World News in Pictures

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The elite men follow suit, with current world champion Javier Gómez from Spain nearest the camera



In the amateur race, every extra inch could count. They'd better hope the officials aren't looking

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Some of the amateurs can barely drag themselves out of the water. This chap is suffering from what look like rather excruciating cramp

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Britain's Alistair Brownlee grabs his bike ahead of Russian triathlete Alexander Brukhankov

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The lead pack of elite female runners, led by Britain's Helen Jenkins, run along the bank of the river



Jenkins crosses the finishing line first to win the elite women's race

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And then collapses to the floor



And she's not the only one. Melanie Annaheim of Switzerland goes down at the finish next to the exhausted Lisa Norden of Sweden



Annaheim has to be carried away for medical help

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At least one person looks full of beans as he crosses the finish line. Alistair Brownlee, an Olympic medal hope for Team GB, was so far ahead of his rivals in the men's race he walked the final few metres and high-fived the crowds. His brother Jonathan Brownlee came in third

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Saudi Arabia withdraws ambassador from Syria



Saudi Arabia says it is withdrawing its ambassador from Syria in protest against the crackdown on Syrian anti-government demonstrators.

In a statement broadcast across the Arab world, King Abdullah said the violence was "unacceptable".

It came hours after the Arab League issued its first official condemnation of the repression in Syria.

The BBC's Middle East correspondent says the move is a major escalation in international pressure on Damascus.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia... demands an end to the death machine and bloodshed and calls for acts of wisdom before it is too late," King Abdullah said in a statement broadcast by al-Arabiya television.

"What is happening in Syria is not acceptable for Saudi Arabia. Either it (Syria) chooses wisdom on its own or it will be pulled down into the depths of turmoil and loss."

BBC Middle East correspondent Jon Leyne says the statement seems to be a co-ordinated move, following the Arab League's own communique on Syria.

The 22-member league said it was "alarmed" by the situation in the country and called for an immediate end to the violence.

The six-nation Gulf Co-operation Council also issued its first comments about the unrest on Sunday, condemning the "excessive use of force" and calling for an "immediate end to the violence".

Our correspondent says the latest developments leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad even more isolated.

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Asian stock markets dip on global economic growth fears



Asian stock markets have fallen on Monday, extending one of the worst sell offs in recent years, on concerns about the state of the global economy.

Japan's main Nikkei 225 index fell 0.9%, with South Korea's Kospi down 1.5%.

Friday saw shares slump globally, and market jitters were fanned by Standard & Poor's decision to cut the US debt rating.

Analysts warned that markets would remain volatile in coming weeks.

With an increased sense of economic risk, investors were making changes to their asset holdings.

As a result, they sold crude oil on Monday, with the main US contract down almost 3%, on concerns demand would slide.

Gold, meanwhile, gained in Asian trading as investors looked to buy assets that offered less risk.

However, some analysts said that declines in the stock markets were overdone and the better growth outlook for Asia's main economies meant that investors would use the slump in share prices as a buying opportunity.

"This is a knee jerk reaction," said Arjuna Mahendran of HSBC Private Bank.
"There will be a rotation towards buying Asia. Money will flow from developed to emerging markets."

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Antimatter belt around Earth discovered by Pamela craft




A thin band of antimatter particles called antiprotons enveloping the Earth has been spotted for the first time.

The find,described in Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirms theoretical work that predicted the Earth's magnetic field could trap antimatter.

The team says a small number of antiprotons lie between the Van Allen belts of trapped "normal" matter.

The researchers say there may be enough to implement a scheme using antimatter to fuel future spacecraft.

The antiprotons were spotted by the Pamela satellite (an acronym for Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) - launched in 2006 to study the nature of high-energy particles from the Sun and from beyond our Solar System - so-called cosmic rays.

These cosmic ray particles can slam into molecules that make up the Earth's atmosphere, creating showers of particles.

Many of the cosmic ray particles or these "daughter" particles they create are caught in the Van Allen belts, doughnut-shaped regions where the Earth's magnetic field traps them.

Among Pamela's goals was to specifically look for small numbers of antimatter particles among the far more abundant normal matter particles such as protons and the nuclei of helium atoms.

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Jonathan and Emma Gray killed on Maldives honeymoon




A couple from West Yorkshire were killed in a quadbiking accident while on their honeymoon in the Maldives, police on the holiday island have said.

