World News in Pictures

[StrontiumDog]

Quick contribution from me....hope that's okay...but these images are awesome!

Volcano in the Caulle Cordon of southern Chile erupts violently

According to Wikipedia: Puyehue and Cordón Caulle are two coalesced volcanic vents that form a major mountain massif in Puyehue National Park in the Andes of Ranco Province, Chile. In volcanology this group is known as the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcanic Complex (PCCVC). Four different volcanoes constitute the volcanic group or complex, the Cordillera Nevada caldera, the Pliocene Mencheca volcano, Cordón Caulle fissure vents and the Puyehue stratovolcano.

Reuters
Lightning bolts strike around the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain in the Patagonia region at sunrise June 5. The volcano dormant for decades erupted in south-central Chile on Saturday, belching ash over 6 miles into the sky, as winds fanned it toward neighboring Argentina, and prompting the government to evacuate several thousand residents, Chilean authorities said.


Claudio Santana / AFP - Getty Images
Aerial picture showing the cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, taken on June 5. Puyehue volcano erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, prompting evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas six miles high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the area.


Reuters
Lightning bolts strike around the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain in the Patagonia region June 4.

Read more about the eruption here.

PhotoBlog - Volcano in the Caulle Cordon of southern Chile erupts violently

[Mr Lick]

It Ain't Half Hot Mum's Donald Hewlett dies at 90



Donald Hewlett, who was best known for his role in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum, has died aged 90.

The actor, who played Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Reynolds in the show, had been ill for some time, his wife told the BBC.

He died at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in west London on Saturday, Therese McMurray-Hewlett said.

Hewlett was also known for his role as master of the house, Lord Meldrum, in 1990s BBC sitcom You Rang M'Lord?

The actor began his on-screen career with a small part in the 1954 comedy film Orders are Orders starring Peter Sellers, Donald Pleasence and Sid James.

He went on to have roles in numerous TV shows including The Saint, The Avengers, Doctor Who and Coronation Street.

But it was his turn as the commanding officer in It Ain't Half Hot Mum which made his name.

The series, set in British India and Burma towards the end of World War II ran on BBC One from 1974-1981.

Hewlett last appeared on TV in ITV sitcom The Upper Hand in 1995.

He is survived by his wife, Therese, and five children including daughter Siobhan, who is also an actress.

[Mr Lick]

French Open: Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer to win title



World number one Rafael Nadal proved he is a class apart on clay as he won a record-equalling sixth French Open title with a dramatic win over Roger Federer.

The 25-year-old Spaniard matched Bjorn Borg's tally of victories at Roland Garros with a 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-1 victory in three hours and 39 minutes.

Nadal, who has now won 10 Grand Slam titles in total, also ensured he will remain at the top of the rankings ahead of Novak Djokovic.

In a thrilling encounter, the Majorcan withstood a Federer fightback after failing to capitalise when two sets and a break in front.

"To win this final against one the best players in the world and in history is something which is really fantastic for me. It's one of my most beautiful dreams," said Nadal,

"Congratulations to Rafa for having won the tournament once again. He played a super match," said the Swiss.

[Mr Lick]

Dilshan sets record before weather halts Sri Lanka

Second Test, Lord's (day three):

Sri Lanka 372-3 v England 486 all out





Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a record-breaking 193 as Sri Lanka closed in on England's first innings total of 486 on a weather-affected third day of the second Test.

The captain made the highest score by a Sri Lankan at Lord's and helped the touring side reach 372-3 before rain and bad light brought a premature end to play.

In truth, Dilshan's task was made easy by some wayward bowling from England's seamers, who fired an alarming number of deliveries down the leg side and never really built enough pressure to unsettle their opponents despite plenty of evidence that the ball was swinging under heavy cloud cover.

Just two wickets fell in 39.2 overs on Sunday, with Chris Tremlett inducing an edge from Kumar Sangakkara for 25 and Steve Finn bowling Dilshan shortly after the batsman had been rattled by a blow on the same thumb that he injured during Saturday's play.

And with Mahela Jayawardene looking in fine fettle for his unbeaten 40, Sri Lanka will be confident of moving past England's total on the fourth day and piling pressure on the hosts when they come out to bat again.

