World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Backing up again for best Pics of 2010 published by Reuters





An arrested member of the outlawed militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is presented to the media at the Police Crime Investigation Department in Karachi March 29, 2010. Police arrested in Karachi three members of the outlawed Sunni militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and seized up to 60 kg (132 lbs) of explosives and detonators.



A fire-fighter tries to douse a fire in a shoe showroom at a shopping arcade in New Delhi July 18, 2010. The fire broke out in the showroom in which some goods were damaged but no causalities were reported, local media said.





The moon passes between the sun and the earth during a solar eclipse in Valparaiso City, 75 miles (121 km) northwest of Santiago, July 11, 2010. The effect was created by shooting part of the image through a piece of exposed X-ray film.




Army soldiers and riot policemen fire towards anti-government 'red shirt' protesters who planned a road block along a highway in the outskirts of Bangkok on April 28, 2010.




A house kitchen is covered by ash in Cangkringan village off the Indonesia's Central Java province, November 6, 2010.




Riot police spray water on a high school student during a protest in Valparaiso city, about 121 km (75 miles) northwest of Santiago August 18, 2010. Students protested against changes to the public state education and are demanding that government increase their budget to fund universities, according to local media.




Liang Yong, 30, who weighs about 230 kg (507 lbs) and is 1.58 m (5.18 ft) tall, reads newspaper in a ward at a hospital in Chongqing municipality June 1, 2010. Liang, who has suffered from obesity since 1998 and has unsuccessfully tried different methods of losing weight, is in a critical health condition due to his weight, and has been warded in the intensive care unit since last week, local media reported.



German police officers lift up a woman from the crowd of revellers outside a tunnel at the Love Parade "The art of Love" in the western German city of Duisburg July 24, 2010. A stampede killed at least 19 people after mass panic broke out in a tunnel at a "Love Parade" techno music festival in Germany.





Policemen and soldiers raise their hands while shouting "God is great," to lift their spirits as the team worked through heavy rain to search for bodies and a flight data recorder at the site of the Airblue plane crash in Islamabad's Margalla Hills




A woman mourns her relatives who died in the 2008 earthquake during Qingming Festival, at the ruins of the earthquake-hit county of Beichuan, Sichuan province April 5, 2010. Qingming Festival traditionally marks the coming of springtime and people also tend to the graves of family members then.

[Mr Lick]

Remains of seats from an Ethiopian Airlines plane which crashed into the Mediterranean sea on Monday morning, are seen on the shore at Khaldeh, south of Beirut, January 25, 2010, as a helicopter flies above the crash site searching for survivors. The plane with 90 people on board crashed shortly after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather.





A boy dances in the rain during a heavy tropical shower in a street of Havana July 19, 2010.





Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer watches as the ball crosses the line during the 2010 World Cup second round soccer match against England at Free State stadium in Bloemfontein June 27, 2010. England were denied an equalising goal when a Frank Lampard shot from 2O metres out hit the crossbar and dropped well over the line.
Thank you Mr Blatter for your inept contribution.

[Mr Lick]

Khachaturian falls, unseating jockey Jason Maguire, in the Mildmay Novices' Steeple Chase during the second day of The Grand National Meeting at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, northern England April 09, 2010..




San Francisco Giants' Pat Burrell (L-R) Brian Wilson, Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey celebrate after defeating the Texas Rangers to win Game 5 of the Major League Baseball championship and to clinch the World Series in Arlington, Texas, November 1, 2010.





Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa (C) wears a gas mask after striking national policemen released tear gas to keep him inside their main headquarters while he tries to negotiate a solution to the protest over changes in benefits, in Quito September 30, 2010. Unrest erupted in Ecuador with soldiers taking control of the main airport and police protesting in the streets while Correa considered dissolving a deadlocked Congress.

[natalie8]

A man carries a shark through the streets of Mogadishu September 23, 2010.

Geez, are there any buildings left that are still inhabitable? Even just from this pic and from other news stories, it seems like everything is demolished.

[StrontiumDog]

^Difficult to believe that is a street in a city....!

