World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Defiant Japanese boat captain rode out tsunami




Susumu Sugawara looks bemused and a little embarrassed at all the attention he's getting.

The 64 year old has become a local hero on the Japanese island of Oshima.

Smashed boats adorn the coastline of this once-idyllic tourist spot, but Sugawara's pride and joy, "Sunflower" is intact and working overtime transporting people and aid to and from the island. It can hold around 20 people at a time.

When the tsunami came, everyone ran to the hills. But Sugawara ran to his boat and steered it into deeper waters. "I knew if I didn't save my boat, my island would be isolated and in trouble," he tells CNN.

As he passed his other boats, used for fishing abalone, he said goodbye to them, apologizing that he could not save them all.

Then the first wave came. Sugawara says he is used to seeing waves up to 5 meters high but this was four-times that size.

"My feeling at this moment is indescribable," he says with glistening eyes. "I talked to my boat and said you've been with me 42 years. If we live or die, then we'll be together, then I pushed on full throttle."

"Here was my boat and here was the wave," he says, holding one hand low and the other stretched high above his head. "I climbed the wave like a mountain. When I thought I had got to the top, the wave got even bigger."

Sugawara's arms flail wildly as he describes the top of the wave crashing down repeatedly onto his boat. "I closed my eyes and felt dizzy. When I opened them, I could see the horizon again, so I knew I'd made it."

Then the next wave came. Sugawara can't remember if there were four or five waves, but he says he did not feel afraid, he was just focused on steering his boat.

Suddenly the sea was completely calm and he knew he had beaten the tsunami. Sugawara stayed at sea until dark, pumping water from the boat's engine room.

He believed his island had been destroyed by the wave. He says he didn't cry but felt angry and utterly helpless. He didn't know if his family had survived.

[Mr Lick]

Mickelson wins Masters tuneup in Houston



Phil Mickelson outdueled Scott Verplank on Sunday to win the Houston Open, his first victory since last year's Masters.


The win moved Mickelson's world ranking to No. 3, while Tiger Woods dropped to No. 7. It's the first time Mickelson has been ahead of Woods in the rankings since the week before Woods won the 1997 Masters for his first major championship.


Mickelson shot a 65 in the final round to finish 20-under par, three ahead of Verplank (68) and second-round leader Chris Kirk (67).

[Mr Lick]

Southwest Airlines: Cracks found in 2 more planes



NEW YORK -- Inspectors have found small, subsurface cracks in two more Southwest Airlines planes that are similar to the cracks that caused a jetliner to lose pressure and make a harrowing emergency landing in Arizona, the airline said Sunday.


The two planes will be evaluated further and more repairs will be undertaken before they are returned to service, Southwest said in a statement.

Friday's flight carrying 118 people rapidly lost cabin pressure after the Boeing 737-300's fuselage ruptured -- causing a 5-foot-long tear -- just after takeoff from Phoenix.

Passengers recalled tense minutes after the hole ruptured overhead with a blast and they fumbled frantically for oxygen masks. Pilots made a controlled descent from 34,400 feet into a southwestern Arizona military base. No one was seriously injured.

[Mr Lick]

Teens find body in the woods in west Harris County



A young woman's body was found Sunday in a wooded area in west Harris County, and deputies are working to determine who she is and how she died.

According to authorities, some teens were in the woods Sunday afternoon near Williams Chase and Powell House when they discovered the body of what appears to be a teenage girl.



The Harris County Sheriff's Office is investigating. Deputies said there are no apparent signs of trauma. The victim had reportedly been at the site less than a week.

The body was taken to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science where an autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death.

[Mr Lick]

Kazakh leader Nazarbayev wins 95% of vote - exit polls



Exit polls from Kazakhstan's controversial presidential election suggest incumbent Nursultan Nazarbayev has won 95% of the vote.

The prediction is based on data from two different organisations, one of which reportedly polled 50,000 voters across the ex-Soviet state.

Mr Nazarbayev, 70, has been in power for more than 20 years.

Opponents say they did not have enough time to prepare for the election, called less than two months ago.

But critics say the opposition proved its weakness in having no single strong candidate capable of challenging Mr Nazarbayev.

Under a 2007 constitutional amendment, there is no limit on the number of terms the former Communist Party boss may serve in office.

His current term was to have ended in 2012, but he called the early poll after a proposal to cancel the next two elections was ruled unconstitutional.

[Mr Lick]

Cuts protest camp set up in London's Trafalgar Square



Protesters set up tents in London's Trafalgar Square to demonstrate against spending cuts made by the coalition government.

About 30 people were involved in the protest, which began by the Olympic clock at 1830 BST on Saturday and was expected to last 24 hours.

Ministers say the cuts are necessary to get the public finances in order.
Organisers said the protest would be "completely peaceful".

Police attended the protests and by Sunday afternoon no arrests had been made.

Labour MP John McDonnell addressed protesters saying they were defending "the right to peaceful protest without fear of molestation by the state".