[Mr Lick]

Yemenis celebrate departure of President Saleh

The Yemeni capital, Sana'a, has seen spontaneous eruptions of joy as news spread that Ali Abdullah Saleh had gone to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment for wounds sustained on Friday


















Yemeni army officers opposed to President Saleh's regime hold up their rifles while being sprayed with foam by anti-government protesters in Sana'a



Yemeni anti-government protesters slaughter bulls to celebrate President Ali Abdullah Salleh's departure






An anti-government protester is thrown into the air in celebration after President Ali Abdullah Salleh left for Saudi Arabia for medical treatment

[Mr Lick]

Israel-Syria border clashes

12 people were reportedly killed as Israeli soldiers opened fire on Syrians and Palestinians trying to breach the border




Protesters walk towards the Syrian-Israeli border near the Druze village of Majd-al Shams in the Golan Heigh



Israeli soldiers keep their position along the border as demonstrators trying to head into the annexed Golan Heights gather on the other side of the fence



Demonstrators gather along the border before trying to cut through a line of barbed wire



Demonstrators flee from Israeli army teargas as they gather along the border

[Mr Lick]

The protest was in commemoration of what is called 'Nakba day', marking the 44th anniversary of the six-day war in 1967 when Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria



The protesters threw stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli troops as snipers fired rubber bullets and live rounds at some activists



Israel acknowledged that at least 12 had been wounded on the Syrian side, but disputed claims by state television in Damascus that 20 demonstrators were killed



A demonstrator falls on the ground as he is hit by Israeli forces' fire while trying to breach a barbed wire fence



Demonstrators prepare to evacuate a wounded fellow protester



Residents of Majd-al Shams watch events unfold

[Mr Lick]

Oxfam to probe Pakistan flood funds 'irregularities'



An investigation into "financial irregularities" in Oxfam's flood relief programme in Pakistan has been launched by the charity.

An independent external audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers is under way after the problem was discovered in the southern province of Sindh.

A spokesman said they would make every effort to recover any missing money.

More than 1,750 people are thought to have been killed by the floods which began in July 2010.

The charity is currently providing humanitarian aid to more than 1.95 million people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh.

It has provided clean water, sanitation and temporary shelter kits.

Oxfam emphasised that, even if the financial irregularities were confirmed, it would represent less than 2% of their total emergency flood response spending in Pakistan.

[Mr Lick]

Man held over Rednal killing of Paul Cox, 83



A man has been arrested by police investigating the murder of a 83-year-old man at his home near Birmingham.

Paul Cox was found at his semi-detached home in Waseley Road, Rednal near Birmingham, on 3 June.

No details have been released by West Mercia Police about the man in custody but it is understood he is being held in north Worcestershire.

Detectives are continuing their search for Mr Cox's blue Ford Focus, registration MH05 DFN.

Chf Insp Amanda Blakeman, of West Mercia Police, said locating the car was crucial.

"I would again urge anyone who has seen it, thinks they have seen someone they know driving it or indeed suspects they know who has acquired it, to contact us as a matter of urgency," she said.

Ms Blakeman said the local community had clearly been shocked by the "tragic circumstances" of Mr Cox's death.

The car is thought to have been stolen from the driveway of the house some time between 1930 on Thursday and 0800 BST the next morning.

The vehicle is said to have scrape markings along the passenger side and paint damage to the front bumper.

Police have not yet disclosed how Mr Cox died but his body was found after officers were alerted by concerned neighbours

[Mr Lick]

Libya: Eman al-Obeidi leaves for US



A Libyan woman who said she was raped by supporters of Col Muammar Gaddafi has left eastern Libya for the US, according to her sister.

Eman al-Obeidi was heading from the rebel-held city of Benghazi to Washington DC, her sister Marwa said.

Eman al-Obeidi's case came to attention when she rushed into Tripoli's Rixos Hotel in March and told her story to foreign journalists staying there.

Earlier this week, Ms Obeidi was deported from Qatar.

