World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Usain Bolt reacts at being disqualified from the 100M final at the World Championships being held in S. Korea



Workers put the finishing touches to a giant art work on Blackpool promenade

[Mr Lick]

More than 2000 people lined the streets of Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire to take part in the sunset service. Bodies of service personnel will now be taken to RAF Lyneham for repatriation.

[Mr Lick]

Stepping Hill saline deaths: Nurse Rebecca Leighton charges dropped




Charges have been dropped against a nurse accused of contaminating saline at Stockport's Stepping Hill Hospital.

Rebecca Leighton, 27, of Heaviley, was arrested by police investigating the deaths of several patients in July.

Greater Manchester Police have revealed they are investigating 40 cases of contamination including seven deaths.

Prosecutors said there had not been "sufficient evidence" for whether the case could go ahead. Miss Leighton said she had been "living in hell".

[Mr Lick]

'Entire life' sold for £192,000




A Briton living in Australia has agreed a bid of more than £192,000 after putting his "entire life" up for sale following a split from his wife.

Ian Usher, 44, who left Darlington six years ago, included his house, car, job and friends in the online eBay auction, in an effort to make a fresh start.

The lot attracted a peak offer of 399,300 Australian dollars (£192,276) when bids closed early on Sunday.

Despite expecting higher bids, Mr Usher said he had "no regrets".

At one point offers on the "life lot" rocketed to over two million Australian dollars (£1m) within hours of the sale's start last Sunday.

However, Mr Usher and eBay were forced to introduce a registration system to weed out what were revealed as hoax bids, many of which were from the UK.
Up for auction was his three-bedroom home, in Western Australia's capital Perth, and everything inside it, including his Mazda car, motorcycle, jet ski and parachuting gear.



Mr Usher decided to cut ties with his current life after realising almost everything reminded him of his relationship with his wife of five years

[Mr Lick]

California man arrested for biting pet python twice



A man in the Californian city of Sacramento has been accused of biting a pet snake, leaving the python seriously hurt, police say.

Police were called to the northern part of the city on Thursday evening expecting to respond to an assault.

While officers were speaking to David Senk, 54, found lying at the scene, a witness accused him of taking two bites out of the snake.

The python is recovering after being given emergency surgery.

It was turned over to the city's Animal Care Services after losing a few ribs.
"She's doing well," Gina Knepp, acting animal care services manager, told the Sacramento Bee. "We did surgery on her last night and I think we saved her life."

Mr Senk was arrested on suspicion of unlawfully maiming or mutilating a reptile.
While in jail, Mr Senk told local media that he had no memory of the incident and that he had a drinking problem.

"I did what?" Mr Senk said. "If you find the owner, tell him I'm real sorry. ... I'm willing to help pay for medical expenses."

No owner has come forward to claim the python from Sacramento's Animal Care Services.

Ms Knepp said before the surgery that the bites on the three-foot snake were large enough to expose the animal's liver.

[Mr Lick]

Chile air force plane disappears over Pacific



A Chilean air force plane carrying 21 people has disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on its way to the remote Juan Fernandez islands, the government said.

Chilean Defence Minister Andres Allamand said the Casa-212 plane had twice tried to land at the islands' airport before going missing.

The islands' mayor said conditions were rough and windy, and remains of the plane had been spotted in the water.

A TV crew were onboard, including popular presenter Felipe Camiroaga.

They were on their way to the islands to report on the aftermath of last year's devastating earthquake and tsunami.

The air force earlier said that as the plane was "getting closer to the island, radio communication with the airplane was lost," prompting a search effort by the navy and air force.

Mayor Gonzalez told state television TVN that some wreckage had been spotted, suggesting that the plane had crashed.

"Unfortunately, we have to believe the accident has occurred," he said, adding that clothing, passengers' suitcases and some sandals had been found in waters about one kilometre (0.6 mile) from the islands' landing strip.

[Mr Lick]

Turkish Airlines plane skids off runway in India




A Turkish Airlines plane has skidded off the runway after landing at the airport in the Indian city of Mumbai, but no one had been injured.

The Airbus A340 flight from Istanbul was carrying 97 passengers and crew.

It is not clear what caused the incident. Officials said the runway had been inspected 15 minutes before the plane landed.

On Monday seven passengers were injured when a Gulf Air plane came off the runway at Kochi airport in Kerala.

A Mumbai airport spokesperson said the Turkish Airlines plane "veered" off the runway after landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport around 0415 (2245 GMT).

"All emergency procedures are being activated ... Passengers are disembarked safely and taken in the terminal. No casualties reported. Flight operations have not been affected," Anindita Sinha was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

Earlier this week a Gulf Air plane, carrying 137 passengers and six crew, skidded off the runway as it came in to land at Kochi airport in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an inquiry.

[Mr Lick]

Canadian workers ill after cannabis brownie mix-up



Three office employees in the Canadian city of Victoria fell ill after a colleague unwittingly gave them chocolate brownies laced with cannabis.

