World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Motown legacy gig at the White House




Soul singer Seal has performed at a concert celebrating Black History Month and the legacy of Motown Records, which was held at the White House in Washington





Motown founder Berry Gordy was there with lifetime friend and muscian Smokey Robinson - whose band The Miracles were the first to sign for Motown, then called Tamla Records

President Barack Obama spoke to the audience before the concert began. He called Motown's music "the soundtrack of the civil rights era".

[Mr Lick]

Christian Lambertsen, Inventor of Scuba Precursor, Dies at 93



When American commandos slipped into the sea off the coast of Burma in the last months of World War II and swam underwater to attach explosives to Japanese vessels, Capt. Christian J. Lambertsen often led them. After all, he had trained them to dive and had invented the breathing device that allowed them to stay below the waves.

“The naval special warfare community and the special operations community recognizes him today as the father of U.S. combat diving and swimming,” Mr. Hawkins said.

Dr. Lambertsen, an expert in respiratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, died on Feb. 11 at his home in Newtown Square, Pa., his son David said. He was 93.

[Mr Lick]

Kelsey Grammer marries Kayte Walsh in Broadway ceremony



Grammer, 56, exchanged vows with Kayte Walsh, 29, on stage at the Longacre theatre, where he has just finished a Tony-nominated run in the musical La Cage aux Folles.

[Mr Lick]

Tobruk, Libya: A wounded Libyan anti-regime protester lies in the intensive care unit of a hospital



Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Girls are taken for a ride on a bike to school



Milan, Italy: Models walk the runway during the Antonio Marras show as part of Milan fashion week autumn/winter 2011



Belgrade, Serbia: A man walks down railway tracks after heavy snowfall



Guatemala City: Maria Raimundo, whose husband and six sons were killed, allegedly by the Guatemalan army in 1984, carries crosses and flowers during a march on the National Day of Dignity



Mexico City: A migrant carries a wooden cross as he participates in a symbolic pilgrimage to celebrate the passage of a bill giving migrants legal rights



Shizuoka, Japan: Tea pickers work on the plantation of fourth-generation tea grower Masataka Ota, who has been awarded the highest prize in Japan for his fine teas



Sanaa, Yemen: Anti-government protestors shout slogans during a demonstration demanding the resignation of the Yemeni president, Ali Abdullah Saleh

[Mr Lick]

This weeks art shows




McCall's installations – like the one above at Hangar Bicocca, Milan (2009) – use film and DVD projections not to create pictures but to craft ephemeral sculpture with shards of light, standing out against the gloom like a celestial visitation. Be illuminated at Ambika P3, NW1, until 27 March and catch his Works On Paper at Sprüth Magers, W1, from Tuesday until the 26



Hew Locke, Sway
Starchitect picks up where Locke's 2002 work Cardboard Palace left off, dividing ArtSway into grottoes with a starry firmament of cardboard trellises framing ornate reworkings of tat-shop finds. Get to along to the gallery in Sway, Hampshire, by 3 April



Juliette Blightman, Birmingham
You enter to a soundtrack of the Blue Orchids song until 2 April



Pino Pascali, London
This treat of a show focuses on what would prove the sculptor, painter, performer and joker's final works, made in the 18 months before he died in a motorcycle accident. Constantly questioning what sculpture is, his creations include a giant fake-fur spider (La vedova blu, 1968, above), a fisherman's net made with braided steel wool and a monstrous hairy mushroom. Make the trip to Camden Arts Centre, NW1, from Friday to 1 May



Dutton and Swindells, Leeds
The collaborative duo presents The Stag and Hound, a far-from-sober installation of pub-minded waywardness. Artists-turned-academics through necessity, the pair use their ongoing Institute of Beasts projects to let off some irreverent steam. Pop over to Project Space Leeds by 26 March

[Mr Lick]

UK Uncut inspires US groups to attack cuts and tax avoidance



RBS to be focus of latest British demonstrations, while activists' counterpart will target Bank of America

According to US Uncut, nearly two-thirds of US corporations and 68% of foreign firms operating in the US pay no income tax. A study from the non-partisan US Government Accountability Office found that 83 of the top 100 publicly traded corporations in the US use corporate tax havens to minimise their tax bills.