She had sought refuge there after arriving from Libya, via Tunisia

[Mr Lick]

South China Sea: Vietnamese hold anti-Chinese protest



Hundreds of Vietnamese have turned out to protest against Chinese naval operations in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City follow a confrontation last month between a Vietnamese oil and gas survey ship and Chinese patrol boats.

China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all claim territories in the South China Sea.

It includes important shipping routes and may contain oil and gas deposits.
China's claim is by far the largest.

[Mr Lick]

E. coli outbreak: German beansprouts 'probable' cause



Beansprouts grown in northern Germany are suspected to be the source of an E. coli outbreak that has left 22 people dead, local officials say.

The agriculture minister for Lower Saxony, Gert Lindemann, said there was a clear trail of evidence pointing to a plant nursery south of Hamburg.

The nursery has been closed, though officials say the outbreak's source cannot yet be definitively confirmed.

Germans are being advised to stop eating the beansprouts.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin says the announcement may cause embarrassment to German authorities, who had earlier pointed to Spanish farms as the source of the outbreak.

More than 2,150 people in Germany have been infected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) bacteria. Many have developed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), which can be fatal.

Cases have been concentrated in the northern city of Hamburg, with infections in 12 other countries linked to travel in Germany.

[Mr Lick]

Peru election: Early results suggest Humala victory



First results in Peru's presidential election run-off suggest leftist Ollanta Humala has a narrow lead over right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori.

The polls indicated a lead of about 2% for Mr Humala, a one-time ally of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

Ms Fujimori is the daughter of jailed ex-president Alberto Fujimori.

The two candidates are at opposite ends of the political spectrum - a fact that worried some Peruvians who said they would not vote for either of them.

Preliminary results from three separate polling companies indicated Mr Humala had won around 51% of the vote, with Ms Fujimori trailing at around 49%.

Mr Humala and Ms Fujimori led the field after the first round on 10 April, which saw the defeat of three centrist candidates.

No candidate gained more than the 50% needed to win the election outright.

[Mr Lick]

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez orders prisoner abuse probe



Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for a thorough investigation into reports of the deaths of three prisoners in police custody.

Mr Chavez said the police force had to be cleaned up so there would be no more hitting or torturing of inmates.

Of the three prisoners who died in the past few weeks, forensic tests suggested at least two of them had been beaten and drowned.

Four police officers have been arrested in connection with the allegations.
"I congratulate the great majority of the police who do their job, but one rotten apple can spoil the barrel," President Chavez said.

"You can't mistreat, hit or harass a prisoner for any reason," he urged police officers in his weekly TV programme "Alo, Presidente".

[Mr Lick]

Concacaf bans president Austin after Blazer 'sacking'




Blazer was accused by Austin of "gross misconduct of duty and judgement"


Concacaf has suspended its acting president Lisle Austin as the fallout from the Fifa corruption row continues.

Austin tried to sack Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer after his bribery claims against Fifa executives Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam.

But Concacaf said Austin did not have the authority to take this action.

It has suspended him from football duties effective from 2 June and asked Fifa to extend the ban to ensure it applies worldwide.

Austin, from Barbados, has been deputising for Warner after the Trinidadian's suspension by Fifa.

Concacaf, the continental governing body for football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, said on its website that vice-president Alfredo Hawit, from Honduras, would replace Austin as an interim measure.

"Lisle Austin has been provisionally banned from all football activities within Concacaf and at the national level by a majority of the Concacaf executive committee members for apparent infringement of the Concacaf statutes," a statement said.

Austin became embroiled in a public spat with Blazer following the American's claims that Warner and Bin Hammam had paid Caribbean delegates $40,000 (£24,250) each to vote for Bin Hammam in his failed bid for the Fifa presidency.

Both deny the allegations but they have been temporarily suspended by Fifa pending the outcome of a full inquiry.

Blazer subsequently reported Warner for breaching the terms of his suspension by urging Caribbean Football Union (CFU) members to vote for incumbent Sepp Blatter in last Wednesday's Fifa presidential elections.

This prompted Austin to describe Blazer's actions as "inexcusable and a gross misconduct of duty and judgement". He also said the American was no longer fit to hold the post.

