World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

In a few places on Earth, local geography and tidal conditions align to cause a phenomenon called a tidal bore: An incoming high tide collides with the outgoing tide in a narrow channel, generating a turbulent wave front. The shape and size of a bore tide varies greatly, from gentle undulations to a powerful single wave rolling over any obstacle in its path. China's Qiantang River claims the highest bore, up to 9 meters (30 ft) high

[Mr Lick]

Keep up! One man and his dog compete in the dog biathlon on the Woensdrecht airbase near Hoogerheide in the Netherlands. Around 120 security dogs and their regular handlers make their way through a challenging obstacle course



A Syrian fighter walks past damaged buildings at a site activists say was targetted with a car bomb in Raqqa province



Meanwhile UN investigators are seen talking with members of the Free Syrian Army in Zamalca, east of Damascus, in this citizen journalism image provided by the Local Committee of Arbeen

[Mr Lick]

Because he's worth it: Grandly named Colonel Meow has been awarded a place in the 2014 list of Guinness World Records holders for having the longest fur on a cat. The Himalayan-Persian cross-breed from Los Angeles has hair that reaches 22.87cm



The fearless activists from the feminist group Femen find themselves under arrest once more this time by the Belgium police during a demonstration in front of the Ukrainian Embassy in Brussels. Their protest is against dictatorship and the political repression of activists in Ukraine



A man writes the name of his father on a pebble during a commemoration for the victims of the war against terrorist groups such as The Shining Path and the Tupac Amarus during the 80s and 90s in Lima, Peru.

[Mr Lick]

A police officer walks in front of the wreckage of a bus involved in an the accident in Ntulele town, near Narok in Kenya. The bus carrying around 70 people crashed after the driver lost the control in the early hours this morning killing 41 people according to reports



Demonstrators gathered yesterday evening near Downing Street in London to protest against possible Western intervention in Syria over the alleged use of chemical weapons



Sandra Bullock and George Clooney share a joke at the 'Gravity' film premiere and opening ceremony of the 70th Venice International Film Festival in Italy last night.

[Mr Lick]

Dani Alves(L) and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior(R) of FC Barcelona celebrate after winning the Spanish Supercup against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain



U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, centre, chains his hands with Vietnam's Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, right, and Thailand's Deputy Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha before the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei



Veterinarians at the Sao Paulo aquarium in Brazil have found a novel treatment for Bino, the albino alligator, who suffers from hunchback and scoliosis: acupuncture. Once a week, several needles are inserted into Bino's back and the treatment is working. He's already able to twitch his tail again and move his back legs, which until recently he was unable to do.

[Mr Lick]

Dubbed the 'Vuitton Library', the £188m Library of Birmingham is the largest public building of its kind in Europe. The doors open on September 3rd and they expect 3.5 million visitors each year.



Newly weds Cam Auge and Caylee Wasilenko share a kiss as they water ski in Bedwell Bay in North Vancouver, Canada

[Mr Lick]

A gigantic whale emerges from the water just feet away from kayakers in Monterey Bay, California, USA. Approaching whales within 100 yards is in violation of the local law, but the whale decided to take them by surprise



Andy Murray pumps his fist after winning a point against Michael Llodra during the first round of the US Open. The Scot won the tournament last year, his first Grand Slam victory



A man hammers at a concrete slab placed on a performer's body while lying on a bed of nails during the Sanaa Summer Festival in Yemen. The two-week festival aims to stimulate domestic tourism and reassure local and international tourists about Yemen's stability

[david44]

Dani Alves(L) and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior(R) of FC Barcelona celebrate after winning the Spanish Supercup against Atletico Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain





U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, centre, chains his hands with Vietnam's Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh, right, and Thailand's Deputy Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha before the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei



Veterinarians at the Sao Paulo aquarium in Brazil have found a novel treatment for Bino, the albino alligator, who suffers from hunchback and scoliosis: acupuncture. Once a week, several needles are inserted into Bino's back and the treatment is working. He's already able to twitch his tail again and move his back legs, which until recently he was unable to do.

Cobblers Awls his future

[Mr Lick]

White pelicans battle to catch little fish thrown by a visitor at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, Japan



A beluga whale sprays water onto visitors to cool them down at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium. The area is experiencing temperatures over 90 F (32C)



Hotter still is the Burning Man festival in Nevada, USA, where temperatures regularly exceed 100F (37C).

[Mr Lick]

A snapping turtle has found its way to a driveway and refuses to budge, blocking the resident from parking in the garage in Minnesota, USA



The Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) aerobatic team fly their MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-27 jets over an Orthodox church during the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon



Former Pink Floyd co-founder and bass guitarist Roger Waters looks at the audience during The Wall tour live concert in Bucharest, Romania



About 200 firefighters are working to extinguish a forest fire in Tondela, in the Caramulo mountains, Portugal

[Mr Lick]

Police detain a man after he was arrested for running naked in Tribeca, New York City, USA



Both pilot and co-pilot escaped injury after their Cesna 132 XB-CPH aircraft made an emergency landing on Autopista del Sol highway, Guerrero state

[Mr Lick]

An Israeli soldier carries a shell during preparation of the Merkava tanks stationed in a deployment training area in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria. The Israeli cabinet authorised a partial call-up of army reservists amid growing expectations of a foreign military strike on neighbouring Syria



Devotees dressed as the Hindu god Lord Krishna and his companion Radharani walk through the George Harrison Memorial Garden during the Janmashtami Hindu Festival in Watford. The festival is believed to be the largest Hindu festival gathering outside of India.



