World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Thailand rebels deliberately target civilians - Amnesty



Amnesty International has accused insurgents in southern Thailand of deliberately targeting civilians.

The human rights group says the insurgents have increasingly sought out soft targets and that some of the attacks may constitute war crimes.

But it is also critical of the efforts by Bangkok to end the lingering crisis.

More 4,500 people have died since predominantly Muslim ethnic Malay fighters reignited their war against the Buddhist Thai state in 2004.

Amnesty spent nine months interviewing witnesses and survivors of attacks as well as members of the Thai security forces.

Its conclusion is that there is fault on both sides.

But the report highlights the willingness of the insurgents in Thailand's four southern-most provinces to seek out civilian targets - teachers, civil servants and farmers.

Amnesty is calling on the militants to commit publicly to stop what it calls such unlawful killings.

The insurgents exist as a shadowy, disparate, network with equally unclear goals, though many grievances are rooted in their minority ethnic Malay status.

Amnesty is also sharply critical of the Thai authorities, in particular the security forces, who stand accused of serious abuses including torture.

Such violations have never been properly investigated, which serves to fuel the sense of injustice and add impetus to the armed conflict.

[Mr Lick]

Bangor farmer tells superstar Rihanna to 'cover up'



A farmer who allowed one of the world's best-selling pop stars to film in his grain field told her to cover up after she stripped down for a video.

DUP Alderman Alan Graham said he was fetching his tractor when he saw her and thought it was unacceptable.

The 'Rude Boy' star was filming a new pop video in his Bangor field.

"I thought it was inappropriate. I requested them to stop and they did," he explained.

"I had my conversation with Rihanna and I hope she understands where I'm coming from. We shook hands," he said.

Mr Graham admitted that he did not know who the 23-year-old sex symbol was when he got a phonecall to ask for the use of his field in Bangor, County Down, for a pop video last week.

"I didn't know who was coming. If the name 'Rihanna' had been mentioned, well, no disrespect but it wouldn't have meant anything," he explained.

[Mr Lick]

India cap on text messages to deter tele-marketers



The telecoms regulator in India has put a cap on the number of text messages which can be sent from a mobile phone.

Under the new rules, no-one will be able to send more than 100 texts in a day, officials say.

The ruling is expected to be a big relief for millions of mobile phone users who have to deal with dozens of unsolicited text messages every day.

India has made several attempts in the past to rein in tele-marketing firms who bombard mobile phone users.

[Mr Lick]

Pakistan bus crash kills children



At least 26 people, mostly children, have been killed after a bus went off the road and plunged into a ravine in Pakistan, police say.

The bus was carrying students returning from an excursion when the incident happened on a motorway south-east of the capital Islamabad late on Monday.

The police said mechanical failure caused the crash.

Pakistan has one of the world's worst records for traffic accidents, blamed on poor roads and faulty vehicles.

The police said that the bus fell into the ravine after its brakes failed.

The accident happened in Kalar Kahar, Punjab province, about 160km (100 miles) south-east of Islamabad.

Twenty-two of the 26 people killed where students from a private school.

The driver, his assistant and the deputy-headteacher from the school were among the dead, police officer Chaudhry Salim told the AFP news agency.

[Mr Lick]

Philippines lashed by Typhoon Nesat

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[Mr Lick]

Winning British wildlife images




Overall winner - taken off Sula Sgeir, an uninhabited isle 40 mles north of Lewis



A Scorpian fly in County Durham



Taken in Norfolk



Taken in Sussex by 16 year old Oliver Wilks



Taken by 8 year old Walter Lovell



Shrewsbury starlings

[Mr Lick]

Shanghai train crash injures 200



A Shanghai subway train has hit the rear end of another train, injuring at least 200 passengers, the train company says.

Most of the injuries were slight, Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Company said after the incident on Line 10.

It happened after signal system failure at one station, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

The city has rapidly expanded its subway system in recent years and some lines have seen recurring problems.

Tuesday's incident happened near Yu Yuan station in central Shanghai at 14:51 - about 40 minutes after Shanghai Metro reported equipment failures on a train.

At the time of the crash, staff were directing trains manually, Reuters news agency reported.

One passenger said there was a lot of blood in the first carriage of the train.

