World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Men read the Koran after prayers at Masjid Al Kabir, also known as the Grand Mosque, during Ramadan in the old city of Sanaa, Yemen, on August 7.

[Mr Lick]

Men dressed up as Vikings take part in the annual Viking festival of Catoira in north-western Spain on August 7, 2011. The festival re-enacts past Viking raids in the area and is celebrated annually on the first Sunday of August.



Children perform exercises prior to taekwondo practice in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 7

[Mr Lick]

Second night of disorder in London

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Surrey cleaner jailed over postman murder



A cleaner from Surrey who beat her 82-year-old companion over the head with a rounders bat before burying him naked in the garden has been jailed for life.

Ann Browning, 54, of Miltons Crescent, Ockford Ridge, Godalming, had admitted murdering Bill Williamson but denied the crime was financially motivated.

She was ordered to serve at least 25 in jail at Guildford Crown Court.

Browning claimed she killed the retired postman in a fit of temper last September.

The defence had argued the pair were close platonic friends and that she killed Mr Williamson in a fit of anger after he changed his mind about living together.

But jurors heard that within days of his death Ms Browning transferred £140,000 from their joint account into her personal account. The court heard he had an estate of well over £250,000.

Richard Bendall, prosecuting, argued it was "a murder for financial gain".

[Mr Lick]

Soldier allegedly cut fingers off dead Taliban




The Ministry of Defence is investigating claims that a soldier sliced fingers off dead Taliban fighters to keep as souvenirs.

It is understood the allegations relate to a soldier from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders who was serving in Afghanistan.

The claims centre on the battalion's last tour of duty in the country.

It was deployed in Helmand from September 2010 until April this year, tasked with training Afghan police.

Soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, are recruited in Scotland but based in Canterbury, in Kent.

Douglas Young, executive chairman of the British Armed Forces Federation, said he was "shocked" to learn of the investigation.

He added: "While the facts still need to be established, if there turns out to be anything in these claims, clearly the MoD are correct to treat the matter very seriously.

"The alleged behaviour is totally out of kilter with the ethos of the armed forces."

The MoD would not be drawn on whether the soldier in question had been suspended pending the investigation's findings.

A defence spokesman said: "This is a very serious allegation and it would be wrong for us to comment. An investigation is ongoing."

[Mr Lick]

Government plans tougher curfews for offenders



Criminals serving community sentences could face curfews of up to 16 hours a day under new government proposals.

Currently offenders in England and Wales cannot be confined to their homes for more than eight hours a day.

The proposals would also extend the period over which a curfew could be imposed from six months to a year and allow their hours to be varied.

Minister for Prisons and Probation Crispin Blunt said the plans would keep offenders off the street for longer.

"These tougher curfew conditions will keep offenders off the street for longer, stop them socialising in the evenings and keep them away from situations that could land them in trouble again," Mr Blunt said in a statement

[Mr Lick]

Spain's Duchess of Alba 'gives up fortune to marry'




One of Spain's richest women, the Duchess of Alba, is reportedly giving away her personal fortune in order to marry a civil servant.

The 85-year-old's personal wealth is estimated to be between 600m and 3.5bn euros (£524m and £3bn).

The duchess's six children have until now opposed her plans to wed Alfonso Diez, who is 24 years her junior.

Local media reports say she plans to get round her children by giving them their inheritance early.

''Alfonso doesn't want anything. All he wants is me,'' the duchess was quoted as saying earlier this year.

Mr Diez is a civil servant in the department of social security and also runs a PR business. The pair have been close friends for several years.

Rumours of a wedding were quashed in 2008, when a statement by the House of Alba said that the relationship ''was based on a long friendship and there are no plans to marry''.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, her eldest son Carlos will inherit the Liria Palace in Madrid and the Monterrey Palace in Salamanca.

Her other palaces and thousands of hectares of land will be divided between her children and eight grandchildren, the report said.

Much of the patrimony is managed by a foundation and cannot be sold.

[Mr Lick]

Child finds flaws in mobile games





A novel class of security problems have been found lurking in many mobile games by a ten-year old hacker.

Going by the handle CyFi, the hacker presented her findings at the DefCon hacker conference held in Las Vegas.

She found that advancing the clock on a tablet or phone can, in many games, open a loophole that can be exploited.

CyFi discovered the bug after getting bored with the pace of farming games and seeking ways to speed them up.