Italian writer Countess Marina Ripa di Meana arrives for the premiere of Gravity and the opening ceremony of the 70th annual Venice International Film Festival in Italy. Gravity is the opening film of the festival



An unmanned Delta 4 Heavy rocket, the largest booster in in the U.S. fleet, lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA



Farmers gives free cheese and agua de panela (a drink made with hot water and unrefined sugar) to a riot policeman during a protest in La Calera, Colombia

[Mr Lick]

Demonstrators face anti-riot police outside the provincial legislature where an agreement between Argentina's state oil company YPF and Chevron is expected to be approved, in the Patagonian city of Neuquen, Argentina, August 28, 2013.



Graffiti is seen on fence surrounding the construction site for the new headquarters of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt August 28, 2013



New York Yankees Derek Jeter gets Toronto Blue Jays Anthony Gose (R) out stealing second during the third inning of their MLB American League baseball game in Toronto, August 28, 2013

[Mr Lick]

Zheng Jie of China shakes hands wirh Venus Williams of the U.S. after Zheng won their second round match at the U.S. Open tennis championships in New York August 28, 2013.



Rescue workers use a stretcher to carry a victim across the rubble after the collapse of two residential buildings in Vadodra city, located in the western Indian state of Gujarat August 28, 2013.

[Mr Lick]

Syria crisis deepens amid world stalemate




The UK government has published legal advice saying strikes against Syria would be justified even if UN permanent members Russia and China blocked it. The British parliament is now due to vote on whether to back the principle of military intervention.



















6 UK Typhoon jets deployed to Cyprus



Anxious Syrians await developments

[Mr Lick]

The annual elephant polo tournament in the seaside Thai resort of Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, has attracted 12 teams including professionals and amateurs. The King's Cup is being held to raise awareness of elephant conservation.




Five motorcyclists from New Zealand arrived in South Korea after crossing the the demilitarized zone (DMZ) from the north. They began their journey on 16 August as part of an effort to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.

[Mr Lick]

The remains of a vehicle burnt out during a failed suicide attack in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni. The attack killed a US soldier and wounded Polish and Afghan troops.



Devotees formed a human pyramid to break a clay pot containing butter during celebrations of Janmashtami in the Indian city of Mumbai. Janmashtami marks the birthday of the Hindu God Krishna.

[Mr Lick]

There's something quintissentially British about this scene: Anti war protesters gather on College Green outside the Houses of Parliament in London while a police officer gives directions to passers by



What's cooking? Activists of an alliance named "Tax Against Poverty" heat up a symbolic cauldron of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande during a protest in front of the chancellery in Berlin



New recruits to the Afghan Army are photographed during a graduation ceremony at the Afghan National Army base on the outskirts of Kabul.

[Mr Lick]

The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

Judges chose the winning images from the Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year competition from 1828 photographs submitted from around the world. Finalists' photographs will be shown at an exhibition at the South Australian Museum in October, before it tours to Western Australia and Tasmania



Title: Anyone seen a dentist?, photographer: Andrew Peacock, QLD, category: animal behaviour (winner)



Australasian Darter with bream, photographer Geoff Longford, NS, category: animal behaviour



Bee visiting eucalyptus, photographer: Jennie Stock, WA, category: Botanical



King Penguins and reindeer, St Andrews Bay, South Georgia, photographer: Peter Lambert, WA category: animal behaviour (winner)



Rosie, photographer: Angela Robertson-Buchanan, NSW, category: animal portrait



Cuttlefish mating, photographer: Ignacio Palacios, NSW, category: underwater subject



Near Miss, photorapher: David Rennie, Mandurah, WA category: Black and White

[Mr Lick]

Student demonstrators throw stones at riot policemen during a protest in Bogota. Thousands of Colombian farmers and state workers marched through Bogota banging pots and pans as they converged on the capital after 11 days of increasingly violent protests against agricultural and trade policies they say have left them impoverished



A novel way of delivering the cricket balls for the 1st T20 series between England and Australia. Members of the RAF parachute down to the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England



Another tower, this time constructed as a human pyramid by Hindu groups in Mumbai, India. Groups of people around the city participate in the Dahi Handi festival during which they attempt to reach an earthen pot containing yogurt, which is suspended high in the air

[Mr Lick]

Young Syrian-Kurdish women take part in a training session organized by the Kurdish Women's Defense Units (YPJ), in the northern Syrian border village of al Qamishli. Kurds are preparing to defend themselves against attacks as a consequence of the Syrian civil war



Rescuers evacuate a victim from a flooded area of Bamako following torrential rain. At least 23 people have been killed in flash floods in the Malian capital Bamako, a government official said



A jubilant Michael Morkov, member of the Danish Saxo Tinkoff team, celebrates winning the sixth stage of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana cycling race over 175km between Guijuelo and Caceres, Spain

[Mr Lick]

Demonstrators arrive to protest outside a Burger King in Los Angeles, California as part of a nationwide strike by fast-food workers calling for better pay



Fishermen silhouetted against Brahmaputra river make a beautifully tranquil image as they arrive with their day's catch in Guwahati city, India.



Paws for thought? No, just a break from training. Military working dog Quin is photographed with his handler at the Wiltshire military training ground of Salisbury Plain as 7th Armoured Brigade prepare to deploy to Afghanistan on Operation Herrick 19

[Mr Lick]

Fast food on strike



Ryan Parker, a Wendy's employee, demonstrates in front of a Burger King location during a strike aimed at fast food industry and the minimum wage in Seattle, August 29, 2013.

[Mr Lick]