World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Prison chaplain Jade Watson jailed for having sex with inmate




Prison chaplain Jade Watson has been jailed for eight months for having sex with an inmate.

The 44-year-old married mother-of-two also smuggled a phone, vodka and Maximuscle Cyclone bars into Winchester Prison for inmate Daniel Thornton.


She and Thornton had sex in January last year when he was released from jail and she smuggled the goods into the prison when he returned to it last May.

Watson reportedly claimed she was blackmailed into getting the items for the prisoner.

She also said she was convinced to send Thornton a photo of herself in underwear

The Lord certainly works in mysterious ways!

[Mr Lick]

National Cleavage Day 2011





Cleavage to the left, walk on the right!! AOL workers in breast costumes at Oxford Circus for CoppaFeel! breast cancer charity







Ooh la la!













Janet, that's a wee bit OTT






I'm willing to lick her ice cream if she'll lick my lolly!

[Mr Lick]

Jerusalem: An Israeli woman from the Ethiopian community holds photographs of relatives, during a rally calling for their families to be brought from Ethiopia to Israel



Ardingly, England: A pheasant drinks from a stream surrounded by blossom at Wakehurst Place, which is run by the Royal Botanical Gardens



Hejoszalonta, Hungary: A member of the local gypsy community watches police at a demonstration by the radical right-wing Jobbik party, protesting against crimes allegedly committed by gypsies



Sofia, Bulgaria: A guard walks by sculptures from the United Buddy Bear exhibition, Art of Tolerance. The display contains 120 statues, symbolising UN countries, which carry messages of tolerance and understanding



Tokyo, Japan: People prepare for cherry blossom parties under the trees in Ueno Park



Dadabili, Nigeria: Crude oil spills from a pipeline. The country postponed national parliamentary elections after voting materials failed to arrive in many areas



Aksai, Kazakhstan: School pupils stand by ballot boxes as a voter leaves a polling station in their sports shall during presidential elections



Ajdabiya, Libya: A man cleans the floor next to an injured Libyan youth at the hospital



Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: A family of ethnic Chinese Malaysians gather to offer prayers to their ancestors during Qing Ming (Ancestors Day) festival at a cemetery



Colombo, Sri Lanka: A Sri Lankan child holds a national flag as cricket fans gather to watch the Cricket World Cup final match between Sri Lanka and India on an outdoor screen



Hong Kong, China: A blanket of haze hangs over the city's skyline

[Mr Lick]

Ivory Coast's rival leaders battle for Abidjan



Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the man widely recognised as the new president of Ivory Coast, ride on the back of a lorry as they prepare to advance into Abidjan



Militants loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo drive along a street in Abidjan






French military mission soldiers in Ivory Coast patrol a street

















Members of a violent youth militia loyal to incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo march down a street in the central Plateau neighbourhood in Abidjan



3 April: Youth supporters of Ivory Coast's incumbent president Laurent Gbagbo take boats to the presidential palace to defend their leader

[Mr Lick]

Two protesters die and hundreds hurt in Yemen clash




At a base camp in Srinagar, Kashmir on April 3, Indian paramilitary soldiers dance to celebrate India's win over Sri Lanka in the World Cup cricket final that took place in Mumbai the previous day. India beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets.

[Mr Lick]

Pakistan Sufi shrine suicide attack 'kills 41'



Suicide attackers have killed at least 41 people and wounded many more at a shrine in Pakistan, police say.

The explosions struck near the Sakhi Sarwar shrine in Punjab, as Sufi Muslim devotees gathered for an annual three-day festival.

Sufis, a minority Muslim group who follow mystical beliefs, are regarded as heretical by hardliners.

A Taliban fighter told reporters his group carried out the attack, the third on Sufi shrines in a year.

Militant Ehsanullah Ehsan told Reuters news agency the attack was in revenge for the government's offensive against militants in Pakistan's north-west.

The blasts hit near the Sakhi Sarwar shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan district, and devotees were reportedly among the dead and wounded.

