World News in Pictures

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated on Tuesday his country's readiness to support any decision that will be taken by the Syrian people in the framework a national comprehensive dialogue.

"The international community with all its members, particularly those who have direct influence on the situation in Syria, should help the Syrian sides reach dialogue and national reconciliation as this is the only way to stop violence and bloodshed," Lavrov said to SANA correspondent in Moscow following the meeting with the Syrian delegation.

He described the talks with Jamil and Haidar as very useful , saying " undoubtedly, the general approach taken by the Syrian leadership was the only correct approach in spite of some delay in work and a number of mistakes."

[Mr Lick]

Spanish fresco restoration botched by amateur



An elderly parishioner has stunned Spanish cultural officials with an alarming and unauthorised attempt to restore a prized Jesus Christ fresco.

Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) by Elias Garcia Martinez has held pride of place in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza for more than 100 years.

The woman took her brush to it after years of deterioration due to moisture.

Cultural officials said she had the best intentions and hoped it could be properly restored.

[Mr Lick]

Naked Prince Harry photos published online



Pictures showing Prince Harry and a young woman naked in a Las Vegas hotel room have been published on a US website.

The two photos of the 27-year-old royal, on gossip website TMZ, were taken on a private break with friends over the weekend.

The site reported that the prince was in a group playing "strip billiards".

St James's Palace has confirmed the prince is in the photos but has made no further comment about the images.

The two pictures of the prince are thought to have been taken on Friday.

The website claims the pictures came after the prince, who is third in line to the throne, invited friends back to his hotel room for a private party.

BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said it was not clear how the photos were taken, but it is presumed they were captured on a camera phone.

He said the pictures had been picked up by much of the American media, but no part of the mainstream British media had so far published them.

[Mr Lick]

Togolese security forces clashed with protesters in the capital Lome for a second straight day Wednesday, with officers firing tear gas on demonstrators who responded by throwing rocks and burning tires







Protest organisers claimed several dozen of their supporters were injured and arrested, adding that a third day of protests would not go ahead as planned on Thursday because the authorities had executed "a takeover by force".

Roughly 2,000 people gathered in Lome for the second day of anti-government demonstrations organised by Let's Save Togo, a coalition of civil society and opposition groups, ahead of parliamentary elections expected in October.

Security forces fired tear gas on protesters on the first day of rallies on Tuesday and did so again not long after Wednesday's march began.

A protester named Kossi told AFP that the demonstrators were "not afraid of tear gas anymore.

"They must let us demonstrate freely, if not, we will go all the way," he warned.
But the coalition's organiser, Zeus Ajavon, said the opposition movement had no choice but to call off Thursday's rally as the authorities had proven their readiness to use brutality.

"The security forces cracked down on us. They beat us. It is a takeover by force. For us, it's finished, there is nothing left to say," Ajavon told journalists. "No demonstrations tomorrow."

He said despite changing their protest route as demanded by the authorities, opposition supporters were still met with tear gas.

Security Minister Colonel Damehane Yark however countered the protest organisers did not give sufficient warning as to their new plans.

Yark reminded the organisers that they must "communicate the information regarding their itinerary within a reasonable time to allow (the authorities) time to make the necessary arrangements", in a statement read on national television.
According to Ajavon, the government has demonstrated that it will not allow peaceful rallies and so the population must pursue other ways to bring about change. He did not call for a specific course of action.

An AFP correspondent reported isolated violent exchanges between demonstrators and the security forces in Lome's Be neighbourhood earlier Wednesday, with opposition supporters throwing rocks and burning tyres. The area was however calm by nightfall.

Last week, the west African nation's government banned street demonstrations in commercial centres, setting up a showdown with the coalition, which had already announced the protests.

The government says commercial centres were made off-limits because security and public order were difficult to maintain in such areas, but the opposition have denounced the move as a bid to stifle critics.

Some of the opposition are seeking a delay in the polls to let reforms take effect first, while others also want changes to the electoral code passed by parliament to be repealed on the grounds they were not made properly.

While the elections are expected to be held in October, no date has been set.
Togo has been run by the same family for more than four decades. Gnassingbe

Eyadema ruled the country for 38 years with an iron fist until his death in 2005.

Shortly after his death was announced, the military installed his son Faure Gnassingbe as president. He has since won elections in 2005 and 2010.

[Mr Lick]

China relocated 1.3 million people during the 17 years it took to complete the Three Gorges dam. Even after finishing the $59 billion project last month, the threat of landslides along the dam's banks will force tens of thousands to move again. The dam is a reminder of the social and environmental challenges that have dogged the world's largest hydroelectric project. While there has been little protest among residents who will be relocated a second time, the environmental fallout over other big investments in China has become a hot-button issue ahead of a leadership transition this year.



