World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Serial London rapist is jailed for morning attacks



A serial rapist who attacked women walking home in the early hours of the morning, has been jailed indefinitely for public protection.

Lawrence Dugbazah, 31, from Peckham, south London, was convicted of assaulting three women in central London over a 10-week period last year.

He targeted the women as they walked home, attacking one teenager near Buckingham Palace, a jury heard.

He was jailed indefinitely for public protection at Southwark Crown Court.

Recorder Sally O'Neill QC told Dugbazah: "I have taken into account the terrifying nature of these attacks, the lasting harm done by your actions, and that they took place over a very short period of time

[Mr Lick]

Aung San Suu Kyi to present the BBC's Reith Lectures



Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader, will deliver the 2011 BBC Reith Lectures.

Her two lectures will discuss the themes of dissent and liberty and will be broadcast on BBC Radio from 28 June.

The lectures are part of a wider series, entitled 'Securing Freedom', reflecting on global events of the past year.

Former MI5 Director-General Baroness Manningham-Buller will present three further lectures in September.

Aung San Suu Kyi said: "When I was under house arrest, it was the BBC that spoke to me - I listened.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity to exercise my right to human contact by sharing with you my thoughts on what freedom means to me, and others across the world who are still in the sad state of what I would call 'unfreedom'."

[Mr Lick]

Vietnam plans live-fire drill amid South China Sea row



Vietnam has said it will hold live-fire exercises in the South China Sea amid escalating tensions with China over disputed waters.

Vietnam warned vessels to stay out of the area off its central coast when it conducts the drills on Monday.

It follows a verbal clash with China over sovereignty in the area.

China reacted angrily after Vietnam said a Chinese fishing boat rammed cables from an oil exploration vessel inside its exclusive economic zone.

Beijing said Chinese fishing boats were chased away by armed Vietnamese ships in the incident on Thursday.

One of the Chinese boats became tangled with the cables of a Vietnamese oil exploring vessel, which continued to drag the Chinese vessel for more than an hour before the net had to be cut, the foreign ministry said.

China accused Vietnam of "gravely violating" its sovereignty, saying Vietnam's actions had endangered Chinese sailors' lives, and warned it to stop "all invasive activities".

[Mr Lick]

China 'fake fines' gang members arrested across Asia



Hundreds of Chinese and Taiwanese citizens have been arrested in countries throughout Asia over a scam involving fake fines.

Police say the suspects contacted people in China and Taiwan and extorted money from them by claiming they had been issued with court summonses.
Some 170 suspects were held in Indonesia, and 166 more were arrested in Cambodia.

There were also arrests in Thailand and the Malaysian city of Kota Kinabalu.

Senior Malaysian police official Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said the gang would call their victims - most of whom were in China - and route calls through the internet to make it appear as if they were local.

"They would pose as a court officer and contact their victims claiming that one of their family members had been charged in court for an offence," he said.

"They would then provide a false number and when the victims call the number, they would be asked to pay a certain fee via a bank account in order to cancel the summonses."

The callers would also pretend that their victims owed traffic fines, according to a report in Malaysia's New Straits Times newspaper.

Thai police said the gang was also involved in scams where they would pose as bank staff.

Officials say thousands of people in China may have been taken in by the scammers.

Cambodian police chief Kirt Chantharith said the suspects would be sent back to China after being questioned.

[Mr Lick]

Former Irish finance minister Brian Lenihan has died



Former Irish finance minister Brian Lenihan has died at the age of 52.

Mr Lenihan, who was suffering from pancreatic cancer, was an MP for opposition party Fianna Fail.

As finance minister, he agreed the 100% bank guarantee and signed the bail-out deal with the IMF, the European Union and the European Central Bank.

He was a member of a political dynasty with his father Brian, his brother Conor, and his aunt Mary O'Rourke all serving in Irish governments.

Mr Lenihan had been fighting cancer since December 2009.

He had undergone intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

He had served as minister for justice and as the minister for children in previous Fianna Fail administrations.

[Mr Lick]

Mexico drugs war: Corruption grows on US border



Mexican drug cartels are increasingly targeting American border guards and customs agents with bribes and sexual favours, a US security official says.