Austin has until 13 June to appeal against the provisional ban, and will face a hearing on 13 July.

Blatter ended up standing as the only candidate in Fifa's presidential election and was duly re-elected for a fourth term, receiving 186 of the 203 votes cast.

[Mr Lick]

After the Tsunami, the long road to rebuild Kitakami



"Many of the people who were working here and in this area died," says Tsutomu Abe while taking a beak from repairing roads in Kitagamigawa, Sunday, June 5, 2011. Abe, 35, is from Tome city, about 20 kilometers inland than Kitagamigawa, and says his house was not affected and that all of his family and friends are safe.



"I wasn't scared," says fisherman Kimio Sata, seen here with his wife Tomie Sato, standing in what used to be the bedroom of their Kitakami home on Sunday, June 5. When the tsunami siren sounded, Kimio got in his fishing boat and headed out to sea. "That's what we do here to protect the boat," Kimio says, "we're fishermen."

[Mr Lick]

Marijuana merchandise



A worker adjusts thermal rocks in a makeshift marijuana green space area at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011. A California-based company, weGrow, is seeking to capitalize on Arizona's newly enacted medical marijuana law. The 21,000-square-foot (6,400 meter) store offers some 2,000 products, including soil, grow lights and irrigation trays, specially designed for effective marijuana growing, founder Dhar Mann said



Fake jars of marijuana is displayed in a makeshift dispensary at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011



Workers stock shelves with supplies for marijuana at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011



Marijuana paraphernalia are displayed at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011.



Al Sobol (L) teaches an investors' marijuana class at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011






Potting soil for marijuana are displayed at the weGrow superstore-sized garden center in Phoenix, Arizona June 2, 2011

[Mr Lick]

Chile volcano eruption - more pics

A volcano dormant for decades erupted in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain in south-central Chile, belching an ash cloud more than six miles high over the Andes and into a ski resort in Argentina




A giant cloud of ash rises after the volcano's eruption









Residents clean a car covered with ash in the Argentinian resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche, 100 miles to the east of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain



Argentinian workers use bulldozers to remove volcanic ash from the streets of San Carlos de Bariloche



People protect their faces from ash in Puerto Madryn on Argentina's Atlantic coast, almost 400 miles east of the Chilean volcano

[Mr Lick]

Carl Froch retains WBC title with majority decision over Glen Johnson



Carl Froch retained the WBC super-middleweight title and progressed to the final of the Super Six tournament with a majority decision win over Glen Johnson in Atlantic City.

The Englishman was an overwhelming pre-fight favourite but endured a tougher night than many anticipated, taking regular right hands throughout the bout but managing to maintain an edge over the Jamaican 42-year-old.

Froch had looked to have done enough to take a clear win on the scorecards but a majority decision was returned as one judge called it level at 114-114.

However, the other two had it for Froch, 117-111 and 116-112 to put him through to meet Andre Ward in the tournament final.

Froch said of Johnson: "He's very tough, very strong and very durable. I hit him with some great shots but it's like sparring an oak tree, if you can imagine that. I was in my comfort zone and steady but it's hard to get out of that comfort zone then."

He added: "I don't know what happened with the judge from Japan who called it a draw. That's a bad score. Johnson hit me with a couple of right hands but they didn't bother me. They caught me off balance, to be fair. You feel it, but I'm known for having a strong chin."

Johnson admitted Froch edged it, and said: "I felt I was in it and when it's close like that you really don't know [how it will go]."

[Mr Lick]

Drugs companies to lower price of vaccines in developing countries



A promise to reduce the prices of vaccines in developing countries has been announced by a number of big drug companies, ahead of a conference in London at which political leaders will consider how to raise funds for immunisation.

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi), set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said yesterday that Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec had agreed to reduce the prices of their pentavalent vaccine, which protects against five fatal diseases. And GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to sell a vaccine against diarrhoeal disease in the poorest countries for £1.50 a dose, a twentieth of its £30 price in developed countries.

"I hope this will enable millions of children to receive this vaccine," alliance chief executive, Andrew Witty, wrote in the Times. "Importantly, this offer is sustainable, because we are recouping the cost of goods and manufacture."