Ma Tianxin examines the cracked walls of his home after a landslide near Badong, on the bank of the Yangtze River, 62 miles from the Three Gorges dam, in Hubei province, China, Aug. 7.



A woman walks past a building under demolition at a residential area to be relocated, Huangtupo, Badong city, 62 miles from the Three Gorges dam, in Hubei province, China, Aug. 8.



A laborer walks through a construction site where houses will be raised for relocated people in Badong, near the banks of the Yangtze River, 62 miles from the Three Gorges dam in Hubei province, China, Aug. 7.

[Mr Lick]

Participants prepare to swim during the annual Lake Zurich crossing, in Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 22

[Mr Lick]

People hold candles expressing solidarity with those affected by the recent ethnic violence in India's northeastern state Assam during a protest near the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi, India, Aug.22. The protest also condemned the rumors that caused thousands of people from India's remote northeast to panic and flee from southern and western India. The violence in Assam killed more than 50 people and displaced 400,000 others.

[Mr Lick]

South African President Jacob Zuma adresses Marikana miners as he visits the Nkaneng Informal Settlement on August 22 in Rustenburg, South Africa. The President visited Marikana in Rustenburg to address workers at platinum company Lonmin, following the the Marikana tragedy in which 34 striking miners were shot dead and another 78 were wounded by police last week. 10 people were also killed in the week before Thursday's shootings, including two police officers and two mine security guards. Zuma was joined by the inter-ministerial committee investigating the violence.



President Jacob Zuma announced an inquiry into the violence at the Lonmin mine and declared a week of national mourning. South African police confirmed 34 people were killed and 78 injured during the strike by mine workers from Lonmin Marikana mine on Aug. 16, causing a huge public outcry.

Reuters reports: At Marikana, a somber-looking President Jacob Zuma stood under a parasol held by an aide to address around 2,000 subdued miners. In the Xhosa and Zulu languages, he said there was no need for workers to die in a Labor dispute.

"I have taken a decision to set up a commission to investigate this so that we can get to the truth," Zuma said.

[Mr Lick]

A zookeeper strokes a penguin on a scale during the annual weigh-in at London Zoo on Aug. 22.












Zookeeper Don McFarlane weighs and measures an African Millipede during the zoo's annual weigh-in on Aug. 22.


ZSL’s Zoological Director, David Field says: “We need to know the vital statistics of every animal at the Zoo – however big or small."

Zookeepers at the London Zoo are responsible for more than 16,000 animals, spending countless hours recording the weight and measurements of each and every animal, including penguins, meerkats, lions and owls. The measurements are collated in the Zoological Information Management System, from which zoologists can use the data to compare information on thousands of endangered species.

“This information helps us to monitor their health, their diets and their general well-being. By sharing it with other zoos and conservationists, we can use this knowledge to protect wild animals, and use it to assess their health, their behaviours and even their ages,” said Field.



''Morning Cedric', ' ''Good morning Charles''

[Mr Lick]

Salafist Sunni Muslim gunmen take cover during a shoot out in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Aug. 22.



A Lebanese man looks at a hole on a building following a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) strike in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Aug. 22.



Renewed clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad have left ten people dead and at least 75 wounded in fighting in northern Lebanon between two Muslim communities divided over Syria, testing Lebanon's fragile security situation

[Mr Lick]

US air guitar champion Matt Burns, left, and air guitar world champion 2011, Aline Westpha of Germany, strut their stuff in Oulu, Finland, on August 22, 2012.

The Air Guitar World Championships begin on Wednesday with the grand final due to take place on Friday.

[Mr Lick]

Madrid, Spain: A couple of Romanian migrants look for materials to sell




Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano spews large clouds of gas and ash near Banos, south of Quito, August 20, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Floods in Assam

[Mr Lick]

A woman mourns during a memorial service for the 44 people killed in a wildcat strike at Lonmin's Marikana mine on August 23, 2012 in Marikana, South Africa.

[Mr Lick]

A Faki (religious healer) from Abu Shouk, North Darfur, Sudan, holds a smoking pot during the preparation of the Bakhra, a traditional treatment for mental illness. The patient has to inhale the smoke that comes up from a piece of paper (with lines from the Koran written on it) fired with charcoal and roots.

[Mr Lick]

"In the US, money and beauty are the power, but I am looking for something else," said Kathy Aley, originally from Newport Beach, Calif., who moved to Nicaragua in 2001. "I left because of the greed and the selfishness in that country. I worked as an aerobics instructor for the school district, but I tore my muscles. I have two daughters in the US … they are 40 and 32 years old. I live here with my eight dogs, 10 cats and my parrot. Every morning, I jog the beach up and down with my dogs and parrot. They need the exercise."



Captain Zatara, 53, and Katy, 41: "It was our dream to sail around the world and live and sail in the tropics. We bought our boat in Washington state in 2003. She is a beauty. We came to San Juan de Sur three years ago and we wanted to make some adjustments to the boat … (now) we are rebuilding it from scratch. In the meantime Katy runs a massage salon, so we earn some money. I think it will take another two years to finish the boat. We have five children, one is with us."

Central America is a growing destination for moderately wealthy Americans looking to leave the rat race behind. In their search for quieter and less expensive places, some have chosen to settle in Nicaragua — the poorest nation in mainland Latin America, but also the safest, according to The Economist.

One such quiet and affordable enclave is the tranquil bay of San Juan del Sur. In addition to safe harbor for retirement, the location also offers a break from recession and politics.

Nicaragua was recently named one of the most favorable retirement destinations in the world.



Fred Goldfarb, 60: "I am from the San Francisco Bay Area. I always had a desire for traveling, and in 2006, I came with my girlfriend to Nicaragua. She didn't like it, so that is where our relationship ended. I had a company in the US and in 2007 I bought 350 acres of land. With my business partner, we build environment friendly houses to sell. In 2008 the market collapsed, we are selling less now than before. I built this house actually to sell, but for the time being I live here. I don't like the politics in the US and the cost of living is very high."



Tom and Patty Lowy (55 and 62 respectively), from the San Francisco area: In 2004 Tom bought land close to San Juan del Sur. "I paid far too much … now we live here, in our gringonized house," he said. "We brought the TV chairs from the US. I earned good money in the US -- $400,000 a year -- I was a retail broker and I saw the crisis coming. We wanted to leave, we don't like the politics of the US, the Patriot Act, the propaganda from the mass media and the misinformation. Here is a safe place, safe for a nuclear war. We watch US television, but most of our friends are Nicaraguan. We believe we should integrate."



The tranquil bay of San Juan del Sur is pictured. Although Nicaragua hasn't had good relationships with the US over the last three decades, it is a popular destination for US citizens.

[Mr Lick]

Brasilia, Brazil: Rural workers march to the Planalto presidential palace to protest over agrarian issues



Aleppo, Syria: A Free Syrian Army fighter dodges sniper shots being fired by government forces in the Salaheddin neighbourhood



Mexico City, Mexico: Masked citizens take part in a vigil to support WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, in front of the US embassy



Ilan, Taiwan: Strong waves batter breakwaters as Typhoon Tembin approaches

[Mr Lick]

Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district, August 22, 2012. In Syria, Assad's forces have lost swathes of territory in recent months, but have fought back hard in Damascus and in Aleppo, the country's biggest city and commercial hub until it became a theatre for urban warfare



International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde (2nd L) checks some pyramid stones next to security guards while listening to a guide's explanation as she tours the pyramids in Giza, at the end of her visit to Egypt, August 22, 2012. Egypt requested a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund and hopes for a deal by the end of year, officials said during a visit on Wednesday by IMF chief Christine Lagarde to discuss helping the ailing economy.



Sunni Muslim gunmen aim their rifles from the Sunni Muslim-dominant neighbourhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, during clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites August 22, 2012.



A picture of General Aung San, father of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, is seen in a flooded home at the Kyune Kone township delta area, Irrawaddy Division August 22, 2012. More than 700 villages and over 200,000 acres (80,940 hectares) of rice fields were flooded, according to local media reports.

[Mr Lick]

Supporters applaud as Hong Kong fishing vessel "Kai Fung No. 2", which went to the disputed Senkaku or Diaoyu islands, docks at a public pier at Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour August 22, 2012. Anti-Japanese protests rocked Chinese cities on Sunday after nationalists from Japan landed on an East China Sea island at the heart of a territorial dispute between the two nations, the largest flare-up of Chinese public anger over Japan in years.



A Lebanese Sunni Muslim gunman points his rifle as other takes up position at the Sunni Muslim dominant neighbourhood of Bab al-Tebbaneh in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, during clashes between Sunni Muslims and Alawites August 22, 2012. The death toll from fighting between Sunni Muslims and Alawites in Tripoli climbed to at least 10 overnight, medical sources said on Wednesday, in clashes that the city's residents described as some of the heaviest since Lebanon's civil war.

[Mr Lick]

Jared Rosenthal, founder of Health Street, poses with his "Who's Your Daddy?" DNA testing van in New York August 16, 2012. Rosenthal drives the van around the city offering portable DNA paternity testing as well as drug and alcohol testing services.

[Mr Lick]

Paralympic flames kindled across UK



Scout groups climbed the highest peaks of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland where they created Paralympic flames in time for next weeks games.

[Mr Lick]

Asil Nadir jailed for 10 years for Polly Peck thefts




Former fugitive Asil Nadir has been jailed for a total of 10 years for stealing nearly £29m ($46m) from his Polly Peck empire 20 years ago.

Nadir, 71, stole from Polly Peck International (PPI), a major UK company until 1990 when it collapsed after a Serious Fraud Office investigation.

He fled the UK in 1993 while awaiting trial and went to northern Cyprus but returned in 2010.

A statement issued on behalf of Nadir said he was "most disappointed".

Bark & Co solicitors said: "He maintains that he is totally innocent of all charges and will be lodging an appeal."

Outside the Old Bailey, Nadir's wife, Nur, also said: "My husband is innocent."

She added: "Having great faith in the British legal justice system we will continue with our efforts to rectify the wrongs."

The seven-month trial, which ended on Wednesday, saw Nadir acquitted of three of the 13 sample charges he faced.

Nadir was given five years' imprisonment for seven thefts committed between August 1987 and June 1989 and five years for three offences which took place between December 1989 and August 1990.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Holroyde said Nadir had continued to steal from PPI after the company's accounts were queried by auditors.

The judge said the two sets of sentences would therefore run consecutive to each other "to mark your persistence in offending repeatedly over a lengthy period".

He said Nadir would be eligible for release after serving half his sentence.

[Mr Lick]

Farmer bites cobra to death in Nepal



A Nepali farmer who was bitten by a cobra in his rice paddy field has killed the snake by repeatedly biting it in return.

"A snake charmer told me that if a snake bites you, bite it until it is dead and nothing will happen to you," Mohammed Salmodin told the BBC.

He has now been discharged from hospital where he was being treated for the snake bite.

Officials say he will not be charged because the reptile was not endangered.
"When I realised that a snake had bit me, I went home to get a torch and saw that it was a cobra. So I bit it to death," he told BBC Nepali's Bikram Niraula in Biratnagar.

After he bit the snake to death, Mr Salmodin said that he went about his daily business as if nothing had happened. He says he finally agreed to go to hospital after pressure from family, neighbours and police.

The incident took place on Tuesday in a village 200km (125 miles) south-east of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

The snake he killed is reported to have been the common cobra. Nepal has a a wide variety of snakes, many of which are venomous - such as the cobra.

[Mr Lick]

Nguyen Duc Kien's arrest in Vietnam prompts ACB fears



Depositors in Vietnam have withdrawn hundreds of millions of dollars from one of the country's largest banks after the arrest of one of its founders.

Nguyen Duc Kien, one of Vietnam's richest businessmen, was arrested in Hanoi on Monday on suspicion of "economic violations".

Shares in Asia Commercial Bank slid as a result, causing depositors to panic.

The Central Bank has pumped millions into the bank to reassure depositors.

Large crowds of customers have gathered outside branches of ACB in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The government has said that Mr Kien, who owns just under a 5% stake in ACB, is not involved in the day-to-day running of the bank.

Mr Kien, whose family is the fifth richest in Vietnam, co-founded ACB in the 1990s. He is seen as a politically well-connected tycoon.



Nguyen Duc Kien

[Mr Lick]

Jail for 180mph M6 chase driver Ben Westwood




A man caught doing 180mph in a police chase on the M6 in the West Midlands has been jailed for nine years.

Ben Westwood, of Woden Road, Wednesfield, was found guilty of dangerous driving and conspiracy to burgle and steal earlier this month.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how during the 65-mile chase in January Westwood, 33, almost outpaced the police helicopter, in a stolen car.

Westwood is thought to be the fastest driver to be caught in the UK.

He was also banned from driving for four years.

Westwood was driving a modified Audi RS5 worth £85,000

The court heard how the modified Audi RS5, worth £85,000, was stolen from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire, in August 2011.

Police said the car was then linked to 16 raids across Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands, including incidents at a bowling alley and a jewellers.

The raids took place between August 2011 and January 2012, during the course of which the car, originally white, was sprayed silver and then black.

Four other men were also sentenced for their part in the thefts:

• Ramesh Sharma, 38, from Barrington Close, Oxley, Wolverhampton, was jailed for three years for conspiracy to steal

• Gregory Simpson, 26, from Wordsworth Road, Wolverhampton, was jailed for four years for conspiracy to steal

• Luke Watkins, 34, from Whestone Road, Bushbury, Wolverhampton, was jailed for three years for conspiracy to steal plus nine months for dangerous driving

• Stephen Green, 41, from Castlebridge Road, Wednesfield, was jailed for four-and-a half years for conspiracy to steal

The chase, in the early hours of 13 January, took place after a raid on the Murco petrol station in Warstones Road, Wolverhampton.



The court heard how Westwood almost outpaced a police helicopter