World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Manchester United v Fulham

The best images from Old Trafford as Manchester United returned to the top of the table thanks to Wayne Rooney's strike, although Fulham were denied a late penalty when Michael Carrick challenged Danny Murphy









Wayne Rooney scores the opener after some lacklustre defending from the away side






Rooney celebrates with Jonny Evans, who had an impressive game in defence






Ashley Young has a change to score but is denied by a solid save from Fulham's Mark Schwarzer

[Mr Lick]

'Chicken Man' home explodes, body found

An explosion on March 26 rocked the suburban Atlanta home of a man known for his fight to keep chickens on his property, and emergency officials say an unidentified body was found inside. The house belonged to Andrew Wordes, who was known as the "Chicken Man."




A body is removed from a burned home in Roswell, Ga., Monday, March 26, 2012. Marshals had been on the scene for about two hours trying to evict Andrew Wordes, who's known as the "Chicken Man," when the explosion happened

[Mr Lick]

Strauss-Kahn charged in prostitution case

Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was charged March 26 with participation and procurement in an illegal French prostitution ring





Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn leaves the courts in Lille after questioning by three judges over his role in a prostitution case March 26, 2012. The Socialist ex-finance minister appeared at the Lille court two days earlier than scheduled



Belgian pimp Dominique Alderweireld, who often appears in French media under his nickname "Dodo la Saumure", arrives at the court in Tournai March 15, 2012. Alderweireld, who was arrested in early October, is suspected of being linked to an alleged prostitution ring that was run from the northern French city of Lille and organised sex parties in Paris, Brussels and Washington

[Mr Lick]

Magnitude 7.2 quake hits central Chile

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit central Chile on Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital of Santiago, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries




A Chilean firefighter inspects a building in downtown Santiago, in front of La Moneda Presidential palace, after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile












People gather outside a shopping mall after an earthquake was felt in Talca, Chile, Sunday, March 25, 2012. A magnitude-7.2 earthquake has struck just off the coast of central Chile, prompting an emergency evacuation order for people living near the ocean in case it spawns a tsunami

[Mr Lick]

Syrian troops assault Homs

Syrian forces fired shells at a central city that has come to symbolize the anti-government uprising Mar. 26, activists said, while the country's Muslim Brotherhood branch said it would work for a democratic state if President Bashar Assad falls.






















Syrians attend a mass funeral for people whom anti-government protesters said were killed by the shelling in Al Qasseer city, near Homs, March 23, 2012. The names of the people who were killed are displayed at bottom left.

[Mr Lick]

Tongans hold all-night vigil for late king

Tongans observed an all-night vigil for the late King George Tupou V, ahead of an elaborate funeral on March 27 which is unique to the only monarchy among the South Pacific island nations




Tongan elders bow in respect at the entrance to the throne room of the Royal Palace where the body of King George Tupou V lies in state in the capital Nuku'alofa

[Mr Lick]

'Green on blue' attacks in Afghanistan

Afghan security forces kill 3 NATO soldiers, the latest in a series of attacks on foreign forces.




Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon, Monday, March 26, 2012



Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman,fifth from right, chief of Pakistani religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam heads a meeting of opposition leaders on Saturday, March 24, 2012 to discuss strategy for the forthcoming Parliament session scheduled to debate the terms of re-engagement with United States, in Islamabad, Pakistan. The main issue of the agenda is restoration of the NATO supply to neighboring Afghanistan, which which was suspended after NATO airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers



Supporters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa Islamic organization raise their flags while taking part in an anti-U.S. and Nato demonstration in Lahore March 23, 2012. About 300 protesters gathered to take part in a protest against the possible re-opening of supply routes through Pakistan to NATO troops in Afghanistan, which have been closed since a cross-border attack by NATO forces in Afghanistan that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Pakistan border November 26, 2011. The words on the flags read "There is no god but God and Mohammad is the prophet of God."