[Mr Lick]

Italy v Wales - 6 Nations Rugby




Italy coach Nick Mallett is in a jovial mood ahead of his team's Six Nations clash against Wales at Stadio Flaminio even though the Italians have won just two of their previous 15 encounters against the Welsh.





In a breathtaking start, Wales hit back after conceding an early try to go 15-8 ahead thanks to Sam Warburton's first international try. The flanker is a beneficiary of lovely play between Shane Williams and Lee Byrne.



A disallowed try by Wales - deemed a forward pass



Stephen Jones puts Wales ahead 21-11 before the break wth 2 penalty kicks



The Italian captain goes over to pull the score back to 21-16



Mirco Bergomasco hasn't quite got his kicking boots on today as he misses a penalty and conversion



Wales centre James Hook has a quiet second half but still manages to score a drop-goal to take his sides lead to 24-16 with 7 minutes remaining



The travelling fans jubilant as Wales cling on to a 24-16 victory

[Mr Lick]

The EPL







Aston Villa 4 Blackburn 1





Everton 2 Sunderland 0








Newcastle 1 Bolton 1










Wigan 0 Man U 4






Fight!







Wolves 4 Blackpool 0

[Mr Lick]

England v France - 6 Nations Rugby



A very naughty frenchman sipping Champagne before the match



2 of England's best players hanging around the dressing room



Fans of Rod Hull's Emu flock to the stadium



Freeloaders at Rugby HQ



A tense start to the match



Toby Flood in exemplary form with the boot as he steers England level at the break, 9-9



Those nasty frenchmen again trying to scratch someone's eyes out



The very beautiful Ben Foden going over in true gladiator style. Shock horror as Toby Flood misses the conversion but England lead 14-9



If you want to fcuk a cockerel use a Jonny, as the sayng goes. Wilkinson on!



He's a very lovely boy! Wilkinson kicks a pen and boosts England's score to 17-9. It's game, set and a possible Grand Slam as once again the invaders go home with their beaks between their legs. No cock fighting in the dressing room please chaps!



MoM Palmer (Harry?) celebrates the final whistle. 3 wins out of 3 with Scotland and the mad Irish to come.

[Mr Lick]

Czech author Arnost Lustig dies aged 84



Czech author Arnost Lustig, a survivor of the Holocaust who later wrote about it in his fiction, has died aged 84.

The writer, whose novels included A Prayer for Katerina Horowitzova and Darkness Casts No Shadow, had been suffering from cancer for five years.

[Mr Lick]

BBC Serbian language service waves goodbye


The BBC World Service closes several of its language services including Serbian, Portuguese for Africa and English for the Caribbean.



The BBC's Yugoslav Service began broadcasting from Bush House in 1939



Josip Broz Tito was president of Yugoslavia from 1953 until 1980

[Mr Lick]

The Accenture World Matchplay Championship from Arizona




England's Luke Donald in good form as he goes 4 up against Ryan Moore on the front 9



Germany's Martin Kaymer finding it a bit on the chilly side in his match against Spain's Miguel Jimenez



S.Korea's Y.E.Yang strides along the 14th fairway but was eventually beaten by Matt Kuchar (far right) in ther quarter-final



J.B Holmes struggling in the desert





Matt Kuchar on the tee











Tiger in an earlier round



Free drop!



Martin Kaymer became the world's No 1 Golfer when he defeated Bubba Watson (1 UP) in the semi-final of the WGC. He will play Luke Donald in the final who defeated Matt Kuchar 6 & 5 in his semi. Looking forward it, should be an extremely close contest.

[Mr Lick]

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole shoots student at club's training ground



England defender Ashley Cole accidentally shot and wounded a 21-year-old student on work experience at his club's Cobham training ground, it was revealed last night.
The Chelsea left-back was reported to have been "larking about" with a .22 calibre air rifle when he fired at student Tom Cowan from just five feet away.

