World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Ethiopia equalise against Zambia. Final score 1-1

[Mr Lick]

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama kiss as they dance at the Commander in Chief's Ball in Washington, January 21, 2013



Afghan security forces run on the roof of the Kabul traffic police headquarters as it is attacked by insurgents in Kabul January 21, 2013. A coordinated attack involving at least three suicide bombers and a powerful car bomb took aim at the headquarters of the Kabul traffic department on Monday, followed by a clash between at least one insurgent and security forces, police said.



A general view of newly built houses at Dadun village of Lingshui ethnic Li Autonomous County, Hainan province, January 18, 2013. Around 3,500 villagers started to move into 1,029 new houses, each of which measures 253 square meters and took two years to build, according to local reports.



Britain's Prince Harry (R) races out from the VHR (very high ready-ness) tent with fellow crew, to scramble his Apache helicopter at Camp Bastion, southern Afghanistan in this photograph taken November 3, 2012, and released January 21, 2013. The Prince, who is serving as a pilot/gunner with 662 Squadron Army Air Corps, is on a posting to Afghanistan that runs from September 2012 to January 2013



People watch an infant go through swimming exercise at a maternal and child health care hospital in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, December 3, 2012. Expectations are now high that China could relax the one-child policy, or even implement a universal two-child policy such as the one in Jiuquan. Outgoing President Hu Jintao, for the first time, conspicuously dropped the phrase "maintain a low birth rate" in his work report to the Chinese Communist Party's twice a decade congress in November. That foreshadows a change to the one-child ethos, according to Ji Baocheng, a delegate to China's rubber stamp parliament who has petitioned five times for a change in the policy.



Fishermen from India stand behind bars in a police station in Karachi January 21, 2013, after being detained in Pakistani waters. Pakistani maritime authorities apprehended six boats and arrested 27 Indian fishermen for illegally venturing into Pakistan's territorial waters, an official at the police station said



Vancouver Canucks' Zack Kassian lands a punch on Edmonton Oilers' Ben Eager (R) during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Vancouver, British Columbia January 20, 2013

[Mr Lick]

War over guns



Demonstrators participate in an anti-gun violence rally sponsored by One Million Moms for Gun Control in New York, January 21, 2013.









(From L-R) Joe (who did not want to identify his last name), Tim Foley, James Allen and Charlie Bart pose with their guns outside the Arizona State Capitol during a pro-gun and Second Amendment protest in Phoenix, Arizona January 19, 2013.

[Mr Lick]

Israelis vote

[Mr Lick]

The image was taken innocently enough: A landing helicopter kicked up a dust storm as French soldiers moved toward Niono, in northern Mali, an area held by al-Qaida.


The soldiers pulled on their goggles to protect their eyes from the dust. One soldier pulled up a black bandana -- with a white skeleton face printed on it -- over his nose. Behind him, light beamed through tree branches, creating an otherworldly image -- the soldier looked like a skeleton in French military fatigues

French military officials aren’t happy about the image, according to newspaper Liberation in Paris.

“This is unacceptable behavior,” said Col. Thierry Burkhard. “This image is not representative of action by France in Mali.”

France has been moving into the northern region of Mali to wrestle control of the area from militants affiliated with al-Qaida. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian said over the weekend that the goal is the "total reconquest of Mali," and that the French military would not "leave any pockets of resistance."

[Mr Lick]

Richa Singh, 24, who works for an online travel portal, says, "women are seen as objects in this city, it doesn't matter what I wear, I still get stared at by men on the streets

Since the death of a medical student after being gang raped on a bus in New Delhi the issue of women's security has been under the spotlight as never before in India. Mansi Thapliyal, a female Indian photographer working for Reuters, interviewed a variety of women in New Delhi to find out how they feel about their safety since the rape.

Reactions were strong and wide ranging, from women who now feel they need to arm themselves or take self-defense classes, to others who are scared to go out alone at night.

"My city is known as the so-called rape capital of the country," Thapliyal wrote in a blog post on Reuters.com. "They say it’s unsafe, it’s dangerous, and it’s full of wolves looking to hunt you down.






Nalini Bharatwaj, 37, chairperson of a management institute, says "Half of the time I am alone with my children and sometimes I have to travel late at night from work. It's enough to shut up anyone trying to molest me or even pass a comment if I flaunt my gun."



