ROME (Reuters) - An Italian man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend from a pub, taking her home and forcing her to iron his clothes and wash the dishes, police said Monday.

The 43-year-old man dragged the woman out of a pub in the port city of Genoa, shoved her into a car and took her to his home where he made her iron and wash dishes after threatening her, they said.

Police arrived at his house after being tipped off by a friend of the woman who watched the scene at the pub.

The man, who was apparently furious at his ex-girlfriend for leaving him, was arrested on charges of kidnapping, police said.

• By: Gavin Peacock
• 11 Jun 08, 09:30 AM

Vienna

It looks as though the winner of Euro 2008 will be a team that plays expansive, attack-minded football rather than one that places a great deal of emphasis on defence and grinding the opposition down.

That's what I hope will happen anyway. Portugal, Germany, Netherlands and Spain have all impressed with their style of play in the opening round of group games.

For me, the biggest surprises were the Dutch. I knew they were capable of playing such good, attractive football, but to do it against the Italians and win 3-0 was some achievement.

Before the tournament began, I wondered if Marco van Basten's side might fall victim to the kind of infighting that has damaged their chances in the past, but so far there are no signs of disharmony. Let's hope that continues and they carry on playing the free-flowing football you associate with teams in orange.

As for Spain, the other big winners in round one, well, what can you say? In David Villa and Fernando Torres, they have a cutting edge most sides would envy.

Their partnership shows real understanding: they feed of each other; they know how the other one plays; and they work hard for each other. It helps enormously that they have a brilliant supply line from midfield. Senna, Iniesta, Silva and Xavi were fabulous in the 4-1 defeat of Russia.

But the Spanish are not infallible. Russia did create a number of chances. How will the Swedes fare against Villa and Torres? We will find out on Saturday.

The biggest disappointments so far have been France. What surprised me most as I watched their goalless draw with Romania was their inability to make things happen. I blame the coach, Raymond Domenech, to some extent. He was not able to change the dynamic of the team when it became clear they were finding it hard to break down the Romanians.

I'm not writing off the French just yet, but we will need to see a big improvement when they pay the Netherlands on Friday if they are to have any hope of triumphing in Vienna on 29 June. If Thierry Henry is fit, I expect him to play.

Friday is a big day for Italy, too. Despite their humbling by the Dutch, I expect Roberto Donadoni's team to bounce back. They possess some world-class players who will be eager to prove a point. I still think they are capable of reaching the semi-finals and ultimately winning Euro 2008, but they must beat Romania.

A final word for co-hosts Switzerland and Austria. I think they've raised a few eyebrows with their displays so far. They were both unlucky not to get something from their matches against the Czech Republic and Croatia respectively. That said, I still don't think they will make it beyond the group stages.

Quarter-final predictions:
Portugal v Poland;
Germany v Czech Republic;
Netherlands v Sweden;
Spain v Italy.

Now it is your turn. Let me know what you think the line up will be for the last eight...

Gavin Peacock is an expert summariser for BBC Sport, working on Match of the Day, Football Focus, Score and Radio 5 Live. Please check our FAQs if you have any questions.

Lacklustre France failed to score in their opening Euro 2008 game against Romania which could leave them with an uphill task to qualify from Group C.

Without influential captain Patrick Viera and main striker Thierry Henry, they created little against the hard-working but unambitious Romanians.

Franck Ribery cut a ball back for Karim Benzema to cushion an 18-yard shot into Bogdan Lobont's arms on 62 minutes.

The Lyon striker dragged a shot wide seconds later but was then substituted.

Armed police have fired their guns more times by mistake than in the line of duty.

A Daily Mirror investigation revealed officers have shot each other, hit patrol cars and blasted a range of household items in a two-year catalogue of blunders.

One gun cop even shot himself by accident.

Police opened fire 46 times in error between January 2006 and March 2008. In the same period marksmen used their guns in real threats 18 times.

 The worrying statistics call into question the competence and training of the 14,200 officers authorised to carry firearms in England, Wales and Ulster.

Gun Control Network chair Gill Marshall-Andrews said: "Even highly-trained police are prone to accidents and mistakes which can have dreadful consequences.

"It's lucky no officer has been killed by a colleague yet."

Since 2006 two officers have been accidentally shot and one civilian police worker was hit - during a gun awareness training session.

