World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

The carcass of a sperm whale that washed ashore on Carrasco beach is lifted with a crane, in Montevideo, Uruguay. Dozens of Navy officials and rescuers used excavators to remove the marine mammal weighing up to 25 tons, to be buried in a nearby landfill

[Mr Lick]

Cyclo-cross British National Championships – in pictures

Cyclo-cross – a winter cycling discipline, where competitors ride modified road bikes on offroad courses – is enjoying something of a renaissance. Along with it's enduring popularity in Belgium as a spectator sport, it's enjoying newfound popularity in non-traditional cycling countries such as the UK and the US. Cycling's governing body is even in talks to make it a Winter Olympic discipline. The British National Championships took place in Derby this weekend. Here are the best images from the racing

[Mr Lick]

George Baker of the Kingscliffe Flyers dismounts to jump the plank obstacles. The more talented/foolhardy riders will be seen bunnyhopping this obstacles – a feat not without its perils

[Mr Lick]

Detroit auto show – in pictures

The Detroit auto show opened on Monday, with more than 800,000 visitors expected to provide a $365m boost for the struggling city's economy

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Anti-fracking protest near Barton Moss

Protesters block roads and climb on lorries arriving at the Barton Moss gas exploration site in Manchester. Earlier, David Cameron promised local councils they would get a financial boost from all the business rates collected from shale gas schemes



Police walk ahead of anti-fracking protesters, marching ahead of a vehicle being escorted on to a site where energy company IGas has permission to carry out exploratory drilling for shale gas, at Barton Moss in Manchester

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Mark Cavendish (R) of Great Britain waves to the crowds during the Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team Presentation at Vlaams Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx in Gent, Belgium



Tennis fans cool off during a heat wave at the tennis on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia. Temperatures are expected to reach 41 degrees Celcius



Former Chief Executive of News International, Rebekah Brooks, arrives at the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court in central London. Brooks and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson are among eight people who are facing a range of charges during the trial, including conspiracy to intercept voicemails and phone hacking



A Ukrainian priest stands in front of riot police officers during a demonstration near the Parliament in Kiev. According to media reports, veterans of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power accident and Afghanistan war veterans protested against reduced pensions and medical payments planned for 2014

[Mr Lick]

Thai anti-government protesters rest on a street at the Silom intersection during the ongoing rallies in Bangkok



Animal rights campaigners from PETA protest against use of furs in the fashion industry prior to the launch of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin



Watership Drown? A rabbit is stranded in the middle of a flooded park in Windsor, UK



A villager rides a motorcycle along a road covered with ash from the Mount Sinabung eruption in Karo district, Indonesia



A Palestinian student jumps through a burning ring during a graduation ceremony at a military-style training programme in Gaza City

[Mr Lick]

Kashmiri Muslims pray after seeing a relic of Prophet Mohammad at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar



People stand on a bridge damaged in a flash flood in Baganga in the southern Philippines. Fifteen people have been killed in floods and landslides caused by heavy rain



An elderly woman flashes a victory sign as she is assisted at a polling station before voting on a new constitution in Cairo, Egypt



The country's interim president, Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet, right, visits a paramilitary police camp on the deadline day for security force members who fled fighting to return to barracks.

[Mr Lick]

Coronation Street actor William Roache arrives at Preston Crown Court for the start of his trial on charges of committing historic sexual offences



Disc jockey Dave Lee Travis arrives for the start of his trial at Southwark Crown Court, London. The 68-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault



A man sweeps up the morning after a car bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq



Anti-government protesters dance during ongoing rallies in Bangkok, Thailand as part of their shutdown of Bangkok, aimed at derailing elections and toppling the government



A possum stands near burnt plants after surviving a bushfire in Stoneville, Australia. Over 50 houses were destroyed in the fire that blazed through 400 hectares of land

[Mr Lick]

The Golden Globes took place last night with British director Steve McQueen winning the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture for '12 Years a Slave' as he poses with his cast including Lupita Nyong'o, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah Paulson and Michael Fassbender in Beverly Hills, California



Silvesterchlaeuse (New Years Clauses) equipped with branches of pine trees and cow bells perform in front of a farm house in Urnaesch, Switzerland to offer their best wishes for the New Year. After their performance of singing and dancing the Silvesterchlaeuse receive food, hot drinks or money



Central African soldiers who had left their units do push-ups under the orders of their officer, as they return to register in their regiment. The interim president of the violence-wracked Central African Republic Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet declared today that 'the party is over' after weeks of deadly sectarian violence as deserting troops and police returned to duty



Panama police stand guard over confiscated dollar bills in Panama City. Police have arrested three men from Honduras and confiscated seven million US dollars, found in eight suitcases at Panama international airport. This was the largest money seizure in recent history, according to the police



Marines load their bags into a truck before deploying to Afghanistan at Camp Pendleton, California. Approximately 140 marines and sailors are making a final year long deployment to the Helmand province area of Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Marines will join approximately 9000 coalition troops currently in the region



People walk along a damaged street in the besieged area of Homs. Syria's government and the opposition have agreed to consider opening humanitarian access in the run-up to a peace conference that would bring the sides together for the first time, top diplomats for Russia and the US said today