Deepshikha Bharadwaj, 24, who works for an advertising agency, has posted the notice that reads, 'Sorry I am not staying late now,' on her desk and said she wanted to send a message to her colleagues that she is not going to work late in the office anymore.






Chandani, 22, who works as a cab driver for a social enterprise which claims to provide safe and secure cab services for women driven by women, said demand for their cabs has increased.

"I am doing a very unconventional job for women,” she said. “Given that I do night shifts, I carry pepper spray bottle and I'm trained in self-defense. Initially I faced a lot of problems but driving cabs at night has helped me to overcome my fears.”

[Mr Lick]

A group of Russian citizens hold hands after crossing the border from Syria at Al-Masnaa, Lebanon, on Jan. 22.



A group of Russian citizens ride a bus shortly after crossing the border from Syria into Lebanon at the Masna'a border crossing in Lebanon, on Jan. 22. Some 80 Russian citizens crossed into Lebanon as Moscow began evacuating some of the tens of thousands of Russians who live in Syria.

[Mr Lick]

Rescue workers stand at the site of a train crash in Granja do Ulmeiro on Jan. 22.



Emergency services say a high-speed intercity train rear-ended a local train waiting to enter a station in central Portugal, derailing several carriages leaving a pile of wreckage on Portugal’s main north-south line, slightly injuring 21 people. Officials said the local train was waiting to pull into a station near Coimbra, 120 miles north of the capital, Lisbon, when the northbound intercity train slammed into it from behind at 9.15 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Monday

[Mr Lick]

Capital One Cup semi-final: Aston Villa v Bradford

All the action from Villa Park as Aston Villa look to overturn a 3-1 deficit following the first leg at Valley Parade a fortnight ago






Aston Villa's manager Paul Lambert (left) and Bradford City's manager Phil Parkinson greet one another before kick-off



In the 24th minute Christian Benteke races onto the end of a left-wing cross ...



...and he expertly pokes the ball into the back of the net to put Villa 1-0 up. One more goal for the home side and they'll have the advantage in this tie, courtesy of their away goal



In the second half, Bradford have a set-piece and James Hanson sends a crashing header into the net to make it 1-1 on the night and 2-4 on aggregate






Despite a late goal for Villa from Andreas Weinmann, Bradford survive to complete an historic journey – they've made it to Wembley! No wonder their manager Phil Parkinson looks delighted



Darren Bent sums up the feeling of the Premier League side. What price on Lambert losing his job in the morning?

[Mr Lick]

Protesters caught in clouds of teargas hurl stones at police during violent clashes in Sasolburg, South Africa. The residents are angry over a proposed change in municipal boundaries , which they say will affect the delivery of services



More news from the animal kingdom: a newly born Asian Elephant calf lies in its enclosure at Chester Zoo in Chester, northern England. The calf, which is less than a day old, is the second elephant to be born at the zoo in 12 weeks



Patriarch Irinej performs the liturgy during a ceremony in Belgrade after the remains of Yugoslavia's last king Peter II Karadjordjevic were flown back to Serbia. The former king fled the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia at the start of World War II and never returned, as communists took over at the end of the war. He died in exile and was buried at a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Libertyville, Illinois, USA.



Togo supporters pray during their African Nations Cup soccer match against Ivory Coast in Rustenburg, South Africa. The prayers went unanswered: Togo lost 1-2



They've been racing on the all-weather track at Lingfield today: runners pass the grandstands with a circuit to go in The Lingfield Park Marriott Hotel Handicap Stakes



A model presents a creation from the Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture S/S 2013 collection by Serkan Cura fashion house during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France



Celebrity campaign: Actress and HIV/AIDS campaigner Charlize Theron poses for photographers for the Global Fund's Big Push campaign on the eve of the opening of the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland



Funny smell: French Ecology Minister Delphine Batho speaks to the press at the chemical plant run by the Lubrizol company in Rouen after a gas leak cast a strong odor that wafted from northern France as far as Paris. Authorities insisted that the gas, mercaptan, was harmless, but emergency lines were inundated with calls from people worried about the smell.

