World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Ronaldo rescues Real Madrid to shock Barcelona in El Clásico

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona



Lionel Messi celebrates after putting Barcelona ahead against Real Madrid.

Real Madrid all but relinquished the league title and yet when the final whistle blew, there was a huge roar from the Santiago Bernabéu.

Soon, a chant of "Madrid! Madrid!" went round the stadium. If this game's real value was to be found in the psychological impact it could have on the series of four matches in 18 days upon which these sides embarked on Saturday night, for Real Madrid it shifted from fatalism to optimism in 10 unexpected second-half minutes.

With 10 minutes to go, Barcelonawere leading 1-0 through a Leo Messi penalty and were strolling, their superiority embarrassing this mighty arena. Madrid were forced to chase the ball, only to see it denied them, for ever arriving too late. They had just 23% of the ball, were down to 10 men and even José Mourinho appeared to have given up. His substitutions – withdrawing Angel Di María and Xabi Alonso – suggested a coach who was already seeking to protect his key players for the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday and the Champions League semi-final. Their morale, though, was already irrevocably damaged.

[Mr Lick]

Filipino residents help firefighters train a water hose onto a fire burning in a shantytown in Paranaque city, south of Manila, Philippines, on April 8. The blaze destroyed hundreds of homes.



A relative mourns over the body of 14-year-old Luiza Paula da Silveira Machado during her funeral at the Jardim da Saudade cemetery in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 8. Luiza was one of 12 children gunned down in the halls of their elementary school April 7. The shooter, 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, killed himself after being confronted by police.



Students clash with police officers in Algiers on April 12. Thousands of students defied a longtime ban on protests and marched in Algeria's capital to demand the resignation of the education minister. The students were blocked by police while trying to reach the government's headquarters.



Red River floodwaters force the closure of Highway 29 north of Fargo, N.D., on April 11. The river crested in Fargo at 38.75 feet, the fourth-highest crest on record.



Bobby Dunford, 72, looks at the damage to his neighbor's house in Pulaski, Va., on April 9, after a tornado ripped through the Pulaski and Draper areas of Pulaski County the night before. Bobby, whose house was also damaged, was able to help save his neighbor, Sara Edwards, with the help of another neighbor. "I was standing at the front door with my wife, and I told Sara to get inside. I threw my wife on the floor and here it came. It just lasted about 10 seconds. Me and a neighbor kicked in the back door of Sara's house. She was in her bedroom, thank God. It was the only room in the house that the roof stayed on. It's a miracle."

[Mr Lick]

A rebel poses with weapons after fierce fighting erupted afresh around the battleground crossroads town of Ajdabiya on April 14. A convoy of some 60 rebel vehicles at a staging point west of the city recaptured from loyalist fighters at the weekend came under heavy artillery and mortar fire, prompting a salvo of rockets in riposte.






A rebel fighter walks at the frontline next to the charred remains of armored vehicles near the western entrance of Ajdabiya on April 14.



A Super Etandard fighter jet dumps fuel before landing after a mission over Libya on France's flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, in the Gulf of Sirte, off the Libyan coast on April 13. The missions are aimed at enforcing the no-fly zone and suppressing any attackson rebels in eastern Libya.






A wounded Libyan rebel, center left, falls after being shot in the head during a firefight in Ajdabiya on Tuesday, April 12. The skirmish broke out after rebels believed a fighter loyal to Moammar Gadhafi was hiding in the building at right.



An angry but peaceful crowd lines the route to the Tibesty Hotel where an African Union delegation was meeting with opposition leaders in Benghazi on Monday, April 11.

[Mr Lick]

Arsenal v Liverpool



The two teams observe a minute's silence in remembrance of Arsenal's former director Danny Fiszman, who died earlier in the week, and the 96 Hillsborough victims who died on 15 April 1989



Then it's straight into the thick of it as Arsenal look to test the young John Flanagan who is making only his second start for Liverpool



Pepe Reina, who it is rumoured may transfer to Arsenal in the summer, gives Laurent Koscielny a blow to the chops as Arsenal win corner after corner. The Spaniard is fortunate on another similar occasion when he was again beaten to the ball but Robin van Persie's header cracked the crossbar



The Dutchman looks desperate as Arsenal fail to break through



And little changes in the second half as RVP is denied when one-on-one with Reina



Talking of pain, Jamie Carragher will be feeling the after-effects of a collision with his team-mate Flanagan for some time. It was a case of chin meets head, with head proving the undisputed victor. Carragher was knocked out cold