[Mr Lick]

A sneak preview of next weeks Geneva Motor Show



Aston Martin Vantage S



BMW Vision Connected Drive



Nissan ESFlow



Renault Capture (have the French reinvented the wheel?)



Hyundai Veloster

[Mr Lick]

Couldn't leave the bikers out - Here are some pics from the recent North American International M/C Supershow held in Toronto, yes, i know that's in Canada.





He's probably asking where you actually sit on the beast

The Legendary "Gunga Din" drew gasps and wonder from those who knew the history of this one-of-a-kind Vincent Motorcycle. Taking the spotlight in Hall 4A, the Vintage and Classics Hall with it's centrally themed "Century of Motorcycles" display, it was the perfect setting to have the first Canadian viewing of this recently aquired gem, and give people the opportunity to see this bike 'in real life'.

Direct From Hell!... Rising up through the floor from the bowels of the earth, crashing through a fissure of broken glass and brimstone... OK maybe a little dramatic but what a display! Right in front of the Canada Cup Championship stage this was a display you couldn't miss featuring a gorgeous motorcycle called "Devil's Own". Owned by Danny Verrilli and painted by Vince Goodeve, their bike ended up taking Best Display in Show, Best Sign, and 5th Place in the Pro Builders Competition.

This year's Big Winner, "Blade" built by Frederic Vaillancourt (r) of the Rat Shop in Quebec and owned by Jean Poitras (l), was judged Best Bike in Show which gives them the coveted Canada Cup and $12,000 cash! Blade also won Best Engine, and Best Bodywork for an additional $400 cash.

And here is Glasgow Kiss, our third place finisher in the Pro Builders Class, winning $3,500 cash for builder Robbie Kerr who drove all the way from B.C. with his bike after just getting back from the Ultimate Builders Championship in Seattle where he took the Arlen Ness prize for innovation, among other awards. A surprising last minute entry for the SUPERSHOW and we were pleased to have it there.

The Used Bike Markets featured an impressive selection of motorcycles for those looking for a previously ridden model. There were bikes of every description between the Hall 5 Custom Bike Market (pictured here), the Hall 3A Used Bike Market and the Hall 4A Vintage Bike Market, with great prices and some pretty serious negotiations going on all weekend.

The Canadian Sidecar Owners Club put on a fantastic sidecar display themed "Supporting our Troops", in Hall 2 at SUPERSHOW 2011. It was such a supreme effort and a fantastic theme that they ended up winning Best Club Display in Show with a top prize of $300 and the admiration of all the other clubs who were judged along with them. For a complete list of the Club Awards visit the Showbike Awards Winners Page.

Some innovative ways of showing off classic machinery were seen in Hall 4A's Century of Motorcycles display such as this Bimota (above) and the Valmobile (below) shown packed in its own suitcase! All part of showcasing the evolution of the motorcycle and the thought processes behind creating the next great design. Hmmm. Maybe someday there will be electric motorcycles!

Danny Haig's tricked out Kawasaki Ninja was part of the stunning Champion Cycle display in Hall 5. You might have seen a segment on Discovery Channel's Daily Planet featuring Danny putting this bike together for the SUPERSHOW. He ended up sweeping the Competition Drag class and also took first and second place in the Street Drag class.

Where has she parked her bike? Ok, i can guess!

[Mr Lick]

Staying with Motor Shows here's a recent one from Qatar, get ready to drool



I want one!



I want one!
















Gorgeous! The girls aren't bad either

[Davis Knowlton]

Some very cool looking bikes, but I have to wonder about the comfort factor in riding most of them any distance.

