . activists , . professor boer said , continue to campaign for doctor-administered death . to be made ever easier and ` will not rest ' until a lethal pill is made . available to anyone over 70 who wishes to die . ` some slopes truly are slippery , ' he added . the . utrecht university academic has been a member since 2005 of a review . committee charged with monitoring euthanasia deaths . its role includes a . duty to ` tell doctors how their actions in particular cases are likely . to stand up to legal , medical and ethical scrutiny ' .<doc-sep>professor boer admitted he was ` wrong -- terribly wrong , in fact ' to have believed regulated euthanasia would work . ` i used to be a supporter of the dutch law . but now , with 12 years of experience , i take a very different view . theo boer -lrb- left -rrb- warned of a surge in deaths which tanni grey-thompson -lrb- right -rrb- said came as no surprise . ` whereas . in the first years after 2002 hardly any patients with psychiatric . illnesses or dementia appear in reports , these numbers are now sharply . on the rise . ` cases have . been reported in which a large part of the suffering of those given . euthanasia or assisted suicide consisted in being aged , lonely or . bereaved . ` some of . these patients could have lived for years or decades . pressure on . doctors to conform to patients ' -- or in some cases relatives ' -- wishes . can be intense . ` pressure . from relatives , in combination with a patient 's concern for their . wellbeing , is in some cases an important factor behind a euthanasia . request . not even the review committees , despite hard and conscientious . work , have been able to halt these developments . ' the latest euthanasia figures for the netherlands show that nearly one in seven deaths are at the hands of doctors . dignitas is zurich-based organisation which helps people to kill themselves . candidates have to fill in an official form to prove they want to commit suicide . in . 2012 , there were 4,188 deaths by direct euthanasia -- 3 per cent of all . deaths -- and 3,695 deaths by direct euthanasia in 2011 . the . figures do not include deaths by terminal sedation , where patients are . rendered unconscious before they are dehydrated and starved to death , an . act often referred to as ` euthanasia by omission ' . this practice accounts for more than 12 per cent of all deaths in the country .<doc-sep>the . netherlands is following a pattern that anti-euthanasia campaigners say . has happened wherever the practice has been legalised . doctors . in neighbouring belgium are collectively killing an average of five . people every day by euthanasia -- with a 27 per cent surge in one year . dignity . in dying , the pressure group which supports lord falconer 's bill , . dismissed fears that the legislation might lead to similar horrors . its . spokesman james harris said : ` lord falconer 's assisted dying bill will . not legalise euthanasia , rather assisted dying for adults who are . terminally ill and mentally competent , similar to legislation in oregon . which has been working safely for over 17 years and has never been . extended beyond the criteria of terminal illness . ' anti-euthanasia campaigners dispute that the oregon law is safe or that limited numbers are dying at their own request . elspeth . chowdharay-best , honorary secretary of alert , the anti-euthanasia . pressure group , said legalising assisted suicide would be like ` stepping . off a precipice ' . ` it means that you would lose the right to live , ' she . said . ` it is more serious than people realise . ' under lord falconer 's bill , a terminally-ill patient would be able to ask for drugs to kill him or herself . two . doctors would need to approve , and to be satisfied the patient was of . sound mind and settled view , and had not been influenced by others . in 2001 the netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia and , along with it , assisted suicide . various ` safeguards ' were put in place to show who should qualify and doctors acting in accordance with these ` safeguards ' would not be prosecuted . because each case is unique , five regional review committees were installed to assess every case and to decide whether it complied with the law . for five years after the law became effective , such physician-induced deaths remained level - and even fell in some years . in 2007 i wrote that ` there does n't need to be a slippery slope when it comes to euthanasia . a good euthanasia law , in combination with the euthanasia review procedure , provides the warrants for a stable and relatively low number of euthanasia . ' most of my colleagues drew the same conclusion . but we were wrong - terribly wrong , in fact . in hindsight , the stabilisation in the numbers was just a temporary pause . beginning in 2008 , the numbers of these deaths show an increase of 15 % annually , year after year . the annual report of the committees for 2012 recorded 4,188 cases -lrb- compared with 1,882 in 2002 -rrb- . 2013 saw a continuation of this trend and i expect the 6,000 line to be crossed this year or the next . euthanasia is on the way to become a ` default ' mode of dying for cancer patients . alongside this escalation other developments have taken place . under the name ` end of life clinic , ' the dutch right to die society nvve founded a network of travelling euthanizing doctors . whereas the law presupposes -lrb- but does not require -rrb- an established doctor-patient relationship , in which death might be the end of a period of treatment and interaction , doctors of the end of life clinic have only two options : administer life-ending drugs or send the patient away . on average , these physicians see a patient three times before administering drugs to end their life . hundreds of cases were conducted by the end of life clinic . the nvve shows no signs of being satisfied even with these developments . they will not rest until a lethal pill is made available to anyone over 70 years who wishes to die . some slopes truly are slippery . other developments include a shift in the type of patients who receive these ` treatments ' . whereas in the first years after 2002 hardly any patients with psychiatric illnesses or dementia appear in reports , these numbers are now sharply on the rise . cases have been reported in which a large part of the suffering of those given euthanasia or assisted suicide consisted in being aged , lonely or bereaved . some of these patients could have lived for years or decades . whereas the law sees assisted suicide and euthanasia as an exception , public opinion is shifting towards considering them rights , with corresponding duties on doctors to act . a law that is now in the making obliges doctors who refuse to administer euthanasia to refer their patients to a ` willing ' colleague . pressure on doctors to conform to patients ' -lrb- or in some cases relatives ' -rrb- wishes can be intense . pressure from relatives , in combination with a patient 's concern for their wellbeing , is in some cases an important factor behind a euthanasia request . not even the review committees , despite hard and conscientious work , have been able to halt these developments . i used to be a supporter of the dutch law . but now , with twelve years of experience , i take a very different view . at the very least , wait for an honest and intellectually satisfying analysis of the reasons behind the explosive increase in the numbers . is it because the law should have had better safeguards ? or is it because the mere existence of such a law is an invitation to see assisted suicide and euthanasia as a normality instead of a last resort ? before those questions are answered , do n't go there . once the genie is out of the bottle , it is not likely to ever go back in again.theo boer has been a member of a regional review committee since 2005 . for the dutch government , five such committees assess whether a euthanasia case was conducted in accordance with the law . in the past nine years , prof. boer has reviewed almost 4,000 euthanasia cases . the views expressed here represent his views as a professional ethicist , not of any institution .<doc-sep>` what we are seeing in the netherlands is `` incremental extension '' , the steady intentional escalation of numbers with a gradual widening of the categories of patients to be included . ' he said there was a similar pattern of increasing numbers of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the us state of oregon , switzerland , and belgium . dr saunders said : ` the lessons are clear . once you relax the law on euthanasia or assisted suicide steady extension will follow as night follows day . ' he added : ` britain needs to take warning as debate on the falconer bill continues . ' lord falconer 's assisted dying bill received its second reading in july and it will reach committee stage in november after parliament reconvenes . supporters , such as campaigners dignity in dying , insist that the falconer bill is based on a us model of assisted suicide ` which has been working safely for over 17 years and has never been extended beyond the criteria of terminal illness ' . but professor boer , who has reviewed 4,000 cases of euthanasia in his role as a regulator , told parliament in the summer : ` do n't go there . ' once a firm advocate of euthanasia , he said that he now the dutch were ` terribly wrong ' to think they could control it . writing in the daily mail , he said his country has witnessed an ` explosive increase ' in the numbers of euthanasia deaths since 2007 and that he expected the number of such deaths this year to hit 6,000 . he was also gravely concerned at the extension of killing to new classes of people , including the demented and the depressed . ` some slopes truly are slippery , ' he said . doctors in neighbouring belgium , which this year legalised euthanasia for children , are now killing an average of five people every day by euthanasia , according to latest figures , with a 27 per cent surge in the number of euthanasia deaths in the last year alone . in one of the most shocking cases , a brussels man last week described how he arranged the double euthanasia of his octogenarian parents who wanted to die because they were afraid of loneliness . it has also emerged that a dutch woman in her 80s was killed by her doctors just because she did not want to live in a care home . the case is the first to be referred to dutch prosecutors by regulators since euthanasia was legalised in holland 12 years ago . euthanasia is permitted in cases where there is unbearable suffering , increasingly interpreted to mean mental anguish .