Newly graduated officers listen to a speech by Afghan President Hamid Karzai during a gathering of army officers at the National Military Academy in Kabul March 22, 2012. Karzai said on Thursday his government was pressing to end divisive NATO night raids in negotiations with the United States on a long-term strategic pact, saying some past operations had violated Afghan sovereignty

[Mr Lick]

Arnold Palmer Invitational final leaderboard (par 72)

• -13: T Woods (US)
• -8: G McDowell (NI)
• -6: I Poulter (Eng)
• -5: R Moors (US) B Cauley (US), K Na (US), B Davis (Eng), B Watson (US), E Els (SA), J Wagner (US)

Tiger Woods turned his thoughts to trying to win a fifth Masters title after claiming his first PGA Tour title since September 2009 at Bay Hill.

The former world number one warmed up for the first major of the year with a five-shot victory over Graeme McDowell at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

"I'm excited about the Masters," said the 36-year-old, who has won 14 majors.
"It's always fun to play there and I'm looking forward to going to Augusta with the momentum I've built here."

Woods, who moved up to sixth in the world rankings with the win, pulled out of his last event two weeks ago with an Achilles tendon strain that initially seemed likely to threaten his participation at Augusta.

Chasing a seventh Bay Hill title, and 98th professional victory, Woods held a one-shot lead over Northern Ireland's McDowell going into the final round in Florida and carded a final-day two-under 70 to wrap up the win

[Mr Lick]

Sara Hurtado and Adria Diaz of Spain perform during the preliminary round of Ice Dance Free Dance of the ISU 2012 World Figure Skating Championships in Nice, southern France, March 26, 2012.



Slender and arboreal, vine snakes can reach lengths of six-and-a-half feet and range in color from bright green to rusty brown. Slow moving, they depend upon camouflage for protection. Found in the jungles of Central and South America vine snakes blend with the thick vegetation, often appearing to be just another vine.

Canon 5D Mark II; 100mm ƒ/2.8 lens; UV filter; 1/200 seconds at ƒ/10; ISO 160; 580EX flash off-camera; Lumiquest softbox; hand-held

[Mr Lick]

Angry protesters burn the furniture of a gas station to condemn fierce power cuts in Lahore, Pakistan on March 26, 2012. Pakistan is suffering from an energy crisis leading to the closure of industrial units and causing long hours of load shedding.

[Mr Lick]

People enjoy the warm fine weather besides the sea on March 26 in Bournemouth, England. The Met Office expect today to be the warmest day of the year so far, with temperatures expected to reach about 70 degrees Fahrenheit across many parts of the country.

[Mr Lick]

Demonstrators for and against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act march and chant in outside the U.S. Supreme Court Building on March 26, in Washington.



Anti-abortion advocates with Justice House of Prayer gather outside the Supreme Court as the justices hear oral arguments on cases related to health care reform law in Washington. Passing a major reform of the US health insurance system was President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement.















A line of people hoping to be allowed in to watch legal arguments over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at the Supreme Court stretches around the corner in Washington March 26. Two years after President Barack Obama signed into law the healthcare overhaul, the Supreme Court on Monday takes up a historic test of whether it is valid under the country's Constitution.

[Mr Lick]

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stand together at the end of a bilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 26, 2012.



At the very beginning of the photo opportunity after the the bilateral meeting between them, the two leaders, seemingly unaware of a live microphone, had this hushed exchange about missile defense:

Obama: On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space.

Medvedev: Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you...

Obama: This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility

Medvedev: I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladmir.

[Mr Lick]

A Tibetan man screams as he runs engulfed in flames after self-immolating at a protest in New Delhi, India, ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to the country Monday, March 26, 2012. The Tibetan activist lit himself on fire at the gathering and was rushed to hospital with unknown injuries, reports said.

[Mr Lick]

Alain Robert, the 'French Spiderman', climbs the Bakrie Tower in Jakarta, Indonesia on March 25.

Alain Robert, a French rock climber who has become famous for scaling tall buildings worldwide, climbs the 50 floors to the top of the 705-foot-high Bakrie Tower in Jakarta.

Robert, known as the French 'Spiderman', has also climbed the Sears Tower, Sydney Opera House, Eiffel Tower, and Empire State Building without any safety devices.

[Mr Lick]

Johnny Peers pulls a wagon loaded with the co-stars of his comedy act, Johnny Peers and The Muttville Comix backstage at the Twin Cities Pet Expo in Minneapolis, Minn.

[Mr Lick]

Wearing a Mexican sombrero and a Mexican wrestling mask, Lee Jay Thompson of Madness performs during the Vive Latino Festival in Mexico City.