[Mr Lick]

Agree DK, made for small, firm and young bottoms



Pakistani police officials and firefighters gather beside flames which erupted from the wreckage of NATO oil tankers following an unexploded timed device blast at a terminal on the outskirts of Peshawar on Feb 26. Four NATO tankers gutted by a series of blasts on Feb. 25 caught fire again when an unexploded timed device went off, wounding two people in northwestern Pakistan, police said. More than two dozen militants had struck a terminal on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar on Feb. 25 and planted devices on 12 out of 18 parked tankers carrying fuel for NATO troops in neighbouring Afghanistan



An election worker re-counts ballots as ballot boxes are opened and counting begins for the Irish General Election at the Theater Royal count centre in Castlebar, Ireland, Feb. 26. Ireland's ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in elections amid public anger over the economic crisis and an EU-IMF bailout, exit polls said today, with the opposition set to take power.



People seeking to flee Libya



From Drugs to Mugs






































The toll of drug addiction

[Mr Lick]

COUGAR, Wash. — A couple missing from Vancouver, Wash. was found alive Friday after spending several days trapped in a snowbank in their vehicle.
Family members said John and Pat Norvell — both 63 and diabetic, dependent upon insulin — were driving on Monday near the Ape Caves near Cougar, Wash. when they slid into a ditch and became stuck. They were stranded for days, left with only water to survive until they were found.
"Four-wheel drive wasn't working, and they were stuck at that point," said family member Leland Foster. "They kept turning on and off the vehicle to keep the heat

On Friday, John left the car for a bathroom break and saw a woman in the roadway — and he began shouting for help.

[Mr Lick]

Wisconsin in limbo



Benita Johnson, recording secretary for the Transport Workers Union, shouts near the State Capitol building during protests against the proposed budget cuts from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in Madison February 25, 2011.




Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) and Glenn Grothman (L) before the start of a Senate hearing at the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, February 25, 2011.



Protestors continue to occupy the state Capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, February 25, 2011.





Demonstrators march around the State Capitol building as they protest against the proposed budget cuts from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, in Madison February 25, 2011.










Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker pauses for a moment in the governor conference room at the State Capital to give a fireside chat in Madison

[Mr Lick]

After Madoff: Most Notable Ponzi Scams



Luis Felipe Perez


Nine people in South Florida are facing bank fraud conspiracy charges for their alleged roles in a $12 million scam to obtain commercial lines of credit.

Federal prosecutors said in early February the case stems from a $40 million Ponzi scheme operated by 38-year-old Luis Felipe Perez of Fort Lauderdale. Perez pleaded guilty last year to securities fraud and is serving a 10-year prison sentence.

The latest charges involved an accountant who worked with Perez. Prosecutors say the accountant prepared false loan applications, tax returns, personal financial statements and other documents to help others fraudulently obtain loans from Wells Fargo Bank.

The accountant, 61-year-old Berta Sanders, also previously pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.




Guy Albert de Chimay

This money manager who claimed to have ties to Belgian royalty pleaded guilty in early February to running a Ponzi scheme that resulted in the theft of more than $7 million, according to Manhattan's district attorney.

Guy Albert de Chimay, 47, pleaded guilty to four felony counts including grand larceny, scheming to defraud, forgery and violating the Martin Act, a New York state securities law, the district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said.

Vance's office recommended a three- to nine-year prison term for de Chimay.






Gerard Cellette Jr., 46, was sentenced to eight years in prison in December, 2010 after pleading guilty earlier in the year to 36 counts of securities fraud in a scheme linked to phony contracts for his printing business. But in an unusual arrangement, he willingly went into custody in 2009 to begin his sentence.




James W. "Bill" Bailey Jr.

An Asheville, N.C., businessman was charged in early February with running a Ponzi scheme that cheated investors out of $13 million over the last decade.

Yet to be sentenced




Scott Rothstein

South Florida attorney Scott Rothstein was the mastermind behind the biggest Ponzi scheme in that state's history. Known for his lavish spending and charitable contributions, Rothstein also helped raise money for 2008 Presidential hopeful John McCain.

In June of 2010, he received a 50-year prison sentence for running a $1.2 billion investment scam through his firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. Rothstein said he didn't deserve more than 30 years because he pleaded guilty, spilled his guts to the feds and participated in an FBI sting that took down a reputed Italian Mafia figure. But federal prosecutors, while recognizing his cooperation, weren't willing to be so generous. They wanted the 47-year-old, who is expected to enter a federal witness protection program, to serve 40 years behind bars.