Police were investigating a possible case of poisoning at the workplace after the three were taken to hospital feeling dizzy and disorientated.

The woman who brought in the cakes said she simply found them in her freezer.

But her son later admitted to police he had baked the cannabis cakes some time ago and forgotten about them.

Canadian media reports said police decided not to press charges because there had been no criminal intent.

But the son is expected to be ordered to take part in community work, said the Vancouver Sun.

All three affected colleagues were released from hospital after a few hours.

[Mr Lick]

S Korea activists gather in protest at Jeju naval base



Demonstrators are gathering on the South Korean island of Jeju to protest at construction of a new naval base.

Tensions have been rising over the past week as police moved in to the site to remove protesters who have been blocking access since June.

The government says the $970m (£600m) development is vital for national security.

But residents and activists argue that the base could spark regional tensions and is damaging to the environment.

More than 1,000 riot police dispersed protesters on Friday, allowing naval engineers to resume their work.

[Mr Lick]

Debutant Nathan Lyon takes five wickets for Australia

First Test, Galle (day two of five):
Sri Lanka 105 v Australia 273 & 115-6





Australian debutant Nathan Lyon said taking five wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday was like 'living a dream'.

Lyon's five-wicket haul, including a wicket with his first ball, helped Australia bowl Sri Lanka out for 105.

"To take five wickets on debut is something pretty special," the 23-year-old off-spinner said after his 5-34.

"It's been the best couple of days of my life. I will hold it really close to my heart."

Cricketers who have taken a wicket with their first ball in Test match cricket

• Arthur Coningham - England
• Bill Bradley - England
• Ted Arnold - England
• George MacCauley - England
• Maurice Tate - England
• Matt Henderson - New Zealand
• Dennis Smith - Australia
• Tyrell Johnson - West Indies
• Dick Howorth - England
• Intikhab Alam - Pakistan
• Richard Illingworth - England
• Nilesh Kulkarni - India
• Chamila Gamage Lakshitha - Sri Lanka

[Mr Lick]

Traffic on Interstate 15 is backed up in one direction as a result of the Hill Fire in Oak Hills in the Cajon Pass September 2, 2011. The fast-moving fire, which broke out on a median of Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass, was burning at the edge of Oak Hills, where 1,500 homes were under a mandatory evacuation order, authorities said.



A fire helicopter drops water over homes in Oak Hills, Calif., after a fast-moving wildfire erupted Friday, Sept. 2, 2011, on the main interstate between Southern California and Las Vegas

[Mr Lick]

Misrata, Libya: Children stand near a destroyed tank at the vegetable market



Nevada, US: Shaza Anderson, left, takes part in a tea ceremony with Ken Hamazaki during the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock desert

[Mr Lick]

Madrid, Spain: Police detain a man during a political demonstration



Benghazi, Libya: Crew members sit alongside a large consignment of Libyan currency aboard an RAF plane

[Mr Lick]

Henan, China: A worker sprays water on the excavation of a settlement dating back to the Eastern Zhou dynasty



Nablus, West Bank: A Palestinian protester passes burning tires during the weekly protest against the settlement of Qadomim

[Mr Lick]

Kunar province, Afghanistan: US soldiers from the 2-27th Infantry Regiment return to their observation post

[Mr Lick]

The southern highlands of Mars



Holden crater is 87 miles wide, filling the left side of the image, while to the right is the remaining part of Eberswalde crater, which has a diameter of about 40 miles. They are located in the southern highlands of Mars




Artist Zoe Walker stands on the prow of the Celeste – a yacht covered in 60,000 mirror tiles – in Raasay, near Skye. The Bonnie Boat project is inspired by the 1960s pirate station Radio Caroline, and will broadcast a one-off session of local soundscapes to Skye on 10 September

[Mr Lick]

This picture, by amateur photographer Bertrand Kulik, a concert violinist, of a lightning bolt appearing to strike the Eiffel Tower is included in an exhibition of images of lightning strikes across France being held in Issy l'Évêque in Burgundy

[Mr Lick]

Hurricane Irene - more pics

[Mr Lick]

Flooding in Rochester, Vt., eroded part of the town's cemetery, seen here on Aug. 30, exposing some coffins.

[Mr Lick]

Jude Fitzgerald salvages items from a mud-filled basement in Brattleboro, Vt., on Aug. 30



A bridge on Route 73 in Rochester, Vt., lies in the river on Aug. 30, cutting off road access to the town.

[Mr Lick]

Greg Austin of Avon, N.C., on Aug. 29 tries to save a large fish that was washed out of a local pond during the storm surge from Hurricane Irene. Avon is one of the Hatteras Island communities cut off due to breaches in N.C. Highway 12.

[Mr Lick]

The raging Whetstone Brook surges over the falls in downtown Brattleboro, Vt.,

[Mr Lick]

Darrell Tarte, a property estimator with Erie Insurance, surveys damage from a tree at a home in Port Republic, Md

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]