Charles Edwards of the US Department of Homeland Security told a Senate committee the cartels were using what he called systematic corruption to smuggle drugs and migrants into the US.

He said the cartels were also seeking tip-offs about police investigations.
Another official said 127 US agents had been arrested or tried since 2004.

[Mr Lick]

Five Mexico players test positive for banned substance




Five Mexico internationals have tested positive for the banned substance Clenbuterol.

The players named are goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, defenders Francisco Rodriguez and Edgar Duenas and midfielders Antonio Naelson 'Sinha' and Christian Bermudez.

Mexico are taking part in Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States.

Despite the controversy, Mexico booked their place in the quarter-finals on Thursday with a 5-0 victory over Cuba.

"We will wait for the final result [of the investigation]," said Mexico coach Jose Manuel De La Torre after the game.

"Not having all the players hurt but we will be waiting for Concacaf's decision."

The general secretary of the Mexican Football Federation (Femexfut) Decio de Maria said the quintet had been suspended from the tournament.

[Mr Lick]

Guatemala disappearance: Former police chief arrested



More than 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during the Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war, most at the hands of the security forces


A former Guatemalan national police chief has been arrested over the disappearance of a student union leader during the country's civil war.

Hector Bol de la Cruz was arrested at his home in the Jutiapa region, in the south-east of the country.

He is accused of being behind the disappearance of Fernando Garcia, who has not been seen since he was arrested in Guatemala City in 1984.

Two former policemen were jailed 40 years each in 2010 for their role

[Mr Lick]

UN nuclear watchdog refers Syria to Security Council



The UN nuclear watchdog is to report Syria to the Security Council over its alleged covert nuclear programme.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted to rebuke Syria on claims of an undeclared nuclear reactor.

The structure, which Syria has maintained was a non-nuclear military site, was destroyed by Israel in 2007.

The IAEA's move comes as international pressure mounts on the UN Security Council to censure Syria over its lethal crackdown on protests.

European nations on Wednesday presented a separate draft resolution to the Council condemning Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

[Mr Lick]

Pakistan soldiers held over videoed killing in Karachi



Police in Karachi, Pakistan, say they have arrested two paramilitary soldiers seen on video killing a young man.

Video footage shows the man, Sarfaraz Shah, begging for his life before being shot by six members of the Sindh Rangers paramilitary force.

The Rangers say the young man was caught trying to rob someone. His family denies this.

An inquiry is already under way into the killing of five unarmed Chechens last month by the security forces.

The video from Karachi, which has been broadcast widely on Pakistani television, is disturbing to watch.

It shows a young man in a black T-shirt being dragged by his hair in a public park by a man in plain clothes.

He is pushed towards a group of Sindh Rangers who are in uniform and armed. The young man, who does not appear to be armed, pleads for his life as one of the Rangers points a gun at his neck.

A little later, a Ranger shoots him twice at close range, hitting him in the thigh. The young man is seen writhing on the ground, bleeding heavily and begging for help.

The paramilitaries remain close to the injured man but do nothing to help him. He died from his injuries.

The journalists' union in Karachi have said that the TV cameraman who shot the video had received threats and was being "pressured [by authorities] to say it was a fake".

Sarfaraz's brother, Salik Shah, said he had been the victim of an extrajudicial killing.

The incident has sparked an outcry with some politicians calling for the Rangers involved to be prosecuted.

[Mr Lick]

Tahawwur Rana convicted of aiding Mumbai attack group



A US jury has convicted a Chicago businessman of supporting an Islamic militant group blamed for the Mumbai attack in 2008.

But Tahawwur Rana, 50, was cleared of the more serious charge of helping plot the attack that killed more that 160 people in the Indian city.

The Chicago jury also convicted the Pakistani-born Canadian of helping an aborted attack on a Danish newspaper.

Rana is expected to be sentenced later and faces up to 30 years in prison.
Correspondents say the trial gave a rare glimpse into the workings of the Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which was blamed for the Mumbai attack.