Jonathan and Emma Gray, from Halifax, were found injured on Saturday on a roadside at the Kuredu Island Resort and Spa where they were staying.

The pair, both 25, were married at St Bartholomew's Church in Ripponden, near Halifax, on 30 July.

The couple had a six-month-old son, Jake, who was not with them on holiday.
A third person was also injured in the crash and is in hospital.

The British couple had been found injured by the roadside of the resort at about 0400 local time, Maldives police said.




The Reverend Martin Russell, who knew Emma Gray, said the community was shocked




A special investigation unit from Maldives police headquarters has been sent to the scene.

Mrs Gray worked as a teacher at Holy Trinity Primary School in Halifax. School governor Reverend Martin Russell described her as a very popular and enthusiastic member of staff who "loved her children".

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Exercise should be 'standard part of cancer care'



All patients getting cancer treatment should be told to do two and a half hours of physical exercise every week, says a report by Macmillan Cancer Support.

Being advised to rest and take it easy after treatment is an outdated view, the charity says.

Research shows that exercise can reduce the risk of dying from cancer and minimise the side effects of treatment.

The Department of Health says local initiatives can get people moving.

Macmillan's report, Move More, says that of the two million cancer survivors in the UK, around 1.6 million are not physically active enough.

Adult cancer patients and cancer survivors should undertake 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, the reports says, which is what the Department of Health guidelines recommend.

In the report, the American College of Sports Medicine also recommends that exercise is safe during and after most types of cancer treatment and says survivors should avoid inactivity.

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Delhi autorickshaws say no to satnav




The tens of thousands of green and yellow autorickshaws that criss-cross the streets of the Indian capital are a Delhi icon.

Everyone - residents and visitors - has a story to tell about the three-wheeled vehicles and the men who run them.

There's the rude driver who goes only where he wants to, who says his metre is "broken" and overcharges, who is shabby and unkempt, who refuses to follow traffic rules and who takes the longest route to go the shortest distance.

But now, the authorities say they want to change all that.

In March, the Delhi government ordered all autorickshaws to install a global positioning system (GPS).

I have no problem with the GPS, but I cannot afford the annual fee ” Sachin Bhadoria Thakur Autorickshaw driver

This, the authorities said, would ensure that the drivers did not overcharge. The device would also have a panic button to improve the security of passengers, they said.

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Murder hunt after teenager dies at Kilsyth flat




A murder investigation is under way after a 19-year-old man died at a flat in Kilsyth in North Lanarkshire.

Police were called to the property in Park Lane in the town at about 00:45 after reports that a man had been seriously injured in a disturbance.

Following a post mortem examination his death is being treated as murder.

Detectives said a young man had lost his life in what appeared to be a "senseless attack" .

Officers were carrying out door-to-door inquiries and checking local CCTV.

Det Chf Insp Kenny Dewar said: "We believe that earlier in the evening, around midnight, a disturbance had taken place either in or near to Leslie's flat.

"Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding his death and to trace those responsible.

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Man charged with Declan Eastwood murder in Haslingden




A man has been charged with murder after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Lancashire.

Police were called to a house on Princess Street, Haslingden, early on Saturday morning where they found Declan Eastwood with serious injuries.

The teenager was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.

Sean Fell, 24, has been remanded in custody to appear at Burnley Magistrates Court on Monday 8 August.

A post mortem revealed that Mr Eastwood died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

Police have asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

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Verizon Communications workers go on strike




About 45,000 workers at US telecommunications giant Verizon Communications have gone on strike after failing to reach agreement on new contracts, unions have announced.

Communications Workers for America said Verizon had "refused to move from a long list of concession demands".

They said striking would continue until the firm "starts bargaining seriously".

Verizon said it would continue to do its part to reach a new contract that "reflects today's economic realities".

"It's regrettable for our employees and our customers that the CWA and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have decided to walk away from the table instead of working through the issues," said Marc Reed at Verizon.

"It's our intention that under a new contract, Verizon employees will continue to receive competitive pay and benefits programmes."

The company said it had trained tens of thousands of managers, retired workers and others to fill in for striking staff.

Verizon Wireless customers and services would remain unaffected by the strike, it added.

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US woman Diana Nyad begins swim from Cuba to Florida




A 61-year-old American woman is attempting to become the first person to swim from Cuba to the United States without the protection of a shark cage.

Diana Nyad set off from Havana across the straits of Florida late on Sunday.