Five patrol cars and two private vehicles have been damaged by wayward bullets - none fired in the line of duty.

More than a third of Britain's negligent gun blasts happened in Northern Ireland, where all officers carry weapons. In London there were nine discharges made in error and three in Bedfordshire, according to figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act.

Police have also used guns to shoot dead rogue animals.

Guidelines for armed officers are issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

West Mercia's Deputy Chief Constable Ian Arundale insisted firearms training in Britain is "among the best in the world".

He added: "Whilst any accidental discharge is a cause for concern, training and debriefing and a review of procedures take place to ensure such unfortunate incidents are kept to an absolute minimum.

"Every incident of accidental discharge is fully investigated.

Where negligence does occur, individuals are dealt with accordingly."

Five members of the public have been shot dead by cops since January 2006, including barrister Mark Saunders last month

Police mistakes that have happened in the line of fire

- A clumsy marksman shot a hole in the seat and floor pan of a police car in Cheshunt, Herts. Four other police vehicles have also been hit

- Police control room worker Keith Tilbury shot in the stomach during training session at the Thames Valley Police headquarters in Kidlington, Oxon, in May last year

- Cop blasted in the chest with a shotgun at the police firing range at Gatwick Airport in August last year. Body armour saved the PC from serious injury

- West Mercia police officer shot himself in the leg and foot when his gun got caught in his clothing in January 2006

- 18 bullets used in the "humane destruction" of two bullocks by Cambridgeshire Police. Four officers repeatedly blasted the animals in the village of March in November 2006

- A caravan, a mattress, one kitchen oven, a hot water tank and a cabinet have also been "accidentally" hit by police officers - along with two privately-owned cars, floor tiles, walls and a skirting board

'More guns mean more blunders', analysis by Roger Gray

Firearms training is rigorous.

Re-qualification in handling and tactics is undertaken every five weeks but the policy of creating highly trained officers is being overrun by increasing need.

While there are negligent discharges there can be no excuse for careless handling.

But I feel it's inevitable - the more weapons are loaded and unloaded, the more likely there will be accidents, mostly in the confines of the range.

But ultimately, preservation of life is our profound desire.

Policeman shot dead in training 
 
The factory is surrounded by wasteland and other industrial units
A police officer has died after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest on a training exercise in Manchester.

The male Pc died in North Manchester General Hospital after the incident in Thorp Road, Newton Heath, a mile from the city centre, at about 1135 BST.

It was not immediately clear whether the officer had been shot accidentally by one of his own colleagues.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has begun an investigation into the fatal shooting.

Acting Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Dave Whatton said the officer's immediate family had been informed of his death.

  There were six or seven police cars and they just shot past all the standing traffic

Haroon Razaq

He added the officer would not be identified until other family members had been told.

"Everybody in Greater Manchester Police is devastated by the news that we have all received and the loss of a highly regarded colleague and friend," he said.

Mr Whatton said a full investigation had begun and teams were working to preserve evidence at the scene.

He added there had been no risk to the public at any stage during the training exercise.

A GMP spokesman said the training exercise had been "reasonably routine" and that similar exercises happened "fairly frequently".

Disused factory

The IPCC has sent three investigators to the scene to carry out an initial assessment.

The area where the incident happened is the site of a disused former electronics factory, known locally as the Sharp Building.

Acting Chief Constable Dave Whatton says police are 'devastated' by the death
It was the former distribution centre for Sharp, the electronics giant, which used to sponsor Manchester United.

Police sealed off entrances to the site, but forensic officers in white overalls could be seen in the goods yard outside the warehouse, which was cordoned off with yellow tape.

An ambulance was also on site.

The factory is surrounded by other industrial units and wasteland and one of the main links into Manchester runs alongside.

Speaking in the Commons, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told MPs: "The whole House will be saddened to learn of the tragic death today of a police officer during a training exercise with Greater Manchester Police.

"This demonstrates the dangers that police officers face on our behalf."

Brothers Haroon and Bilal Razaq, who work at a plumbing supplies shop near the site entrance, said they were alerted by police cars and an ambulance entering the site.

Haroon, 17, said: "All of a sudden there were police cars and an ambulance pulling skids and going round the corner on to the site.

 
The shooting was said to have happened in a "routine" training event

"There were six or seven police cars and they just shot past all the standing traffic. They were going really fast, so we knew it was something serious."