[Mr Lick]

Islamabad, Pakistan: Men sitting on the back of a vehicle loaded with fruits and vegetables



Bangkok, Thailand: Supporters of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy hold up animal masks as they protest

[Mr Lick]

Havana, Cuba: A man takes pictures of his daughter as she sits in a convertible car on her 15th birthday



Ajmer, India: Muslim devotees offer prayers during the annual Urs festival

[Mr Lick]

Valparaiso, Chile: Students in body paint take part in a rally



Rafah, Gaza Strip: A chicken cracks an egg at a farm

[Mr Lick]

Sao Paulo, Brazil: A homeless person straightens her hair at the Boracea shelter

[Mr Lick]

Tel Aviv's annual Gay Pride parade

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Burma, an extraordinary journey

On his recent journey through Burma, Jonny Bealby of Wild Frontiers was awed by the astonishing, rarely-visited sights and warmth of the ordinary people



A highlight of the trip was visiting the amazing hidden caves of Po Win Taung. Up in the hills, well off any tourist trail, there are over 450 caves all of which still hold their original Buddhas. Used in the 17th century by a nearby monastery, it’s a surreal place that we shared with only three young girls and an army monkeys. This young monk was on his way to the monastery.



The Thanboddhay Paya, close to the town of Monywa and the Irrawaddy river, houses the most Buddhas anywhere in the world – a staggering 580,000.

[Mr Lick]

Standing 120m high, this newly-constructed Buddha at Monywa is the tallest in the world, according to our guide. Lying beneath it is the the world's largest reclining Buddha, which is hollow - people can walk inside its 90m length and view 9,000 small images of the Buddha and his disciples



This is the biggest Buddha at Po Win Taung. The 17th-century sleeping (or reclining) figure is hidden in a cave and is approximately 30 metres in length.

[Mr Lick]

This is a view of the Bagan temples at sunset. Arriving by boat from Monywa, we’d only been in area an hour or so and wanted to get to the best sunset site. Looking west, hundreds of the temples were lit up by the late evening sun.



The temples of Bagan are surrounded by farmland and I like the way this picture of women herding their cattle conveys the fact that although this is one of the world’s great sights, it is also a farm. There are no barriers, you simply go where you please.

[Mr Lick]

An old woman at Bagan market. A lot of them smoke these homemade cigars, made of tobacco rolled in a corn leaf. To help them burn a thin piece of palm is added.



The Thatbyinnyu temple, built in the 13th century, was a stone’s throw from my hotel at Bagan

[Mr Lick]

From Lake Inle, in the centre of the country, we took a motorised tail boat up a canal for about 45 minutes to the small village of Indein. Here we found over 1,600 temples – in various states of repair – and not another tourist in site. Our guide told us there are 1,000 such sites in Burma – I believed him.



This is the view is from the second floor of a stilted restaurant at Lake Inle. The boat in the foreground is carrying lotus stems which get stripped and turned into a very beautiful thread. They sell it for $250 a metre in a nearby handicraft shop.

[Mr Lick]

Fishing with traditional conical nets on Lake Inle. The fisherman drops the net over the fish, trapping it, then using a kind of long fork, he skewers it. To fish with both hands, they have developed a clever rowing technique, using only one leg.



We arrived in Mandalay at around 10am, in time to see the feeding of 1,200 monks. To gain merit, wealthy families sponsor a meal for all the monks of Arampura monastery. In this case a family had flown up from Rangoon specially for the occasion

[Mr Lick]

These are the 45 Buddhas of U Min Thonze Pagoda, built in the 11th century in Sagaing Hills, on the outskirts of Mandalay. There are donation boxes in front of some, which by using, people gain merit.



The Soon Oo Pon Nya Shin Pagoda, situated on Sagaing Hill. This entire hillside, covering thousands of acres, is dedicated to the religious life of the region, and is home to 1,002 monasteries, nunneries, temples and pagodas. Looking in just one direction, I counted over 50 golden pagodas.

[Mr Lick]

This group of nuns in Mandalay are heading out for their morning meal. As with the monks, the nuns will be fed by people eager to earn merit and improve their chances of a better life next time around. The nuns only have one meal a day



Maymyo, also known as Pyin Oo Lwin, was founded by a Colonel James May of the Bengal Infantry in 1886. Having just come out of the Botanical Gardens, we saw a truck full of novice nuns. They made a lovely picture.