World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Next up is the big race - The Sussex Stakes, and Canford Cliffs seems to be in a happy nay confident mood as he makes his way to the start



...whereas Frankel looks focused



Though there's four runners lining up, in reality it's a two horse race between Frankel and Canford Cliffs. From the halfway point Frankel gradually increases the pace and charges past his rival with 2 furlongs to go

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Canford Cliffs drifts across the course in the closing stages but he's nowhere near as the 8-13 favourite powers his way to the line and takes the race by five lengths

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Tom Queally is interviewed by the media following his victory



Frankel's trainer Sir Henry Cecil is also interviewed after their Sussex Stakes victory and says "I think he is the best horse I have ever seen

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Typhoon floods Manila

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Sign of the Apocalypse?
As fears escalate that the U.S. might, in fact, default on its debt obligations in less than a week, activists from all sides of the debate are sending conflicting messages to Congress.



Backing His President
A man fires a rifle at protesters calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday in the Yemen city of Ibb, southwest of the country's capital, Sanaa.

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Big Time Ballooning
343 balloons ascend in Chambley-Bussieres, France, in the process setting a world record for the most balloons taking off simultaneously.



South Korean Rain, Mudslides Kill 36
A car drives through a flooded street after heavy rain in Seoul, South Korea. Floods and mudslides have shut down dozens of major roads and are responsible for at least 36 deaths.

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London 2012: Inside the Olympic Aquatics Centre




The Zaha Hadid designed Aquatics Centre

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After the games the number of side seating wings will be reduced to a maximum of 2,500

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The centre will have a capacity of 17,500 during the games

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Two die as Boeing 747 cargo jet crashes off South Korea



Both pilots aboard a China-bound Boeing 747 cargo jet were killed when it crashed off South Korea after experiencing mechanical problems.

The plane, which was flying for South Korea's Asiana Airlines, came down off Jeju island in the very south of the country, local media report.

It had left Incheon en route to Pudong in China.

A South Korean coast guard boat found debris from the jet in waters about 107km (66 miles) west of Jeju city.

After taking off at 0305 (1800 GMT) the plane disappeared from radar at 0409 while trying to reach Jeju airport, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reports.

The wreckage was spotted at 0640.

Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed.

Heavy rain has lashed South Korea this week, with landslides and floods killing dozens and causing havoc, but Asiana Airlines said it was unclear whether the weather had caused any problems for the plane.

The 747, nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, has been in service around the world for more than four decades, and is still in production.

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US debt: Boehner tells Republicans to 'fall in line'



Speaker John Boehner is urging Republicans in the House of Representatives to back his plan to cut the US budget and raise the debt limit.

Mr Boehner's appeal to conservative House Republicans came despite a White House veto threat and rejection from Democratic leaders in the Senate.

Wall Street suffered its worst day in two months, as fears mounted the US would fail to authorise more borrowing.

The US risks default if the debt limit is not raised by 2 August.

The federal government runs a budget deficit that topped $1.5tn (£920bn) earlier this year, and has amassed a national debt of $14.3tn.

Mr Boehner's plan would trim $917bn from the US budget deficit over 10 years and would raise the debt limit by up to $900bn.

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Skeleton found in Louisiana bank chimney identified




Skeletal remains found in the chimney of a bank in the US state of Louisiana have been identified as those of a man who has been missing for 27 years.

The bones, which forensics said belonged to Joseph W Schexnider, were discovered by workers in May after the Bank of Abbeville began renovations.

Schexnider, who vanished at the age of 22 in 1984, was wanted by police for the possession of a stolen vehicle.

Police speculated the Louisiana native starved to death in the chimney.

Investigators are baffled by the bizarre discovery, but said there was no sign of foul play.

One theory is that Schexnider, whose bones were found with gloves and cigarette lighter, may have been trying to rob the bank, and became stuck in the chimney.

The bank closed off the chimney in the mid to late 1980s.

Tests carried out at a forensics lab at Louisiana State University established the remains were those of Schexnider.

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Rebecca Aylward murder: Joshua Davies, 16, found guilty




A 16-year-old boy who battered his former girlfriend to death has been publicly named for the first time after being found guilty of her murder.

Rebecca Aylward, 15, from Maesteg, was lured into a wood in Aberkenfig, near Bridgend, in October 2010.

Swansea Crown Court heard Joshua Davies "sometimes" hated Rebecca and a friend offered to buy him breakfast after suggesting that he "get rid of her".

Davies denied murder blaming his friend but will be sentenced in September.

An order banning the identification of Joshua Davies was lifted after he was convicted by a 10-2 majority verdict following the trial.

Rebecca's family clapped and shouted "yes" as the verdict was delivered after 19 hours and 55 minutes of deliberation, which began last Friday afternoon.


The defendant's mother was in tears, but he showed no emotion as the verdict was read out.
The Judge Mr Justice Lloyd Jones said Davies would be in custody for a long time, and he would have to decide on the minimum period in detention before he could be considered for parole.

Rebecca Aylward's body was found in woodland near Bridgend


He added: "This is a crime in a small and closely-knit community and its right that the public should know there has been a conviction and who has been convicted.

