Thread: World News in Pictures

Storm clouds gather over the St. Alban chapel in Goerwangs, Germany, on June 5. Severe thunderstorms brought heavy rain and localised hail on the Alpine foothills.

Presidential candidate of the Gana Peru Party, retired Army commander Ollanta Humala, speaks to supporters after the first poll count in Lima on June 5. Peruvians voted Sunday in an extremely close presidential run-off between Ollanta Humala, a nationalist ex-lieutenant colonel and Keiko Fujimori, daughter of a jailed ex-strongman. According to exit polls, Humala would have an approximate 5% lead over his competitor

U.S. Airways flight 1549 also known as the "Miracle on the Hudson" is hauled on a truck through the streets in Elizabeth, New Jersey, June 4, 2011. The airplane which made a crash landing in the Hudson River in New York, in January 2009 is being taken to the Carolinas Aviation Museum where it will be on permanent display.



Competitors ride with their bikes in a cable car to the start of the Downhill at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William, Scotland, June 5, 2011.



A boy collects recyclables as rain clouds approach over a garbage dump, on the eve of World Environment Day, on the outskirts of Agartala, capital of India's northeastern state of Tripura, June 4, 2011.

Supporters of India's yoga guru Swami Ramdev scatter after tear gas canisters were thrown in by police at the Ramlila grounds on the second day of Ramdev's fast in New Delhi June 5, 2011. Police swooped early on Sunday on India's most famous yoga guru, detaining him briefly and using to teargas to disperse his supporters as they were evicted from a venue where they were on a mass fast against corruption. Ramdev, who rose from an illiterate family to host a television show with 30 million viewers and owns a "peace" island in Scotland, began his fast on Saturday in a tent the size of four football pitches in the heart of the capital



Plume of ash, estimated six miles (10km) high and three mile wide is seen after a volcano erupted in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain, about 575 miles (920 km) south of the capital, Santiago June 5, 2011.

Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt at the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip June 5, 2011. Egypt shut its border crossing with Gaza on Saturday for the first time since opening it on a routine basis last month, and angry Palestinians stormed the gates in protest, Hamas officials and witnesses said.



A Libyan rebel fighter prepares anti-aircraft ammunition as he wears the cap of a pro-Muammar Gaddafi officer at Misrata's western front line, some 25 km (16 miles) from the city centre, June 4,2011.



A man looks out of his auto rickshaw as he drives through foam overflowing from a drain outside a factory, in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad June 5, 2011. World Environment Day is observed annually on June 5.

A man walks past a destroyed mosque in the outskirts of Misrata June 5, 2011



Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala holds Samin, his five-month-old baby, during a television interview as he has breakfast with his family before going to vote in the runoff presidential election, in Lima June 5, 2011. Peruvians choose between Humala, a career military man who has moderated his anti-capitalist views since narrowly losing the 2006 election, and lawmaker Keiko Fujimori, the 36-year-old candidate favored by business leaders and investors, in what the latest opinion polls say will be a very close race.



Protesters, including a puppet representation of Thomas Jefferson, dance inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington June 4, 2011. People danced at the memorial to appeal the arrest of five dancers last week, and call on the park police to respect their freedom of expression.

Supporters of the Labor, Freedom and Democracy Platform wave flags as they stand on a light pole during an election rally for independent candidates backed by the platform, in Istanbul June 5, 2011. Turks vote in a an election on June 12 with confidence boosted both by having one of the world's fastest growing economies, and by belief that their democracy has finally consigned military coups to the past



Nuns vote during a referendum at a polling station in Miren June 5, 2011. Slovenians vote on Sunday on whether to approve a gradual rise in the national retirement age, a move seen as vital for long-term budget stability.



Suter Moto2 rider Julian Simon (R) of Spain and Suter Moto2 rider Kenan Sofuoglu of Turkey crashes during the Catalunya MotoGP Grand Prix at the Montmelo race track, near Barcelona, June 5, 2011



A girl, who sells water, closes her eyes as the wind blows her scarf at a cemetery in Kabul June 5, 2011.