[Mr Lick]

A handout picture released by Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian army forces keeping a position during fighting with Free Syrian Army rebels in Daraya. Syria's regime accused Al-Qaeda of being behind a deadly attack in Hama and criticised Turkey for sheltering what it called "terrorists," in a message to the UN aired by state television



Elsewhere in Syria, members of Free Syrian Army take a rest near a damaged house at the front line in Hich village in Idlib



Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary poses or as some travelers would say "gimmicks the passenger experience" after the press conference at Orio Al Serio Airport in Bergamo, Italy. Ryanair is introducing 4 new flights that will be operational from April



Bolivia's President Evo Morales (R) waves while Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera looks on during celebrations commemorating President Evo Morales' eighth continuous year of government, in La Paz



Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves to supporters as he stands next to former foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman at the Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv. Hawkish Prime Minister Netanyahu emerged the bruised winner of Israel's election, claiming victory despite unexpected losses to resurgent centre-left challengers



Jim Robertson, a child sex abuse victim, holds up a pair of handcuffs while speaking during a news conference with other victims and supporters of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Times reported that former Los Angeles Archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahony and his top adviser on child sex abuse cases, Monsignor Thomas Curry, worked with other church officials in 1987 to send priests accused of abuse out of state to avoid prosecution

[Mr Lick]

“This is a major fire,” the Chicago Fire Department posted on Twitter, adding that the scale of the response – five alarms plus two “special” calls for additional trucks -- was “extremely rare.” About 170 firefighters were on the scene.

“This fire has about one-third of the city fire apparatus at this location,” the department said






An ice-covered pair of gloves belonging to a Chicago firefighter stand on a railing behind him in single-digit temperatures during a five-alarm blaze in the city's Bridgeport neighborhood on Jan. 23, 2013

[Mr Lick]

Professional dancer Georges Exantus sleeps as his prosthetic limb lays on the floor in his bedroom in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Exantus thought he'd never dance again. He was lucky just to be alive. The earthquake three years ago in Haiti's capital flattened the apartment where he was living, where he spent three days trapped under a heap of jagged rubble. After friends dug him out, doctors amputated his right leg just below the knee. Exantus says he has learned to ignore the long stares and quiet whispers, products of a longstanding stigma in Haiti for people with disabilities. Before the quake, few resources existed to accommodate Haiti's disabled, and many regard people with disabilities as misfits.









Exantus puts a ring on the finger of his bride Sherly Henrisme Exantus at their wedding in Port-au-Prince.



Professional dancer Georges Exantus, right, performs with Modeline Gene Arhan during a show in Port-au-Prince.

[Mr Lick]

A view of the foyer of the new annexe to Liverpool central library. After ten years of planning and over two years of restoration the central library is nearing completion for it's official opening in May. Over four millions items including documents and books are now to be rehoused in the library which has cost £55M



He's won: Roger Federer celebrates after winning his Australian Open quarter final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga



Shipyard workers demonstrate outside the labour ministry in Athens, Greece. The workers are on a indefinite strike over pay

[Mr Lick]

A woman walks past a panda sculpture on a smoggy day in Beijing. The air quality in China's capital has hit seriously high levels again



David Cameron makes a speech on Europe this morning in London in which he promised a referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union by the end of 2017, if the Conservatives win the next general election



Cuban artists Leosvel and Diosmani perform during the official Award Gala Evening of the 37th International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo, Monaco

[Mr Lick]

Adidas Golf introduces a new light weight golf shoe by flying life size remote control replicas of Brandt Snedeker (R), Jason Day and Dustin Johnson (L) during a news conference in San Diego, California, January 22, 2013. The new 10.6oz adizero golf footwear line will be available January 24 globally.



Unknown assailants attack a gay rights activist (C) during a protest outside the Duma, Russia's lower house of Parliament, in Moscow January 22, 2013. Russia's parliament is due to hold its first reading on a "homosexual propaganda" law on Tuesday



Police officers stand guard on their vehicles as a boy looks on, during the start of a joint security operation in Ecatepec, on the outskirts of Mexico City January 22, 2013. The Mexican Army and Federal Police are patrolling together in areas of Ecatepec with high rates of violence, where over forty murders have been reported in January, according to local media

[Mr Lick]

Firefighters spray down hot spots on an ice covered warehouse that caught fire Tuesday night in Chicago on Jan. 23. Fire department officials said it is the biggest fire the department has had to battle in years and one-third of all Chicago firefighters were on the scene at one point or another trying to put out the flames.

[Mr Lick]

The images are striking for what they don’t show. They hold only hints of the bloodshed to come.

The Japanese news agency Kyodo has released the first photographs from inside a hostage crisis in the North African nation of Algeria, secretly snapped by one of the captives with a cellphone camera.

