World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

The flying squad: Chinese policeman Park He, 35, a won't be facing a disciplinary action after losing control of this van and leaving it suspended three stories above a street in Weihai City in Shandong Province in the east of China. His supervisors said that the accident had happened when the police van was heading back to the station after taking part in a police operation when the driver suddenly spotted that another vehicle was on the wrong side of the road. The spokesman said: "He could have gone left or right and he chose to go left which was a bad decision, as that was the roof of the residential building which was three stories above the street below. Had he gone to the right the ending would not have been quite so spectacular''



A man takes a picture of the preserved skeleton of a female mammoth, nicknamed Vika, who lived over a million years ago, after the opening ceremony of the Mammoth Park near the town of Kostolac, some 100 kilometers south east of Belgrade. Serbian archaeologists discovered in 2012 the remains of at least seven mammoths at a dig at an open pit mine. In 2009 the bones of Vika were found at the same site.

[Mr Lick]

Photographer Jorge Farfan struggled to see eye-to-eye with this spider as he took close-up shots of its face - because it kept moving. The scary-looking creature - like something from a science-fiction movie - tested the 33-year-old's patience while he snapped away. Jorge snapped the spider in a riverside field near his home in La Coruna, Spain



A photographer takes pictures of Lhasa Apso dogs in a basket during a dog and cat exhibition in Manila, Philippines

[Mr Lick]

Swiss acrobat Freddy Nock balances on a cablecar cable in the Tianmen Mountain National Park in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province. Nock attempted to walk along the 743 metre long cable without protection but gave up after 420 metres, for fear of skidding due to the mountain's steep inclination, according to local media



The world's most sophisticated machine gun water pistol, valued at £1,250, is put through its paces by its designer, engineer Alex Bygrave. The first-ever Gatling-style water pistol, which can hold ten litres of water and has a firing range of 12m, was built using 55 separate parts from everyday life. For instance, a black cab's windscreen wiper provides its rotary motion and a walking pole handle makes the pump. Many of the parts were fitted together using Sugru's hand moldable self-setting rubber in a test of the revolutionary product's waterproof properties

[Mr Lick]

A waterspout touches down in the English channel near Selsey Bill, West Sussex



Qing Qing the giant panda looks down at her newborn baby at the Panda Protection and Research Centre in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, China



The stunning 'Painted Desert' at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregan, USA. Each colour corresponds to a different underground geological feature

[Mr Lick]

Oscar Pistorius reacts in the dock as his murder trial restarts in North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria



Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of the Netherlands kicks a corner flag after scoring a goal during the game between Mexico and the Netherlands at the Castelao arena in Fortaleza



Elliot Jacoby of Fredricksburg, Texas, gets his hand tied caught up in the rope while being twisted around by a bull named Whirlpool at the PRCA Rodeo held at the Greeley Stampede Arena in Greeley, Colorado

[Mr Lick]

David Colturi of the USA dives from the 28 metre platform at the Serpent's Lair during the third stop of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series at Inis Mor, Aran Islands, Ireland. The event was won by Gary Hunt of the UK with Steven LoBue of the USA second and Jonathan Paredes of Mexico third



Kim Jong-un later posed for a photo with North Korean soldiers



Members of a Russian historical military reenactment club re-enact a World War I battle during the 16th Annual Military-historical festival 'Dushonovskie maneuver' near the village Dushonovo, 50km from Moscow, Russia

[Mr Lick]

Admire dramatic views from the space station, a Martian selfie and other out-of-this-world highlights from June 2014.



Brazil's Sao Simao Reservoir bursts with color in this image photographed on June 11 by an Expedition 16 crewmember on the International Space Station. This patchwork image marked a milestone of 300,000 images of Earth downlinked from the space station



The Perseus Cluster is shown in this picture provided by NASA on June 24 and taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Perseus Cluster is one of the most massive objects in the universe, containing thousands of galaxies immersed in an enormous cloud of superheated gas



Clouds cast long shadows over the South Pacific in this image photographed by an Expedition 40 crew member on the International Space Station on June 3.



A Hubble space telescope image released June 6 shows NGC 1566, a galaxy located some 40 million light years away in the constellation of Dorado (The Dolphinfish). The small but extremely bright nucleus of NGC 1566 is clearly visible in this image, a telltale sign of its membership of the Seyfert class of galaxies. The centers of such galaxies are very active and luminous, emitting strong bursts of radiation and potentially harboring supermassive black holes that are many millions of times the mass of the Sun.

