World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Bangkok, Thailand: A redshirt (anti-government protester) wearing prison chains and painted as a ghost spirit is escorted by Thai police away from the entrance of the criminal court in the capital, where redshirt leaders are applying for bail



Casablanca, Morocco: Protesters gather at a demonstration to demand a new constitution and limits to the powers of the king



Haidmühle, Germany: A sled dog runs on the final straight of the international dog sled race. Some 120 sleds took part in the German mid-distance championships close to the Austrian and Czech border



Kunduz, Afghanistan: A US soldier with the Task Force Mustang "Dust Off" Company brushes snow off a Blackhawk medevac helicopter



Burford, England: A lioness looks out from an indoor section of her enclosure at the Cotswold wildlife park



Managua, Nicaragua: A man in a mask protests against Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, who is seeking re-election in the 6 November polls



Minnesota, USA: Heavy snow is blown by high winds along Highway 13



Manila, Philippines: A Filipino boy eats porridge distributed by the army as part of a feeding programme at a slum area in Tondo, a district in the north-west of the capital



Muk Island, Thailand: A tourist shines a torch as he enters the Emerald Cave (Tham Morakot). The visit entails a swim in the pitch dark through a winding 80 metre passage to reach an enclosed serene lagoon

[Mr Lick]

More from the Middle East/Libya





Protesters stand on a tank in a security forces compound in Benghazi, Libya



Buildings at the entrance to a security forces compound are seen burning in Benghazi, Libya



Residents riding in the back of a vehicle celebrate and display the victory sign in Benghazi, Libya



A man carries away partial remains of a body at al-Jalaa hospital in Benghazi,



Bahraini anti-government protesters chant slogans during the continued demonstrations at Pearl Square in Manama



Anti-government graffiti in front of the Friday market police station which was allegedly attacked by anti-regime demonstrators in Tripoli, the capital of Libya



The gates of al-Jadid prison in Tripoli, Libya, are left open after guards fled. Prisoners are reported to have escaped



Anti-government protesters wave Yemen's national flag during a protest outside Sana'a University



An anti-government protester with the Yemeni national flag painted on his body outside Sana'a University. The writing reads: "Enough!"



Mourning in Bahrain over the body of 20-year-old Shi'ite demonstrator Redha Mohammed who died from head wounds sustained during last week's police crackdown on protests in Pearl Square in Manama



An undated TV grab taken from al-Arabiya TV shows a Libyan man allegedly injured during clashes in an unidentified location in the country



Yemeni anti-government demonstrators climb a billboard frame during a demonstration demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sana'a, Yemen



A protester holds a crossed-out portrait of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi during a demonstration outside the Arab League headquarters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo

[Mr Lick]

An Egyptian man delivering bread from a bakery drops a loaf as he cycles past closed shops in the now empty tourist area of Khan el-Khalili in Cairo



A young couple walks through the snow in Aalborg in northern Jutland, Denmark



Yemeni pro-regime supporters shout slogans against the opposition as they gather outside Sanaa University to block anti-government protests



A model presents a paper creation by Colombian designers during the first day of Bogota's International Fashion Week



Amazing moment hippo lifts wildebeest clear of rocks with its mouth in the Masai Mara, Kenya

[Mr Lick]

More on the quake in New Zealand today






Escape: Injured survivors of the quake help each other escape to safety as rubble from collapsed buildings falls around them in the street



The city's cathedral before the quake



An act of God?

And after: An aerial view shows the damage to the cathedral's spire following the quake. 'We just don't know if there are people under this rubble,' said a priest, standing outside




Injuries: A woman covered in blood is rescued from inside the Pyne Gould Corporation building following the huge earthquake




Toppled: The four-storey Pyne Gould Corporation building lies in ruins after the earthquake. One local reporter said it felt like a bomb had gone off




Damage: New Zealand's second-biggest city Christchurch was rocked by devastation after the quake struck Lyttelton, which is thought to be the epicentre





Little hope: A bus was crushed by falling debris in the quake which measured 6.3 on the Richter Scale

[Mr Lick]

Philippine volcano erupts




Force of nature: Filipino villagers view Mount Bulusan spewing ash in Sorsogon in the Bicol region south of Manila

[Mr Lick]