<doc-sep>one in 30 deaths in holland are now from euthanasia , it has been revealed . it comes after the dutch government allowed mobile death squads to kill sick and elderly people in their own homes . official figures released yesterday , showed that euthanasia deaths soared by 13 per cent in 2012 compared to the previous year . there were 4,188 deaths by euthanasia last year -- accounting for three per cent of all deaths - compared to 3,695 deaths by euthanasia in 2011 . one way trip : euthanasia in the netherlands is carried out by a doctor administering a strong sedative to put the patient in a coma , followed by a drug to stop breathing and cause death . it marks the sixth consecutive year that deaths by euthanasia have increased in the netherlands . the government has said that the reasons for the increase in euthanasia deaths can not be determined with certainty . leading theories include a growing awareness and acceptance of the practice among both dutch doctors and patients . in march last year , however , holland launched the world 's first mobile death squads to be dispatched in cases when family doctors refused to administer lethal drugs on ` ethical ' grounds . the six units , comprising of at least a doctors and a nurse , were expected to send the number of euthanasia cases in holland rocketing , with pro-euthanasia campaigners saying they would end the lives of an additional 1,000 ` borderline ' patients a year . anti-euthanasia activists in britain said yesterday the year-on-year increases in euthanasia death proved argument that euthanasia was a ` slippery slope ' . elspeth chowdharay-best , the honorary secretary of alert , said : ` it is what we expected and i do hope that people will pay more attention now to the warnings that have been made about introducing euthanasia to this country . ` the dutch experience shows that euthanasia becomes routine , ' she added . ` it traps more and more people into thinking they ought to leave this world prematurely . ` in that kind of culture euthanasia becomes expected and inevitable and everything else -- such as good palliative care and a functional hospice movement -- is gradually portrayed as rather selfish . ' nikki kenward of distant voices , a disability rights group , said : ` these numbers fill me with fear and horror . ` we are failing to see the dangers , ' said mrs kenward who has been confined to a wheelchair since an attack of guillian-barre syndrome in the early 1990s . the dignitas building in pfaeffikon near zurich : under swiss law only ` assisted suicide ' is permitted - which means that patients must take an active role in administering the drug that ends their lives . ` anyone who believes these figures to be necessary or acceptable should look to the future and be wary of the moment when the death doctor calls at their house uninvited -- when the safeguards , score-sheets and so-called sentimentality have given way to a new world where age , infirmity and `` useless '' lives are seen as unnecessary and people like me are targeted once again . ' holland became the first country in the world since nazi germany to legalise euthanasia when in 2002 it approved doctor-administered lethal drugs for terminally ill people facing unbearable suffering . for several years , the reported number of cases declined , but since 2006 -- when there were 1,923 deaths by euthanasia - they have risen steadily . most cases involve cancer patients but increasingly that have included dementia sufferers and even psychiatric patients . in 2005 the groningen protocol protected doctors from being prosecuted for the euthanasia of infants as long as they followed approved guidelines . euthanasia is carried out by administering a strong sedative to put the patient in a coma , followed by a drug to stop breathing and cause death . the dutch government has insisted that ` the greatest care ' is taken to offer euthanasia only to patients ` who are suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement ' . holland is following a pattern of incremental euthanasia deaths wherever the practice has been legalised . last year , belgium , where euthanasia came into force in 2003 , saw a 25 per cent increase in the number of euthanasia deaths , leaping from 1,133 in 2011 to 1,432 , a figure representing about two per cent of all deaths in the country . a similar pattern is emerging in those countries where physician-assisted suicide has been legalised.in washington state in the u.s. , physician-assisted suicide deaths increased by 17 per cent in 2012 to 83 cases , up from 70 in 2011 . again there were incremental rises of 51 in 2010 and 36 in 2009 , when the state ' s death with dignity act took effect . in the neighbouring state of oregon , the first u.s.-state to legalise assisted suicide , deaths at the hands of doctors are also at an all-time high . there were 59 assisted suicide deaths in oregon in 2009 , 65 in 2010 , 71 in 2011 and 77 in 2012 - a 30 per cent increase overall in just four years . overall , assisted suicides have shot up by 381 per cent from 16 in 1998 , when the practice was legalised . switzerland , which first relaxed prohibitions on assisted suicide in 1942 , has seen a 700 per cent increase deaths in the same period . authorities recorded a steady rise of assisted suicides of swiss nationals from 43 in 1998 to 297 in 2009 . the figures do not include people from abroad who travel to dignitas to commit suicide there .<doc-sep>by . simon caldwell for the daily mail . a dutch euthanasia doctor killed a woman in her 80s because she did not want to live in a nursing home . the death has prompted regulators to refer the case to prosecutors for the first time since euthanasia was legalised in the netherlands 12 years ago . the unidentified woman died by lethal injection in the levenseindekliniek -- or life end clinic -- after she complained she did not want to spend the rest of her life in a care home . the doctor administered a lethal injection to the woman in 80s who had complained she did not want to spend the rest of her life in a care home after she was partially paralysed by a stroke -lrb- picture posed by models -rrb- . a doctor concluded the unhappiness of the woman , who had been partially paralysed by a stroke , constituted ` unbearable suffering ' -- the legal requirement for euthanasia . but the regional review committee , which polices euthanasia , found the doctor was negligent and referred the case to the public prosecution service , which will decide whether a crime has been committed . it comes months after professor theo boer , a member of a review committee , warned uk politicians not to legalise assisted suicide because the dutch experiment had been a disaster . the life end clinic was established in the hague in 2012 to provide euthanasia to patients whose family doctors object to it . it has helped about 250 patients to die in the past two years and also has mobile doctors to administer lethal drugs in people 's homes . according to the dutch newspaper trouw , regulators acted after the doctor who killed the woman based the decision to end her life ` solely on the fact that the patient was in a nursing home ' . the life end clinic was established in the hague in 2012 to provide euthanasia to patients . twenty years earlier the woman had put in writing her desire not to live in a such a home if she became incapacitated . she expressed this wish verbally to her doctor 18 months ago and soon afterwards was left unable to communicate properly by a stroke . a family member contacted the euthanasia clinic when he formed the impression that the woman had begun to complain . an independent doctor who visited her reported that she said only two words -- ` kan niet -lsb- can not -rsb- ' -- and that she held her head in her hands . according to a report by the regulators , this was regarded by the doctor as sufficient evidence of ` despair and unhappiness ' to constitute unbearable suffering . but nursing home staff reported that the elderly woman was very often content , friendly and quiet . the case represents the second time in four months that regulators have criticised the clinic . in april officials said a doctor had not conducted sufficient interviews with a woman with psychiatric problems before helping her to die . a week before peers debated proposals by lord falconer to legalise assisted suicide in the uk , professor boer -- who has reviewed around 4,000 lethal injection deaths -- warned : ` do n't go there . ' once an advocate of euthanasia , he said he now thought the dutch were ` terribly wrong ' to think they could control it . the professor said his country had seen an ` explosive increase ' in euthanasia deaths since 2007 and he expected the number to hit a record 6,000 this year . he was also gravely concerned at the extension of killing to new groups , including the depressed . campaigners dignity in dying said the assisted dying bill , due to reach the committee stage in the lords in november , is based on a model that ` has never been extended beyond the criteria of terminal illness ' . but paralympian tanni grey-thompson said the killing of the care home resident showed safeguards ` do not work ' . lord carlile of berriew , who investigated euthanasia for a parliamentary inquiry , said : ` the dutch experiment shows that -lsb- the law -rsb- will be abused , that policing such abuse is extremely difficult and , of course , it is always too late . '<doc-sep>the world since nazi germany to legalise euthanasia when in 2002 it . approved doctor-administered lethal drugs for terminally ill people . facing unbearable suffering . two doctors must first decide that . the patient is afflicted by ` unbearable suffering ' from which he or she . has no realistic prospect of recovery . the patient must also be able to make a conscious and autonomous decision about ending their lives by lethal injection . the woman 's death comes just weeks . after it emerged that deaths by euthanasia have hit record highs in . holland , with nearly one in seven now dying at the hands of their . doctors . euthanasia cases soared by 13 per cent in 2012 to 4,188 -- meaning that it accounts for about one in 30 of all deaths . however , the figures did not take . account of deaths by ` terminal sedation ' , by which patients are . deliberately sedated before they are dehydrated and starved to death , an . act often referred to as ` euthanasia by omission ' . this practice accounts for more than . 