[Mr Lick]

Record 5p rise in price of a first-class stamp



Higher UK postage prices have come into force - with a first-class stamp now costing 46p.

This is a record 5p rise in the cost of sending standard letters weighing up to 100g by first-class post.

Royal Mail has also increased the cost of a second-class stamp by 4p to 36p. A first-class, large letter stamp has risen by 9p to 75p, and by 7p to 58p for second-class mail.

[marianeB]

OMG!..What is happening now?

[Mr Lick]

A featherless Humboldt penguin (2nd right) in a wetsuit walks past king penguins in the enclosure at the Jurong Bird Park in Singapore on April 4.

The 10-year-old penguin has been experiencing continued feather loss since 2010 and is being treated with customised wetsuits. The suit acts like a natural feather covering, providing warmth and insulation which also helps new feathers grow and prevents moulting.



Darling, i'm also featherless, i need help! Your help!

[Mr Lick]

Take a look at this!



Emergency services workers attend the site of an accident after a car plunged six storys from a multi-level parking lot in Melbourne, Australia on April 4. The driver, aged 41, was freed 40 minutes after the vehicle fell an estimated 30 metres before becoming stuck at ground level in a laneway between the walls of the car park and another building.




Emergency services workers attend the site of a car accident in Melbourne on April 4.

An Australian woman got away with just cuts and bruises after she drove through a Melbourne car park safety barrier and plunged six storeys to the street below. The car landed in a narrow lane with the woman strapped in and sustaining only a cut to her head.

I'll say no more

[Mr Lick]

Stranded people wait for rescue in front of a portrait of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on a flooded street in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand on April 3. Floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least 45 people and affected almost a million residents.

[Mr Lick]

I'm travelling to the UK tomorrow and probably wont be up and runnng with an internet connection for 48 hours so feel free to chip in with a few pics in my absence guys. If you dont hear from me again then it's likely that the plane crashed

[sunsetter]

^ safe trip, maybe catch you for a beer in the yookay

[Mr Lick]

Cheers SS. Just a few more pics before the off

Battle for Abidjan














Mr Hard and Mr Harder

[Mr Lick]

John Sweeney found guilty of canal murders



A man has been found guilty of murdering two of his former girlfriends and throwing their bodies in canals in London and the Netherlands.

John Sweeney, 54, of no fixed address, denied the murders of Paula Fields, 31, and Melissa Halstead.

The body of Ms Halstead, 33, was found in a Rotterdam canal in 1990 while Ms Fields' body was found in Regent's Canal in 2001.

Officers are trying to trace three other women associated with Sweeney.

The two murders were linked in February 2010 and Sweeney was arrested at Gartree Prison in Leicestershire, where he was serving life for an axe attack on another former girlfriend.

Sweeney is due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

[Mr Lick]

Shenyang, China: A Korean war veteran walks by the grave of a fallen soldier on the eve of the Qingming festival (Tomb Sweeping Day) at the Korean War martyrs memorial



Tunis, Tunisia: People travel on a city train



Mariani, Haiti: A child sits on a freshly slaughtered cow, inside the slaughter house at the cattle market



Srinagar, India: An Indian soldier looks at his reflection in the mirror during a show to celebrate his country's victory in the Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka



Otsuchi, Japan: Volunteers scatter caustic lime in an area devastated by the tsunami




Schoenhagen, Germany: Harvesting an asparagus field




Manila, Philippines: Children play inside steel pipes to be used by the city's water system




Laghman, Afghanistan: Protesters shout anti-US slogans during a demonstration against a Florida pastor's burning of the Qu'ran



Kenya: Somali refugees gather at a watering point in the Dadaab refugee camp, in the north-east of the country




Petaling Jaya, Malaysia: Paper replica cars for sale at a temple for the Chinese Qingming festival, or Ancestors' Day




Costa Rica: Children play with a dead hammerhead shark at Manzanillo beach




Kathmandu, Nepal: Devotees participate in the chariot festival, celebrated by the Newar community in which people wear colourful hats and carry three different chariots

[Mr Lick]

People flee to escape violence between Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo's militia and forces backing internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara. The country is also suffering from looting.




For the second time in days, a Southwest plane was diverted. The first flight was diverted because of a hole in the fuselage ceiling; the second was diverted due to a burning electrical smell in the passenger cabin.

[bobo746]

An Afghan protestor holds a burning effigy of the Florida pastor, Terry Jones, during a demonstration in Afghanistan.

[bobo746]

A police officer Ronan Kerr who was killed in a car bomb blast which bomb hidden underneath his car was laid to rest in Ireland on Wednesday.

[bobo746]

Donated food and humanitarian supplies for victims of last year's earthquake are unloaded from a U.S. military supply ship in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday April 6, 2011.




Ethnic Volience Continues in Ivory Coast

[bobo746]

Bolivian Miners Protest With Dynamite



A Bolivian mine worker with a stick of dynamite on his helmet attends a protest rally in La Paz, Bolivia April 6. Thousands of Bolivian miners marched through La Paz on Wednesday to protest against President Evo Morales' government because they believe that a ten percent rise in their wages is insufficient.