Fortunately, Skrtel and Flanagan reacted quickly to put him into a recovery position



Physios attended to him on the pitch for more than five minutes. Needless to say, Carragher had to be substituted



And in the eighth minute of injury time Fábregas is tripped by Jay Spearing inside the box and the referee points to the spot



Van Persie steps up and dispatches a cool penalty into the bottom corner, handing Arsenal all three points



Or so they thought. Moments later, Eboué clatters into Lucas in the opposite penalty box and Liverpool are awarded a penalty and the chance to draw the match


Eboué collapses to the floor in disbelief. But he can't complain - his challenge on Lucas was needless and clumsy, and could shatter Arsenal's title challenge



Dirk Kuyt is the man charged with the responsibility of converting the kick (and potentially handing Manchester United a record 19th league title) ... and the Dutchman scores





Eboué confronts the referee and wags his finger wildly



While Wenger upsets his opposite number Kenny Dalglish by refusing to accept the decision with good grace



The Arsenal manager charges onto the pitch to remonstrate with the officials. His side now lie six points behind United with six games remaining

[Mr Lick]

London Marathon







putting the finishing touches to ludicrous costumes





some light relief







Twenty six and a bit miles lie between the competitors and one of these prized medals





Apparently Flora aren't sponsoring the marathon this year. Wonder who is?















Kenya's Emmanuel Mutai leads the men's elite group in the closing stages and is heartily cheered on by some young supporters



Britain's Jo Pavey emerges from a tunnel looking slightly pained as she nears the finish



Mutai wins the men's race in a course record time of 2hr 4min and 38sec



And his compatriot Mary Keitany follows suit in the women's race, winning in a time of 2hr 19min and 17sec – the fourth fastest women's marathon ever



USA's Amanda McGrory pips Great Britain's Shelly Woods in the women's wheelchair race



But there is joy for one Brit at least, as David Weir wins the men's wheelchair event



China's Zhu Xiaolin lets it all out after finishing the women's race, to the apparent disgust of the runner behind



While these exhausted runners deservedly put their feet up after a punishing day



It's all too much for this chap ... and for anyone within eye-shot of him, too

[Mr Lick]

Managua, Nicaragua: A woman, accompanied by her daughters, looks on during Blood of Christ celebrations at the start of Holy Week



Gulfport, Mississippi, USA: Students from Hancock high school take photos along the beach on prom night. Gulfport's beaches were extensively affected by the BP oil spill but are now open to the public



Manila, Philippines: A boy holds a palm as he waits for the priest to bless it during Palm Sunday, marking the start of Holy Week



Coin, Spain: An Andalusian horseman performs with his Spanish thoroughbred horse during the Sacab Andalusian Horse Show



Kabul, Afghanistan: A girl juggles tennis balls to mark World Circus Day



Kolkata, India: Artists prepare a 35ft (10m) statue of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman, on the eve of Hanuman Jayanti on 18 April



Shanghai, China: Dancers perform before the Chinese F1 grand prix at the Shanghai International circuit. The race was won by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton



Abidjan, Ivory Coast: A prisoner held by the pro-Ouattara Republican Forces weeps at a military base. He claimed he had been shot in the leg during recent fighting, badly beaten and held in a dark cell for days



Havana, Cuba: Cuban special forces carry assault rifles with silencers during a military parade in Revolution Square



Boone's Chapel, Alabama, USA: Only stairs and flowers remain after severe winds tore a mobile home off its lot. Another act of God?

[Mr Lick]

Cuba marks 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs

A military parade for the 50th anniversary of the US-backed Bay of Pigs failed invasion and the declaration of Cuban socialism

















Cuban President Raul Castro (c) waves during the military parade









A woman smokes a cigar while marching in the parade

[Mr Lick]

Two Britons shot dead during Florida holiday in notorious gang area



Two British holidaymakers have been shot and killed in Florida in what police believe may have been a botched robbery.

James Kouzaris, 24, and James Cooper, 25, former students at the University of Sheffield, were found dead in Newtown, a crime-ridden neighbourhood of Sarasota, at about 3am on Saturday.

Police have arrested a 16-year-old on suspicion of murder but were unable to provide any further details about what the two friends were doing in the early hours of the morning in an area of the city notorious for gang activity. "That is one of the key things we are investigating, just why they were there," Captain Paul Sutton of the Sarasota police department told the Guardian.

"At approximately 3am on 16 April, Sarasota police officers responded to a 911 call, the caller advised that a person was lying on the ground covered in blood.
"Officers checking the area located two male victims."