12 per cent of all deaths , lifting the overall euthanasia rate to 15 per . cent -- about one in seven of all deaths . the overall figure may even by higher if an accepted phenomenon of underreporting is also taken into consideration . dr peter saunders of the christian medical fellowship said : ` euthanasia in the netherlands is way out of control . ` the house of lords calculated in 2005 that with a dutch-type law in britain we would be seeing over 13,000 cases of euthanasia per year . ` on the basis of how dutch euthanasia deaths have risen since this may prove to be a gross underestimate . ' most euthanasia cases in holland involve cancer patients but increasingly they have included dementia sufferers and psychiatric patients . a lethal injection kit : in holland , the patient must also be able to make a conscious and autonomous decision about ending their lives by lethal injection . scarred : nathan , 44 , died last week after finding life unbearable since his sex change operation . the scars from his surgeries on his chest and forearm are visible in this photograph . in 2005 , the groningen protocol protected doctors from being prosecuted for the euthanasia of infants as long as they followed approved guidelines . euthanasia is carried out by administering a strong sedative to put the patient in a coma , followed by a drug to stop breathing and cause death . last year , belgium , where euthanasia came into force in 2003 , saw a 25 per cent increase in such deaths , leaping to 1,432 -- a figure representing about 2 per cent of all deaths in the country . last month belgian nancy verhelst , 44 , was killed by euthanasia after doctors botched her sex change operation , leaving her with physical deformities she felt made her look like a ` monster ' . this week the belgian parliament will discuss proposals to extend euthanasia to children , dementia sufferers and people with long-term illnesses . assisted suicide -- where a doctor will help a patient kill themselves -- is also on the rise in countries where it is allowed . marc and eddy verbessem , 45 , had lived together their entire adult lives and could not communicate with the outside world . in washington state in america , assisted suicides increased by 17 per cent in 2012 to 83 cases . switzerland , which first relaxed prohibitions on assisted suicide in 1942 , has seen a steady rise of assisted suicides of swiss nationals from 43 in 1998 to 297 in 2009 . the figures do not include people from abroad who travel to dignitas to commit suicide there .

<t> theo boer , a european assisted suicide watchdog , said ` do n't do it ' </t> <t> in netherlands euthanasia has been legal since 2002 . </t> <t> however , in six years the numbers of deaths have doubled . </t> <t> peers are preparing to debate the assisted dying bill . </t> <t> bill has been promoted by lord falconer , a labour former lord chancellor . </t>

do n't make our mistake : as assisted suicide bill goes to lords , dutch watchdog who once backed euthanasia warns uk of ` slippery slope ' to mass deaths<T>

most men enjoy a good pint of lager or real ale while they are watching football or relaxing with friends . very few would dedicate themselves for more than two decades to the world 's longest pub crawl . but six friends from the west midlands have embarked on a special quest to drink in a different pub every saturday night - and have done so for 28 years . peter hill , 56 , his father john hill , 81 , john drew , 48 , kelvin price , 34 , richard hill , 30 , and gary mountain , 54 , make up the black country ale tairsters -lrb- bats -rrb- and have been to a total of 16,337 pubs , hotels and wine bars . cheers ! peter hill -lrb- left -rrb- , john drew -lrb- middle -rrb- and kelvin price -lrb- right -rrb- from the black country ale tairsters enjoying a pint at their local . living the dream : bats have visited a new pub every saturday night for 28 years , they 've been to more than 16,000 . originally a team of 20 when it started in 1984 , the bats have now slimmed down to half a dozen men on a serious mission . they have vowed to visit very single pub in the west midlands even going as far as fashioning a rather fetching uniform out of beer towels . while it may seem as simple as walking into a pub and ordering a pint , there 's a strict science behind holding the longest bar crawl world record , as organiser of the group peter , from west bromwich explains . stylish : they group were so dedicated that they decided to make their own uniform fashioned out of beer towels . banter : the friends look happy together as they share a joke and a pint on an overcast afternoon in west bromwich . he said : ` we have our own score cards which we fill in and give to the pub we go to . ` we write the number of the pub on the card , and ask the landlord to sign the book we have which has information in from every pub we go to . ` we also keep a record of the pubs we go to by taking a photo of the pub , inside and out and make a note of anything special about the place . ` the men believe they hold the title for the world 's longest pub crawl , and have kept thousands of souvenirs to prove it . including 130 box files full of beer mats and menus and 35,000 photos . stamp of approval : the bats legendary commitment has turned them into real ale connoisseurs . lads : peter , john and kelvin are three of six that make up the mighty black country ale tairsters - there used to 20 members when the club was founded in 1984 . every pub they visit is rated , photos are taken and information is noted down and bats approval is a recognised accolade in the local pub trade . their almost obsessive hobby demands a certain amount of patience from their partners who sometimes accompany them to the pub - but are strictly banned from the bats regular four-day boozy weekends away . girlfriend crystal tromans , 24 , from tipton , west midlands , spoke of her six year relationship with kelvin price . she said : ` when i started going out with kelvin , it was clear from the start that beer was part of the package . ` they have done it for so long , you know what you 're getting into - you ca n't complain . the bats are committed to finding new pubs in britain and europe - this picture was taken during a visit bankss , in budvar . day out : the gang are photographed at the smiths arms , godmanstone , as they continue the world 's longest bar crawl . ` he enjoys his hobby and he lets me do what i want to do , plus it 's nice to get some time to myself ! ' i do sometimes go to the pub with him on a weekend if they 're meeting nearby , as some of the other partners do but we 're not allowed to go on the lads ' weekends - that 's definitely more of a man thing ! ` when we go away i ca n't keep him away from new pubs and breweries - he 's always trying to hunt out some real ale . ` kelvin wants me to learn to drive so that i can ferry him about on his pub trips - good try . ' dedication : the bats keep a detailed log of pubs they have visited - their approval has become something of an accolade in the local pub trade . the bats raise money for childrens ' hospitals along their way by asking each pub landlord they buy beer from to donate # 1 to a deserving cause , so far raising over # 15,000 . they have also made trips to pubs right across europe but they say these pubs do n't count because they are not in the uk . the tame bridge public house in great bridge , west bromwich , west midlands is one of the team 's favourite local pubs . that 's better : peter raises his pint as the other bats take a sip of their first pint of the day outside their favourite pub . local : the bats allow their wives and girlfriends to come for a drink in the week but they are strictly banned from the boozy weekends away . owner , david parsons , 67 , said : ` these men are incredible - they are such a presence in the pub here . ` they have changed this pub , we used to serve a lot of lager but since they started coming with the knowledge they have of real ales , we sell a lot of the stuff . ` we get a different crowd in here now , and i love being educated about what they know about real ale . calling card : the group invested in personalised beer mats - which they leave in every pub they visit . pub number 15,440 ! the old moseley arms in birmingham - the bats have visited 16,337 and have vowed to drink in every pub in the west midlands . ` what they do n't know about beer , no-one does ! ' i do n't think their quest will ever end , they will always find new territories when it comes to beer . ' the bats latest quest is to have been to every pub in the midlands by the end of 2014 . sunshine : the bats were lucky to have a good weather when they visited pub number 15,499 the paddock , penally . rain : the boys endured summer showers to visit pub number 15,520 - the cresselly arms , pembrokeshire . historical : pub number 15,491 the charlton , pembroke dock , looks staunchly traditional from the outside . peter added : ` it 's great to have made it to many milestones , and exciting to think of what we have to come . ` it 's hard to think of a hobby which is so much fun . ` when we 've finished our current quest , we will just move on to another county . i 'll be doing this for as long as i can - i intend to visit every pub i can . ' beer there and everywhere : bat member peter hill has even written a book about his many experiences .