The two former Cold War adversaries have no formal diplomatic ties.

It took more than a year of negotiations to get both the Cuban and US authorities to allow the epic swim to take place.

Ms Nyad was one of the world's greatest long distance swimmers back in the 1970s, but she failed in her original attempt to complete the crossing from Cuba in 1978, when she was 28.

Now at the age of 61, she has decided to re-enter these shark-infested waters and try once again the gruelling 103-miles (166km) swim between Havana and Key West.

There will be no sleep for Ms Nyad for the next three days - just brief pauses in the water every 90 minutes to take in food through a plastic tube.

It is a massive undertaking, with support boats carrying everyone from medical assistants to nutritionists along with a shark protection team.

These include two kayaks paddling beside her the whole way equipped with underwater electrical shark shields and just in case those do not work, there is also a team of divers who can jump in and keep them at bay.

If all goes well she hopes to arrive in Key West at some point on Wednesday.

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Ohio police shoot man dead after 'domestic killings'




Seven people have been shot dead by a gunman in the north of the US state of Ohio, say reports.

The man, who has not been named, was later shot dead by police in Copley Township near Akron.

The violence is believed to have begun as a family argument - one of the victims was an 11-year-old girl, local media reported.

Five people were shot in one location and then two nearby, Police Chief Michael Mier told Channel 3 News.

One injured person had been taken to hospital, he said. Her condition is not known.

Witnesses told local media that many of the victims were family members of the gunman.

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Bruce Lee fur-lined coat sold at Hong Kong auction

Bruce Lee last wore the fur-lined coat shortly before his death in 1973


A fur-lined coat once owned by martial arts film star Bruce Lee has sold at auction in Hong Kong for almost nine times the expected price.

It was bought by a US couple for HK$600,000 (US$77,000; £47,000).

The coat was worn by Lee in 1973 for the filming of Game of Death - which remained unfinished as Lee died later that year at the age of 32.

Twelve other items, including a letter and a name-card, also went under the hammer, raising a total of HK$1.7m.

The items were all being sold by a private collector in what was the largest-ever auction of Bruce Lee memorabilia.

The coat was worn by Lee for pre-publicity photo shoots and to the Hong Kong premiere of his best-known film, Enter the Dragon, shortly before his death.

Silvana and Greg Manning, the US couple who won the auction, said it was "a unique item and a memorabilia for an iconic figure".

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John Toshack named FYR Macedonia manager




Former Wales manager John Toshack has been appointed manager of FYR Macedonia.

The 62-year-old has been out of work since resigning from his position with Wales after the 1-0 Euro 2012 qualifier defeat in Montenegro in September 2010.

Macedonia sacked manager Mirsad Jonuz in June after a string of poor results and face Wales and Scotland in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Toshack's first game in charge will be against Russia on 2 September.

He told the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) website: "I am so honoured that the FFM chose me as coach of the Macedonia national team.

"I hope that together we can achieve success at international level."

RRF president Harry Hadzi-Risteski, who led talks with Toshack, said: "I must say that the talks were extremely constructive and above all there was a wonderful atmosphere

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Members of the Copley Township community bow their heads in prayer during a vigil at Copley Community Park in Copley Township, Ohio, Aug. 7. A man gunned down two people outside a Copley Township home and two more in a car Sunday morning. He then shot his girlfriend in a rampage that left eight dead including the gunman, who was shot by police.

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U.S. swimmer Diana Nyad begins her challenge of swimming 103 miles between Havana, Cuba and Florida, in a period of three days, without a cage to protect her from sharks, Aug. 7. Nyad, 61, began accompanied by a team of 40 people who will escort her, divided in three vessels in a journey that will last about 60 hours. During the 60 or so hours, from Cuba to Florida, she won't touch land or even a boat. Every hour and a half, she'll stop for some water, an electrolyte drink and maybe a banana with peanut butter. At 29, Nyad set the record for the longest ocean swim at 163 kilometres. That record still stands.

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Riot in Tottenham, north London - more pics

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Women start to clean streets in the neighborhoods vacated by Al-Shabab fighters in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Aug. 7. Islamist fighters withdrew from almost all their bases in the famine-struck Somali capital on Saturday, the most significant gain for the embattled U.N.-backed government in four years.






Somalia Transitional Government soldiers prepare to take positions near a stadium in Mogadishu on Aug. 7, after a brief fight with Al-Shabab fighters.