Despite local reports to the contrary, no bullet casings were found at the scene, Sutton said. Neither of the victims was carrying a weapon. Additionally, no trace of drugs nor an abnormally large amount of money was found.

[Mr Lick]

Gareth Bale is fourth Welshman to win PFA player of the year award

Jack Wilshere wins young player of the year award



Tottenham's Gareth Bale has been named the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year. The 21-year-old beat six other players to the vaunted award and becomes the fourth Welshman to be honoured, after Ian Rush, Mark Hughes and Ryan Giggs.

"I am more than delighted, really," he said. "It is a massive award and it is a great honour to receive, especially from other fellow professionals. It is an honour, really, when you look at the names that have won it before and it just makes you go 'wow'.

The other six players nominated for the award were Charlie Adam, Samir Nasri, Scott Parker, Carlos Tevez, Rafael van der Vaart and Nemanja Vidic.

[Mr Lick]

As many as 44 people have been killed in powerful storms that have ripped across seven states. North Carolina was hardest hit. Pictured: the scene at a Lowe's Home Improvement store in Sanford, N.C.

[Mr Lick]

Romanian gendarmes watch a demo intervention of a Gendarms Counter-Terrorism Brigade member, during the Romanian Gendarmerie National Day, in Bacau city, Romania,



Anti-government protesters gather on the streets of Sann, Yemen



A man paints a dome of a mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,



A view of the Caracalla Baths near Rome, Italy April 2011. Construction of the Baths of Caracalla started in 212AD and was completed in 217AD. The complex was built during the reign of emperor Caracalla whose official name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus



Police stand on a Hat Yai street, Thailand, after taking part in the Songkran Festival April 12, 2011. The Songkran festival, also known as the water festival, marks the start of Thailand's traditional New Year and is believed to wash away bad luck.



A man identified as Ethan Allen speaks to a crowd of 200 plus protesters who turned out April 13, 2011 to protest an appearance by RNC chair Rence Preibus at a Vermont GOP fund-raiser held at the Hilton on the Burlington Waterfront



A crowd of 200 plus Vermont workers, union members and union sympathizers turned out in Burlington, Vermont April 13, 2011 to protest an appearance by RNC chair Rence Preibus at a Vermont GOP fund-raiser



People celebrate on the streets during the Day of Sarajevo April 6, 2011. On that day in 1945 partisan units liberated Sarajevo



Aleksandar Petrovic, coach of the basketball club Cedevita and brother of deceased Drazen Petrovic, one of the best basketball players in Europe, in Zagreb, Croatia

[Mr Lick]

Nazi concentration camp survivors from Ukraine and Belarus lay flowers in the former Nazi concentration camp of Buchenwald, near Weimar, central Germany, Sunday, April 17. The commemoration ceremonies for the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Buchenwald took place Sunday.



A Chinese animal lover rescues a newborn puppy after a convoy of trucks carrying some 500 dogs to be sold as meat, were stopped along a highway in Beijing early April 17, and the dogs were later rescued by the China Animal Protection Association. There were about 58 million pet dogs in 20 major Chinese cities at the end of 2009 and the figure is rising about 30 percent each year, according to a survey, as pet owners in China spend an estimated two billion USD a year on their animals



Hooded penitents from the La Paz brotherhood take part in a procession as people look on in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 17. Hundreds of processions take place throughout Spain during the Easter Holy Week.

[Mr Lick]

Dozens dead after storms rip through 6 states



A woman inspects her home and car in Raleigh, N.C., Sunday, April 17, after homes and businesses were badly damaged Saturday by a severe storm system that whipped across the state. It brought flash floods, hail and reports of tornadoes from the western hills to the streets of Raleigh.
























Standing amid downed trees and destroyed houses, members of Southside Baptist Church of Yazoo City, give a prayer of thanks following several hours of work cutting up trees and removing storm debris in this Clinton, Miss., neighborhood, Friday, April 15.




Storms continue to brew as I-20 is shut down after a morning tornado downed power lines and overturned cars and trucks Friday, April 15, in Clinton, Miss.












Two women stand in the middle of what used to be houses after a large tornado hit the small town of 350 people, killing two, in Tushka, Okla., April 15.

[Mr Lick]

Federal judge, 103, still hearing federal cases



WICHITA, Kan. — In a courtroom in Wichita, the day begins much as it has for the past 49 years: Court is in session, U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown presiding.

But what happens next is no longer routine; it's a testament to one man's sheer determination.