<doc-sep>by . daily mail reporter . published : . 07:30 est , 3 march 2014 . | . updated : . 09:09 est , 3 march 2014 . paramedics and first aiders were required to help a student as hundreds of teenagers hit the streets of nottingham for the latest carnage pub crawl . one student was seen receiving attention from a paramedic and first aiders as others looked on during the annual event last night . hordes of undergraduates filled the city centre for the event with girls hitting the town dressed as playboy bunnies . a paramedic and first aiders attend to a student while others look on during the carnage pub crawl in nottingham last night . young men were seen giving their female acquaintances piggybacks -lrb- left and right -rrb- during the carnage event in nottingham which attracted hundreds of students . a young man carries his female friend as hundreds of revellers take part in the pub crawl in nottingham on sunday . the playboys vs bunnies themed event attracted hundreds of revellers with its offers of alcoholic drinks for # 1 . despite plummeting temperatures and . driving rain , female students could also be seen wearing micro skirts , . hot pants and skimpy tops . young men and women also wore the official carnage t-shirts - which gives them entry to bars and discounted drinks for just # 1 . at . one point a man wearing a backwards baseball cap with black blazer and . jeans was seen struggling to escape the clutches of a nightclub bouncer . other female revellers were seen getting piggyback rides from male friends . one male student chose to wear black knee-high socks and a silver thong with his ripped carnage t-shirt . the man , who also wore a black bow tie , was pictured with a girl dressed as . a scantily clad bunny and another two female students in short skirts . a young man braves the cold in silver shorts , t-shirt , bowtie and baseball cap during the bar crawl through nottingham city centre . revellers queue up as they wait to enter the next venue as part of the crawl which took place in the city last night . young men and women brave the cold wearing just t-shirts and shorts for the playboys vs bunnies themed carnage event in nottingham on sunday night . another young man gives a female reveller a piggyback across a road -lrb- left -rrb- while this partygoer -lrb- right -rrb- attempts to lift his friend on his shoulders as they take part in the event , which claims to give students ` the best night of their lives ' one young man took to the streets in little more than a silver thong and a ripped t-shirt during the pub crawl in nottingham . at one point a man wearing a backwards baseball cap with black blazer and jeans was seen struggling to escape the clutches of a nightclub bouncer . the . carnage uk events are run by varsity leisure group , a . multi-million-pound business that puts on hundreds of pub crawls . throughout britain . organisers have been criticised in the past for encouraging binge drinking and anti-social behaviour . but founder paul bahia , a birmingham . university graduate , has previously denied this , insisting the events . are ` heavily focused on group identity , social and ethical cohesion and . fancy dress themes ' . this . year 's theme is ` playboys vs bunnies ' - following on from ` nympho nurses . and dirty doctors ' and ` pimps and hoes ' in previous years . students . are drawn to the events by cheap # 1 alcohol deals and a slogan on the . carnage facebook page promises they will have the ` best night of their . lives ' . students queue up to take money out of cash machines as they take part in the event , which featured drinks offered for as little as # 1 . revellers take shelter under umbrellas as the rain falls during the pub crawl through the city centre of nottingham . carnage uk events , which are organised by varsity leisure group , have come under fire in the past for promoting excessive drinking . but founder paul bahia has previously denied this , insisting the events are ` heavily focused on group identity , social and ethical cohesion and fancy dress themes ' students are drawn to the events by cheap # 1 alcohol deals and a slogan on the carnage facebook page promises they will have the ` best night of their lives ' this year 's theme is ` playboys vs bunnies ' - following on from ` nympho nurses and dirty doctors ' and ` pimps and hoes ' in previous years . the carnage uk events are run by varsity leisure group , a multi-million-pound business that puts on hundreds of pub crawls throughout britain . despite plummeting temperatures and driving rain , female students could be seen wearing micro skirts , hot pants and skimpy tops .<doc-sep>hundreds of revellers took to the streets of liverpool city centre last night for the latest carnage pub crawl . young women braved the bitter cold wearing tiny shorts and ripped t-shirts as part of the fancy dress event . young men dressed in bow ties and joked around in the street as part of the event last night . young women braved the bitter cold wearing tiny shorts and ripped t-shirts while groups of young men dressed in bow ties joked around in the street . one reveller appeared to suffer a wardrobe malfunction after laddering her fishnet tights while one boy dressed up as a ` sexy bunny ' wearing a fur-edged black corset . a number of young couples were getting close , while others appeared to enjoy the night out with their friends . while the drinking appeared to have taken its toll on some party-goers , seen falling over on the cobbled streets , others called it a night and poured into take-away shops for food . the event , the third in this university year , includes alcoholic drinks for # 1 and claims to offer students the ` best night of their lives ' revellers take to the streets of liverpool city centre as part of the latest carnage pub crawl .<doc-sep>` but it is also nice to see that some new places are also opening up , but mostly in the city centre . ` when i was putting it together there were lots of places that i would n't know about and places that i never even knew existed . ' i ca n't say i 've been to all of the places on the map and probably never will , but i 've been to lots of places i did n't know about before as a result of researching and designing this . ' lovell 's maps cost # 10 and are available from www.albanydesign.co.uk . rugby player danny cipriani after being released from hospital after his accident being hit by a bus on a leeds pub crawl . a pub crawl , the act of going from one bar to another , drinking more and more drinks on a per-determined route , is a popular british pastime . but the hobby can be dangerous . groups of people drinking strong drinks , with the peer pressure culture of ` downing ' drinks meaning that people are stumbling out of bars and into streets to head to the next place , where they are at risk of being hit by cars . this danger was shown in leeds last year when the former boyfriend of kelly brook , rugby ace danny cipriani , drunkenly tumbled into the road while on a pub crawl , and was hit by a bus . cipriani was treated in leeds general hospital , and was pictured days later hobbling out on crutches with various cuts and bruises from his accident . according to eyewitnesses , him and friends had been taking on the leeds ` otley pub crawl ' , featuring 14 different drinking locations . one landlord said cipriani and friends had been ` necking ' drinks , with one landlord noting that they had spent # 200 in 15 minutes on beer and shots . later , he collided with the bus , and with an eyewitness commenting : ` every bit of the bus front window was smashed to pieces , imagine what the guy looks like . '<doc-sep>the event , the third in this university year , includes alcoholic drinks for # 1 and claims to offer students the ` best night of their lives ' revellers take to the streets of liverpool city centre as part of the latest carnage pub crawl . young men bare their chests as they make their way along the pub crawl . this young man ended up on the cobbled street in liverpool on the night of the event . the ` playboys vs bunnies ' themed event attracted hundreds of revellers who enjoyed drinking cheap alcohol before spilling out into liverpool 's famous concert square . carnage uk events , which are organised by varsity leisure group , have come under fire in the past for promoting excessive drinking . revellers patiently wait in line as they take part in the fancy dress event -lrb- left -rrb- while a drunk , young woman gets support from a fellow reveller -lrb- right -rrb- . an amorous couple appear to be getting close while revellers in the background continue having fun . one reveller appeared to suffer a wardrobe malfunction after laddering her fishnet tights while many of the young revellers appeared to enjoy themselves on the night out . lured by alcohol from # 1 a shot , and the . promise they would have the ` best night of their lives ' , the students . were all dressed for the event 's theme of playboy vs bunnies -- an .