Islamist fighters stormed a gas field and nearby barracks on Jan. 16 and took hundreds of people hostage. The Algerian army launched a rescue raid the following day, opening a three-day standoff.

It ended in a bloody clash. The Algerian government put the death toll at 67, including 38 foreign workers and 29 militants. The U.S. State Department said that three Americans were among those killed.

The photos released by Kyodo depict the opening hours of the crisis. They show a scene that -- while certainly not safe -- appeared stable.

In one shot, an Islamic militant, armed and wearing a mask and camouflage uniform, stands several feet away from three Algerian workers who had been forced to leave their living quarters. One of the three is wearing a hoodie, and another has his hands stuffed in his pockets.






A third picture is far more ominous: In the foreground are several militants, in the background at least a dozen hostages, forced to sit against a wall of the complex.

Kyodo did not say how it had obtained the photos. A Japanese government source said on Monday that the Algerian government listed nine Japanese killed in the siege, the highest toll among non-Algerians working at the site

[Mr Lick]

An Orthodox priest blesses rifles during a ceremony where new recruits receive their weapons at a military base of the Belarusian Interior Ministry in Minsk on Jan. 23. The traditional ceremony was attended by 325 Belarusian recruits and it is held a month after the recruits take their military oath.

[Mr Lick]

Floods in Jakarta, Indonesia

Freelance photographer Ulet Ifansasti documents floods in Indonesia, where the death toll has risen to at least 21 since exceptionally heavy rain struck the city earlier this month





















Indonesian soldiers repair a collapsed canal dyke in central Jakarta









People sheltering from flood waters among their belongings in east Jakarta

[Mr Lick]

Cyclists pass a sugar cane field burning after bombs dropped on it near Niono, 370 kilometres north of Bamako, Mali



Dwarfed by the hull of a superyacht, visitors attend International Boat Show at Duesseldorf fairground, Germany



Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid party, speaks to members of the press outside his house following his unexpectedly strong showing in this week's elections. The Israeli actor, journalist, author, former TV presenter and news anchor won 19 of 120 parliamentary seats and is expected to form a coalition government with incumbent prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu



U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responds forcefully to intense questioning about the September attacks on US diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington



A man walks the Way of Saint James passing the old pilgrim hospital as snow covers the region, in Roncesvalles, northern Spain



A miner takes a shower after his shift in Hungary's last remaining deep-cast coal mine at Markushegy, west of Budapest. Hungary secured EU regulatory approval on Wednesday for a grant to shut down the uncompetitive coal mine, in the next two years



Prince Harry walks down the steps of a Royal Air Force A-330 transport aircraft, as he arrives home at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, after the completion of his 20 week tour of duty in Afghanistan as an Apache Helicopter Pilot/Gunner with 662 Squadron of the Army Air Corps

[Mr Lick]

A very realistic 'The Joker' toy is displayed at the London toy fair in Olympia, today.



People wait outside a school to receive new and second-hand clothes - part of humanitarian aid in Aleppo



Special delivery: a postal worker driving a Royal Mail van delivers mail in the Mendip village of Priddy in Somerset, England



More icey scenes: it's the European figure skating championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Here Russia's Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov perform during the ice dance short dance programme



Robin out looking for his Maid Marian



Another cold day in northern Britain as Jenny Bentley clears her path of snow in Lockton, Yorkshire, as the winter weather continues across the UK

[Mr Lick]

Swansea v Chelsea - League Cup semi-final (2nd Leg)



Eden Hazard becomes embroiled in a scrap for the ball with a Swansea ballboy. Hazard reacts in frustration by by trying to kick the ball out from underneath the youngster, who stays on the ground clutching his ribs ... Hazard then steps over him to retrieve the ball






Hazard seems to think it was just a silly incident and smiles as he returns to speak with his Chelsea team-mates, but the referee thinks differently and sends him off



It's ended 0-0. Chelsea are out, Hazard is in big trouble and Swansea are off to Wembley to face Bradford! Remarkable stuff.



Williams looks delighted. What a night for the Swans. Wonder if that ballboy will get a free-ticket to the final?!

[Mr Lick]

Bahraini princess facing multiple torture charges

Ms al Khalifa has denied the charges against her

A Bahraini princess is facing charges of torturing pro-democracy activists in the Gulf island kingdom.

Noura Bint Ebrahim al-Khalifa, who serves in Bahrain's Drugs Control Unit, is accused along with another officer of torturing three people in detention.