Calling on drug companies to be "in step with society", Witty said they should construct their goals around business models that address the world's urgent health needs.

Merck & Co has also pledged to offer its rotavirus vaccine at discounted prices, said the alliance. The various offers are in response to a tender by United Nations Children's Fund, which takes most of the vaccines funded by the alliance.

Gavi donors meet in London on 13 June, where David Cameron will promote a plan to raise a further £2.25bn in global aid.

[Mr Lick]

Vince Cable warns unions strikes could spark clampdown on industrial action



The business secretary, Vince Cable, will issue a warning to the country's union chiefs that if they ratchet up strikes opposing the coalition's cuts the government may be forced to make it harder for them to embark on industrial action.

It is the first explicit acknowledgment by a coalition minister that they could legislate to prevent widespread strikes, after other ministers involved have refrained for fear of increasing tensions at a crucial point in talks currently underway to avoid a mass walk out across the public sector.

Cable will tell the GMB union's annual conference in Brighton that there is currently no reason to reform the laws – an action some rightwingers, including London mayor Boris Johnson, have called for. But that could change, he will warn.

"We are undoubtedly entering a difficult period. Cool heads will be required all round. Despite occasional blips, I know that strike levels remain historically low, especially in the private sector. On that basis, and assuming this pattern continues, the case for changing strike law is not compelling," he will say.

"However, should the position change, and should strikes impose serious damage to our economic and social fabric, the pressure on us to act would ratchet up. That is something which both you, and certainly I, would wish to avoid."

Ministers are locked in talks with the unions to negotiate a new pension deal for state employees – the only issue that all of the public sector unions have in common and therefore the only one in which they could launch joint industrial action. It is understood that those talks are making little headway, with ministers refusing to back down on increasing workers' contributions.

Other unions representing up to 6 million public sector workers could then edge towards industrial action.

[Mr Lick]

Tory plans to redraw electoral map could hit Lib Dem seats hardest



The Liberal Democrats face losing up to a quarter of their seats when a Tory-imposed plan to redraw the entire electoral map comes into force from September, figures seen by the Guardian suggest.

The boundary review to equalise constituencies and reduce their number by 50, agreed by Nick Clegg in exchange for the AV referendum in the coalition agreement, is threatening the biggest upheaval to the Commons of this parliament. MPs have been warned that almost no seat is safe.

The issue could force a mutiny in the coalition amid mounting evidence that the Liberal Democrats will fare far worse than predicted and with David Cameron facing further tensions with his backbenchers, some of whom are certain to lose their seats.

The four Boundary Commissions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are preparing to announce the new electoral map in September.

[Mr Lick]

Syria says 23 killed in Sunday's Golan protest












Israeli soldiers take positions on the ceasefire line between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights June 5, 2011. Israeli troops fired at Palestinian demonstrators in Syria who rushed to the border fence on Sunday in what Israel called a challenge to its sovereignty.







An Israeli policeman scuffles with a Palestinian protester during clashes at Qalandiya checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Ramallah June 5, 2011





A Palestinian protester pushes a burning tyre during clashes with Israeli troops at Qalandiya checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Ramallah June 5, 2011.





Palestinian protesters gesture in front of Israeli soldiers during clashes near the West Bank village of Deir al Hatab June 5, 2011, following a protest marking the 44th anniversary of the start of a 1967 Middle East War, in which Israel captured East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Golan Heights.

[Mr Lick]

Greece to start austerity drive as nation seethes



A huge crowd of protesters stands in front of the Greek parliament during a rally against austerity economic measures and corruption in Athens' Constitution (Syntagma) square June 5, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Pakistan refugees released from detention in Thailand



A Thai immigration police officer directs Pakistani refugees released on bail to a waiting bus after their detention at the immigration detention center in Bangkok on June 6. A group of almost a hundred Pakistani refugees and asylum seekers, including several dozen children and a baby born in detention, were released on bail.









Asfa, a one-month-old girl born in a detention center, is pictured among bags as her father, a Pakistani refugee who is a member of the Ahmadiyya, an Islamic minority sect, stands in their new accommodation after their release from detention in Bangkok on June 6.