As lawyers and litigants wait in respectful silence, Brown, who is 103, carefully steers his power wheelchair behind the bench, his stooped frame almost disappearing behind its wooden bulk. He adjusts under his nose the plastic tubes from the oxygen tank lying next to the day's case documents. Then his voice rings out loud and firm to his law clerk, "Call your case."

Brown is the oldest working federal judge in the nation, one of four appointees by President Kennedy still on the bench. Federal judgeships are lifetime appointments, and no one has taken that term more seriously than Brown.

"As a federal judge, I was appointed for life or good behavior, whichever I lose first," Brown quipped in an interview. How does he plan to leave the post? "Feet first," he says.

[Mr Lick]

Tornadoes rip through southern US states - more pictures






A car is swallowed up by a hole left by the tree, uprooted as a tornado passed just south of downtown Raleigh, North Carolina








Governor Robert Bentley looks at family photos with Henley Hollon, whose brother, niece and nephew were all killed when their homes were twisted from their foundations by the tornado in Boone's Chapel, Alabama

[Mr Lick]

Libyan rebels load heavy machine gun bullets into a truck at the western gate of Ajdabiya as they prepare for battle. The rebels successfully fought off an attack by the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.



A soldier of Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara's Republican Forces goes on a joint patrol with French troops in Abidjan. A student group that backed the arrested Laurent Gbagbo have agreed to lay down their weapons

[Mr Lick]

A police officer climbs up a rope as he is rescued after the truck he and his colleague were driving, got stalled in a flooded underpass during a storm in Mexico City April 16, 2011. Both police officers were rescued but the truck sank.



A laborer walks between scaffolding at a highway viaduct construction site in Hefei, Anhui province, China April 17, 2011. China's turbo-charged growth eased just a touch in the first quarter, while its inflation jumped to a 32-month high, putting pressure on the government to do more to rein in prices and keep the economy on an even keel.



Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto reacts as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walks away before meeting at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo, April 17, 2011.



A rebel fighter is seen at the eastern entrance of Ajdabiyah, Libya April 17, 2011. Rebels came under fire on the outskirts of Ajdabiyah on Sunday, hemming them in to their eastern outpost and denting their hopes of pushing west to try to end a stalemate in the Libyan war.



Women shout slogans during an anti-government rally outside Sanaa University April 17, 2011. Thousands of Yemeni women protested in Sanaa and other cities ,enraged by President Ali Abdullah Saleh's remarks it was against Islam for women to join men in the demonstrations aimed at toppling him.



Demonstrators lie down on the floor of the Turbine Hall during a protest against Tate Modern's sponsorship by BP, in London April 17, 2011.



Members of the Gruppo Storico Romano (Roman Historical Group) dressed as centurions march past the ancient Colosseum in Rome, to mark the 2,764th anniversary of the founding of the city April 17, 2011. According to legend, twins Romulus and Remus founded Rome on April 21 in 753 B.C.



Police detain an activist of the Pakistani religious and political party Hizb ut Tahrir during an anti-American protest in Lahore, Pakistan April 17, 2011. Police detained two dozen activists after a scuffle broke out as party members attempted to rally past police lines in Lahore, police said.



A rebel fighter forms a barricade in a street while preparing to defend Ajdabiyah from advancing Gaddafi forces April 17, 2011



A woman and child search through piles of refuse that gathered on the streets during months of political crisis, in the Abobo neighborhood of Ivory Coast's main city Abidjan, April 17, 2011. The French military said on Sunday it would hand control of Ivory Coast's main airport back to national armed forces as fighting in the West African state dies down.



Mourners pray next to the grave of a rebel, whom they say was killed in Brega by forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, during his funeral in Benghazi April 17, 2011.



A worker attaches prayer petitions, with names written on cards, to lotus lanterns in preparation for the upcoming birth anniversary of Lord Buddha at the Jogye temple in Seoul April 18, 2011. Buddhists buy the name cards to bless their families with happiness and to celebrate Buddha's 2555th birthday, which falls on May 10 in South Korea.



Policemen carry the body of a victim found amid the rubble in Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture, more than one month after the area was devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami, April 18, 2011.



A Boston Celtics cheerleader is tossed in the air during the second half of Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series against the New York Knicks in Boston, Massachusetts April 17, 2011.



A burned car is seen in the Syrian port city of Banias April 17, 2011. Thousands of Syrians chanted slogans calling for greater freedom at independence day rallies on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after President Bashar al-Assad promised to lift emergency law. The writing reads, "Attention... you are in Banias not in Israel".