[Mr Lick]

Girls play with a swing at the Andean town of Morococha May 13, 2010. Chinese mining company Chinalco first must relocate 5,000 people who live in a ramshackle town called Morococha that sits in the middle of what will be a copper pit 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) up in the Andes. Families in the new town Chinalco are developing their homes and enjoy conveniences that Morococha lacks such as water, sewage services, and around-the-clock electricity.





People cram a bus during afternoon rush hour during a metro strike in Madrid June 29, 2010.




U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Chris Sanderson, 24, from Flemington, New Jersey shouts as he tries to protect an Afghan man and his child after Taliban fighters opened fire in the town of Marjah, in Nad Ali district, Helmand province, February 13, 2010.




Monica McNeal (R) cries as she hugs a U.S. Marine at the grave (L) of her 19-year-old son Eric Ward, at Arlington National Cemetery, May 27, 2010. Lance Corporal Eric Ward, a fourth-generation U.S. Marine, was killed in Afghanistan on February 21, 2010.





A man offers a rose to a woman to mark International Women's Day in Belgrade March 8, 2010.




A young girl stands with other mourners as the hearses carrying the coffins of five British soldiers are driven through the streets of Wootton Bassett, in southern England February 18, 2010. Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, L/Cpl Darren Hicks, Kingsman Sean Dawson, Rifleman Mark Marshall and Sapper Guy Mellors were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan's Helmand province earlier in February.





A computer screen shows one of the miners trapped underground in a copper and gold mine, inside the mine at Copiapo, some 725 km (450 miles) north of Santiago August 26, 2010.





The space shuttle Endeavour is silhouetted against the backdrop of Earth's horizon prior to docking with the International Space Station in this picture taken by an Expedition 22 crew member on February 9, 2010 and released by NASA February 12, 2010.





Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears on stage during a news conference at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California, July 16, 2010. Apple Inc will give iPhone 4 users a free phone case to address a slew of complaints about reception problems that have hurt the company's image and shares.






A duck, pheasants and rabbits hang from a clothes line before being plucked, skinned and frozen at Garron Point near the village of Carnlough in Northern Ireland, January 18, 2010.




A bishop adjusts Pope Benedict XVI's mantle during the weekly Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 2, 2010.




An undercover Israeli police officer holds a weapon as another detains a Palestinian suspected of throwing stones during clashes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Wadi al-Joz March 16, 2010. Palestinians mounted violent protests in a "day of rage" in Jerusalem and a U.S.-Israeli crisis over a Jewish settlement project deepened with the cancellation of a U.S. peace envoy's visit.





Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown talks to the media during a visit to the Yeadon Health Centre in Yeadon near Leeds, northern England April 14, 2010.




Antisa Khvichava, 129 years old, rests at her home in the village of Sachino, some 370 km (230 miles) west of Tbilisi, March 11, 2010. Khvichava claims to be the oldest person in the world.

[Mr Lick]

An elderly woman smiles while joking with a nurse during her lunch at the Canevaro old people's home in Lima March 25, 2010. This public institution is one the biggest in its kind in Latin America, hosting almost 400 elderly people, including dependent patients and those with senile dementia. 90 percent of its population are in abandon condition and more than the half used to live in extreme poverty, according to Canevaro's Director, Felipe Aguirre.




A dog guards his owner's Saab car at a parking lot in Muiden, near Amsterdam, January 17, 2010. Several hundred Saab owners drove their cars from Soesterberg to Muiden to protest General Motors' intention to shut down SAAB.





A racegoer arrives on Ladies Day, the third day of racing at Royal Ascot in southern England June 17, 2010.




A cardboard version of the Statue of Liberty stands in the ocean at the Gaviota Azul beach in Cancun December 8, 2010. Greenpeace staged a performance sinking the world's best known landmarks in the ocean as climate talks take place in the beach resort.

[Mr Lick]

Dawn Schreiber falls asleep as the bride she is helping to look for dresses looks in a mirror inside Filene's Basement during a "Running of the Brides" bridal dress sale in New York February 5, 2010.




