World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Helmand, Afghanistan: US marines walk past a Russian tank left over from the war between the Soviet Union and Afghan mujahideen



Gaza City: Palestinian scouts of al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, demonstrate their skills during a graduation ceremony

[Mr Lick]

Muzaffargarh, Pakistan: A family settle in for the evening at their home, half rebuilt after last year's floods



Zlitan, Libya: A rebel fighter uses periscope binoculars to monitor the movement of pro-Gaddafi soldiers

[Mr Lick]

Zara Phillips/Mike Tindall wedding - more pics












The groom



The Queen



Cathy Cambridge



Mike's new mother-in-law



Zara with her dad Mark, crikey he's changed a wee bit over the years.

[Mr Lick]

Camilla in all her glory



Princess Betty



Her sister



Mike Tindall with best man Ian Balshaw - WOW, that must have been one hell of a stag night



Irish jockey AP McCoy and his wife, Chanelle, at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall



Olympic skeleton racer Amy Williams



Sir Jackie Stewart and his wife, Helen. I wonder what clan he belongs to?



Una Healy from pop group The Saturdays






You knitting for the baby luv?

[Mr Lick]

Come along darling, the rugger's just kicking off!

[Mr Lick]

China rail crash families reject compensation offer



Relatives of some of those killed in a major train crash in China are refusing to accept an offer of compensation from the government.

The 915,000 yuan ($142,000; £87,000) total is double the initial offer made to the families of the 40 victims.

There has been widespread anger at the official response to the disaster.

The crash happened when one train came to a standstill on a viaduct near the eastern city of Wenzhou, and another ploughed into it.

State media say that 10 families have accepted the compensation offer

Meanwhile local lawyers have been told to report to the authorities any relatives seeking legal advice, AFP news agency reported, citing the official Xinhua agency.

Law firms should not "unauthorisedly respond and handle the cases", because "the accident is a major sensitive issue concerning social stability", the lawyers are said to have been warned in a statement.

The crash has provoked much anger against the government, not just for its response, but also over its conduct in pushing for rapid development of high-speed train lines.

Many web users, and even some state-media outlets, have accused officials of putting economic development above the safety of the people.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, who visited the crash site on Thursday, vowed to "severely punish" those responsible.

Reports from Hong Kong say the communist party has ordered the media to tone down its coverage.

The Hong Kong Journalists' association said the party's propaganda bureau has told newspapers to focus on positive coverage and stick to comments made by officials.

[Mr Lick]

Plane from New York crashes at Guyana airport - more info




A plane has crashed and broken in two on landing at Guyana's main airport in the capital, Georgetown, causing injuries but no deaths.

The Caribbean Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight BW-523 from New York had 163 people aboard.

The plane apparently overshot the runway at Cheddi Jagan International Airport during wet weather.

"It's an absolute miracle that took place today," said Caribbean Airlines chairman George Nicholas.

A few passengers sustained bruises, with one suffering a broken leg.

The plane halted near a 200-ft (61-m) ravine that could have resulted in dozens of deaths, Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo said.




Local resident Ava Hammond sent the BBC pictures of the wrecked plane

"We are very, very grateful that more people were not injured," Mr Jagdeo added, quoted by AP news agency.

There were 157 passengers and six crew aboard the plane when the accident occurred at 0132 local time, according to a statement from Caribbean Airlines.

The plane had made a stop in Trinidad en route from New York.

[Mr Lick]

Earthquake jolts north-east Japan - no tsunami warning





A 6.4 magnitude earthquake has been felt in north-east Japan, shaking buildings in the capital Tokyo, reports say.

The quake's epicentre was off the east coast of Honshu.

It struck in the same area as the 11 March earthquake and tsunami but no abnormalities at Japanese nuclear plants were reported, Reuters says.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami warning was issued.

More than 20,000 people died or were reported missing as a result of the disaster in March, which also crippled nuclear reactors in the Fukushima area.

The quake occurred close to Iwaki, with its centre around 100km (60 miles) south-south-east of Fukushima city.

It occurred at 0354 local time on Sunday (1854 GMT Saturday), at a depth of 44km (27 miles).

[Mr Lick]

Home nations learn 2014 World Cup qualifying opponents





England will face Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and San Marino in Group H when they bid to qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

Scotland and Wales were drawn together in Group A, and will play Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Northern Ireland are up against Portugal, Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg in Group F.

