World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

The coffin of Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs arrives at Golders Green Crematorium during his funeral in London. Biggs, who was notorious for his role in the robbery of a mail train in 1963, died on December 18 aged 84



Ice from breaking waves coats a house along the shore in Scituate, Massachusetts. A winter storm slammed into the US Northeast dumping nearly 2 feet of snow in some parts and whipping up blizzard-like conditions

[Mr Lick]

Waves pour over 'The Black Pearl', a model pirate ship made from driftwood, in New Brighton in northwest England, on Jan. 3, 2014.

High tides and strong winds caused flooding in parts of England on Friday as severe flood warnings remained in place

[Mr Lick]

At least four people were killed Friday when police outside Cambodia's capital opened fire to break up a protest by striking garment workers demanding a doubling of the minimum wage, police and human rights workers said.

Chuon Narin, deputy chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, said the four were killed and about 20 others wounded in a southern suburb of the capital after several hundred workers blocking a road began burning tires and throwing objects at police officers. Witnesses said some officers fired AK-47 rifles into the air and that others shot at ground level.

Workers at most of Cambodia's more than 500 garment factories are on strike, demanding an increase in the minimum wage to $160 a month, double the current rate. The government has offered $100 a month

[Mr Lick]

Ronnie Biggs: the Great Train Robber's funeral

Outriders from the Hells Angels and a brass band formed part of Ronnie Biggs's funeral cortege as friends and family gathered at Golders Green crematorium in north-west London to pay their last respects



Freddie Foreman, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for helping dispose of the body of Jack 'the Hat' McVitie, arrives at the crematorium









Former London gangster, author and actor Dave Courtney smiles for the cameras









British actor, author, playwright and theatre director Steven Berkoff speaks during the funeral service



Michael Biggs, the son of Ronnie Biggs, consoles his daughter Ingrid during the funeral service



Michael and his family pay their last respects to Ronnie at the end of the service

[Mr Lick]

UK storms and floods



N.Wales



W.Wales

[Mr Lick]

Hastings



Godalming



Caswell Bay, Wales

[Mr Lick]

Southsea



W. Wales

[Mr Lick]

At least five people were killed and more than 60 hurt by a car bomb which hit a suburb of Lebanon's capital Beirut. The blast destroyed several vehicles and part of the facade of a building in a densely populated area of Haret Hreik district.



Latvia began the new year by joining the eurozone, becoming the 18th member of the group of EU states which uses the euro as its currency.

[Mr Lick]

A couple danced in Vienna's Golden Hall as conductor Daniel Barenboim led the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during a concert.



A horse trainer performs during the annual Royal Horse Racing Festival in the Omani capital Muscat. The shows were presented by male and female riders of the Royal Cavalry and Royal Household Troops, the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) and school students.



The north-eastern US was hit by a major winter storm leading the New York and New Jersey governors to declare a state of emergency, urging people to stay indoors. Earlier people were out in Times Square enjoying the snow.



The Democratic Republic of Congo's army repulsed several attacks in the capital, Kinshasa, by a "terrorist group", the government said. The state TV headquarters, the international airport and a military base in the city were all targeted.



Michael van Gerwen (left) beat Peter Wright 7-4 to win the PDC World Championship at London's Alexandra Palace. His first world title takes him to number one in the rankings, ahead of 16-time world champion Phil Taylor.

[Mr Lick]

Surviving Central African Republic anarchy



Chimene Kpakanale, 22, is considered one of the luckiest mothers in the Central African Republic (CAR) as she has been able to have her third child, a baby boy, safely in a hospital. Other mothers have been forced to flee their homes, because of fighting and the fall-out following the rebel takeover in March, and have to give birth in the bush with no shelter or skilled help on hand.



At the best of times CAR has one of the world’s highest rates of infant deaths and one in 10 babies do not live to see their first birthday. Now the UN says the country has the potential to become a failed state following “a total breakdown in law and order” since the rebellion by the Seleka alliance which ousted President Francoise Bozize.



Ms Kpakanale, her husband and three children live in Obo, a stronghold of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), led by Joseph Kony. Years of unrest in the CAR have allowed the Ugandan rebel group to set up bases in the area. She says life in the small town is difficult - more so since March when LRA fighters intensified their attacks. Their presence has isolated Obo from the rest of the country because nobody dares to travel by road any more.















About a third of CAR’s 4.6 million people need assistance with food, shelter, health care or water, the UN’s humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said. Many families eat cassava, a root vegetable, at every meal and nothing else. Although it fills the stomach, it is not nutritional. Many children end up with kwashiorkor, an acute form of childhood malnutrition which is characterised by a swollen belly and can lead to acute fluid retention and serious organ damage.