England's David Flatman stands in midfield with a bleeding ear during a Rugby Union match against the Australian Barbarians in Gosford June 15, 2010.




Silver medallist Russia's Evgeni Plushenko (C) walks across the gold medal position on the podium as bronze medallist Daisuke Takahashi of Japan reacts during the medal ceremony after the men's free skating figure skating competition at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics February 18, 2010.





Would-be bride Raani, whose real name was given as Kashif, walks with the groom, Malik Iqbal, while being escorted after they appeared at a courthouse in Peshawar May 26, 2010. Pakistani police arrested what they said was an entire wedding party at a ceremony between a man and a transvestite, accusing the pair of promoting homosexuality in the devoutly Muslim country.




North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (R) and his youngest son Kim Jong-un (L) watch a parade to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang October 10, 2010.




A Palestinian schoolgirl walks past Israeli border police officers on her way home from school during clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian stone-throwers in the Shuafat refugee camp in the West Bank near Jerusalem March 16, 2010. Palestinians mounted violent protests in Jerusalem and President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy cancelled plans to return to the region as a U.S.-Israeli crisis over Jewish settlement plans deepened.





Children play with a tyre used to block the entrance to a squatter camp for poor white South Africans, at Coronation Park in Krugersdorp, March 6, 2010. A shift in racial hiring practices and the recent global economic crisis means many white South Africans have fallen on hard times. Researchers now estimate some 450,000 whites, of a total white population of 4.5 million, live below the poverty line and 100,000 are struggling just to survive in places such as Coronation Park, a former caravan camp currently home to more than 400 white squatters.






A fireman cools off after petrol tankers, belonging to an oil service company, caught fire at Ogba neighbourhood in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos February 2, 2010. No injuries were reported.





Rescuers evacuate injured people after two trains which crashed head-on in Buizingen, near Halle February 15, 2010 killing at least 20 people, officials and Belgian broadcaster VRT said.





Beach goers sunbathe behind a wall of hay bales, used to absorb any oil that might come ashore, on Dauphin Island, Alabama May 11, 2010.






A survivor of a bomb explosion talks on the phone near the exit of Park Kultury metro station in Moscow March 29, 2010. Two female suicide bombers killed at least 38 people on two Moscow metro trains in the rush hour, officials said. The blasts took place at Lubyanka and Park Kultury metro stations.




Residents pass a bag out of a window of their house, which was damaged by flash floods in Bogatynia August 9, 2010. Flash floods triggered by days of heavy rain have killed at least six people, forced mass evacuations and cut off power to thousands in central Europe.




Lady Gaga stands backstage in a meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California September 12, 2010.





Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama have burgers for lunch at Ray's Hell Burger restaurant in Arlington, Virginia June 24, 2010.





BP CEO Tony Hayward walks past protesters as he arrives to testify about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico at the House Energy and Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill, June 17, 2010.





Members of the New York Police Department join in prayer at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York in the Manhattan borough of New York August 26, 2010. The Islamic Cultural Center was the first mosque built in New York City and was completed in 1991.





An earthquake survivor carries his son's dog after rescuing it from the ruins of his home, as he searches for his son missing since the February 27 tsunami destroyed a large stretch of coastline, in Constitucion March 1, 2010.





Police work at the crime scene where they found one of four severed heads around Guatemala City June 10, 2010. According to the police, notes found with the heads point to prison gangs.







Somalis drag the body of a government soldier killed during fighting between Islamist and government forces along a street in Hodan district, Mogadishu August 30, 2010.





Hundreds of anti-nuclear activists sit or lay on the railway tracks in Harlingen near Dannenberg November 8, 2010. German police detained about 800 protesters who refused to leave the tracks after more than 3,000 protestors blocked the tracks disrupting a shipment of eleven Castor rail containers of reprocessed German nuclear waste to the storage dump in Gorleben.




Farmer Thorarinn Olafsson tries to lure his horse back to the stable as a cloud of black ash looms overhead in Drangshlid 2 at Eyjafjoll April 17, 2010.

