12. Calls to Punish Bad Language in Football

There are calls from top officials in British football to clamp down on the use of bad language in the game. Many believe the reputation of English soccer was badly damaged this week during the trial of former England captain John Terry. Mr Terry, also captain of Premier League side Chelsea, was accused of using racially and sexually offensive language towards Anton Ferdinand, a player with Queens Park Rangers. The court found Terry not guilty of the charges but the case has brought to light the level of foul and abusive language used by players in Britain. Gordon Taylor, CEO of the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), believes that the image of English football has suffered at the trial this week. PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle believes there should now be a clampdown on bad language. He said the laws of world football's governing body, FIFA, allow the referee to send a player off for "using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures". Mr Carlisle said: "If players were sent off and banned because of the language, it would cause them to address their behaviour. It would cause the clubs to clamp down on it too." Lord Ouseley, chairman of the anti-racism group Kick it Out, said: "I think at the highest level of football it's got to stop because these are people who are highly paid role models, they influence their fans." However, both Terry and Ferdinand said bad language on the pitch was "acceptable".

13. Olympic Security ceo Admits "Shambles"

The CEO of the company that is providing security for the London Olympics has agreed the current situation is nothing but a "humiliating shambles". Chief executive Nick Buckles of G4S went on to say he regrets his company ever accepted the $444 million Olympics contract. G4S was given years to prepare for the Olympics. However, it was revealed to the British Government last week that there were only 4,200 security personnel of the 10,200 promised "working on the ground". G4S said it would find another 3,000 people before the Olympics begin – the company has just over a week. The British Army and police officers have had to fill in the very large gaps left by G4S, with the company promising to pay the costs. British politicians are angry that G4S plans to keep its $90 million management fee. They described the company's performance as "unacceptable, incompetent and amateurish". Buckles said G4S would "deliver a significant amount of staff," thus it would retain the fee. He added there had been "exclusive management focus on this contract for two years". MP Keith Vaz said: "I find that astonishing." Buckles added that he wouldn't be resigning from his $1.3-million-a-year position. The fiasco surrounding G4S security continued yesterday when only 30 out of 200 staff showed up for work at a cycling venue outside London. Meanwhile, the British government has said security at the Olympics will not be compromised.

14. Un calls for death penalty abolition

A United Nations committee has voted for an immediate worldwide freeze on the use of the death penalty. A total of 99 countries voted in favor of a suspension of capital punishment, while 52 opposed the proposal and the remaining 33 nations did not vote. Those who campaigned against the death penalty said the abolition would "contribute to the enhancement and progressive development of human rights." They said capital punishment has not been a deterrent for crimes and many innocent people are still put to death by mistake. British ambassador to the UN Sir John Sawers said the vote showed that international opinion has changed in the past decade: "We now have a global coalition and I think it's an important sign that the death penalty is increasingly unpopular and is seen as unreliable," he said.

The vote followed two days of heated and at times bad-tempered discussions. Singapore, the USA, China, Syria and Libya were among those wanting to keep the death penalty. Singapore’s ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon was very vocal in his support of it. He was angry at the European Union because it voted for a ban on capital punishment. He accused the EU of improperly linking the death penalty with human rights and said it was imposing its “values” on the rest of the world. He blasted the EU for trying “to force through a resolution that a significant number of other countries do not agree with.” He argued that countries have a “right to determine the legal measures and penalties which are appropriate for their societies, including the death penalty for the most serious crimes”.