Only group winners are guaranteed a place at the tournament.

With 13 places available in Brazil for European teams, the eight-best second-placed teams will play-off against each other to go through.

The Republic of Ireland were drawn against Germany, Sweden, Austria, Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan in Group C, while France and world champions Spain are in a five-team group - the only European group without six teams - along with Belarus, Georgia and Finland.

"Three years is a long time and 2014 isn't now," said France coach Laurent Blanc. "Spain are currently the best team there is but we don't know if that will be the case in two or three years' time.

"You have to go up against the best if you want to achieve something at a World Cup."

In the qualifying process for the 2014 World Cup, 203 teams will play an eventual 824 matches across the globe.

[Mr Lick]

Amanda Knox: DNA evidence defended by Italian police



Knox is serving a 26-year sentence for Miss Kercher's murder


Italian prosecutors have rejected claims that evidence used to convict Amanda Knox of the murder of UK student Meredith Kercher was unreliable.

Knox, 24, and her Italian ex-boyfriend Rafaelle Sollecito, 26, are appealing against their convictions for killing the Surrey student in Perugia in 2007.

On Monday, experts told the court the DNA evidence which helped convict the American could have been contaminated.

But the scientific police director has defended the original forensic work.

In a letter read out to the court, Piero Angeloni described the technology used as being world-class and said the officers were highly experienced.

"Never before" has there been such criticism of his agency, he said.

Patrizia Stefanoni, the police forensic scientist who originally found the DNA on the knife and Miss Kercher's torn bra clasp, has said she will fight the appeal trial experts' accusation that basic errors were made.

[Mr Lick]

Non-league Havant and Waterlooville play Real Betis



Portsmouth FC's players became stranded in the US when their plane was hit by a catering lorry


A non-league football team lost 7-0 in a "once in a lifetime" game against Spanish side Real Betis, after replacing Portsmouth at the 11th hour.

Conference South side Havant and Waterlooville took on the La Liga team in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.

Pompey players, who were due to take on Real Betis, are stuck in North Carolina after their plane was hit by a catering lorry at the end of a tour.

Seville-based Real Betis are currently on a pre-season tour of the UK

Trevor Brock, a director at the Hampshire club, described the visiting team as "electric".

"I think we knew they were going to be good but I don't think we knew how good they were going to be, " he said.

"They have just won the equivalent of the Championship - they basically brought their whole squad here.

"This team was something else, we did the best we could."

The visiting club were already 5-0 ahead by half time, with a hat-trick by Ruben Castro and two goals by Jorge Molina.

Sergio scored the sixth goal in the 54th minute with the victory sealed by Salva, who knocked in a penalty two minutes from full time.

About 800 supporters packed into Westleigh Park, with tickets costing fans £5 and £10.

Goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore managed to hold off about eight near misses.
Havant and Waterlooville are hoping for a win away against local side Gosport Borough on Monday in a pre-season friendly.

In 2008, Havant and Waterlooville played Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup, losing 5-2.

In March the team also hit national headlines after a match against non-league Dorchester Town. A Dorchester player was sent off for tackling a pitch invader who was dressed in a mankini.

[Mr Lick]

Organ donated 'nudge' for drivers in new DVLA process



Drivers will have to state whether they want to be an organ donor when they apply for a new or replacement licence.

The move has been put forward by the government's "nudge unit", which has been set up to encourage changes in behaviour through gentle persuasion.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency already asks if applicants want to be donors - but from Monday an online form will require that the answer is stated.

Ministers hope it will help improve organ donation rates.

Less than a third of people are signed up to be organ donors - despite research suggesting that nine in 10 would he happy to be one.

[Mr Lick]

Indian tourists wave from the Pushpak cable cars amidst clouds over the Saputara Hill Station some 400 kms from Ahmedabad on July 30. The strength of the annual June-September downpour is vital to hundreds of millions of farmers and to economic growth in Asia's third-largest economy which gets 80 percent of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season.