Hundreds of protesters were detained as Bahrain struggled to put down a popular uprising that began in February 2011.

The uprising, which began peacefully with calls for democratic reform, was crushed by the ruling al-Khalifas.

Noura al-Khalifa, 29, who denies the charges, appeared in court on Sunday and Monday to hear the allegations.

In one case, the princess is accused of torturing two doctors, Ghassan and Bassem Daif, brothers who worked at the Salmaniya medical complex.

Medical staff from the facility went to help injured protesters after security police used force to disperse thousands of people who had camped out at an iconic landmark, Pearl Roundabout, in the capital, Manama.

At least two people were killed and hundreds wounded when police attacked with batons, tear gas and birdshot.

In March and April 2011 many of the medical staff were arrested and detained. It is alleged that Ms al-Khalifa tortured the doctors at that time.

She is also accused of torturing another person, 21-year-old Ayad al-Qurmazi.
Ms al-Qurmazi was arrested in March 2011 after giving public readings of poetry she wrote that was critical of the ruling family.

She alleges she was held for nine days, blindfolded, beaten with cables and threatened with rape. She identified Ms al-Khalifa as her torturer.

'Online threats'

Ms al Qurmazi's lawyer Reem Khalaf told the BBC that on one occasion while she was being beaten around her head, the blindfold slipped and she saw Ms al-Khalifa.

"Noura was very angry that Ayad had seen her," Ms Khalaf said.

Ayad al-Qurmazi told the BBC she did not regret reading her poems or taking Noura al-Khalifa to court, even though she had lost her place at college and was the target of online threats and abuse.

"I am not sorry. I only said what all Bahrainis feel and I haven't done anything against my country. What I am doing, I am doing for my country."

The case was adjourned to 7 February after three witnesses failed to turn up.

No-one from the Bahrain government was available to comment on the charges against Ms al-Khalifa.

[Mr Lick]

Florence Cassez released in Mexico

Florence Cassez's case became a cause celebre in France
Related Stories

• Mexico court will not free Cassez
• Mexico's Fuentes attacks Sarkozy

A Frenchwoman jailed in Mexico in 2007 for 60 years for kidnapping has been freed, after the Supreme Court ruled her rights were violated.

Florence Cassez had denied the charges and many irregularities were found in the case, including a staged televised police raid.

Three judges on a panel of five voted to have Ms Cassez released immediately.

The case provoked tensions between Mexico and France, where news of her release was widely welcomed.

Ms Cassez is now travelling to the Mexico City's international airport, where she is due to take an overnight Air France flight to Paris.

Ms Cassez's mother, Charlotte, told French television the case had been full of suspense right to the end. "It's an explosion of joy. I can't quite believe it," she said.

In a statement, President Francois Hollande said the decision marked the end of a "particularly painful period".

"France thanks all those who, in Mexico as well as here at home, have fought so that truth and justice prevail."

Mr Hollande spoke to Ms Cassez by phone on Wednesday evening. Details of the conversation have not been revealed.

"This is a historic day for Mexican justice." said her lawyer Frank Berton.
Sharp criticism

Florence Cassez was arrested on 8 December 2005 at a ranch near Mexico City where several hostages were found, but denied knowledge of the kidnappings, in which her former boyfriend was involved.

The next day, Mexican TV showed what it described as live footage of a police raid, which it later transpired had been a reconstruction performed at the request of the media.

The Supreme Court judges ruled that the reconstruction had violated Ms Cassez's rights.

The decision to release her has been sharply criticised by one of the hostages, Ezequiel Elizalde, BBC Mexico correspondent Will Grant says.

Mr Elizalde testified against Ms Cassez and has condemned the Supreme Court's decision as "disgusting", describing Mexico's institutions as "filth".

This was the second time that the Supreme Court had taken a vote on freeing Ms Cassez.

Last March, however, the judges decided against her release, despite acknowledging serious irregularities in the process.

When first convicted, she was jailed for 96 years, But, in 2009, a court of appeal reduced the term to 60 years.

French authorities tried to extradite her, but the move was blocked by the Mexican government.

Mr Hollande's predecessor in the Elysee Palace, Nicolas Sarkozy, championed the case and repeatedly clashed with the Mexican government of then-President Felipe Calderon.

Diplomatic tensions reached a peak two years ago when Mexican authorities cancelled a high-profile cultural event in Paris.