"I accept that the weight given to the welfare of the boy changes now he has been convicted of a very serious offence."

The jury was told during the four-week trial that she died of head injuries caused by a rock, and was found still wearing new clothes bought for her the day before her death.

Rebecca's mother Sonia reported her missing when she failed to arrive back at the family home in Maesteg, near Bridgend.
Her body was found face down in the woods the next day.

The jury heard that the defendant had admitted to "sometimes" hating Rebecca and that he openly plotted to murder her sending chilling text messages to his friends about how he planned to do it.

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Feathers fly in first bird debate




A chicken-sized dinosaur fossil found in China may have overturned a long-held theory about the origin of birds.

For 150 years, a species called Archaeopteryx has been regarded as the first true bird, representing a major evolutionary step away from dinosaurs.

But the new fossil suggests this creature was just another feathery dinosaur and not the significant link that palaeontologists had believed.

Its discovery and features are reported in the journal Nature.

The authors of the report argue that three other species named in the past decade might now be serious contenders for the title of "the oldest bird".



Archaeopteryx is one of the most famous fossil creatures ever found

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Serbs attack Kosovo border post as violence flares





Ethnic Serbs have attacked and set fire to a security post on Kosovo's northern border with Serbia.

They reject Kosovan independence and were protesting over attempts by police to take control of the border.

After the Kosovo police withdrew, it appeared a deal had been struck and there was a lull, but the Serbs attacked again in the early evening.

Serbia's President, Boris Tadic, has urged an immediate end to the violence, calling the protesters "hooligans".

The latest outburst prompted Nato peacekeepers to deploy at the Jarinje crossing, and at another crossing which they feared could also be targeted.

There are as yet no reports of injuries, but these are the worst clashes in several months, according to the BBC's Mark Lowen in Belgrade, Serbia.

One of the Kosovan police officers was killed and several others wounded in the initial operation, when local ethnic Serbs shot at them.

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Libya condemns UK for recognising rebels as sole power



British police entered the Libyan embassy on Wednesday


Tripoli has condemned the UK for recognising the rebels as Libya's "sole governmental authority" after similar moves by France and the US.

Khaled Kaim, deputy foreign minister in Muammar Gaddafi's government, told reporters the decision was unprecedented and irresponsible.

Libya would seek to reverse the decision through the courts, he said.

Britain has ordered the expulsion of all eight remaining Gaddafi diplomats in the UK.

The rebel leadership, the National Transitional Council (NTC), has put forward Mahmud al-Naku, a writer and journalist, as the new Libyan ambassador in London.

He told the BBC he has been in exile for 33 years because of his opposition to the Gaddafi regime.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the NTC had shown its commitment to a "more open and democratic Libya... in stark contrast to Gaddafi whose brutality against the Libyan people [had] stripped him of all legitimacy".

The green flag of the Gaddafi government was still flying outside the Libyan embassy in Knightsbridge on Wednesday afternoon as protesters carrying the red, green and black flag of the rebels gathered outside.

Folllowing the US decision to recognise the NTC two weeks ago, the BBC has been told the US has now received an "official request" from the rebels to reopen the Libyan embassy in Washington.

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Hamas executes Palestinians convicted of collaboration




The Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip have executed two men who were convicted of collaboration with Israel.

A statement from the interior ministry in the Palestinian territory did not say how the men were killed.

Angry family members of one of the executed men burned tyres and blocked a road in protest, the Associated Press news agency reported.

In May, a military court in Gaza sentenced a man to death by firing squad for collaborating with Israel.

Hamas governs the Gaza Strip. It won parliamentary elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006, but seized sole control of Gaza the following year.

The Islamist movement is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union

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UK boost for Bolivian battle against cocaine production





The British government has announced a new co-operation deal with Bolivia in the fight against drug trafficking.

During a two-day visit to Bolivia, Britain's Minister for Latin America, Jeremy Browne, said the Serious Organised Crime Agency in London will join forces with the counter-narcotics police in La Paz.

Significant quantities of Bolivian cocaine end up on the streets of Britain.

An example of the co-operation that already exists between Britain and Bolivia in the fight against drug trafficking was shown off during the ministerial visit.

Mr Browne saw for himself how more than £500m ($700m) from Britain has funded the building a forensic drug laboratory, which has proved successful in analysing and verifying evidence in drug smuggling cases.

And Mr Browne outlined the aim of British police working more closely with their Bolivian counterparts in future: "The main purpose of this co-operation will be to provide training on investigative techniques to combat drug smuggling."



Jeremy Browne (r) aims to enhance the investigative techniques of Bolivian police


And he recognised Britain's responsibility as one of the top consumers in Europe of Bolivian cocaine: "We are trying to reduce the demand for drugs in Britain, but we also realise that we do have a responsibility to try to reduce the supply."

Mr Browne called on the Bolivian government to reduce its production of coca, the raw material for making cocaine, which is grown legally in Bolivia for cultural and medicinal purposes.

According to the United Nations, more than 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) are given over to coca farming in Bolivia.

The authorities acknowledge that half of that area supplies drug traffickers.

Independent estimates of illicit cultivation are higher

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South Korea floods and landslides

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