[Mr Lick]

Camp Bestival

The family-oriented festival saw performances from a reunited Blondie, Laura Marling and Ms Dynamite



The festival was created in 2008 as a family-friendly version of Bestival, usually held in early September

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

The festival plays host to 10,000 adults and 5,000 children each year



Katie & Alex De Souza dressed up for the festival where highlights will include Primal Scream playing Screamadelica in full



Debbie Harry of the reunited Blondie takes to the stage

[Mr Lick]

Clare Maguire played songs from her album Light After Dark



Ally Blackgrove of Margate surf rock band Two Wounded Birds performs



Justin Fletcher performs as Mr Tumble, star of the children's TV show Something Special

[Mr Lick]

Niomi McLean-Daley, better known as Ms Dynamite, entertains the crowd



Eliza Doolittle played songs from last year's hit eponymous album

[Mr Lick]

Norway funerals

[Mr Lick]

DR Congo: Bodies recovered after ferry collision



At least 80 bodies have been recovered from a river in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo after a ferry collided with a cargo boat.

The accident happened at night, but it is not clear if it occurred on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening, a BBC reporter says.

The ferry was carrying at least 200 passengers on the Tshuapa River.

Boats and ferries are commonly used in DR Congo, which has few viable roads or railways but major lakes and rivers.

However, the vessels are often overloaded or badly maintained, and accidents are commonplace.

The BBC's Thomas Hubert in the capital, Kinshasa, says there are conflicting reports about when the collision, in the remote Equateur province, occurred.

A Red Cross representative in the provincial capital Mbandaka said he had received reports that 80 dead bodies had been found in Ingende, the town on the Tshuapa where the accident happened.

[Mr Lick]

Aide to former Colombian president faces arrest



A senior aide of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is facing criminal prosecution.

A judge has ordered the arrest of Mr Uribe's former chief of staff, Bernardo Moreno, for allegedly spying on judges, journalists and politicians.

It is the second such order this week. Andres Felipe Arias, a former agriculture minister, has been charged with corruption. He denies the allegations.

Alvaro Uribe left office last year.

Mr Moreno served as Mr Uribe's chief of staff for both of his presidential terms, from 2002-2010.

He now faces trial for criminal conspiracy, abuse of public office and other charges.

Mr Moreno would be jailed for at least three years, if convicted. He denies all the charges.

Mr Arias, 38, is suspected of diverting farm subsidies intended for peasant farmers to rich landowners.

He will be held at a jail in the capital Bogota while his case proceeds.

The Colombian Attorney General's office has already disqualified him from public office for 16 years because of what it deemed were irregularities in the subsidy scheme.

[Mr Lick]

Karnataka 'mining scam' chief minister told to quit



India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has told one of its top leaders to resign after an anti-corruption panel named him as a key suspect in an illegal mining scandal.

A BJP spokesman told reporters the party had advised BS Yeddyurappa "to tender his resignation immediately".

Mr Yeddyurappa, Karnataka state's chief minister, denies the allegations.

The anti-corruption report says the alleged scam cost the exchequer more than $3bn (£1.8bn) from 2006-2010.

Correspondents say illegal mining has allegedly been rife for years in Karnataka. The state produces about 45 million tonnes of iron ore a year and exports more than half of it to China.

[Mr Lick]

A Darawish Sufi dancer performs a traditional dance to celebrate the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan during the Ajyalouna Festival in Beirut July 30. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar



Aaron Sadiki, 9, of Clearwater, right, prays at the St. Petersburg Islamic Center while his grandfather, Wilmore Sadiki, who is Imam of the mosque, leads the Friday prayer service. Ramadan will begin within the next couple of days, depending on the sighting of the moon. Some Muslims base the beginning of Ramadan on the moon sighting in Saudi Arabia. Sadiki said those attending the mosque will base it on when the moon is sighted in the United States. ''If they spot the moon Sunday, then we'll start Ramadan Monday morning,'' he said. ''If they spot it Saturday, then we'll start it Sunday morning.'' Ramadan is a holy month in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The time is meant to strengthen Muslim's spirituality and relationship with God.

[Mr Lick]

A Kashmiri villager searches the wreckage of an overturned bus after an accident in Langanbal village, about 47 miles south of Srinagar July 30. At least 10 people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday when the bus skidded from a road and fell into a stream in Indian Kashmir, according to police and local media.

[Mr Lick]

Britain's Zara Philips, the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, poses for a photograph in Holyrood Palace after her marriage to England rugby captain Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk, in Edinburgh, Scotland July 30.



The freeloading toffs