Christoph Sauser (R) from Switzerland riding for team 36One-Songo-Specialized pushes his bike up a steep hill ahead of Moritz Milatz (C) from Germany riding for team BMC Mountainbike Racing during stage 1 of the Absa Cape Epic mountain bike team stage race in Robertson, South Africa. The Absa Cape Epic is the premier multi day stage race in the world and sees 1,200 cyclists riding in pairs over 780km and climbing more than 16,300 meters, twice the height of Mount Everest over 8 days of racing.



Devotees gather around a bonfire at the shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Hazrat Shah Hussain, popularly known as Madhu Lal Hussain, in eastern Pakistan's Lahore. Hundreds of devotees attended the 424th annual festival celebrations known as ''Mela Charagan'' of Hazrat Madhu Lal Hussain to pay homage to the 16th century saint.



The wife of Italian army soldier Sergeant Michele Silvestri (2nd L), escorted by a soldier, reacts as she walks beside the flag-draped coffin of her husband being carried by soldiers at Ciampino Airport near Rome. According to local media, Sergeant Silvestri, serving with the 21st Engineer Regiment, was killed in action on Saturday when his unit came under mortar fire in the Gulistan district of Farah province, Afghanistan. Five other soldiers were wounded in the attack.

[Mr Lick]

Protesters attack a petrol station with sticks and bricks during a protest against power cuts in Lahore. Dozens of protesters attacked a petrol station, bunt tires and blocked roads for several hours demanding the government to put an end to power cuts in the country



A Palestinian protester walks amid teargas fired by Israeli forces, during a demonstration outside Ofer Prison near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank in support of the Palestinian prisoner Hana Al-Shalabi who is on a hunger strike. Shalabi who was freed in a prisoner swap with Israel in October was taken to hospital on Mach 19 after being on hunger strike since her arrest in the northern West Bank on February 16, when she was originally ordered detained without trial for six months.



A model displays a creations by Russian designer Dima Neu during a Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia



Department of Fish and Wildlife Officer Dustin Prater carries a bear decoy and a frozen bear paw down the trail after a training exercise with his Karelian bear dog named Spencer at the Banner Forest in Port Orchard, Washington State.

[OhOh]

Planes are on show at the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition, which opened in Shanghai Monday. The event attracted over 150 exhibitors such as Boeing Business Jets, Airbus and NetJets to showcase more than 30 business plane models.

[Mr Lick]

Burmese soldiers attend a ceremony marking the 67th Armed Forces Day



Thousands of mourners and a small girl await the funeral of Tonga's King George Tupou V

[Mr Lick]

Vehicles destroyed by the March 2011 tsunami in Japan form an orderly queue

[Mr Lick]

Makassar, Indonesia: Students burn tyres during a demonstration against government plans to raise fuel prices



New Delhi, India: Tibetan protesters clash with riot police before being detained during a demonstration against China



Bamako, Mali: Pro-military youths gather in support of the army coup

[Mr Lick]

Karachi, Pakistan: Flames rise from a bus that has been set on fire by a mob after two workers of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement were killed by gunmen



Washington, US: Supporters of healthcare reform demonstrate outside the supreme court



Beijing, China: An honour guard prepares for the welcoming ceremony of Ireland's prime minister, Enda Kenny, at the Great Hall of the People

[Mr Lick]

Lahore, Pakistan: Devotees wait for their turn to dance wearing Ghungroo, small metallic bells, at a shrine to the famous Sufi Madhu Lal Shah Hussain



An anti-government protester, flashing 'victory' signs, runs towards community police officers walking towards other protesters to warn them to clear a roundabout on the main highway of Budaiya, west of Manama, March 26, 2012.



Natassa Papakonstantinou, 43, looks out of the window of her apartment in Kifisia, a suburb of Athens, March 14, 2012. Natassa lost her telecom services job of 12 years in August 2011 and was not paid for the last six months. She is now living off her savings and 461 euros ($611) from the government per month. When her savings run out in August she must leave her flat. She spends several hours a day searching and applying for jobs on the internet but still has not found any. Natassa is unable to afford to socialise much and has no family so she spends long periods of time alone. She says "I don't even listen to music much now. I used to love it but in the bad times of your life you forget about your hobbies."