Serbia's pivot Alem Toskic (L) and his teammate left back Momir Ilic try to stop Poland's right back Krzysztof as he jumps to score during the men's EHF Euro 2014 Handball Championship group C match Serbia vs Poland at the NRGi Arena in Aarhus, Denmark

[Mr Lick]

A resident casts net in order to catch fish on a flooded street in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dozens of villages of 18 districts in Jakarta are flooded due to a heavy rain since. According to the Extreme Weather Sub Division of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, the highest precipitation is predicted to occur in the end of January until early February, 2014



Interior view of the former Tempelhof Airport during the opening of fashion trade show 'Bread & Butter' in Berlin, Germany. The trade show takes place during the Berlin Fashion Week that presents the Autumn/Winter 2014/2015 collections and runs from 11 to 14 January



Yamaha rider Bruno Da Costa of France falls from his bike during the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally between the cities Uyuni, Bolivia and Calama, Chile in Kui, Bolivia



FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal and Real Madrid gets emotional as he collects his award with his son Cristiano Ronaldo Junior with Pele looking on during the FIFA Ballon d'Or Gala 2013 at the Kongresshaus on January 13, 2014 in Zurich, Switzerland



Disguised revelers named "Kukeri" hold torches as they take part in the Kukeri Carnival in the village of Batanovci, Bulgaria. The Kukeri Carnival is a festival which marks the beginning of the spring. Every participant makes his own mask, covered with beads, ribbons and woolen tassels. The heavy swaying of the main mummer is meant to represent wheat heavy with grain, and the bells tied around the waist are intended to drive away the evil spirits and the sickness

[Mr Lick]

Bangkok 'shutdown'







The protesters want the government replaced with an unelected "people's council", claiming the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has used populist policies to buy the rural support that keeps it in power.



At the centre of the protests is Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister, who said on Sunday that protesters would refuse any proposals and negotiations, and that "in this fight", only one side would win.

[Mr Lick]

At least eight people have died since the protests began in November. Seven people were injured when unidentified men fired on demonstrators in the capital over the weekend.

[Mr Lick]

Mexican vigilantes from a group that has seized the small town of Nueva Italia in the southern state of Michoacan after clashing with alleged members of the Knights Templar drug cartel. Residents started the vigilante group after accusing the army and police of failing to protect them.



Pablo Picasso's Femme au costume turc dans un fauteuil, a portrait of his lover Jacqueline Roque painted in 1955, goes on show at Christie's auction house in London before its sale on 4 February. Its estimated value is £15m to £20m.



After falling into muddy water, KTM rider Stephane Hamard, of France, gets help with his motorbike during the seventh stage of the Dakar Rally between the Argentine city of Salta and the Bolivian town of Uyuni.

[Mr Lick]

Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade arrives at Mumbai airport amid a spat between Washington and Delhi after she was indicted for alleged visa fraud in the US.



Mount Sinabung spews volcanic ash and lava on Sumatra island in Indonesia. The volcano was dormant for 400 years before erupting again in 2010, and then again last September.



A rabbit beat a tortoise in a skiing competition held for pets in northern China. The tortoise, which would normally be expected to hibernate during the winter, apparently hitched a ride on its owner's ski equipment.

[Mr Lick]

While parts of the northern hemisphere endure freezing conditions, people in Melbourne try to keep cool. Temperatures are expected to reach over 40C (104F) in parts of Australia over the coming days.



Visitors apparently defy gravity inside a 'upside-down house' at an exhibition in Moscow - with the help a of little camera trickery.



US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, gives his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov two Idaho potatoes during a meeting in Paris to discuss a peace plan for Syria. Mr Kerry said Mr Lavrov had mentioned Idaho's most famous export the last time they met.

[Mr Lick]

Rose Fostanes,47, a Filipina caregiver, performs during a rehearsal for Israel's X-Factor talent show in Tel Aviv January 12, 2014. Fostanes surprised viewers of the talent show and swept its judges off their feet with soulful renditions of hit songs by the likes of pop stars Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera, and has rocked her way to Tuesday's live final.



TNLA ( Taang National Liberation Army) soldiers look on, during the 51st anniversary of the Taang National Resistance Day at Homain, Nansan township in the northern Shan state, January 12, 2014. Picture taken January 12, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Former pro-wrestler turned high-profile Japanese lawmaker Antonio Inoki talks to reporters before heading to North Korea at Beijing Capital International Airport January 13, 2014. Inoki will visit North Korea again from Monday to promote sports exchanges and meet with senior officials



Palestinians watch as members of the security forces loyal to Hamas movement take part in a parade marking the fifth anniversary of the three-week offensive Israel launched in 2008-2009, in Gaza City January 13, 2014

[Mr Lick]

Detroit Auto Show




Kia Chief Designer Tom Kearns speaks as the GT4 Stinger concept car is displayed during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit

[Mr Lick]

View of the headlights and grille of the Nissan Sport Sedan Concept as it is unveiled during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit

[Mr Lick]

The Volvo XC Coupe concept is displayed during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit

[Mr Lick]

ingers perform as the Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept car is unveiled during th North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

[Mr Lick]

Members of the media surround the Toyota FT-1 concept car as it is unveiled on stage during the press preview day of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.