World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Hundreds of bodies were inside a local mosque that was also destroyed during the two day siege. President Bashar al-Assad's army has stepped up attacks on rebellious villages with attack helicopters, T72 tanks and heavy artillery despite agreeing to honor the six-point peace plan established by the United Nations



The bloodshed undermined already fading hopes that more than a year of violence will end soon, and France accused Assad of trying to fool the world by accepting Annan's deadline to pull the army back from population centers by April 10.

[Mr Lick]

Adam Longoria watches the jury enter the courtroom during his trial in Barton County District Court in Great Bend, Kan., Friday, April 6, 2012. Longoria is charged with capital murder in the August 2010 death of Alicia DeBolt



This 2010 file photo shows Alicia DeBolt, from Great Bend, Kan



In this Aug. 30, 2010 file photo, Adam Joseph Longoria walks in chains into the Barton County District Court in Great Bend, Kan. Longoria, charged with capital murder, attempted rape and criminal solicitation of a minor, was convicted in the death of 14-year-old Alicia DeBolt

[Mr Lick]

Navy jet crashes in Virginia - more pics




In this image made from video and provided by WVEC TV, smoke billows near an apartment complex where a Navy jet crashed in Virginia Beach, Va., Friday, March 6, 2012. The F/A-18 Hornet crashed into the apartment building, officials said, and the two-member crew ejected safely. There were no immediate reports of injuries on the ground.

[Mr Lick]

A gaucho or cowboy rides a horse during a rodeo competition in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, April 6, 2012

[Mr Lick]

A view from the pilots seat in the cockpit of of space shuttle Endeavour is seen during a media tour at Kennedy Space Center Friday, April 6, 2012, in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

[Mr Lick]

Austin Guest, an Occupy Wall Street protestor, is arrested during the "Spring Training" exercise on April 6 in New York

[Mr Lick]

Dancers perform the Dance of the Death during a Holy Week procession in Verges, northeastern Spain. Dancers dress in body stockings with sckeletons painted on them and carry symbols to stir the people and prepare them for a good death.



Driver Khalifa Al-Mutaiwei and German co-driver Andreas Schulz race past camels in their X-raid Mini All4 on the fifth and final 287km leg of the 2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in Dubai.

[Mr Lick]

Crew members of NEW LUCKY VII freighter are rescued by Japan's maritime safety agency in the sea near Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan. Eleven of the 17 crew members on board a Hong Kong cargo ship which lost contact in waters off southern Japan two days ago were rescued by patrol vessels of Japanese Coast Guard. The cargo ship carrying timber was sailing from Papua New Guinea to China.



Workers from the Athens central groceries market clash with police officers during a rally in front of the Bank of Greece in Athens. Hundreds of workers protested outside the labour ministry and the Bank of Greece on Friday saying they have lost part of their savings in the national debt swap deal that formed a crucial part of Greece's bailout.

[Mr Lick]

US court sentences Mexican gang leader Acosta to life




The leader of a Mexican drug gang has been sentenced to life in prison in the United States for the murder of three people linked to the American consulate in Ciudad Juarez in 2010.

Jose Antonio Acosta Hernandez pleaded guilty to the murder of Lesley Enriquez, her American husband, and the husband of another consular worker.

Acosta Hernandez allegedly said he had been involved in the murder of 1,500 people in and around Ciudad Juarez.

He was extradited to the US in 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Boat Race: Oxford & Cambridge interrupted by swimmer





A dramatic 158th Boat Race had to be halted midway through because of a swimmer in the River Thames, with Cambridge winning the restarted race.

The Oxford and Cambridge boats were side by side after eight minutes when the sight of a man in the river ahead of them forced them to stop.

It was decided the two boats would return to Chiswick Bridge to restart.

Cambridge went on to win with ease after Oxford broke an oar in a clash moments after the resumption.

Oxford bow man Alex Woods collapsed in the boat after they crossed the line and he was transferred to the race launch for medical treatment.

The last time the race had to be restarted was in 2001 when there was a clash of blades.

[Mr Lick]

Islamabad, Pakistan: Vendor Basheer Badoo, 40, waits on a roadside hoping to sell his chicks for 15 rupees each



Manama, Bahrain: Demonstrators run for cover from teargas fired by riot police after clashes erupted during a protest calling for the release of a jailed activist in the village of Jidhafs. Abdulhadi al-Khawaja has been on hunger strike for almost two months

[OhOh]

The bodies of 15 army and law enforcement martyrs on Saturday were escorted from Tishreen , Zahi Azraq and Aleppo Military Hospitals in Damascus, Lattakia and Aleppo to their final resting place.

Solemn processions were held for the martyrs who were targeted by armed terrorist groups while on duty in Aleppo, Damascus Countryside, Daraa, Homs.