More on Libya





Up in flames: government building burn in Tripoli as a bloody battle unfolded between protesters and security forces





Taking over: security forces had reportedly fled the second city of Benghazi, above, as clashes in Tripoli saw fighter jets and artillery used against civilians





Fleeing: A Libyan Mirage fighter jet touches down at Malta International airport after the pilot requested political asylum from the air



Safety: A Libyan airforce pilot next to his Mirage F1 fighter jet after landing at Malta International. Two Libyan fighter jets and two civilian helicopters landed unexpectedly in Malta




City on fire: Al-Bayda local council building ablaze in Libya's third biggest city Al-Bayda



Massacre: Around 450 pro-democracy demonstrators have been killed in Libya

[Mr Lick]

More on the quake in NZ. At least 65 feared dead

[Mr Lick]

36 killed in a stampede in Mali



People look on as security guards clean up personal belongings and debris following a deadly stampede at Modibo Keita Stadium in Bamako, Mali, Monday, Feb. 21, 2011. At least 36 people were killed in the stampede Monday when a crowd surged against a metal barrier after a Muslim ceremony, Mali's minister of interior security and civil protection said.

[Mr Lick]

1 dead in Calif. church bus crash



A bus carrying members of a Korean church from Pasadena, Calif., is seen Monday among trees in Twin Peaks, Calif., after colliding with another vehicle and killing one person, officials said. The bus was returning home from a weekend retreat near the accident site.

[Mr Lick]

U.S. Navy Warship Is Trailing Somali pirates To Retrieve Four Kidnapped Americans



The Somali Pirates captured the yacht and took four U.S. citizens hostage on Friday. Two were identified as Scott and Jean Adams of Santa Monica, California. The other two have been identified as Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle of Seattle.
The foursome had original set out on a trip around the world. Their mission was to give out Bibles to people from all over the world.

[harrybarracuda]

It's a great thread this but it's doesn't half take an age to load. Do you use thumbnails where they're available?

[Mr Lick]

Busy day today.

BREAKING NEWS: Manila Shaken by 4.7 Magnitude Earthquake









Manila City Philippines felt a tremor Tuesday morning after a 4.7 magnitude earthquake hit the area, according to an official report released by Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) through ABSCBNnews.com.
The tremor of 4.7 magnitude earthquake was also felt by other parts of Luzon Philippines including, Cavite, Dasmarinas, Pasig City, and Quezon City.
There were no reported injuries and destruction associated with the 4.7 magnitude earthquake that originated at 26 kilometers of the northwest areas of Nasugbo and Batangas.

[Mr Lick]

It's a great thread this but it's doesn't half take an age to load. Do you use thumbnails where they're available?

Haven't tried thumbnails Harry as my system seems to cope quite well. I'm also not sure if thumbs would have the same dramatic effect as full size pics.

I'm no tech wizard so any suggestions from others on the subject of speeding up photo loads for members would be appreciated.

[Mr Lick]

That Mt. Bulusan volcano in the Philippines again

[Mr Lick]

More NZ earthquake pics

[Mr Lick]

The funeral of Nat Lofthouse, the Bolton Wanderers legend, which was held recently

[Mr Lick]

More Libya images



The Colonel in his carriage, on standby for a quick getaway. Not exactly singing in the rain is he?



Buildings in Tripoli targeted by protesters










The port city of Tobruk





Tobruk is said to be under the control of anti-government protesters





Tobruk

[Mr Lick]

NZ earthquake




West Indies cricketer Andre Russell bowls during a training session in New Delhi India. South Africa takes on the West Indies in match 7 of the Cricket World Cup.



British cyclists testing the new olympic velodrome track in Statford, London



Family members grieve during the funeral procession of anti-government protester Abdul Ridha Mohammed who was shot in the head when Bahraini security forces attacked anti-government demonstrators in Pearl Square last week.