[Mr Lick]

Costa Rica's defender Waylon Francis and midfielder Jose Miguel Cubero celebrate after their team's victory over Greece in the football World Cup in Brazil.



A Ukrainian woman cries in front of her house which was destroyed by shelling in the Donetsk region. Germany and France have urged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to extend a ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists - due to end on Monday evening - for a second time. The truce remains under strain with some continuing clashes.

[Mr Lick]

Litter-pickers clear rubbish left in front of the main Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Pilton following the weekend's Glastonbury Festival.



Yemeni men inspect an abandoned boat at a drought-affected dam on the outskirts of Sanaa, Yemen. Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world and some relief agencies believe Sanaa could become the first capital in the world to run out of a viable water supply.

[Mr Lick]

Marcelo Anderson Martins Ferreira shaves the head of a costumer with a portrait of Brazilian football star Neymar in a Rio de Janeiro barbershop on Monday.

[Mr Lick]

A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) waves an ISIL flag in Raqqa, Syria June 29, 2014. The offshoot of al Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria has declared itself an Islamic "Caliphate" and called on factions worldwide to pledge their allegiance, a statement posted on jihadist websites said. The group, previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as ISIS, has renamed itself "Islamic State" and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as "Caliph" - the head of the state, the statement said



Rescue workers conduct a search operation for survivors at the site of a collapsed 11-storey building that was under construction on the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Chennai June 29, 2014. Two building collapses in New Delhi and Tamil Nadu states killed at least 11 people and left dozens trapped.

[Mr Lick]

Chinese women holding toy guns dance to a revolutionary song as part of their daily exercise at a square outside a shopping mall in Beijing, June 27, 2014. About 30 local residents formed this "Nanguan" art group that enjoys performing and dancing to revolutionary songs as part of their nightly fitness activity.



A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga troops fire a cannon during clashes with militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Jalawla, Diyala province June 29, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Greek fans react as they watch a live broadcast of Greece's 2014 World Cup soccer match against Costa Rica, in Athens June 30, 2014. Greece's World Cup exit in the round of 16 came as no real surprise after they again struggled for goals in a major international tournament, netting only three time in four games.



Indian policemen use batons to disperse youth wing workers of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during a protest outside the state assembly in the northern Indian city of Lucknow June 30, 2014. Hundreds of workers protested against the state government over what they say is a deteriorating law and order situation in the Uttar Pradesh state, local media reported.

[Mr Lick]

Green beach - Children playing with algae in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province as another round of algae growth hit the waters off the city



Early morning shower - tourists watch water gushing out from the Xiaolangdi Reservoir during a sand-washing operation in Luoyang, China



Sicilian rescue - A lifeboat from the Italian frigate Grecale carries a group of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. The bodies of some 30 would-be migrants were found in in the hold of a packed smugglers' boat making its way to Italy



Palestinians members of Hamas' armed wing takes part in militant Hamas Mohammed Ebeid's funeral in Deir El-Balah Gaza Strip




A giant portrait of Franz Schubert, one of the world s most famous and revered Romantic composers was commissioned for the East Neuk Festival to highlight its Schubertiad weekend.

[Mr Lick]

Iraqi soldiers fire artillery during clashes with Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad June 30, 2014



People queue outside an office of Bulgaria's First Investment Bank in Sofia June 30, 2014. Dozens of depositors withdrew savings from Bulgaria's third biggest bank on Monday despite assurances from the government and the European Union that their money was safe after a similar run shut down another major lender last week. Bulgarian authorities have arrested four people suspected of trying to destabilise the banking system in a concerted phone and Internet campaign during a crisis that has thrown a spotlight on weak economic governance in the EU's poorest state

[Mr Lick]

Protesters holding placards shout slogans at a rally against Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to expand Japan's military role in front of Abe's official residence in Tokyo June 30, 2014.



Palestinian members of Hamas' armed wing carry the body of their comrade Mohammed Ebeid during his funeral in Deir El-Balah in the central Gaza Strip June 30, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark hits a return to Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic during their women's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London June 30, 2014



A visitor looks at a graffiti at the museum of street art "Casus Pacis" during the Manifesta 10 European Biennial of Contemporary Art in St. Petersburg, June 30, 2014. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Manifesta, the European Biennial of Contemporary Art, which was initiated in response to the new social, cultural and political reality that emerged in the aftermath of the Cold War, according to its organisers

[Mr Lick]

Anti-abortion rights protesters sing, chant and pray as they demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington June 30, 2014



A protester dressed as a copy of the Bible joins groups demonstrating outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington June 30, 2014. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled that business owners can object on religious grounds to a provision of U.S. President Barack Obama's healthcare law that requires closely held companies to provide health insurance that covers birth control.