Strauss-Kahn to plead not guilty to sex charges



Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn will plead not guilty Monday to charges he sexually assaulted a New York hotel maid in a case that cost him his job and a chance at the French presidency.

Strauss-Kahn, 62, faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges including attempted rape, sex abuse, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.

His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, told Reuters he will plead not guilty in New York Supreme Court before Judge Michael Obus.

Praised for his role tackling the 2007-09 global financial crisis and attempts to keep Europe's debt crisis under control, Strauss-Kahn resigned as IMF managing director a few days after his May 14 arrest in the first-class section of an Air France plane, minutes before it was to depart New York for Paris.

He was accused of attacking a 32-year-old African immigrant a few hours earlier when she came to clean his suite at the luxury Sofitel hotel in Midtown Manhattan, apparently believing it had been vacated.

Libyan rebels seize mountain town



A member of the French military prepares a attack helicopter for its first military operation in Libya, on the deck of the French Navy helicopter carrier Tonnerre somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea, June 3, 2011



A Libyan rebel fighter flashes the victory sign as he wears the cap of a pro-Muammar Gaddafi officer at Misrata's western front line, some 25 km (16 miles) from the city centre, June 4, 2011.

US development assistance helps cut child mortality in the Philippines



Women breastfeed their newborn babies inside the maternity ward of the government run Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila on June 1. The ward, the busiest in the country, sees an average of 60 births a day.

The Philippines' population growth rate of around 2.0 percent is above Southeast Asia's average of around 1.7 percent, with an estimated 200 babies born every hour.

Lack of a national policy on birth control and access to modern family planning methods - frowned upon by the powerful Catholic church - are some of the factors that have led to the country's population ballooning to nearly 100 million, according to various government and private sector estimates, with the Philippines the second most populous nation in the region after Indonesia.

Beijing, China: A child uses a mobile phone to photograph a man dressed as a Chinese emperor during a dragon boat festival held at the Longtan park



Eagar, Arizona, US: A firefighter rests in a schoolfield after battling the Wallow fire. The 225 square-mile blaze has grown into the third-largest in Arizona's history.

Ollantaytambo, Peru: Quechua indigenous women stand in line to vote in the presidential runoff election between Keiko Fujimori, daughter of jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori, and Ollanta Humala.



Johannesburg, South Africa: Two twins cover themselves with fallen winter leaves at the Emmerencia Park.

Peshawar, Pakistan: Mourners carry the coffin of a suicide bomb victim after an attack in the garrison town of Nowshera.



San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina: A car is completely covered in volcanic ash after the Puyehue volcano, which had lain dormant for decades, erupted in central Chile on Saturday.

Dallas, Texas, US: A fan with pictures of Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry painted on his head before Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball game.



Ramallah, West Bank: Palestinians try to prevent an Israeli Defence Force water cannon from moving during clashes at the Kalandia refugee camp

Kabul, Afghanistan: An Afghan man sleeps on a grave at a cemetery.



Zagreb, Croatia: A drum is left on the tarmac after the orchestra fled heavy rain before the farewell ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI at the airport.

Nigerian speaker Dimeji Bankole arrested




Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has arrested one of the country's leading politicians on suspicion of defrauding the country, an official said.
Officers arrested outgoing speaker of the house of representatives, Dimeji Bankole, at his home in Abuja on Sunday, after he resisted arrest for more than four hours, said Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the economic and financial crimes commission.

Babafemi gave no additional details about the allegations facing Bankole, other than to say that he would be held "in custody to enable him to have sufficient time to answer questions on the numerous fraud allegations against him".

Bankole apparently refused several requests by officials to be interviewed.

"An intelligence report ... showed that the former speaker was planning to leave Abuja for Lagos on Sunday evening and thereafter flee the country through an illegal route," a statement from Babafemi read.

Gaddafi regime fails to fool media over injured child



The Libyan government's attempts to show how Nato bombing is harming civilians backfired when a hospital worker revealed that a seven-month-old "air strike victim" had been injured in a car crash.

