World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Members of the Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, celebrate winning the World Pipe Band Championship at Glasgow Green on Aug. 13, in Glasgow, Scotland. Over 200 pipe bands from around the world are competed in the championship, which has been held in the city for more than 60 years.

[Mr Lick]

Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks during the RedState Gathering, a meeting of conservative activists, where he announced his run for presidency in 2012 in Charleston, S.C., Aug. 13.

[Mr Lick]

Luke Donald and Lee Westwood face tough task in US PGA



English pair Luke Donald and Lee Westwood left themselves with plenty to do if they are to win a maiden major title at the 93rd US PGA on Sunday.

The world's two top-ranked players struggled to finish off promising rounds on Saturday and will both have to come from six shots back in Atlanta.

Donald double-bogeyed 18 for a 68, while Westwood also made a late double.

Unheralded Americans Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner lead by one at seven under from countryman Keegan Bradley.

The 33-year-old Donald was playing in typically composed fashion and had climbed to five under for the round and within one of the quickly fluctuating lead after 14 holes.

But he bogeyed the 16th and then finished with a double bogey after dumping his third shot into the water guarding the front of the green to mar a round which saw him fight back from an opening bogey with three straight birdies.

• -7: B Steele (US), J Dufner (US)
• -6: K Bradley (US)
• -5: S Verplank (US)
• -4: S Stricker (US)
• -3: A Hansen (Den), DA Points (US)
• Selected others -1: L Donald (Eng), L Westwood (Eng), J Furyk (US)
• Level: P Mickelson (US), S Garcia (Spa)
• +1: B Davis (Eng), S Dyson (Eng)
• +2: I Poulter (Eng)
• +6: R Fisher (Eng)
• +7: R McIlroy (NI), P Harrington (Ire)

[Mr Lick]

Volunteers help with Manchester clean-up









Hundreds of people turned up at Piccadilly Gardens to clean the city they love

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

England riots: Police hit out at 'supercop' Bill Bratton plan



Sir Hugh Orde said violence levels in the US were different to those in the UK


UK police chiefs have reacted sceptically to plans for US "supercop" Bill Bratton to advise the government.

David Cameron has called for the former New York police chief to help address violence in English cities.

Association of Chief Police Officers' head Sir Hugh Orde said: "I am not sure I want to learn about gangs from an area of America that has 400 of them."

Downing Street has refused to be drawn into the dispute, saying Mr Bratton is to offer advice in a personal capacity.

Speaking to the Independent on Sunday, Sir Hugh, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said: "It seems to me, if you've got 400 gangs, then you're not being very effective.

"If you look at the style of policing in the States, and their levels of violence, they are fundamentally different from here.

"What I suggested to the home secretary is a more sensible approach, maybe to look across far wider styles of policing and - more usefully - at European styles; they, like us, are bound by the European Convention.

"My sense is, when we've done that, we will find the British model is probably the top."

[Mr Lick]

When does airport security become physical assault?



The US introduced the new security system, which comprises more thorough friskings and whole-body scans, last autumn


With the holiday season underway, intimate security checks at American airports are continuing to upset travellers.

When passengers refuse the full body scanners they may be submitted to what authorities are calling an enhanced pat-down.

Politicians are calling for them to be outlawed but the department of justice has threatened that flights whose passengers are not screened will be cancelled.

Nancy Campbell, a 33-year-old from Brooklyn, compared the experience to being "sexually assaulted".

She had been rushing to board an early morning flight to Washington from New York's La Guardia airport when she was selected for a check at the gate by a female official from the US Transportation Security Administration or TSA.

"[The official] asked me to spread my arms and my legs... and she explained that she would check me from the outside of my arms and the outside of my legs first and then proceed with the inside.

"What I wasn't prepared for was a full examination of my breasts and when she got through that, that's when I asked her to stop, that I'd had enough."

But Nancy was told that either she allowed the search to go on or she wouldn't be able to fly. As she was on an important business trip, Nancy felt she had little choice but to agree.

"She basically touched the insides of my legs - touching my crotch and my buttocks, all the time not offering me an alternative."

Nancy filed a complaint about her treatment with the TSA.

[Mr Lick]

Mid-air rescue for German cable car passengers



A helicopter has plucked to safety 20 people stranded in mid-air on a cable car in southern Germany after a paraglider collided with the cables.

The 19 passengers and conductor were brought to safety after spending 18 hours suspended 80m (260ft) above the ground at Mt Tegelberg in Bavaria.

Rescuers supplied food and blankets, and toys for six children aboard, while waiting for strong winds to die down.

They also freed the paraglider and his tandem passenger.

The head of the cable car operator, Tegelbergbahn, said he was shocked the paraglider had apparently tried to cross the cables.

Pilots knew they were only allowed to fly parallel to them, Franz Bucher said, according to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper.