Ms Kpakanale gave birth to her boy at 21:00 on 17 July, and before leaving the hospital in Obo he was vaccinated against tuberculosis and polio. Many other hospitals and health facilities have not been spared the looting and many vaccination efforts have ground to a halt. As a result measles and tetanus are spreading at alarming rates. (Photos by Jacob Zocherman working for aid agency Merlin)

[Mr Lick]

The Car Poolers



Shooting from a south-bound vantage point on a bridge over Monterrey’s highway 85, photographer Alejandro Cartagena has captured some unusually candid images of commuters.























An exhibition of The Car Poolers runs until 31 January 2014 at United Photo Industries HQ, Brooklyn, New York. All photos: © Alejandro Cartagena, The Car Poolers.

[Mr Lick]

England's Boyd Rankin is bowled for 13 runs by Australia's Mitchell Johnson during the second day of the fifth Ashes cricket test at the Sydney cricket ground January 4, 2014



A jeep drives through the water on Lighthouse Road during a winter nor'easter snow storm in Scituate, Massachusetts January 3, 2014. A heavy snowstorm and dangerously low temperatures gripped the northeastern United States on Friday, delaying flights, paralyzing road travel, and closing schools and government offices across the region

[Mr Lick]

People watch waves break on the Brittany coastline in Audierne in Finistere during a combination of high tide and wind in Brittany in Western France, January 3, 2014.



A man accompanied by his dog begs for money next to a store window advertising sales on the first day of winter sales in Brussels January 3, 2014

[Mr Lick]

A French soldier patrols the villages in Bossangoa, north of the Central African Republic's capital Bangui January 3, 2014. French and African troops deployed in the country have struggled to stop the tit-for-tat violence between Muslim Seleka rebels, who seized power in March, and Christian self-defence militia, clashes that killed more than 1,000 people in December



Palestinian demonstrators protest near the Israeli border fence with Gaza as the Israeli army shoots tear gas, January 3, 2014

[Mr Lick]

A garment worker cries as factory guards are seen in the background after clashes broke out during a protest in Phnom Penh January 3, 2014. Cambodian military police opened fire with assault rifles on Friday to quell a protest by stone-throwing garment factory workers demanding higher pay, killing at least three people, witnesses said. Military police spokesman Kheng Tito, however, said only one protester was killed



Passengers wait after their flights were delayed at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal A during a winter storm in New York January 3, 2014. A major snowstorm producing blizzard-like conditions hammered the northeastern United States on Friday, causing 2,000 U.S. flight delays and cancellations, paralyzing road travel, and closing schools and government offices

[Mr Lick]

India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh smiles during a news conference in New Delhi January 3, 2014. Singh will hand over the top job to a new leader after general elections due by May, he said on Friday



People wait to enter a government-run employment office in Madrid January 3, 2014. The number of registered jobless in Spain fell by 2.24 percent in December from a month earlier, or by 107,570 people, leaving 4.7 million people out of work, data from the Labour Ministry showed on Friday



A man wearing a large puppet head and Palestinian stone-throwing protesters run as tear gas is fired by Israeli soldiers during clashes at a weekly demonstration against Jewish settlements in the West Bank village of Bilin, near Ramallah January 3, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Garment workers prepare petrol bombs during clashes with security forces in Phnom Penh January 3, 2014. Cambodian military police opened fire with assault rifles on Friday to quell a protest by stone-throwing garment factory workers demanding higher pay in a crackdown a human rights group said killed four people



Paramilitary policemen carry seized crystal meth at Boshe village, Lufeng, Guangdong province, December 29, 2013. Police in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have seized nearly three tonnes of the drug crystal methamphetamine and arrested 182 people in raids on a village notorious for producing narcotics



A general view of the construction site of the Panama Canal Expansion project is seen on the outskirts of Colon City January 2, 2014. Spain's government is pushing for talks to settle a dispute over $1.6 billion (974.3 million pounds) in cost overruns for expanding the Panama Canal, a project led by Spanish builder Sacyr, Spain's ambassador to Panama said on Friday. Ambassador Jesus Silva told Spanish state radio that Public Works Minister Ana Pastor and Sacyr Chairman Manuel Manrique may visit Panama in the coming day



A man stand near prison gate as he waits for his family member in front of Insein prison in Yangon January 3, 2014. Myanmar's President Thein Sein announced a general amnesty for prisoners, state media MRTV reported on Thursday, reducing death sentences to life imprisonment, all sentences over 40 years to 40 years, and cutting one-fourth of any prison sentence under 40 years, ahead of the country's independence day on Saturday

[Mr Lick]

Cars to look forward to in 2014



The GLA will be a rivals for cars such as the Audi Q3 and Range Rover Evoque when it goes on sale in spring 2014.
The compact SUV is based on the same platform as the A-class hatchback and CLA saloon, and will use a similar range of engines.
On sale: Spring
Price from: £25,000 (est)