[Mr Lick]

Entertainer Rolf Harris (C) is surrounded by the media as he leaves Southwark Crown Court in London June 30, 2014. Harris, a mainstay of family entertainment in Britain and Australia for more than 50 years, was found guilty on Monday of 12 charges of indecently assaulting young girls over a period of nearly 20 years.



Andy Murray of Britain hits a return to Kevin Anderson of South Africa during their men's singles tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, in London June 30, 2014.

[Mr Lick]

France's Olivier Giroud (L) comforts teammate Paul Pogba, after Pogba failed an opportunity to score a goal, during their 2014 World Cup round of 16 game against Nigeria at the Brasilia national stadium in Brasilia June 30, 2014.



Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo greets his supporters during a campaign rally at a market in Ciputat, outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, June 30, 2014. Indonesia will hold its presidential poll on July 9.

[Mr Lick]

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and comedian John Bishop visit an M-PACT Plus Counselling programme at the Blessed Sacrament School in London



Prince Harry, Vice Patron of the Rugby Football Union, joins the campaign to get behind the England Women's Rugby team as they head to Paris for the Women's Rugby World Cup this August

[Mr Lick]

Claude Monet's vandalised Argenteuil Basin With A Single Sailboat has been rehung in a Dublin gallery after a painstaking restoration process. The £8m artwork was badly ripped when a man put his fist through it in June 2012 while it hung in the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin. The gallery's Sean Rainbird praised the restorers' 'outstanding expertise and dedication' over 18 months. A man is awaiting trial over the vandalism



Sheep painted in the colors of the Tour de France winners' jerseys graze in fields near Harrogate where the race will pass over the weekend. Farmer Keith Chapman a keen cycling enthusiast painted his flock in the yellow race leaders jersey, polka dot of the mountains competition leader and green jerseys for the points leader to greet the riders when they race past.Picture: John Giles/PA

[Mr Lick]

Three thrill-seeking pilots have joined forces to form the world's first pyrotechnic formation team. The Twister Aerobatics Team pilots have travelled the world from their base in Oxford to perform spectacular routines complete with LED lights and wing-tip pyrotechnics some 500ft above ground. The men, Peter Wells, Jon Gowdy and Guy Westgate, came together after searching for "something new" having flown for years in other teams or individually. Click here to see a gallery of these guys looping the loop



The most overweight cat brought in to the Australian RSPCA in half a century has been put on strict diet. Sumo the cat, seen here with RSPCA vet Lobke Buhrmann, lives up to his name by tipping the scales at a whopping 14.3kg (2.2 stone), which is almost three times as much as he should weigh.

[Mr Lick]

Meet Rebekah Tiler, Britains strongest schoolgirl who can lift almost 20 stone. The mighty teenager can heave a colossal 123kg over her head and has broken over 200 weightlifting records - most of them her own - and she's still only 15 years old. The British weightlifting champion from Denham, Yorkshire has been lifting since she was 12 years old and can outlift competitors almost twice her age. Rebekah, a former sprint runner, won gold in a record breaking performance at the European Youth Championships in Lithuania this year.



This is the world's first drinking mug to have its own speakers - which play music while people enjoy a refreshing beverage. The unique mug features two speakers which play music via Bluetooth, and has a range of up to 30ft. It holds 395ml of either hot or cold liquid and the beverage container can be removed to make room for a bottle or a can. The one-of-a-kind mug comes with a pair of 3W, 40 mm speakers, a class-D amplifier and a 24-bit digital-to-analog converter. Drinkers can simply change the volume and skip a track by using the buttons on the top of the mug, which is called a Dubstein.



Hugo, a 63-year-old Galapagos tortoise, is lifted by keepers before his annual weighing at the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby near Sydney. Once a year Hugo's massive 166 kilogram (366 lbs) body is carried by four men and a forklift to an industrial scale to assess his health

[Mr Lick]

butterfly sits on a child's face in the Butterfly Valley in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning province. With a collection of some 400 butterflies from more than 20 species, the Butterfly Valley opened to the public on June 28, local media reported.



Members of the June 2014 graduating class of the New York City Police Academy raise hands during their graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York



The Queen reviews the guard of honour given by Balaklava Company, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland during the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh