World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Hundreds of civilians armed with rifles, pistols and machetes decided to provide security for the communities of Guerrero, Mexico, creating a vigilante force to stop gangs that are committing robberies, kidnappings and murders. Guerrero, home to the Pacific resort town of Acapulco, has been one of the hardest hit by Mexico's drug violence, which has left more than 70,000 people dead across the country since 2006.

[Mr Lick]

A violent storm with torrential rain and powerful wind left five people dead Tuesday in Buenos Aires as it knocked out power, downed trees and damaged homes, officials said.

A record 6.1 inches of rain fell in about two hours in some parts of the city.

A woman looks at the flooded living room of her home.

[Mr Lick]

People surround a bus which fell from a bridge with a height of 49 feet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Tuesday. The accident left 7 people dead and 11 injured.

[Mr Lick]

Derby fire deaths: Philpotts and friend to be sentenced



Mick and Mairead Philpott, and Paul Mosley, were convicted on Tuesday

A couple who killed six children in a house fire in Derby will be sentenced for manslaughter at Nottingham Crown Court later.

Mick and Mairead Philpott, as well as their friend Paul Mosley, were convicted on Tuesday after an eight-week trial.

Derbyshire Police said it was the most upsetting case it had ever dealt with.

The couple's families released statements saying they thought "justice had been served".

[Mr Lick]

March weather was second coldest on record - Met Office




Snow and plunging temperatures have caused chaos through March

Freezing temperatures in March made it the UK's joint second coldest since records began more than 100 years ago, the Met Office has said.

The mean temperature was just 2.2C (36F) - more than 3C colder than the long-term monthly average.

Last month matched the average temperature in March 1947 - only March 1962 was colder at 1.9C (35F).

March was also much drier than usual with 62.1mm (2.4in) of rain, 65% of the historical average for the month.

Scotland was yet more parched with only 35% of its normal downpours.


Coldest March temperatures

• 1 1962 - 1.9 °C
• 2= 2013 - 2.2 °C
• 2= 1947 - 2.2 °C
• 4 1937 - 2.4 °C
• 5 1916 - 2.5 °C

Average temperature for month. Source: Met Office


The amount of sunshine was slightly down for the UK with 82.9 hours for the month which is 81% of the average.

[Mr Lick]

Man cuts grass shock! Some might say this smacks of PR desperation. The world famous finish line for the Grand National is cut by ground staff ahead of the 2013 John Smiths Grand National Meeting at Aintree Racecourse, Sefton, England



It's the bomb! A defused World War II bomb which was found alongside the railway line near Berlin's central railway station. The discovery of an unexploded 100 kg World War II bomb snarled rail and road traffic in the German capital.

[Mr Lick]

Palestinian demonstrators clashing with the Israeli army in Hebron






Israeli soldiers walk toward a cloud of tear gas during clashes with Palestinian stone throwers at the al-Arub refugee camp North of the West Bank city of Hebron

[Mr Lick]

An Australian tourist gets a temporary henna tattoo at a shop in New Delhi, India. Violence against women, and the huge publicity generated by recent attacks here, is threatening India's $17.7 billion tourism industry. A new study shows tourism has plunged, especially among women, since a 23-year-old Indian student was raped on a New Delhi bus and later died from her injuries, a case that garnered worldwide publicity



This is all getting a bit scary. Kim Jong-un visits the Wolnae-do Defence Detachment on the western front line, North Korea



Egyptians gather to buy cooking gas cylinders at a selling depot in Cairo. Egypt increased the price of state-subsidized the cylinders as officials prepare to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a much-needed 4.8-billion-dollar loan to revitalize an economy battered by political upheaval and strikes

[Mr Lick]

Tom Cruise outside the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin where he received a certificate of Irishness (o.O) from Irish Government and Tourism Ireland



A member of the Free Syrian Army holds his weapon as he sits on a sofa in the middle of a street in Deir al-Zor



Manchester City striker, Carlos Tevez, arrives at Macclesfield Magistrates Court in Macclesfield, England. The Argentine striker appeared to face driving charges

[Mr Lick]

Georgia May Jagger poses inside an engine of a British Airways 777 airliner in Sydney, Australia. British Airways launched the new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on the London-Sydney route with a special on-board celebration. Guests enjoyed a British traditional high tea from the Langham Hotel, Sydney. Georgia May Jagger led a fashion show with models showcasing the PPQ Autumn/Winter 2013 collection which was recently featured at London Fashion Week



Fishery administration officers use axes and hammers to destroy confiscated electric fishing equipment on the banks of Hanjiang River in Wuhan, Hubei province, China April 1, 2013. The city's fishery administration announced a three-month fishing ban at the Yangtze River and Hanjiang River Wuhan section, local media reported.



A woman is comforted as relatives wait for the bodies of the victims of a fire to arrive for the funeral at Yaeway cemetery in Yangon, Myanmar April 2, 2013. Thousands of Muslims attended the funeral for the 13 victims of the fire that broke out in a dormitory of an Islamic school in the central, multi-ethnic Botataung district of the former capital. The fire caused by faulty electrical equipment killed 13 boys at the school in Yangon on Tuesday, the fire service said.

[Mr Lick]

Israeli border policemen scuffle with Palestinian medics (C and R) during clashes at a protest, held without a police permit, outside Jerusalem's Old City April 2, 2013. The protest took place following the death of Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a Palestinian inmate who died from cancer in an Israeli hospital on Tuesday. Hamdeya's death also threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners.



People stand next to a fire caused by an explosion at an oil pipeline, 18 km (11 miles) south of the city of Ajdabiya, Libya April 2, 2013. There is no casualty and the cause of the blast is unknown.



People wade through a flooded street after a rainstorm in Buenos Aires, Argentina April 2, 2013. Thunderstorms damaged property and vehicles, cut power and caused delays on flights in Buenos Aires and its suburbs. The City's SAME emergency service announced that the death toll has risen to five.



Riot police stand guard as Ukrainian opposition supporters hold a rally outside the parliament headquarters in Kiev, April 2, 2013. Activists gathered to demand local authorities hold an election for Kiev's Mayorship in June 2013 and to protest against their political opponents' initiatives to delay the vote, according to participants.



An early retired coal miner shouts slogans beside a riot police officer during a demonstration in Oviedo, Spain April 2, 2013. The riot police officers displayed their identification number in their backs for the first time after a regulation from the Interior Ministry last week, local media reported



Minnesota Twins' Justin Morneau breaks his bat as he flies out to Detroit Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter to end the first inning of their American League MLB season opener baseball game in Minneapolis, April 1, 2013. Detroit won 4-2.

[Mr Lick]

A journalist records a news conference between Australian ministers and their Indonesian counterparts in Jakarta



A 450 ft kite depicting the Great Wall of China flies at a kite fair in Xian.

[Mr Lick]

Syria's injured refugees

[Mr Lick]

Canberra, Australia: kangaroo shooter Steven O'Donnell rests his .223 calibre rifle on the roof of his truck as he aims at a group of kangaroos on a property located on the outskirts of Australia's capital as part of the annual cull



Beijing, China: visitors look at LED lighting products at the Beijing International LED Expo



Piraeus, Greece: a high-speed ferry is docked at the port near Athens during a 24-hour strike held by dockworkers' unions

[Mr Lick]

Pedal faster. I am going as fast as I can. And so he was as Argos-Shimano team rider Marcel Kittel of Germany celebrates winning the 101st Scheldeprijs/Grand Prix de l'Escaut cycling race in Schoten, Belgium



Time for another cute, fluffy animal photo? Well not quite. This terrifying piece of art is by Welsh artist Adele Morse and is called Stoned Fox. If you want to get up close and personal with Mr Fox you need to scoot off to a cafe called Geometria in St.Petersburg, Russia



Chechen policemen cordon off a burning building in central Grozny. A fire raged in the uninhabited skyscraper which is the centrepiece of a drive by local authorities to promote the city as a glitzy and modern hub.



Buy tomorrows Guardian and check out G2. There's a big feature on a new book, 'Enjoy The Experience: Homemade Records 1958–1992', and some of those sleeves are atrocious/superb. This classic is The Shaggs - Philosophy of the World. Rolling Stone described the album as the worst record ever made, but Kurt Cobain was a fan - he named it his fifth favourite of all time. I must track it down and have a listen

[Mr Lick]

People of the Roma community who were evicted from their camp wait at an administrative court in Lyon, France, prior to a hearing regarding the ruling on their eventual rehousing



Activists of the Ukrainian feminist movement Femen try to burn a Salafist flag in front of a mosque in Paris, France



Another day, another festival. It's the second day of the Danda festival, or the festival of self-punishment, at Kulagarh in Ganjam district, Orissa state, India. Devotees perform rituals of penance on hot sand to appease Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction during the 21-day long festival, in which only males participate.



Crowds line the streets as troops from 21 Engineer Regiment return from Afghanistan to Ripon, North Yorkshire, England.






WANT! Curling fan Audrey Jasper wears the best sunglasses ever while attending the World Men's Curling Championships in Victoria, British Columbia

[Mr Lick]

Buenos Aires underwater

[Mr Lick]

West Bank clashes



A stone-throwing Palestinian protester runs away from rubber bullets fired by Israeli troops during clashes in the West Bank city of Hebron April 3, 2013. The death of Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a prisoner serving a life sentence over an attempt to bomb an Israeli cafe who died of cancer on Tuesday, touched a nerve among Palestinians, who regard their brethren in Israeli jails as heroes in the fight for statehood.

[Mr Lick]

Basketball coach Mike Rice sacked by Rutgers University



Rutgers was already aware of coach Mike Rice's behaviour

A US university has bowed to pressure to sack its head basketball coach over footage of him physically abusing players and screaming homophobic slurs.

The dismissal of Mike Rice from Rutgers University in New Jersey was effective immediately, a college spokesman said.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and NBA star LeBron James were among those who condemned the coach's conduct.

Mr Rice apologised on Wednesday, saying there was no excuse for his actions captured on video.

[Mr Lick]

NRA calls for armed guards in US schools



Hutchinson said armed guards were 'a layer of security' in schools

US schools should train and arm staff members and appoint an armed guard to respond to shootings, a powerful US gun-rights group has said.

In a report commissioned in response to a December school massacre, the National Rifle Association (NRA) said armed guards would make schools safer.

It advised schools to use its online assessment tools to improve security.

A national teachers' union called the report a "cruel hoax" designed to sell more guns and ammunition

[Mr Lick]

Spanish princess to face court in corruption inquiry



This June 2010 photo shows Princess Cristina and her husband attending a wedding

Spain's Princess Cristina has been summoned to appear in court over allegations that her husband misused millions of euros of public money.

It is reported to be the first court summons for a direct descendant of the Spanish king. She is King Juan Carlos's youngest daughter.

Her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.

He is suspected of having massively overcharged local authorities for organising sporting events.

[Mr Lick]

Jeanne Malone, left, walks past Christine Hubbard as she holds a bowl full of hail stones she collected following a hail storm Wednesday, April 3, 2013, in Hitchcock, Texas. Thousands of people in the Houston and Galveston areas have lost electricity in overnight storms that dropped hail the size of baseballs and broke windows. Emergency officials say no injuries were reported.

[Mr Lick]

A South Korean employee, top right, working at the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), speaks to the media upon his arrival at South Korea's CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) office, just south of the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, April 3. North Korean authorities were not allowing any South Korean workers into a joint industrial park on Wednesday, South Korea's Unification Ministry and a Reuters witness said, adding to tensions between the two countries.



A man uses his mobile phone in front of a specialty shop selling North Korean products, at South Korea's CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) office, just south of the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, on April 3. North Korean authorities were not allowing any South Korean workers into a joint industrial park on Wednesday, South Korea's Unification Ministry and a Reuters witness said, adding to tensions between the two countries.



South Korea soldiers inside transit office at the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Gyeonggi province, South Korea, on April 3. North Korea on April 3 blocked South Korean employees from entering the industrial complex operated jointly by the two countries, only allowing workers to leave, a Seoul official said.



A US Air Force F-22 Raptor takes off at Osan Air Base, south of Seoul, South Korea, on April 3. The US military said it has deployed two F-22 Raptor stealth jets to South Korea as part of ongoing joint military exercises with South Korea. The deployment of the stealth jets marked the latest show of force against North Korea, which issues daily threats of war amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

[Mr Lick]

More than 50 die in Argentina's deadly floods








16 inches of rain fell in 2 hours

[Mr Lick]

Hebron, West Bank: A Palestinian man throws a stone towards Israeli forces during riots after the death of a prisoner in an Israeli jail



Uijeongbu, South Korea: A US army training exercise at Camp Stanley



Lyon, France: People of the Roma community who were evicted from a camp prepare to sleep on the street in front of the administrative court