Streets around the station were cordoned off to allow ambulances through.

[Mr Lick]

Asterix creator Albert Uderzo quits drawing at 84



Uderzo and Goscinny's daughter, Anne, received trophies to mark the 350 millionth Asterix book sale


Asterix creator Albert Uderzo is handing over the reins to a younger artist after 52 years drawing the famous comic book hero.

The Italian-born illustrator invented the warrior Gaul with his scriptwriter friend, Rene Goscinny, in 1959.

Uderzo, 84, took over the writing for the comic book after the death of Goscinny in 1977, although many fans felt his scripts were lacking.

Publishers Hachette recently celebrated the sale of 350 million Asterix books.

"I've decided there should be some continuity, and I want it to carry on for generations and generations," Uderzo told RTL radio.

A new book is planned for "the end of 2012" under a new, as yet unnamed artist, "who has been following us for a long time inside a studio I set up," Uderzo said.

The adventures of Asterix and his sidekick Obelix have been translated into more than 100 languages.

[Mr Lick]

Typhoon Nesat ravages the Philippines - more pics









A boy cries as he waits for the recovery of his relatives beneath the rubble after strong winds brought by typhoon Nesat knocked down a wall killing four residents in Valenzuela City

[Mr Lick]

A man carries the makeshift coffin containing his two-day old baby in San Mateo, Rizal, east of Manila

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Rescue workers evacuate people from a damaged subway train car after collision near Yu Yuan Garden station in Shanghai September 27. Two subway trains collided in central Shanghai on Tuesday injuring more than 200 passengers, three critically, prompting renewed public anger just two months after a deadly crash between two high-speed trains.

[Mr Lick]

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, left, welcomes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev upon his arrival to watch Center 2011 strategic military exercises in the Chelyabinsk Region, Russia, Sept. 27.



A group of giant panda cubs nap at a nursery in the research base of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre in Chengdu, in southwest China's Sichuan province on Sept. 26. China has launched its once-a-decade panda census, trying to determine how many of the endangered animals live in the wild amid efforts to boost numbers. The census -- the fourth since it was first launched in the 1970s -- is also expected to ascertain pandas' living conditions, ages and any change in habitat.

[Mr Lick]

Basildon, UK: Travellers gather in front of the main gate to the Dale Farm travellers' at Crays Hill



Kasimpurchak, India: Villagers wade through flood waters

[Mr Lick]

New York, US: Demonstrators opposed to corporate profits on Wall Street march in the financial district

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Pleased to Meet Ya
President Obama is pictured during a town hall event sponsored by LinkedIn, the professional networking website, in Mountain View, California, on Monday. He said his $447 billion jobs plan will "jump start" the flagging U.S. economy.



Dozens of Children Die in Pakistani Bus Accident
A man stands at the site of a school bus accident in Kalar Kahar, Pakistan, on Monday. Authorities said at least 26 children and two teachers died when the vehicle, which was returning from a field trip, plunged into a ditch

[Mr Lick]

Mystery Blast in Argentina Kills Woman
Rubble from houses destroyed by an explosion in Monte Grande, Argentina, is seen Monday. One woman died in the blast, which neighbors say resulted from an object that fell from the sky; officials said a gas leak was likely to blame.



Young Admirers
Young boys hold pictures of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir sitting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as they wait to get a glimpse of the Iranian leader during his visit to the capital Khartoum on Monday

[Mr Lick]

Crackdown in Bolivia Sparks Fury
Demonstrations against a planned highway through a Bolivian rainforest preserve spread Monday as the defense minister resigned in protest of a crackdown on the rallies. Here: A man protests near police in the city of La Paz.

[Mr Lick]

Carlos Tevez finished at Man City - Roberto Mancini





Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has said he wants Carlos Tevez "out of the club" after the striker refused to play against Bayern Munich.

Mancini wanted to bring on substitute Tevez with 35 minutes left in an attempt to claw back a 2-0 deficit.

But after the 27-year-old refused to play, Mancini said: "If I have my way he will be out. He's finished with me.

"If we want to improve as a team Carlos can't play with us. With me, he is finished."

[Mr Lick]

Thousands of spectators gather to watch the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup on Monday, Sept. 26, near Custer, South Dakota.