<t> the black country ale tairsters have been to 16,337 pubs , hotels and wine bars . </t> <t> they fill in an elaborate score card and leave a personalised beer mat in every bar . </t> <t> women are allowed to the pub but not on boozy weekends away . </t>

six friends take part in the world 's longest pub crawl lasting 28 years by spending every saturday night in different pub<T>

the nine-year-old daughter of a black , unarmed man shot dead by a white phoenix police officer who mistook a pill bottle for a gun is speaking out in an emotional interview . rumain brisbon , 34 , was killed after an officer feared the suspect was armed during a struggle . now his daughter aiyana has made an emotional a plea to law enforcement across the country as she talks about how unnecessary the killing was , and how her father will never see her grow up . ' i felt like that it really did n't need to happen , ' aiyana raines told fox10 . scroll down for video . emotional plea : aiyana raines , nine , -lrb- above -rrb- gave an emotional interview after an officer shot her father and said : ` the officer did not have the right to shoot my dad or kill him ' tragedy : rumain brisbon -lrb- above with his youngest daughter -rrb- was killed after an officer feared he was armed during a struggle , but it was just a pill bottle . the officer shot him twice in the torse . ` he is going to miss our birthdays and how my little sisters grow up , and how we grow up because she is the only one and i am only nine , and my sister is only 10 , and my dad is not going to be here for our happy moments and our sad moments . ' as for the moment she found out that her father had been killed , little aiyana said , ' i started crying cause i really did n't believe that my dad got killed . ' the phoenix police department claim brisbon was sitting in a cadillac suv on tuesday evening and that witnesses told an officer he was selling drugs . police approached him and made several demands for him to show his hands , but brisbon fled . during a scuffle , the officer - a 30-year-old male officer with seven years experience on the force - felt a pill bottle in his waistband , which he believed was a gun . ` the officer gave the suspect several commands to get on the ground but he refused to comply , yelling profanities at the officer , ' the department said in a statement . ` fearing brisbon had a gun in his pocket the officer fired two rounds striking brisbon in the torso . ' he was pronounced dead at the scene . questions : police said brisbon -lrb- above with his youngest daughter -rrb- was carrying a vial of oxycodone pills at the time of the incident . they had earlier received reports that he was selling drugs . missed : the sisters , who are aged nine and 10 , have said they wo n't have a father to watch them grow up . rap sheet : court documents show that brisbon was known to authorities and had a criminal record including burglary , dui , narcotics , and paraphernalia related charges . police said brisbon was carrying a vial of oxycodone pills , and that a semi-automatic handgun and a jar of marijuana were found in the suv . a nearby resident told the arizona republic that he went over to the window after hearing the shooting and saw the officer ` walking out , and he was cussing , you know , he was screaming , `` f *** , f *** '' , like upset that he shot the guy ' . sergeant trent crump , a phoenix police spokesman , said at the wednesday news conference that ` this one went bad from the standpoint of how it ended ' but that they stood by the officer 's actions . ` let 's be very clear , ' he said . ` the officer was doing what we expect him to do , which is investigate crimes that neighbors are telling him are occurring in that part of the complex . ' friends , including the man who had been in the suv with brisbon , said that the victim was simply on his way to deliver fast food to his children in the apartment block . one witness said he did not see police officers trying to speak with brisbon before the altercation . ` the phoenix police department does not treat white people this way , ' the rev. jarrett maupin , who organized a march in the city on thursday night , told kpnx . ` what that officer did was harass and accost them . ' gathering : crowds formed on thursday night in phoenix to march to the police department . planning : there are also rallies planned for the city on friday evening as well . aiyana also has a message for the officer . ` to the officer that killed my dad , let me tell you something , ' she said . ` you hurt three little girls that looked up to their dad . ' i am hurting , but i have to stay strong for my dad and my little sister . ' more importantly , she wants people to know that above all else , her dad was a ` good dad ' and that ` the officer did not have the right to shoot my dad or kill him ' . marci a. kratter , an attorney for brisbon 's family , told the arizona republic that witnesses disputed the official police account and that ` we intend to pursue this to the full extent of the law ' . court documents show that brisbon had a criminal record including burglary , dui , narcotics , and paraphernalia related charges . about 100 people marched to the phoenix police department on thursday evening to protest the fatal shooting , which was likened to the death of michael brown in ferguson , missouri and eric garner in staten island , new york . outrage : as the protests were underway in phoenix , hundreds of demonstrators marched through manhattan and across the brooklyn bridge -lrb- pictured -rrb- following the deaths of eric garner and michael brown . both were unarmed black men who died after altercations with white police officers . grand juries in both cities have decided not to indict the officers - sparking massive protests across the u.s. . in cleveland , there have also been protests after a black 12-year-old boy , tamir rice , who was shot dead by a white rookie police officer after he mistook the boy 's fake gun for a real weapon . a grand jury is deciding whether or not to pursue charges in that case . in the protests in phoenix on thursday , demonstrators demanded to know the identity of the police officer who killed brisbon . another protest is scheduled for friday night .<doc-sep>a poignant image has emerged from protests over a deadly police shooting in phoenix , as police tuesday released the name of the officer who shot and killed an unarmed drug suspect . the 9-year-old daughter of rumain brisbon , aiyana rains , was among those attending a demonstration monday in downtown phoenix as protesters pushed for greater transparency in the investigation . the arizona republic reports a police officer in riot gear shook the girl 's hand and said ` i 'm sorry . ' the newspaper also captured an image of the encounter . encounter : a police officer in riot gear was snapped meeting aiyana rains , daughter of rumain brisbon , and reportedly told her ` i 'm sorry ' at the monday protest . shooting : police have said rumain brisbon was unarmed when he was shot by a white officer investigating a tip that brisbon was doing a drug deal inside an suv in the parking lot of his apartment complex . when asked about the gesture , the attorney for brisbon 's family , marci kratter , said it was ` nice , but it does not bring back her father . ' she says , ` it does n't change things . ' police were investigating complaints of drug dealing in a phoenix neighborhood when officer mark rine shot brisbon . the officer mistook a pill bottle in the suspect 's pocket for a gun as the two scuffled . the move to name rine came tuesday just hours before activists and brisbon 's family members planned a protest .<doc-sep>rine , a seven-year veteran of the department , has been reassigned to nonenforcement duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation , police said . ` it has been seven days since the incident and we did n't want to hold off on releasing the name any longer , ' phoenix police department spokesman sgt. trent crump told reuters on tuesday . ` he 's now had time to mitigate any threats he might receive . ' prosecutors will determine whether the 30-year-old officer will face criminal charges in the december 2 shooting . incident : brisbon failed to obey the officer 's commands and ran to an apartment where a struggle turned deadly , police said , noting that the officer mistook a pill bottle that brisbon had been clutching in his pocket for the butt of a gun . police : officer mark rine , seen right next to phoenix police chief daniel garcia , has been reassigned to nonenforcement duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation . police chief daniel garcia told azcentral.com ` the conclusion i came to is , it 's time now . it 's time to release the name . one of the things that i 've tried to do from the onset of this incident was to be transparent . we 're not ferguson . ' ` we 're a city who has many communication avenues available to our community , ' he also told the news outlet . ` we take pride in the fact that we have a relationship with all segments to our community , and i thought it was important for us to be as transparent as possible from the very onset . ' police have said 34-year-old brisbon , who was black , was unarmed when he was shot by a white officer investigating a tip that brisbon was doing a drug deal inside an suv in the parking lot of his apartment complex .