Bilal, 25, added: "We have been here for around three months and we thought the building was closed and Sharp had moved somewhere else.

"We have never seen an officer in uniform around here and we didn't know the police used it for training."

Leon Willis, 26, who was working in the same plumbing shop, said: "We have had the door open all day because of the weather and we heard a loud bang. I don't know if it was a gun shot or not."

Five UK police officers have been shot and killed accidentally with police firearms.

The last officer to die was Pc Samuel Lock, from the Metropolitan Police, in 1950, who was shot while cleaning a police pistol at a police station.

The last officer shot and killed by accident during a training exercise was Special Constable Arthur Guest in 1941, who was shot by an instructor.
 

  Some explanations for men's behaviour, girls ... 

Why are men such hmm pigs?
It is the testosteron. In the same way that women suffer from PMS sometimes, suffer men of testosteronpoisoning. How can it be that the male's average life is about ten years shorter than a woman (in spite of all the fuss and nagging that women expose to men)? There are hormones that control the men's behavior. Men are simply misunderstood !

Why do men to stare at other women?
Again, it is the testosteron. Do women think that the male testosteron ran out of his body at the moment he let my eyes on another woman? In addition, women stared too, - women do so only in a better way without being detected. It may have something to do with the photographic memory. Women take a quick look, and save the image in the brain for future use and when needed, for example, when she will compare the potential partner. The men apparently lacks this ability, they thus forced to try to burn the image in the brain by stare at a woman so intense and so long as possible.

Why should men always scratch themselves, and why should this happen in all public?
Men know sometimes an urgent need to check whether their small companion down there have a good time, that he is correct, etc.  That men scratches themselves is not unlike the women's need to fix her bra.  And that such scratching is going on in all public disclosure is only a plus.

Why do men talk jibberish?
Men like it! Men think it is unlikely fun to see how frustrated their female partners may be of only a few simple, but nice picked words.

Why do the men and women so difficult to communicate?
Women would also learn to shut up if they ended up in a fight with his male partner each time they said something.

Why do men behave like idiots?
Now is not it true that men absolutely must behave as idiots, but they do it because they feel comfortable with it. That's where the old glory pride over well performed workers appears.

Why can men not show what they feel?
Are men like women? Why should it be so difficult to realise that there is a difference between the sexes? Women are showing what they feel, men do not! How should men be able to show what they feel when they they dont have the slightest clue on how to? In addition to the time the men are experiencing extreme emotions such as hatred, rage, disgust, or when the hammer hits the glipper and thumb, men simply do not show what they feel. There are a lot of evidence that men often experiences headaches when they try.

How can men sit still on their a$$ all day without moving?
Men have very well-developed, butt muscles that for hundreds of years have revolutionionary made it possible for them to sit still for long periods without getting tired. In prehistoric times, when humans lived as hunters, it was often necessary to sit still on the post for long. The most successful hunters are able to sit still that last for days, which enabled them survival and to be able to obtain offspring with the same skills. The hunters who were a bit more impatient was eaten up by vicious animals and similar insidious creatures. Today's men are born with talents from the most successful hunters.

Why can not men say "I love you"?
Right from the childhood, boys / men are taught to looking after themselves. That a man would say that he loves a woman is, the same as that he says that he needs a woman. 

Why does men say  'I love you "to a woman they hardly know?
There are men who believe that to say this to a woman is enough to get her to bed. And, remarkably, does it also…

What does it mean when a man says "I love you" to a woman?
There is a uttall with different interpretations of this. What exactly is in each individual case beror on the situation and the woman's appearance.

Why do men never clean up after themselves?
Why should they? A little mess here and there, they do not care about that.  In addition, men know perfectly well that the women sort it out for them anyway.

What is the point of men blurping and flarting ?
This is a phenomenon that is emerging after a period of time round a womea. It is the male way to show that he knows himself safe in the relationship to the woman he has chosen. Believe it or not, but it is actually a sign of esteem and respect above the woman. In addition, it will probably result in great pain if not the air was dropping out of the system as needed. Gotta do what a man has got to do........

Why men hate to shop?
It's something to do with human evolution. Men are hunters. Women gather. Men thrive best when they can go out, kill something and take it home. Men simply could not be bothered to spend hours of looking at things that are already dead !!