Migrant workers listing their skills and waiting for potential employers at a job market in China

[Mr Lick]

Sana'a, Yemen: Anti-government protesters gather around a burning vehicle belonging to government supporters during a demonstration to demand the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh



Christchurch, New Zealand: Office workers look for a way out of a high-rise building after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the South Island city, killing at least 65 people



Malkiya, Bahrain: Six-year-old Ali Mohammed looks upon the body of his father Abdul Ridha Mohammed during his funeral. Abdul Ridha Mohammed had been shot in the head when Bahraini security forces attacked anti-government demonstrators in Pearl roundabout in Manama last week



Kabul, Afghanistan: An elderly man carries firewood on his back and makes his way up to his home



Korolev space mission control centre, Russia: A Russian space specialist watches two of the 'astronauts' of the Mars500 experiment – Diego Urbina of Italy and Alexander Smoleyevsky of Russia – walking on a mock-up of Mars



Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Construction workers build new homes in the Haitian capital, more than a year after an earthquake devastated the island



Islamabad, Pakistan: People enjoy rides on a swingboat as others watch in a slum area on the outskirts of the city



Minneapolis, USA: Darryl Bowling gets a coating of snow as he clears the pavement on Douglas Avenue after heavy snowfall



Baraka, Democratic Republic of Congo: A woman waits outside a mobile military tribunal before the sentencing of 11 soldiers accused of rape and crimes against humanity

[Mr Lick]

Four American Hostages Killed Aboard Yacht Seized By Somali Pirates



Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates have been killed in the Gulf of Aden, the Los Angeles reports. It said U.S. military boarded a Somali boat when they heard shots

They found the four Americans dead. Negotiations had begun but the ship was boarded immediately about 1 a.m. New York time when gunfire was heard. In an ensuing firefight two pirates were killed and 13 captured, U.S. Central Command said.

[Mr Lick]

More pics from the NZ earthquake - death toll rises to 75

[Mr Lick]

More images from Christchurch, NZ
















NZ PM









OMG

[Mr Lick]

Prosecutors are seeking a murder charge against 29-year-old Virginia woman Kristina Pongracz, who is accused of fatally injuring her 77-year-old boyfriend William Herchenrider last year. Pongracz is currently facing a charge of aggravated malicious wounding for the death of William Herchenrider. Autopsy results now indicate that Herchenrider's death was a homicide, Bedford Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Stephanie Ayers told CBS affiliate WDBJ.

[Mr Lick]

Opponents of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's budget bill sleep in the rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011.




A group of people travel with Glacier Explorers to see one of the many icebergs that caved into Tasman Lake as a result of the 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. The quake hit at the height of a busy workday, toppling tall buildings and churches, crushing buses and killing dozens of people in one of the country's worst natural disasters



The Iranian navy frigate IS Alvand passes through the Suez canal at Ismailia, Egypt, Tuesday, Feb.22, 2011. The frigate, accompanied by the replenishment ship IS Kharg, entered the Suez Canal on Tuesday enroute to Syria, officials said, the first time in three decades that Tehran has sent military ships through the strategic waterway.



A Yemeni anti-government demonstrator throws sand on a burning vehicle belonging to supporters of President Ali Abdullah Saleh during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011. Yemen's embattled leader rejects demands that he step down, calling demonstrations against his regime unacceptable acts of provocation and offers to begin a dialogue with protesters



South Africa's Retief Goosen warms up before hitting the driving range on the second day of practice for the Accenture Match Play Championship golf tournament Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011, in Marana, Ariz.

[Mr Lick]

Colonel Gaddafi - the years



Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak meets Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi at the Egyptian border city of Mersa Matrouh, October 16, 1989.




Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi speaks during a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the evacuation of the American military bases in the country, in Tripoli, June 12, 2010.



One thousand tanks rumble down one of the main streets of Tripoli as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi celebrated 25 years in power with a show of defiance against Western-led sanctions, September 1, 1994.




A woman takes off her jacket as she arrives with about 200 other young women for a meeting with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi at a Libyan cultural centre in Rome, August 30, 2010. Gaddafi's attempt to convert dozens of young women to Islam during a visit to Italy led to an angry reaction from Italian media. The mercurial Gaddafi invited a large group of young women hired by a hostess agency to an event and tried to convert them to Islam.



A monument built outside Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's residence shows a fist clinching a US warplane in Tripoli, February 1, 2001.




Libyan military personnel march during a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi coming to power, at the Green Square in Tripoli, September 1, 2009.




Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi listens during his debate on democracy with British sociologist Anthony Giddens and U.S. political scientist Benjamin Barber (2nd R) in the desert in Sebha, in a move apparently designed to further the resumption of international ties following years of isolation, March 2, 2007.