"We have recovered 41 bodies so far," police officer Zahid Hussain Shah told AFP news agency.

He said both explosions were caused by suicide attackers, adding: "They came on foot and blew themselves up when police on duty stopped them."

[Mr Lick]

Battle for Abidjan

[Mr Lick]

Bosnia-Hercegovina handed Fifa international ban




Bosnia-Hercegovina have been suspended from world football after refusing to comply with governing body Fifa's regulations.

The Bosnian Football Federation (NSBIH) had been ordered to change its three-man presidency into one single position by both Fifa and European body Uefa.

But the move was rejected at a NSBIH meeting on Wednesday, prompting Fifa to take immediate action.

The suspension means Bosnia cannot play any international matches.

They are currently fourth in Group D of the 2012 European Championships qualifying campaign, five points behind leaders France and a point behind Belarus and Albania but with a game in hand over their rivals.

But Bosnia's next match away to Romania on 3 June looks unlikely to go ahead unless Fifa and Uefa lift the suspension, which also prevents Bosnian teams or officials from participating internationally.

"Fifa and Uefa deeply regret that this decision had to be taken," the governing bodies said in a joint statement on Friday.

[Mr Lick]

Afghan protests - Burning the Koran


















Despite the deaths the UN say they will not withdraw during such a crucial period

[Mr Lick]

Unbeaten Novak Djokovic beats Rafa Nadal in Miami final




Novak Djokovic extended his unbeaten start to 2011 with a magnificent victory over world number one Rafael Nadal in the Sony Ericsson Open final.

The Serbian, 23, came through 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to claim his seventh Masters Series win, his fourth title of the year and take his 2011 record to 24-0.

It is the best start to a year in men's tennis since Ivan Lendl began with 25 consecutive victories in 1986.

Djokovic and Nadal now head to Europe for the start of the clay-court season.
And the world number two will look to further close the gap on Nadal at the top of the standings as the Spaniard has a huge number of ranking points to defend, having won all the major clay tournaments last year.

[Mr Lick]

A young boy who said he had spent two days in besieged Brega and stolen a vehicle belonging to Moammar Gadhafi's forces in order to return to the rebel side, is questioned by rebel fighters near the front line east of Brega on April 3. Rebel fighters shot the tires out of the vehicle as it sped through the front line but released the boy after listening to his story.



Rebel fighters shoot the tires out of a vehicle, unseen, belonging to Gadhafi's forces as it sped through the rebel front line on April 3. The vehicle was driven by a young boy who said he had spent two days in besieged Brega and stolen the vehicle in order to return to the rebel side.

[Mr Lick]

Competitors cross the dunes of Merzouga during the 26th edition of the Marathon des Sables (The Desert Marathon) on April 3.

The Marathon des Sables has been described as the toughest race on earth. 849 competitors set off today on the gruelling six-day, 150 mile race across the Sahara.

[Mr Lick]

Emily Hasler, an English Heritage employee at Charles Darwin's home, Down House, opens the curtains to his old study on April 2 in Downe, England.

Staff at the house are cleaning and preparing the property ahead of their peak visitor season.

The house contains the study where Darwin wrote 'On the Origin of Species', as well as family rooms and an extensive garden that inspired the renowned scientist.

[Mr Lick]

An ailing giant turtle considered sacred by many Vietnamese was captured in a lake in central Hanoi on Sunday by rescuers who hope to give it medical attention.

Thousands of onlookers cheered at Hoan Kiem Lake as the mammoth creature was pulled in after escaping capture last month.

It took 50 workers two hours to net the turtle and lure into a cage which was then transported by boat to a small island that was recently expanded and equipped with a small pond, known as the "turtle hospital," said Ha Dinh Duc, who has studied the creature for 20 years and considers himself its caretaker.

He said it will be kept on the island for medical treatment, but it's unclear how long it will take.