<doc-sep>brisbon failed to obey the officer 's commands and ran to an apartment where a struggle turned deadly , police said , noting that the officer mistook a pill bottle that brisbon had been clutching in his pocket for the butt of a gun . ` unfortunately because this individual is a police officer and is engaged in the line of work that he is , he and his family are now going to be put under undue stress and concern for their safety , ' phoenix law enforcement association president joe clure told abc15 . an autopsy has determined that brisbon died from gunshot wounds to his torso . the rev. jarrett maupin , a civil rights advocate , said he and friends and family members of brisbon were planning to rally and march in downtown phoenix unless police released the name of the officer involved . a call to maupin on tuesday from the associated press was n't immediately returned . daughter : aiyana rains is seen crying monday night during the protest . demonstration : protesters are seen in phoenix on monday night in the wake of the shooting . authorities : police were in riot gear monday night during as the demonstrators walked through phoenix .<doc-sep>a rookie police officer shot and killed an unarmed 28-year-old man in an unlit stairwell of a housing project in what new york 's top cop said friday was `` a very unfortunate tragedy ... involving an accidental discharge . '' the victim , identified as akai gurley , was `` a total innocent who just happened '' to run into officer peter liang in a `` pitch black '' stairwell at the louis h. pink houses in brooklyn late thursday , new york police commissioner william bratton told reporters . shot once in the chest , gurley died at a hospital later . liang , with less than 18 months on the job and on probationary status , has been placed on modified assignment and stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation . `` a life was lost and my heart goes out to the family of the young man , '' mayor bill de blasio said . `` it does appear to have been an accident . ''

<t> rumain brisbon , 34 , was killed after phoenix police say an officer feared the suspect was armed during a struggle . </t> <t> he was thought to be selling drugs and after fleeing from officers , a cop mistook a pill bottle for a gun and shot him . </t> <t> now his nine-year-old daughter is telling the cop he had no right to shoot her father , while also saying he will never get to see her grow up . </t>

phoenix cop kills unarmed black man after mistaking pill bottle for gun<T>

a group calling itself ` the women of the 99 percent ' is making robocalls across the united states in an attempt to link republican members of the house of representatives to ` the war on women led by rush limbaugh ' . the automated calls are illegal because they do not state who they are from -lrb- there is no known group called the women of the 99 percent -rrb- or provide a callback number , as required under the u.s. telephone consumer protection act of 1991 . they appear to be the most aggressive attempt yet by democrats to exploit politically the recent furore over comments by the controversial conservative radio talk show host . scroll down to hear the call . controversy : rush limbaugh kicked off a national firestorm with his comments . limbaugh apologised last sunday for his ` insulting word choices ' when speaking about sandra fluke , a student activist campaigning for contraception to be paid for by georgetown university , a catholic institution , under president barack obama 's healthcare reform . the radio host had said she was a ` slut ' because she was asking to be paid for having sex and then commented that she should repay the public by releasing videos of her sexual activities ` so we can all watch ' . limbaugh 's comments had been widely denounced , including by john boehner , republican speaker of the house of representatives , and barack obama , in what republicans branded an attempt to make political capital , telephoned fluke to commiserate . democrats have been taking republicans to task over the comments . david axelrod , the obama campaign 's top strategist , said that mitt romney , the republican frontrunner , had failed ' a test of leadership ' over ` the limbaugh thing ' . he ask how if a candidate could n't stand up to ` the most strident voices in your party , how can he stand up to ahmadinejad ? ' activist : the radio host called sandra fluke a ` slut ' after she spoke out in favour of easy access to contraception . a call left on the answering machine of paula bolyard of doylestown , ohio yesterday stated : ` hello , this is a message from women of the 99 percent . congressman jim renacci is condoning the war on women led by rush limbaugh , who has become the de facto leader of the republican party . ` call congressman renacci at 330-489-4414 and ask him why he remains silent while republican spokesman rush limbaugh insults , degrades , and verbally abuses women . tell congressman renacci that it 's just plain shameful that he that he allows rush limbaugh 's behaviour to continue . we are the women of the 99 percent and we wo n't be silent anymore . ' as well mrs bolyard 's ohio-16 district of representative jim renacci , there were similar calls in rep. roscoe bartlett 's maryland-6 , rep. dan benishek 's michigan-1 , rep. judy biggert 's illinois-13 , rep. tim johnson 's illinois-15 , rep. bobby schilling 's illinois-17 and rep. scott rigell 's virginia-2 . the robocalls prompted hundreds of angry calls to republican congressional offices . target : constituents of ohio republican jim renacci have been contacted by a robocall focussed around mr limbaugh . mrs bolyard sent out a tweet about the call and then posted an audio file of it on the redstate website after being contacted by mailonline . in a blog post , she wrote : ` apparently , unless you are throwing a public temper tantrum about rush 's inappropriate and malicious comments , you are `` condoning '' them . by this standard , 99 per cent of the country is guilty . ' she added : ` we should all feel great compassion for the poor souls who had to answer the phones and listen to the angry rants that resulted from these robocalls . ' a blogger called ` corinthian scales ' from michigan wrote that the claim against rep dan benishek was ` one wildly outrageous accusation to make by an unidentified `` group '' who , by the way , is now intruding into the privacy of my home . ` hmmm ... no number shows on the caller id , and * 69 only prompts the phone company 's recorded message that they are unable to determine the phone number used . ' criticism : john boehner , speaker of the hous of representatives , is one of many republicans to have spoken out against mr limbaugh . last week , the democratic . congressional campaign committee -lrb- dccc -rrb- organised a petition accusing . republicans of having ` launched an all-out war on women ' . the . petition said that republicans were ` trying to silence women who stand . against their radical agenda ' and americans had witnessed ` top . republican leaders squirm at denouncing or even criticising rush . limbaugh after he called women 's health care advocate sandra fluke a . `` slut '' and a `` prostitute '' on his radio show . ' phil bloomer , spokesman for rep. johnson , said that some people calling as a result of the robocalls were not even in the congressman 's district but part of a new district created after boundary changes he will be running for in november - a sign the calls are linked to this year 's elections . he said : ` how do we not `` allow '' rush limbaugh to say what he wants ? we believe in free speech . at the same time , we do n't condone name-calling or caustic language from either the left or right . that is why representative johnson formed the center aisle caucus in 2005 and continually advocates civility . ' andrea pivarunas , spokeswoman for rep. schilling , said : ` we were surprised to hear this since representative schilling spoke out about this days ago . ` he stated mr limbaugh 's comments on the religious freedom issue are deplorable and wrong , just as he also feels that the obama administration is wrong to violate the religious conscience rights of others . we hope the organisation spreading these inaccurate statements will issue a retraction . ' telephone calls and emails to the dccc and the democratic national committee asking whether either organisation was connected to the robocalls were not returned . listen to the call . to comment on this article , please visit toby harnden 's blog .