A Bolivian mine worker throws sticks of dynamite during a protest rally in La Paz.


Bolivian mine workers cover their ears from the noise from dynamite explosions during a protest rally in La Paz.


A miner hurls a stone at a riot police van during a protest called by Bolivia's Workers Central (COB) in demand of a salary rise superior to the 10 percent announced by the government of Bolivian President Evo Morales for the Armed Forces,

[bobo746]

Bob Dylan's First Concert in China


American folk icon Bob Dylan, right, performs with his band in his China debut in Beijing on Wednesday, April 6.

American music legend Bob Dylan, right, performs onstage with his band during his concert at The Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing on Wednesday

American folk icon Bob Dylan performs with his band in his China debut in Beijing on Wednesday. The 69-year-old American legend was expected to meet resistance from Chinese censors considering his association with U.S. protest movements in the 1960s.

[bobo746]

Red Cross workers carry a migrant on a stretcher after he arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa early on April 6. Scores of migrants were feared dead after a boat thought to be carrying about 200 people from North Africa capsized off the island, officials said. Only 48 people were rescued so far, Italian coast guard officer Pietro Carosia said. The 48 survivors, who were picked up by a coast guard patrol some 39 nautical miles from Lampedusa, had arrived on the island by mid-morning.

Migrants disembark a boat after arriving at the harbor of the Italian island of Lampedusa on April 6.

A Berlusconi supporter displays women's underwear outside the court in Milan on Wednesday, April 6.

Children attend a ceremony on their first day of school at Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima, northern Japan on April 6. Over 70 schools began their regular classes on Wednesday in the city of Fukushima, after the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on March 11.

A girl walks with her mother after her first day of school at the Shimizu elementary school in Fukushima on April 6

A billboard image of the Kimilsungia flower is seen on the street on April 3 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A police car shines a spot light on a broken power pole in Rome, Ga. on Monday, April 4, 2011 during a thunder storm.

Sam Megginson looks at the damage to his bedroom on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, in Rome, Ga. A tree fell through the roof of his home on Monday night during a thunder storm.

[bobo746]

Visitors gather in the main entrance of the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, Wednesday, April 6. The White House warns of a temporary cutoff in pay for troops in war zones if the budget impasse brings a partial government shutdown. The IRS wouldn't be able to process some tax refunds, and there also could be a holdup in mortgage applications and small business loans. National parks and museums would be closed, too.

A workman steams a U.S. flag in preparation for a planned visit by President Barack Obama Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at wind turbine manufacture Gamesa Technology Corporation in Fairless Hills, Pa.

Puerto Rican singer and Latin Grammy winner Ricky Martin (R) reacts as a female fan is restrained by security during a promotional event for his "Music + Soul + Sex" tour in Mexico City April 5, 2011.

A boy plays with a toy car while a real car balances behind him in the debris of tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture on April 6.

Libyan rebels drive their vehicle to the font line near Ajdabiya, in Benghazi, eastern Libya on April 6. Libyan rebels trying to retake the northeastern oil port of Brega were pushed back to the city of Ajdabiya by Muammar Gadhafi's armed forces. The rebels were coming under heavy shelling some 30 kilometres outside Adjabiya, located between Brega and the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east, one source in Benghazi told the German Press Agency dpa

A Lebanese protester whose relative is a Roumieh inmate, clashes with riot policemen who guard the main entrance of the compound of the central Roumieh prison, in Roumieh east of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday April 6. Lebanese security officials say police have stormed the country's largest prison to halt a day long riot by the inmates, and that two prisoners died during the operation. The rioting started on Saturday by prisoners demanding improved conditions. They later set a fire inside one of the prison buildings.

A girl allows a butterfly to be placed on her nose at the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum on April 6 in London, England. The exhibition is divided up into five sensory zones exploring how butterflies see, hear, taste, smell and touch. The display containing hundreds of butterflies runs from April 12 to September 11.

Chrysalises hang at the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum on April 6 in London, England.

A girl allows a butterfly to be placed on her nose at the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum on April 6 in London, England

[bobo746]

A student sits alone before a ceremony at Ashinome kindergarten in Kessenuma, Japan

A villager wades through the floodwaters with his pigs in Surat Thani province, south of Bangkok, where severe flooding and mudslides have killed 21 people and stranded thousands.

An injured Canadian soldier lies aboard a US army Blackhawk helicopter over southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

A watch with a picture of Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi is displayed at a shop in downtown Tripoli.

Policemen stand guard, covered in paint, outside a Top Shop store during a protest organized by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), calling 'The March for the Alternative,' in central London.

A group Falmouth firefighters ski down a slope on their way to the starting line before competing in the 21st Annual Firefighter's Fundraising Race at the Sunday River ski resort in Newry, Maine.

Rebel fighters make the victory sign in front of a burning vehicle belonging to forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after an air strike by coalition forces along a road between Benghazi and Ajdabiyah.