[Mr Lick]

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Demonstrators battled police in southern Afghanistan's main city on Sunday and took to the streets in the turbulent east for the first time as Western pleas failed to halt a third day of rage over a Florida pastor's burning of the Quran






An officer was shot dead in a second day of clashes in the city of Kandahar, said provincial health director Qayum Pokhla. Two officers and 18 civilians were wounded, he said.

In Jalalabad, the largest city in the east, hundreds of people blocked the main highway for three hours, shouting for U.S. troops to leave, burning an effigy of President Barack Obama and stomping on a drawing of a U.S. flag. More than 1,000 people set tires ablaze to block another highway in eastern Parwan province for about an hour, said provincial police chief Sher Ahmad Maladani

[Mr Lick]

Rebels run for cover as they come under fire from pro-Gadhafi forces as they engage in battle near the oil rich town of Brega in eastern Libya on April 3.

[Mr Lick]

Fulham's Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed unveils a statue of his friend Michael Jackson before their English Premier League football match at Craven Cottage, London, England, on April 3, 2011.




The decision to move the statue to just outside Fulham's home ground, Craven Cottage, immediately caused controversy

[Mr Lick]

US extends airstrike role in Libya



The U.S. agreed to NATO's request for a 48-hour extension of American participation in coalition airstrikes against targets in Libya and U.S. lawmakers cautioned Sunday the allies need to know more about the rebels fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces before providing them with weapons.

Two weeks into the assault on Gadhafi, Republican lawmakers expressed concern that a stalemate could leave him in control of portions of Libya and with access to stockpiles of chemical weapons.

[Mr Lick]

'Crash tax' and other fees target out-of-towners




LANSING, Mich. — Out-of-towners would be wise to drive carefully when passing through Fraser, a suburb about 15 miles northeast of Detroit.

The city this year began charging non-residents who cause wrecks for the public safety and emergency response time involved in the accident. The fee is one of many revenue-raising ideas being considered by cities nationwide dealing with budget problems.

Reluctant to raise taxes on their own residents, local governments are looking increasingly at out-of-towners. But critics complain that the fees amount to taxation without representation, or double taxation, since those people already pay for roads and public safety services in their own communities.

And unsuspecting out-of-town motorists who've have faced the bills say they send a hostile message.

[Mr Lick]

Conflict in Libya



Rebel fighters welcome a Turkish ship arriving from Misrata to the port of Benghazi to evacuate the wounded on Sunday, April 3. The Turkish vessel is taking hundreds of people wounded in the Libyan uprising for treatment in Turkey from the two cities of Misrata and Benghazi.



Libyan men show the V-sign for victory as they stand on the deck of a Turkish ship arriving from Misrata to the port of Benghazi on April 3 to evacuate people injured in the fighting between rebel forces and those loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.



Injured men on board a Turkish ship taking hundreds of people wounded in the Libyan uprising for treatment in Turkey on April 3.



A rebel fighter holds a rocket-propelled grenade launcher near the front line east of Brega, Libya, on April 3.



A Libyan rebel digs a hole to bury the charred remains of rebels who were killed in a NATO airstrike overnight along the front line near Brega on April 2. One of the rebels who survived said a rebel mistakenly fired at a NATO aircraft just before the attack. NATO said that it was investigating the reports.



A Libyan rebel walks on April 2 past the charred remains of rebel vehicles that were hit by NATO airstrike near Brega



Libyan rebels are shrouded in smoke from their own munitions as they shell pro-Gadhafi forces along the front line near Brega



The body of Libyan rebel Moftah Wanis el-Jazwi is wrapped with the old Libyan flag at the hospital in Ajdabiya on April 2.



group of citizens gather to burn hundreds of copies of Moammar Gadhafi's "Green Book" near the court in Benghazi on April 2. The book is a manual outlining the political strategy and philosophy of the Libyan leader.

[Mr Lick]

Paramilitary policemen train in Tiananmen Square, in the Forbidden City, Beijing




Pro-Gbagbo militiamen patrol in the empty streets of Abidjan as forces loyal to the internationally recognized President Alassane Ouattara approach the capital, Ivory Coast




Fisherman Yutaka Watanabe sits on the roof of a destroyed house while looking for missing family members in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture.