<doc-sep>by . meghan keneally . last updated at 9:31 am on 5th march 2012 . newt gingrich was the latest republican presidential candidate to distance himself from the controversial radio commentator rush limbaugh following his tirade against a law student whom he deemed a ` slut . ' appearing on a sunday morning news program , mr gingrich said that it was ` silly ' to suggest that mr limbaugh speaks on behalf of the entire republican party , and that he is glad that mr limbaugh issued an apology to sandra fluke , the woman at the heart of the debate . following her appearance at a hearing in support of president obama 's quest to have all employers pay for birth control through health insurance policies , mr limbaugh called the 30-year-old ms fluke a ` prostitute ' and suggested that she could make enough money to pay for her birth control by posting videos of herself having sex online . the row is beginning to overshadow the republican presidential race -- forcing the candidates to distance themselves from limbaugh and discuss social issues -- as voters in nine states head to the polls for super tuesday . scroll down to listen to the audio . rant : rush limbaugh , 61 , left called sandra fluke , right , a student at catholic college georgetown university , a ` slut ' for saying religious institutions should cover birth control under health insurance . cardinal timothy dolan , archbishop of .<doc-sep>-lrb- cnn -rrb- -- `` it 's not fair ! '' as advertisers quit the rush limbaugh radio program -- and as republican politicians squirm uncomfortably -- the broadcaster 's fans are complaining about double standards . yes , they 'll concede , maybe limbaugh went too far in denouncing a female law student as a `` slut '' and a `` prostitute '' and then demanding that she post a sex tape online for him to view . but look -lrb- they continue -rrb- at all the liberal/lefty broadcasters who have also said obnoxious things ! no one calls democratic politicians to account for them . why us ? it 's a question that will be aired often in the week ahead . here 's the answer , in four points . point 1 : even by the rough standards of cable/talk radio/digital talk , limbaugh 's verbal abuse of sandra fluke set a new kind of low . i ca n't recall anything as brutal , ugly and deliberate ever being said by such a prominent person and so emphatically repeated . this was not a case of a bad `` word choice . '' it was a brutally sexualized accusation , against a specific person , prolonged over three days .<doc-sep>celebrity lawyer gloria allred is calling for rush limbaugh to be prosecuted on a defamation . charge , saying an obscure florida law can be used to punish him for . calling a college student a ` slut ' and a ` prostitute ' on the air . the 70-year-old sent a letter to the palm beach . county attorney 's office on thursday saying prosecutors should consider a . charge under an 1883 law making it a misdemeanor to question a woman 's . chastity . ` he has personally targeted her and . vilified her , and he should have to bear the consequences of his . extremely outrageous , tasteless and damaging conduct , ' allred said in a . phone interview on friday . controversial : talk show host rush limbaugh apologised to a georgetown university law student he branded a ` slut ' and ` prostitute ' after several advertisers left his program . limbaugh had no . immediate comment on the letter and did not address it in his radio show on .<doc-sep>rush limbaugh 's parent company lost millions of dollars in revenue after the controversy following the right wing radio host 's referral to a college student as a ` slut , ' cumulus media ceo lew dickey said . mr dickey noted in a quarterly call with financial advisers that the snafu ` hit us pretty hard . he added that the loss was around ` a couple of million bucks in the first quarter and a couple of million bucks in quarter two . ' hole in the purse ? cumulus media ceo lew dickey , left , said the company lost ' a couple of million bucks ' in revenue after rush limbaugh , right , called a college student a ` slut ' spoof : saturday night live poked fun at advertiser 's scrambling to pull out , and their ` replacement ' with not-so-desirable sponsors . limbaugh brought about a storm of backlash after he referred to georgetown law student sandra fluke as a ` slut ' and a ` prostitute ' after she testified in washington that birth control should be covered by health insurance companies . following the incident , dozens of advertisers pulled their content . in the end , nearly 100 sponsors withdrew their support , according to liberal watchdog group media matters .

<t> ohio congressman criticised for ` condoning the war on women led by rush limbaugh ' </t> <t> messages left by mysterious unregistered group . </t>

rush limbaugh : voters targeted with illegal robocalls linking republican politicians to ` slut ' gaffe<T>

a facebook page seeking to preserve the ` black pete ' clowns in blackface who accompany st. nicholas to the netherlands during the holidays has become the fastest-growing dutch-language page ever , receiving 1 million ` likes ' in a single day . the popularity of the ` pete-ition ' page reflects the emotional attachment most dutch have to a figure that helped launch the tradition of santa claus . it also reflects their anger at critics who call it racist . those critics include foreigners who they feel do n't understand the tradition . they also include many of the country 's most prominent black people . facebook page : the u.n. has condemned the christmas tradition but a facebook page set up in support of it has attracted huge attention . ` do n't let the netherlands ' most beautiful tradition disappear , ' the page says . on tuesday , the chairwoman of a u.n. human rights commission panel condemned it . ` the working group does not understand why it is that people in the netherlands can not see that this is a throwback to slavery , and that in the 21st century this practice should stop , ' verene shepherd told television program eenvandaag . in stories told to children , st. nicholas - sinterklaas in dutch - arrives by steamboat from spain in mid-november accompanied by a horde of helpers : ` zwarte pieten , ' or ` black petes ' , who have black faces , red lips and curly hair . a public broadcaster produces a daily fictional news program about sinterklaas and the petes that is shown in schools for several weeks . on december 5 , families read poems and exchange presents as part of the dutch-belgian festival that is one of the main sources of the santa claus traditions .<doc-sep>opponents say pete is an offensive caricature of black people . supporters say pete is a positive figure whose appearance is harmless . popular : a musician dressed up as ` black pete ' during last year 's christmas celebrations . the traditional song refers to pete as a ` servant ' to the elderly saint , but in recent years those references have been replaced with the idea that he is black from chimney soot as he scrambles down to deliver toys and sweets for children who leave their shoes out overnight . discussion about zwarte piet has escalated since 2011 , when a prominent opponent was thrown to the ground , handcuffed by police and dragged away for wearing a t-shirt reading ` black pete is racism ' . opposition has been centered in amsterdam , home to the netherlands ' largest black community . mayor eberhard van der laan this month said he would support changing pete 's appearance - but only gradually , as it has changed over time in the past . ` if it appears that amsterdammers feel pain as a result of this tradition , that 's a good reason for new development , ' he said . controversial : many claim that the tradition is offensive towards black people .<doc-sep>organizers of the festival and the broadcaster also said they would be open to changes if people want them . the latest public figure to speak out against the tradition was the man who has played the part of ` head pete ' on the sinterklaas news program for more than a decade . his commentary appeared in a top dutch newspaper on tuesday , entitled ` make me less black and less a servant . ' others to question the tradition include victoria 's secret model doutzen kroes . but their campaign has failed to draw widespread support and the overwhelming majority of dutch people do n't want change . ` message for the u.n. : is n't there a war somewhere , starvation or genocide going on that you could better be concerned about ? ' dutchman peter udo commented on the facebook page . his comment attracted more than 2,000 likes . prime minister mark rutte said it is n't his place to intervene in a folk tradition . ` black pete : the name says it already . he 's black , ' he said . ' i ca n't change much about it . '<doc-sep>consulting with the bank about the ending of my employment ' angela cobbina . when she complained about mr schuilwerve 's behaviour the firm ` made great show of conducting a confidential internal procedure ' but he was ` kept abreast of developments ' and was pushing for her dismissal . she was told in february 2013 the bank was considering axing her position as part of restructuring , and in september 2013 informed she being made redundant . giving evidence today , mr schuilwerve was quizzed about his attitude to race after it emerged he ` liked ' a petition to keep the ` black pete ' christmas parades on his