Ford Mondeo
Thanks to the "One Ford" policy the new Mondeo is all but identical to the Ford Fusion, which is already on sale in the US.
European models will have different engines and higher-grade cabin trim, however.
On sale: September
Price from: £18,500 (est)



The Lamborghini Huracán is the replacement for the Gallardo, which is the firm's best-selling model ever.
Power comes from a 5.2-litre V10 engine that develops 610bhp; Lamborghini quotes a 0-62mph time of 3.2sec and a top speed of 202mph.
Lamborghini is yet to announce a starting price, but it's likely to close the gap between the outgoing Gallardo's £135,600 and the £178,000 charged by Ferrari for a 458 Italia.
On sale: Spring
Price from: £155,000 (est)



BMW unveiled the Concept Active Tourer at the 2012 Paris motor show. The production version - which is likely to be called either the 2 Series Active Tourer or 1 Series Gran Turismo - will look all but identical, with more conventional door mirrors and bumpers the only significant changes.
The Active Tourer is a practical hatchback with a tall body, and will be a rival for cars such as the Mercedes-Benz B-Class and Volkswagen Golf Plus. At 435cm long and 156cm high the concept car version has almost identical proportions to the B-Class.
On sale: Autumn
Price from: £20,000 (est)

[Mr Lick]

Maserati Levante
Thanks to the continuing demand for SUV models, a number of prestige manufactures will enter the sector over the next two years or so.
Maserati's first attempt to crack the market will be the Levante, which will share some technology with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and which will be built in Turin.
The production version hasn't been revealed, but it's likely to closely resemble the Kubang concept car (above) that was unveiled in 2011.
On sale: Winter
Price from: £65,000 (est)



It's all-change for the Renault Twingo city car: as part of the Renault-Nissan and Daimler alliance it will share its underpinnings with the next Smart city car and will have the same rear-wheel drive layout.
Although the next Smart and Twingo will be closely related under the skin, they will have very different styling inside and out. The Twingo is likely to be strongly influenced by the Twin'Z concept carthat was unveiled in April 2013.
On sale: Autumn
Price from: £9,000 (est)



We've already driven a prototype version of BMW's new plug-in hybrid supercar, the i8.
It's been around in concept car form for the past few years, but that hasn't dampened enthusiasm for what is one of the most exciting new sports cars of recent times.
Power comes from a combination of a three-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor; BMW quotes 0-62mph in 4.5sec, EU Combined fuel economy of 113mpg and CO² emissions of just 59g/km.
On sale: June
Price from: £95,000 (est)

[Mr Lick]

Nissan's third-generation X-Trail will move upmarket compared with its predecessors. It will also replace the seven-seat +2 version of the Qashqai.
Less a rugged 4x4 and more of a rival for cars such as the Honda CR-V and BMW X3, the new X-Trail is closely related to the latest Qashqai, which goes on sale in February.
On sale: July
Price from: £24,000 (est)



Strip away its glitzier, show-car aspects and the Citroen Cactus concept car that was revealed at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show is more or less how the company's new Ford Focus and Nissan Qashqai rival will look when it goes on sale in 2014.
The Cactus marks a major shift in attitude compared with the bland C4 it will replace, with an emphasis on quirky yet simple design. One of the features of the Frankfurt car that will make it to production is "Airbump", a system of air-filled blisters on the side of the car and around the headlights that cushion low-speed impacts and replace the function a traditional bumper.
On sale: June
Price from: £16,000 (est)



This high-performance version of the Mk7 Golf will use a tuned version of the turbocharged, 2.0-litre petrol engine from the GTI, with power and torque boosted to 296bhp and 280lb ft respectively. Four-wheel drive is standard.
Performance is a match for rivals such as the BMW M135i, with 0-62mph in 4.9sec and a top speed limited to 155mph.
On sale: Now (first deliveries in March)
Price from: £29,900

[Mr Lick]

High tides and flooding



W.Wales



Cornwall



Pembrokeshire




Dorset



Jersey



N.Wales

[Mr Lick]

UK storms disruption

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Two wounded women wait for medical attention after a grenade was thrown at the Kokoro market in Bangui, Central African Republic



One of 50 dogs at the Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento, California, is loaded into a crate for a flight to a no-kill shelter in Idaho

[Mr Lick]

A rescue worker watches as a power shovel clears debris at the site of a building that collapsed in Canacona in the state of Goa, India



Four homeless men warm themselves on a steam grate by the Federal Trade Commission building amid freezing temperatures in Washington



Children wear plastic bags to protect themselves from volcanic ash following a further eruption of Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province, Indonesia