[Mr Lick]

Tiananmen-era Chinese dissident dies

One of China's most famous dissidents from the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists has died in the United States, exiled dissidents said on Saturday, April 7, 2012.






The arrest warrant for the astrophysicist Fang Lizhi (R) and his wife Li Shuxian was widely shown on Chinese TV in June 1989. Fang Lizhi, a key figure in the pro-democracy movement that inspired the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, has died in the United States, according to fellow dissident Wang Dan.

[Mr Lick]

Hundreds rally at Greek funeral

Hundreds of Greek mourners shouting defiant slogans attended the funeral on Saturday of a retired pharmacist who shot himself this week saying austerity cuts had left him in deep poverty.

[OhOh]

UN-backed plans for a ceasefire and negotiations in Syria have been thrown into doubt by a demand from President Bashar al-Assad that armed groups guarantee to halt all violence before regime forces are withdrawn from flashpoints across the country.

"This is a totally predictable move," said Emile Hokayem, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "By accepting Annan's plan, Assad wanted to demand – and get – reciprocity to put pressure on a fragmented opposition. Russia will support this demand and the Friends of Syria have painted themselves into a corner. Can they really say no at this point?

[Mr Lick]

Stockholm, Sweden: People attend a flash-mob pillow fight during the International Pillow Fight Day



Lobuche, Nepal: Memorial flags and rock piles are left on the main track to Everest in memory of those who have died, so that climbers can pay their respects before trying to climb the mountain



Chon-Tash, Kyrgyzstan: Police officers stand near the Ata-Beiit Cemetery during the commemoration ceremonies marking the second anniversary of the 2010 political unrest

[Mr Lick]

Celtic's 2012 Premier League title win



7 April An emphatic 6-0 victory over Kilmarnock gives The Hoops their 43rd League title, their first since 2008

[Mr Lick]

Painter Thomas Kinkade dies

Artist Thomas Kinkade once said that he had something in common with Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell: He wanted to make people happy.







Artist Thomas Kinkade (R) and wife Nanette Kinkade (L) pose for a photos Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree November 30, 2007 in New York City.









Thomas Kinkade unveils his painting, "Prayer For Peace," at the opening of the exhibit "From Abraham to Jesus," in Atlanta. A family spokesman says California artist Thomas Kinkade, known for scenes of cottages, country gardens and churches in dewy morning light, has died, Friday, April 6, 2012. He was 54.

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Track Worlds: Sir Chris Hoy wins audacious keirin gold


Sir Chris Hoy won the men's keirin world title with a phenomenal last-ditch move in the home straight at the World Track Cycling in Melbourne.

Hoy crowbarred his way between New Zealand's Simon van Velthooven and eventual silver medallist Maximilian Levy of Germany to grab the gold medal.

“This is particularly special because it's my last meaningful race before the Olympics” - Sir Chris Hoy

The electrifying victory installs Hoy as the clear favourite for the Olympic gold, while Jason Kenny won bronze.

The British team end the Worlds on top of the medal table for Olympic events.

[Mr Lick]

Masters 2012: Bubba Watson beats Louis Oosthuizen in play-off


American Bubba Watson won a thrilling Masters in a sudden-death play-off with South African Louis Oosthuizen.

Watson, 33, hit a brilliant second shot from the trees on the 10th to win the Green Jacket at the second extra hole.

Oosthuizen had earlier hit an albatross two at the par-five fifth, as he and Watson finished level on 10 under par.

Lee Westwood was tied for third on eight under, along with Matt Kuchar, Peter Hanson and Phil Mickelson, who faded with a triple bogey at the sixth.

[OhOh]

Here are some photos of terrorists building, installing IEDs in Syria.

Photos of Syrian rebels destroying the road to their mountain stronghold with a pipe-bomb | News | National Post

[Mr Lick]

Apologies for my absence in ths thread for the past few days. My PC has not been feeling very well but is now, i am pleased to say, well on the road to recovery. Onward



Uttar Pradesh, India: A woman pumps mustard oil into the right ear of a girl on a roadside in Kaudihar, in an attempt to cure malnutrition



Sanam Luang, Thailand: A royal guard struggles in the heat during the cremation of the late Princess Bejraratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi

[Mr Lick]

Pyongyang, North Korea: Frogs in a factory pond, where they are being raised as food



Mejicanos, El Salvador: An alleged gang member is handcuffed during a raid



Washington DC: Barack Obama does pushups as members of the Harlem Globetrotters look on at the White House tennis court

[Mr Lick]

Sevierville, Tennessee, US: Firefighters stand by a destroyed building at the English Mountain Condominium resort



Buccoo, Tobago: A crab is guided to the finish line during a crab race at the annual Buccoo goat and crab race festival



Sana'a, Yemen: A boy pushes his bicycle in front of a bullet-scarred building in a neighbourhood where heavy fighting has occurred between warring factions