facebook page . the father-of-three defended the petition , which was signed by more than one million dutch people . he said was to protect the st nicholas parade , a popular childrens ' event and had nothing to do with race . he told the hearing : ` there were certain individuals at the time who wanted to stop the tradition of the parade of st nicholas and black pete conducted in the city of amsterdam . ` this was a petition to support that tradition - it is a children 's festival . ' i have three children , and this is a very traditional event . there is nothing wrong with it . ` i 'm also aware of the debate around the un , i 've said there is nothing wrong with this tradition . you have to see it in the context of dutch tradition . ` and 91 per cent of the population support the tradition . ' challenged over his support of the festival , jack feeny , representing ms cobbina , said : ` some people consider that to be racist . ' mr schuilwerze said he was aware of this , but said ` racism does n't come into it ' . in his witness statement , he said he has a ` zero tolerance attitude to discrimination and harassment issues ' and found the allegations ` deeply hurtful ' . mr feeny told the dutch-born banker : ` you have prejudice against people of black descent . ' however , mr schuilwerze replied : ' i do not . ' the bank strongly denies all the allegations . the tribunal continues .<doc-sep>black pete , the jolly sidekick of the dutch saint nicholas , is finally getting a facelift after years of bitter debate including death threats against those calling for change . an amsterdam court 's ruling in july that pete - traditionally dressed in a gaudy medieval costume with a blackened face , red lips and an afro wig - is a ` negative stereotype ' encouraged many to try to change the deeply rooted custom . ` it 's the beginning of change , it will continue for years to come because more and more people agree it should change but it 's going to take a long time , ' said historian gabor kozijn , author of a study on black pete for the dutch centre for intangible cultural heritage . black pete , the jolly sidekick of the dutch saint nicholas , is finally getting a facelift after years of bitter debate including death threats against those calling for change . with less than two months before dutch kids ' favourite day , december 5 , when saint nicholas and pete hand out presents , the debate has reached fever pitch , with black pete 's defenders refusing to admit there is anything racist about the playful character . in gouda , where saint nicholas and dozens of petes will ` arrive ' on november 15 with a gift-filled boat from spain in a national event broadcast live on television , the mayor on tuesday decided to introduce some new colours . besides a number of black petes , there will also be ` cheese petes ' with yellow faces and ` stroopwafel petes ' with striped , light brown faces resembling the traditional dutch syrup biscuit of the same name . ` there is no simple way to find a solution that everyone can identify with , ' said gouda mayor milo schoenmaker . gouda 's black petes ` changed several years ago to dark brown without stereotypical big red lips and earrings , ' the city hall added . an amsterdam court 's ruling in july that pete - traditionally dressed in a gaudy medieval costume with a blackened face , red lips and an afro wig - is a ` negative stereotype ' encouraged many to try to change the deeply rooted custom . saint nicholas , or sinterklaas , center with white beard , and his black helpers , black petes , wave to children and grown-ups , as they arrive by boat at amsterdam 's central station . amsterdam mayor eberhard van der laan has said that a ` substantial ' number of this year 's petes will not be black but will have some ` soot marks ' on their faces , ostensibly from climbing down the chimney . and a white pete will for the first time be present during a daily televised ` news bulletin ' on saint nicholas 's activities . dutch shops will have fewer black petes this year , although discount retail chain hema in august denied rumours that it planned to remove him entirely by next year . customers at supermarket albert heijn will have different coloured petes to choose from , including black : ` saint nicholas is for everyone , ' the chain said in a statement . despite compromising on black pete , the two chains are being threatened with boycotts . many people in the netherlands do not want to see the national tradition changed because what they consider a minority of people see it as racist . last year 's debate about pete 's skin colour was particularly heated amid a un rights probe of the matter . the un working group released its findings in july , concluding that black pete is indeed a racist figure and that many dutch did not recognise him as a throwback to colonial times and slavery . this year , dutch celebrities who called on facebook for a ` pete makeover ' have received death threats . after investigative journalist peter r. de vries entered the debate on facebook he received an email saying : ` if i meet you you 'll get a bullet through your head . ' a ` pietitie ' -lrb- pete-ition -rrb- on facebook calling for action against changing black pete 's face has more than two million likes , in a country of 17 million . populist geert wilders , who heads the anti-immigration pvv party , tweeted : ` black pete must stay black ! ' ` what children want is presents . whether the person who hands them out is black or white pete , a woman , yellow or bald is of no importance , ' actor and presenter paul de leeuw said on facebook . ` it 's a popular family event , celebrated by millions of people who want their kids to experience what they experienced as children : it 's more of an emotional than a rational debate , ' historian kozijn told afp . even if it is the beginning of the end for black pete , kozijn said the character will be around for a while yet . ` if the average life expectancy of children who now know black pete is 80 , then he will in any case remain a figure that people know , ' he said .<doc-sep>the mother -- whose surname is now averianov -- was amazed when her parents called for christmas and said they had post from europe . it turned out to be a reply to her letter from piet and jacqueline lateur from near rotterdam . mr lateur was walking his dog in the oosterschelde dykes , near where he and his wife live in serooskerke , when he found the bottle with zoe 's letter inside . childhood dreams : zoe was ten years old -lrb- left -rrb- when she sent her message . the bottle was discovered more than 350 miles away in the netherlands . it has held up remarkably well considering the time it spent adrift . mrs averianov , 33 , who works in a jewellery shop , said : ` it 's been a bit crazy really . my parents came to visit on christmas day and they had this letter from europe addressed to my maiden name , lemon . ` the first thing i saw was my handwriting as a child and my little letter saying who i was and about my pets and my hobbies . it made me a bit emotional . ' since receiving the letter , mrs averianov has been in contact with mr lateur via email and asked to see photographs of where the bottle was found . he told her : ' i am keeping your little letter on my piano . i know you are no longer a little girl but you asked me to write you so i have . ' odyssey : the bottle 's 23-year-long journey finally reached its end in holland , 350 miles away . the original letter , left , and piet lateur 's response , sent from oosterschelde dykes , near where he and his wife jacqueline live in serooskerke , holland . mrs averianov , who lived in hebden bridge , west yorkshire , when she was growing up , said : ` it 's amazing it was still undamaged . my dad has been looking at pictures of the area where it was found online and it looks as though there is a cove , so it could have been bobbing around there for years . ` my dad is ridiculously excited . i think he 'll be after visiting , but we have only been in contact a few days so only time will tell . ' mrs averianov 's father , john lemon , 68 , had encouraged his daughter to throw the message into the sea on a family holiday and now she is considering doing the same for her five-year-old son maksim .<doc-sep>the dutch version of festive st. nicholas is once again landing on the naughty list for some in the netherlands , who say his black pete sidekick is a racist throwback to the colonial era . protesters gathered sunday at amsterdam 's festival honoring st. nicholas -- or sinterklaas as he is known in dutch -- a day after 90 people were arrested in demonstrations surrounding his ceremonial arrival in country at the dutch city of gouda . they carried signs reading , `` black pete is racism . ''

<t> facebook page supporting tradition gains one million ` likes ' in a day . </t> <t> ` do n't let the netherlands ' most beautiful tradition disappear , ' it says . </t> <t> un has condemned the tradition claiming it reflects racial prejudice . </t>

zwarte piet abolished ? outrage in netherlands where ` black pete ' is christmas tradition<T>