Brian Kim

A federal court has frozen assets held by New York firm Liquid Capital Management after the U.S. futures regulator said it fraudulently solicited $2.1 million in investments in a commodity futures pool.

Currently at large




Nicholas Cosmo


Nicholas Cosmo, the Long Island man accused of running a $380 million Ponzi scheme was arrested in January, 2009, on one count of mail fraud. He and a cadre of brokers at Agape World allegedly persuaded over 1,000 investors to give them money in exchange for returns of up to 60 percent.

This is not Cosmo's first brush with the law. He served 21 months in prison starting in 1999 for financial fraud.

Awaiting sentencing





Terry Freeman

Former GFX Capital director Terry Freeman, 61, was arrested in February, 2009, for setting up a scheme that defrauded investors out of $22.4 million.

In early 2011, he admitted to fraudulent trading and a string of other offenses. He was sentenced in mid-February to eight years in jail. The judge said that, while the case was "not a classic ponzi-type fraud" it was "one of the most serious cases of this type" he had encountered.

[Mr Lick]

More multi million scams




Monroe Beachy

An Amish man accused of defrauding members of his church and community in what amounted to a long-running Ponzi scheme reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in early February.

Beachy is accused of raising at least $33 million from more than 2,600 investors between 1986 and 2010, and telling them he was putting their money into risk-free government securities when in fact he was trading junk bonds and other high-risk instruments.

Under the terms of the settlement, the SEC will not seek a financial penalty from Beachy, 77, provided he abides by federal securities law in the future.



Charles Hays

The CFTC filed a complaint in 2008 against Charles Hays charging that he and his company, Crossfire Trading, solicited about $40 million for trades on stock index and crude oil futures.

Hays did make some trades. But he also spent his clients' money on personal expenses, including a $4 million yacht. In the end, he lost or misappropriated about half of his clients' money, StarTribune.com reports.

Hays was sentenced to 117 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $21 million in restitution in the criminal case. Earlier this year, U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank approved a motion by the U.S. Commodities and Futures Trading Commission to impose a civil fine on Hays equal to three times the restitution amount: nearly $64.8 million.




Arthur L. Heffelfinger


Arthur L. Heffelfinger, a former broker with KMS Financial Services, pleaded guilty in July, 2010, to theft and to operating a Ponzi scheme. The scheme ran from February 2001 to September 2009 in at least seven Montana counties.

Heffelfinger was accused of using $739,724 of his clients' investment money for his personal use. In January, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the Ponzi scheme. He also was ordered to pay nearly $1 million in restitution to his victims.

Heffelfinger pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of exploitation of an elderly person, saying he didn't know the woman's mental abilities were declining. On Tuesday, Seeley sentenced him to 10 years in prison on the exploitation charge. The term will run concurrent to his other sentences.




David Hernandez


David Hernandez
Former Webio executive David Hernandez was sentenced in January to more than 16 years in prison for swindling 250-plus investors out of $6.4 million in a Ponzi scheme.

Hernandez, 50, reportedly ran the fraud for two years before it collapsed in June 2009. He approached more than 300 people to invest $13 million via his business, NextStep Financial Services. He used the funds in part for a highly-publicized Chicago Internet radio venture, Webio, which also went bust.





Arthur Nadel


Arthur Nadel, a fund manager whose $168 million fraud was one of several that collapsed in the declining economy and left hundreds of investors without their money, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in October, 2010.

Nadel, 77, dubbed "mini-Madoff" in his home state of Florida, was excoriated as "evil" and "a loser" by one of his victims during the sentencing proceeding in U.S. District Court in New York.




Allen Stanford


Two years after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the Stanford Financial Group of running a $7 billion global Ponzi scheme, only about $188 million has been recovered for investors—or about two-and-a-half cents on the dollar—according to a new report by the attorneys who are rounding up the assets.