A Buddhist monk sprinkles holy water during a ceremony to mark the delivery of three transport helicopters purchased from Russia, at the army's 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok



Jordanian protesters calling themselves the Youth of March 24 Movement demonstrate for political reform and clash against government supporters in Amman.



Rice is placed into a detector that will measure its radiation level at a nuclear-research institute in the Philippines. The tests are being conducted in order to establish a baseline of radiation levels in food items from Japan.




A monument stands on a bridge in Natori, Japan, that was devastated by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami.




Students protest in Brasilia, Brazil, calling for more funding for education from the government.




The body of an Islamic Jihad militant, who was killed during Israeli air strikes, is lifted up by mourners during his funeral in Gaza City.




Used gloves from a morgue are seen on the ground outside al-Jalaa hospital in Benghazi, Libya.




A wrecked car is found among the rubble in Kesennuma, Japan.




Emergency workers walk past survivors sitting near debris in Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture, where the earthquake and tsunami hit last week.




Shoes left by people evacuated from areas affected by the Japanese earthquake lie at the entrance of a shelter in Ostuchi.

[Mr Lick]

Investigators find parts of downed Air France jet



French investigators said Sunday that they have found pieces of the Air France jet that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, killing all 228 people on board.

Air France Flight 447 disappeared after taking off from Rio de Janeiro on its way to Paris.

France's air accident investigation agency, the BEA, said that a team -- led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution -- discovered parts of the aircraft during an underwater search operation conducted within the past 24 hours.

[Mr Lick]

10 killed in bar shooting in Mexico



Ten people were killed and another person was injured after a shooting at a bar late Thursday in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, state prosecutors announced Friday.

The victims ranged in age from 18 to 55 years old, according to a press release sent out by state prosecutors' spokesman Arturo Sandoval.

Seven of the victims died at the bar while the other three died en route to the hospital or upon arriving.

At least 26 bullet casings were found at the scene from at least two different weapons, the release said. There was no motive given for the attack.

In all, 14 people were killed Thursday, Sandoval told CNN. The other four were killed in separate shootings throughout the city, he said in a phone interview.

The shootings come shortly after the Juarez installed a new police chief to crack down on violence.

Last month, Juarez Mayor Hector "Teto" Murguia named former Baja California state police chief Julian Leyzaola the new head of the local police department.

Leyzaola was credited with cleaning up Tijuana during his tenure there

[Mr Lick]

Haiti's presidential election results delayed by fraud



Fraud has forced Haiti's election council to delay results of a highly anticipated runoff intended to decide the next leader of the troubled Caribbean nation.

Results were supposed to have been announced Thursday. But the Provisional Election Council asked for four more days and will post preliminary results on Monday instead. Final results are not expected until April 16.

The agency said "a high level of fraud and irregularities of various kinds has been detected in the tabulation of votes."

The election pitted former first lady Mirlande Manigat, 70, against bad-boy musician Michel Martelly, 50.

The initial election in late November ended in controversy when Jude Celestin, the government-backed candidate, placed second after Manigat.

[Mr Lick]

Foreign tourists seek children for sex in Acapulco



It's early in the evening and they're already on the streets looking for customers.
They are all very young, some still in their teens.

One teenage girl wearing a tight, revealing, deep pink dress walks by while prying eyes follow her every move. At La Noria Street in downtown Acapulco, this is part of daily life. It's supposed to be illegal, but it's not hard to find underage girls offering sex for money here.

This is Acapulco's dark secret and the reason why the Mexican beach resort has gained a sad notoriety with tourists seeking children for sex.

Rosario Santos, who runs a shelter for street boys and girls called New Hope, says that customers are "mostly foreigners" coming to Acapulco on cruises or by plane.

"We have rescued children as young as 10," says the 52-year-old who has made protecting children her mission in life.