It was not immediately clear if the pilot would face charges.

[Mr Lick]

Chinese authorities find 22 fake Apple stores






Staff in the original fake shop believed they were working in a real Apple store


A total of 22 fake Apple stores have been uncovered in one Chinese city.

Authorities in Kunming began searching out the copycats after pictures of one convincing replica were circulated on the web.

An early search found five fake stores, two of which were shut down for trading without a licence.

Now, according to Chinese trade officials, 22 have been found unlawfully using Apple's brand and logo.

The investigation into unauthorised Apple stores in Kunming was brought about when an American living in the city published a blog post describing a visit to one such shop.

Describing it as a "beautiful rip-off",BirdAbroadrevealed how far the owners had gone to copy the decor and ambience of a real Apple store.

Staff also wore the same colour T-shirts as real Apple staffers, and sported lanyards of the same design.

The blog post was widely shared around the world and prompted Chinese trade officials in Kunming to take action.

[Mr Lick]

Cuba gay man and transgender woman marry



A Cuban man and transgender woman have married in what is being seen as the country's first "gay wedding".

Same sex marriage is illegal in Cuba, but bride Wendy Iriepa is legally a woman after undergoing one of the first state-sponsored sex changes in 2007.

Her fiance, Ignacio Estrada, is a noted dissident and gay rights activist in Cuba and is also HIV positive.

The couple said the wedding, timed to coincide with Fidel Castro's birthday, was a "gift" for the former leader.

The wedding in Havana was attended by prominent dissidents and members of the gay community.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people faced official discrimination for years in communist Cuba.

[Mr Lick]

Australia's Great Barrier Reef 'at risk from pesticide'



Agricultural pesticides are causing significant damage to the Great Barrier Reef, according to a new Australian government report on water quality at the site.

The report says some farmers must be more careful with their chemicals.

It found that nearly one-quarter of horticulture producers and 12% of pastoral farmers were using practices deemed unacceptable by the industry.

The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage-listed natural wonder


Unusual sea creatures found on Barrier Reef

[Mr Lick]

Syria: Hama hospitals 'closed after army attacks'



A doctor in the Syrian city of Hama has told the BBC that medical services there have been severely affected by recent government attacks.

The doctor, who cannot be named for his safety, said two hospitals were closed and one had been stormed by troops, injuring many of the medical staff.

Hama has come under heavy attack in President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests.

The army says it has now left the city but activists say the attacks continue.

Syria is facing growing international condemnation of the violence against its civilians, with the US calling for it to be politically and economically isolated.

On Saturday, US President Barack Obama held phone conversations with Saudi King Abdullah and British Prime Minister David Cameron in which they expressed their concern over the violence.

[Mr Lick]

Prague 'gay pride': Czech capital hosts maiden march



Several thousand people have marched through Prague in the Czech capital's first "gay pride" festival.

Revellers in fancy dress waved rainbow flags and blew whistles as they marched through the city centre.

Some 300 police guarded the colourful event, which had stoked controversy and counter-marches.

Earlier this week, a top aide to conservative President Vaclav Klaus, Deputy Chancellor Petr Hajek, labelled gay people as deviants.

Mr Hajek criticised Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda for supporting "deviant fellow citizens."

His comments provoked a joint statement in support of the five-day gay pride festival from the ambassadors of 13 Western nations, including the UK and US.

[Mr Lick]

Italian ad campaign aims to shame tax dodgers



Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti and PM Silvio Berlusconi aim to balance Italy's books


The Italian government has turned to Margaret Thatcher's favourite ad men - Saatchi & Saatchi - for a hard-hitting campaign to tackle tax evasion and show it is serious about getting the country's finances in order.

The move comes as the government confirmed details of a tough austerity package designed to stave off the threat of a Greek-style meltdown.

The nationwide campaign doesn't pull any punches.

"Think what you could do with 100bn euros [£87.5bn; $142bn]," runs one ad.
"Build 600 new hospitals or a million new homes - or triple spending on security."
That - it warns - is what tax evasion costs honest Italians.

As well as TV and radio slots, there are advertising hoardings at major railway stations and at the airports in Rome and Milan.

The underlying message is summed up by another slogan describing tax dodgers as "parasites on society".

The aim of the campaign is to shame tax evaders into declaring their real income, boosting the government's coffers and helping to stave off financial ruin.



The government's tough austerity measures have provoked a furious response on the streets

[Mr Lick]

Aung San Suu Kyi in first political trip beyond Rangoon



The Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is making her first political trip outside Rangoon since her release from house arrest last November.

She is visiting Bago, about 80 km (50 miles) north of her hometown.

In what was widely interpreted as a veiled threat, the Burmese authorities had earlier warned that such a trip could trigger unrest.