[Mr Lick]

An animated dragon takes a closer look at journalists in Australia at the launch of a show called 'How to train your dragon'

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Kazakh soldiers during the opening ceremony of a joint tactical military exercise outsde Almaty

[Mr Lick]

A statue of Jesus Christ with Mickey Mouse ears and a clown nose on display at an exhibition in Manila causes uproar among conservative Catholics in the Philippines

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Australia WWII heroine Nancy 'White Mouse' Wake dies



One of the most highly decorated Allied secret agents of World War II, Nancy Wake, has died in London aged 98.

Born in New Zealand but raised in Australia, she is credited with helping hundreds of Allied personnel escape from occupied France.

The German Gestapo named her the "White Mouse" because she was so elusive.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Mrs Wake was "a truly remarkable individual whose selfless valour and tenacity will never be forgotten".

"Nancy Wake was a woman of exceptional courage and resourcefulness whose daring exploits saved the lives of hundreds of Allied personnel and helped bring the Nazi occupation of France to an end," Ms Gillard said in a statement.

[Mr Lick]

Outkast rapper Big Boi arrested for drug possession




Outkast rapper Big Boi has been arrested in Miami for possession of drugs including ecstasy and Viagra.

The 36-year-old, whose real name is Antwan Patton, was reportedly charged on Sunday with four separate offences relating to drugs.

He later tweeted: "Fresh out baby!!!! They said it was the love boat."

His lawyer Daniel Kane issued a statement which said: "I am confident when the entire facts are aired Big Boi will be completely exonerated."

The statement continued: "While Big Boi was travelling with his group and friends, a small amount of contraband was found in the collective luggage."

The Georgia rapper became famous as one half of Outkast alongside Andre 3000, the duo behind major chart hits such as Ms Jackson and Hey Ya.

He released a solo album in 2010, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, with a follow up LP expected this year.

[Mr Lick]

Lobsang Sangay, left, the newly elected prime minister of Tibet's government-in-exile, is hugged by the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama after taking the oath of office at the central courtyard of the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharamsala, India, on August 8.



Exiled Tibetans and monks attend the swearing in ceremony for newly elected prime minister of Tibet's government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay in Dharamsala on August 8.

[Mr Lick]

Unrest spreads beyond Tottenham to Enfield and Brixton as capital experiences second night of rioting following fatal shooting of Mark Duggan - more pics

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A broker reacts at BGC Partners at Canary Wharf financial district in London, August 5, 2011



Afghan actor Anyatullah Farmin stands with a mock gun as an unidentified actor has his make-up done before the filming of a scene for the comedy "The Ministry", in Kabul, August 2, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

A masked instructor speaks to Libyan rebel fighters with the Tripoli Revolutionary Brigade during a graduation exercise near Nalut in western Libya, August 6, 2011.



Female Bahraini Shi'ite shouts anti-government slogans during a rally held by the main opposition al-Wefaq party, in Karana, south of Manama, August 5, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Libyan rebels drive past buildings damaged during heavy fighting earlier this year between Libyan rebels and Gaddafi loyalists in the centre of the rebel-controlled city of Misrata, August 4, 2011.



A protester crouches near the body of a man lying on the ground in Hama in this still image taken from video posted on a social media website on August 4, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Newly-built apartments are seen near the downtown of Kashgar, in Xinjiang province, August 5, 2011



A reveller sleeps in the trunk of a car before the start of the annual International Descent of the River Sella canoe race which started in Arriondas, Spain, August 6, 2011.

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Canoeists start the annual International Descent of the River Sella in Arriondas, Spain, August 6, 2011. The race finished in Ribadesella in the northern region of Asturias.



FC Sion's Giovanni Sio (2nd R) and Goran Obradovic (L) argue with referee Patrick Graf during their Swiss Super League soccer match against FC Basel in Basel, August 6, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Workers search under ultraviolet light for remaining bits of shell in blue crab meat before they pack the meat for export at the coastal town of San Francisco, Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela



Revellers kiss during the 17th Woodstock Festival in Kostrzyn-upon-Odra River, close to the Polish and German border, August 6, 2011

[Mr Lick]

A Libyan rebel fighter walks past graffiti depicting Col Muammar Gaddafi at a checkpoint near Yafran in western Libya, August 5, 2011.



A protester wraps himself with an Israeli national flag, with the word "Sold" written on it, as he takes part in a protest call for social justice, including lower property prices in Israel, at the centre of Tel Aviv, August 6, 2011.