Foreign journalists in Tripoli were taken by bus to a hospital on Sunday night to see the seven-month-old girl, Nasib, who lay unconscious. Media handlers claimed she had been hurt when a bomb exploded in a field near her house on the eastern edge of the capital a few hours earlier.

But a member of the medical staff slipped a note written in English on hospital stationery to a reporter, which was seen by Reuters, that said: "This is a case of road traffic accident. This is the truth."

Journalists' suspicions had already been raised during an earlier visit to the bombsite in the suburb of Tajura where the girl was said to have been injured.

Talking to journalists, Mohamed Elounsi, the son of the owner of the field, described how a black and white dog and a dozen or so chickens and pigeons had been killed in the evening strike, but said nobody had been injured.

Regime Change
Anti-government protesters in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday throw a boy in the air to celebrate what they said was the fall of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's regime. Saleh, wounded in a blast, left the country for medical treatment.



Sprouts Eyed in Killer Outbreak
Official test results coming Monday are expected to show that the deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe was caused by vegetable sprouts from an organic farm in Germany.



Border Strife
Pro-Palestinian protesters on Syria's Golan Heights border clashed with Israeli soldiers on Sunday. Syria says 23 demonstrators died and hundreds were wounded -- which Israel denies. Here: A man throws a tire at Israeli troops.

Gates in Afghanistan
Robert Gates, here speaking to U.S. soldiers on Sunday in his last visit to Afghanistan as the defense secretary, thanked them for their service and said the troop drawdown slated to start in July will be carried out responsibly



Thumbs Down, Way Down, for Strauss-Kahn
Hotel workers heckle former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn as he arrives at Manhattan's Criminal Courts Building on Monday. Strauss-Kahn, 62, pled not guilty to charges he tried to rape a Sofitel hotel maid in May.



Ruff Water
A competitor bails out during the 6th annual Loews Coronado Bay surf dog competition in Imperial Beach, near San Diego, over the weekend.



Tragedy at Sea
Authorities said last week that at least 200 migrants fleeing the Libyan conflict may have drowned when their vessel capsized in the Mediterranean. Here: A stranded boat with African migrants on Saturday off the Tunisian coast.

Deadly Explosion in Kenya
At least one person was killed and about 30 others were injured in a mid-morning explosion along a busy road in Nairobi, on Sunday. The cause is yet unknown, but anti-terrorism officials are investigating.



Peruvians Elect a New President
Ollanta Humala, a leftist ex-army officer, won a runoff election Sunday in a tight, ugly race with Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the imprisoned, rights-abusing former president



Slicing Through the Water
Teams in colorful boats compete in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in Taipei, China, on Monday.



Getting Out of Town
A man transports his belongings on a donkey-driven cart in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu as he flees fighting between government forces backed by African Union troops and the al-Shabab militia.

Duty Calls
Jamaat-e-Islami activists offer prayers during a Sunday protest rally in Karachi, Pakistan, against U.S. drone attacks in the country.

Lava and lightning




Argentine border police tow a stalled car through the ashes released from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain volcano, at the Cardenal Samore border pass between Argentina and Chile, June 5, 2011.












A car is covered with ash from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain, some 635 km (395 miles) east of the volcano in Puerto Madryn, on Argentina's Atlantic coast, June 5, 2011.

Syria vows 'decisive' response in Jisr al-Shughour



Syria's government has vowed to deal "decisively" with the gunmen blamed for the deaths of 120 security personnel in the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour.

Interior Minister Ibrahim Shaar said it would "not be silent about any armed attack that targets the security of the state and its citizens".

Residents later warned that there would be massive bloodshed if the authorities attempted to restore control by force.

Some witnesses have cast doubt on the government's account of the unrest.

The reports in state media came a day after human rights activists said at least 40 residents and police had been killed in Jisr al-Shughour.

The government launched a crackdown on Saturday, following demonstrations against President Bashar al-Assad after Friday prayers.