But recent moves suggest a thaw in relations could be underway.

Aung San Suu Kyi plans to be away from Rangoon for just one day, but her publicly released schedule suggests she is determined to make the most of it.

She plans to visit a monastery, open one or two libraries and join a youth forum.
Security for the trip will be provided by the Burmese authorities and members of her National League for Democracy party.

Ms Suu Kyi's safety has been a concern.

In 2003 her convoy was attacked by a group widely believed to be linked to the old military government.

The incident left several people dead and resulted in a seven-year stretch of house arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi.

But times have changed somewhat; a new nominally civilian government is now in place and in recent weeks it has shown a willingness to try to reach an accommodation with Ms Suu Kyi.

There have been two rounds of talks between the pro democracy leader and a government minister, with both sides expressing a desire to cooperate for the good of the country.

This day trip will be a test of that new relationship and perhaps give some hint of the role Ms Suu Kyi might play in the future.

[Mr Lick]

Nasdaq official jailed for insider trading



A former managing director of New York's Nasdaq exchange has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for insider trading.

Donald L Johnson had pleaded guilty to charges of insider trading in May.

In his position Mr Johnson regularly spoke to companies about upcoming announcements that could affect their share price.

He is accused of using this information nine times to buy and sell shares in advance of news coming out.

The 57-year-old former managing director made more than $750,000 (£469,000) in profit from the trades.

"Mr Johnson used his position at Nasdaq to make quick profits from sensitive information," said Neil MacBride attorney for the eastern district of Virginia.

Mr Johnson apologised for his actions.

"I'll shoulder the remorse for the remainder of my life," he wrote to the judge.

[Mr Lick]

Statue of Liberty to close for year of renovation work



New York's iconic Statue of Liberty is to close for a year for renovations.

The 305ft (93m) copper statue needs $27.5m (£16.8m) in repairs, US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

The National Park Service said new stairs and elevators would be installed within the 125-year-old statue, but Liberty Island would remain open.

The statue, dedicated in 1886, was given to the US by France. Most of the 3.5m people who visit Liberty Island each year do not climb the statue.

Visitors were barred from venturing up inside the statue in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, although they were allowed back into the observation deck a few years later.

However, officials now judge that out-of-date facilities make the statue itself, and not those visiting it, a safety risk.

"Two years ago, when we reopened Lady Liberty's crown to visitors for the first time since the 11 September attacks, I promised that we would continue to upgrade the interior to make it safer and more accessible for all," Mr Salazar said.

"With today's announcement, we are taking a major step in bringing a 19th Century icon into the 21st Century."

The statue is due to shut on 29 October, one day after a ceremony to mark 125 years since its dedication.

"It's disappointing," Vince Swift, president of the Statue of Liberty Club, told the New York Times. "But if it has to be any length of time, I'm glad it's only a year."

David Luchsinger, who runs the monument for the National Parks Service, insisted most visitors would not notice anything different about their visit to Liberty Island as they do not venture inside the statue.

"They're going to get the exact same experience," he told the New York Times.

[Mr Lick]

The Edinburgh festival



Andy's shot is of a dancer from Rock the Ballet, which being performed at the Assembly Hall

[Mr Lick]

Stewart shot this musical trio 'giving it laldie on the Royal Mile'



myxdamail was confronted by this scary-looking street performer on the Royal Mile



A juggling unicyclist during a rare moment of sunshine. 'It must be quite difficult to do a uni-cycling act on the cobbles of Edinburgh's Royal Mile,'

[Mr Lick]

David Mach sets fire to his sculpture of the devil's head, made from thousands of live match heads

[Mr Lick]

England riots: coalition row grows over 'kneejerk' response




Coalition efforts to present a united front over the riots have come under strain as senior Liberal Democrats call for an end to "kneejerk" reactions by politicians and warn that stripping those involved of their benefits could worsen crime on the streets.

In a clear sign of tensions between the governing parties, the Lib Dems' deputy leader, Simon Hughes, insists that long-term solutions lie in supporting communities by offering opportunities and redistributing wealth, not slashing help from the state and cutting taxes for the rich.

Writing in the Observer, he says: "We need to demonstrate ambition to have a responsible society where all people understand and are aware of their obligations to each other. This means we must not cut taxes for the rich or take away public support for the needy."

Referring to plans, backed by many Tories, to cut benefits and evict families of rioters and looters from their homes, Hughes, whose south London constituency of Bermondsey and Old Southwark has one of the highest concentrations of council homes, adds: "We should be careful not to rush into kneejerk solutions including over-hasty moves to change the social contract and approaches to sentences which may have the reverse effect to that intended."

[Mr Lick]

Indiana stage collapse - more pics



At least 4 people have been killed and over 40 injured

[Mr Lick]

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China's bullet trains