[Mr Lick]

A tame deer helps himself to an apple from a picnic table at the deer park in Landsberg am Lech, southern Germany, on Sunday, April 17.



A laborer feeds his donkey, dyed in henna, while waiting for shops to open at a market in Karachi, Pakistan on April 18



A Ugandan anti-riot policeman directs Forum for Democratic Change leader Kizza Besigye (center, with bandage) to board a police pick-up track before his arrest in the Kasangati suburb of the capital Kampala on April 18. Ugandan opposition leader Besigye was arrested on Monday during a protest against high food and fuel prices in the capital Kampala, police said.

[Mr Lick]

The fastest Marathon ever run




Winner Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya strides ahead of second-place finisher Moses Mosop, also of Kenya, as they approach the finish line of the 115th Boston Marathon in Boston on Monday, April 18.





Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya gives a thumbs up after crossing the finish line to win the men's division of the 2011 Boston Marathon in a time of 2:03:02, the fastest marathon time ever, in Boston, Massachusetts, on Monday.

[Mr Lick]

A pig named Felix and an elderly woman encounter each other in a lift at a senior care facility in Essen, Germany on April 12.





A pig named 'Felix' has been trained by physiotherapist Daan Vermeulen to provide emotional therapy for the elderly and for handicapped children.

Vermeulen claims contact with the pig stimulates curiosity, activity and even alertness among elderly people and helps them to awaken from the passivity that often sets in as they become older. Vermeulen says he helps those patients who react with fear to the pig to channel the emotion into a positive experience.

[Mr Lick]

A member of a local rock climbing club jumps on floating ice floating in the Yenisei River in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia on Monday, April 18.

[Mr Lick]

Helsinki, Finland: A supporter of the nationalist True Finns party celebrates the announcement of parliamentary election results



Kathmandu, Nepal: Women wash their hair as they celebrate Balaju Purnima. Bathing on the festival day is believed to ward off disease and ill-health



Sana'a, Yemen: A wounded anti-government protester is treated at a makeshift hospital



Mount Grizin, West Bank: A member of the Samaritan community holds a sheep prepared for slaughter as a Passover sacrifice



Abidjan, Ivory Coast: A building damaged in recent fighting between forces president-elect Alassane Ouattara and the outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo



Beijing, China: The city is engulfed in a sandstorm



Natori, Japan: A cherry blossom tree flowers in an area devastated by the tsunami and earthquake



Mexico City, Mexico: A woman sits in front of her house in a neighbourhood flooded after heavy rains

[Mr Lick]

Protests in Uganda



A policeman arrests a supporter of Uganda's Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader Kizza Besigye during a protest in Kireka suburb of the capital Kampala, April 18, 2011. Ugandan opposition leader Besigye was charged in court with engaging in riotous behavior and inciting violence after he was arrested during protests over rising food and fuel prices.

[Mr Lick]

Coachella Festival



Singer Kanye West performs during the last concert on the main stage of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California, April 17, 2011.







English folk rock band Mumford and Sons' lead singer Marcus Mumford sings during the second day







Kevin Drew, singer/guitarist (C) of Toronto collective Broken Social Scene, perform with the band during the 2nd day







Swedish singer Robyn







Singer Cee Lo Green performs

[Mr Lick]

A rebel fighter moves through a hole punched in a wall near fighting in Misrata, Libya. Fighting between pro- and anti-Gaddafi forces continues as the uprising enters its third month.



President Barack Obama holds a football presented to him by the Air Force Academy football team in the Rose Garden of the White House.



A young member of the La Redencion brotherhood takes part in a pre-Easter Holy Week procession in Seville, Spain



At least six members of the Mara 18 gang, who were fleeing in a stolen car wearing police bulletproof vests, were arrested by the police near Santuario de Suyapa, Honduras.



Supporters of the communist party protest against the government's severe budget-cutting measures in Athens, Greece on Monday.



Running battles broke out between protesters and soldiers in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, as incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan's spokesman announced he was headed for another electoral victory.



A Yemeni anti-government protester is treated for tear gas that was fired by security forces in Sanaa. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in massive protests demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh's ouster.



Iranian soldiers in full camouflage march during the Army Day parade in Tehran.



Girls dressed as maids dance before the opening of the festivities marking the founding of Rome. Legend says that Rome was founded by Romulus in 753 BC in an area surrounded by seven hills.



WIndsor Palace has announced that Prince Harry has been promoted to captain in the British Army