Be careful, investments bankers are still breathing and want your money

[Mr Lick]

Libya unrest continues




A man walks through roadblocks made by residents in the Tajoura district of eastern Tripoli



Chinese citizens wait aboard the Palermo Grimaldi ferry at the harbor in Valletta, Malta, after being evacuated from Benghazi, Libya



People take part in a demonstration in support of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi at Green Square in Tripoli


Egyptians who used to work in Libya and who are fleeing unrest wait at the Tunisia-Libyan border



HMS Cumberland arrives from Libya at the Maltese port of Valletta in the Mediterranean Sea, with 68 British citizens among its cargo of evacuees



Egyptians who used to work in Libya and fled the unrest in the country wait at the Tunisia-Libya border



The mother of Salem Al-Moqlah, a Libyan who was killed in the recent clashes, reacts next to his grave in a cemetery in Benghazi



A woman takes part in an impromptu demonstration in support of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi at Green Square in Tripoli



Mourners carry the coffin at the funeral of Anwar Algadi, 44, killed during clashes with pro-regime forces, in the Tajoura district of eastern Tripoli





A man carrying bread from a bakery walks past felled palm trees used as roadblocks by residents in the Tajoura district of eastern Tripoli



A Libyan army paratrooper who defected and joined the popular uprising in Benghazi

[Mr Lick]

Peshawar, Pakistan: People watch burning Nato fuel tankers after a bomb explosion



Christchurch, New Zealand: A suburban street is cleared after the recent earthquake



Zagreb, Croatia: Policemen clash with protesters during an anti-government protest



Lima, Peru: Children are buried up to their necks in the sand of Agua Dulce beach



Sana'a, Yemen: An elderly anti-government protester holds up a dagger during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh
A potential Shakespearian actor?



Manama, Bahrain: Anti-government protesters hold up a banner bearing photographs of people killed in recent demonstrations



Constitucion, Chile: Relatives and friends of the victims of the February 2010 earthquake and tsunami sail near Orrego Island during a vigil



Tobruk, Libya: Protesters chant slogans against the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, during a demonstration opposing the regime



Beijing, China: Visitors to a park are reflected in the water of a lake after snowfall



Algiers, Algeria: Said Sadi, leader of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) party, flashes a victory sign as he stands atop a police vehicle during a protest. The event was part of the first demonstrations held in Algeria since the lifting of the 19-year-old state of emergency earlier this week



Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Jayathas, leader of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), shouts a slogan as he is detained by police officers during a rally against racism



Ras Jdir, Tunisia: Migrant workers who recently fled Libya try to board a bus that is to take them to a transit camp. Room for one more inside sir!



Ciudad Juarez, Mexico: Relatives and friends attend the funeral of two teenage girls killed by hitmen who were unable to find their father, an alleged drug dealer



Tirreno sea, Italy: An offshore floating oil platform off the coast of Civitavecchia

[Mr Lick]

Miniature street art




Fantastic Voyage, 2011, by London-based street artist Slinkachu who creates installations in finely-detailed miniature using litter and cut up train set figures less than 4cm tall. "It is a strange kind of buzz abandoning your creations on the street," he says



A wider view of Slinkachu's Fantastic Voyage installation in Wandsworth, South London. "I don't hang around to see what happens to the work," he says



Slinkachu's Relics, 2009. "I like taking something grubby and making it beautiful."





Bones, 2011, by Slinkachu. The artist will exhibit photographs of his past work as well as new installations at the Andipa Gallery, London SW3, from 3 March



Isaac Cordal is another sculptor of miniature street art working in London. This typically poignant work, Follow the Leader, is from his Cement Eclipses series, placed in a Hackney puddle in 2010



Another Public Swimming Pool, 2010, Isaac Cordal. Cordal is realistic about the likelihood of his work getting damaged or stolen, although he says "street art is for everyone. I don't leave them on the street for people to take"





The Tenant, 2010, Isaac Cordal.







Summer in London, 2010. Isaac Cordal's book Cement Eclipses is published by Carpet Bombing Culture in May 2011