[Mr Lick]

More pics from Egypt

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

Supporters of the English Defence League gather for a rally in central Luton, February 5, 2011. Police from all over the country were drafted into the multicultural town of Luton amid fears of clashes between a far-right group and anti-fascist supporters.




A man draped in sheepskins pushes a wheelbarrow during carnival celebrations in Zubieta February 1, 2011. People from the north Navarran village and neighbouring Ituren dress up in bizarre and terrifying costumes while creating mayhem and maximum noise levels during the festival to symbolically awaken the earth for the oncoming spring.




Scene from the same festival




A museum employee poses with taxidermied mating rabbits at the "Sexual Nature" exhibition in the Natural History Museum in London February 9, 2011. The exhibition features 100 specimens from the Museum, a giant interactive seduction-themed poetry wall for visitors and a series of short films directed by Isabella Rossellini entitled "Green Porno".




A worker puts finishing touches on a mask of Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at a factory assembly line in Sao Goncalo near Rio de Janeiro February 3, 2011. The masks are manufactured for sale to stores specializing in selling costume items to carnival revellers in Rio.





Members of a winter swimming club jump on an embankment to heat up before getting into the icy waters of the Yenisei River, with the air temperature at about -13 degrees Celsius (8.6 degrees Fahrenheit), in the town of Divnogorsk, 38 km (24 miles) south of Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk




People run from a bull during the annual Candlemas celebrations in Tlacotalpan, Mexico, February 1, 2011. A pack of bulls is let loose to rampage through the streets for hours as crowds taunt them as part of a week-long religious celebration.






Britain's Prince Charles speaks with a camouflaged sniper from the Mercian regiment during his visit to their Palace barracks in Belfast February 4, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

More scenes from Cairo

[Mr Lick]

The Day in Sports - 10 February 2011




Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen celebrates after hitting his record-breaking three-pointer against the Los Angeles Lakers during the first quarter in Boston. The bucket moved Allen ahead of Reggie Miller into first place on the career list for three-point baskets.




Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir falls on the ground in an attempt to catch the ball during a training session ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup in Bangalore, India. The World Cup is slated to begin Feb. 19.



Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen of Finland compete for the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team during the Rally of Sweden in Karlstad.





Travis Ganong of the United States takes a jump during a training session for the Alpine World Ski Championships




Palestinian Deyar players celebrate after scoring against Siryah Ramallah during the opening match of the Palestinian Women's Soccer League in the West Bank town of Aram.




Finnish goalie Karri Ramo, right, vies for the puck as Russia's Fedor Fedorov falls into the net during their LG Hockey Games match in Moscow, the third event of the Euro Hockey Tour.



Klemen Bauer of Slovenia wears protective bandages on his face and earlobes to prevent frostbite as he competes in the sprint race at the biathlon World Cup in Fort Kent, Maine. Bauer finished in 11th place.

[Mr Lick]

Today in Pictures




Activists demanding the independence of the Western Sahara stage a silent protest in Dakar, Senegal. The demonstrators taped their mouths shut to denounce the behavior of Moroccans who prevented them from voicing their concerns during the International Social Forum.





Soldiers help displaced residents cross a flooded road in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. More than 1.2 million people have been affected by heavy monsoon showers.



Refugee girls watch a show organized by the Hashoo foundation at a camp on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan.





A devotee of Santa Muerte (Holy Death) holds a skeletal icon as she prays at the shrine of the goddess in Iztapalapa, Mexico.




Artist Muhammad Arif finishes his sand sculptures of the Egyptian pyramids and India’s Babri Masjid mosque on the seashore in Karachi, Pakistan.




Suspected pirates appear with their faces covered at a media event in Mumbai, India. The Indian navy captured 28 suspected Somali pirates on Feb. 6 on a Thai fishing vessel.

[Mr Lick]

Pictures from events this week




Icicles hang from power lines as a firefighter descends a ladder at the scene of a fatal explosion in Allentown, Pa. Three people were killed in a natural gas explosion Wednesday night that leveled two homes.




U.S. Marine Lt. Gen. George J. Flynn, left, applauds as former first lady Nancy Reagan is helped on stage by Ronald Reagan Foundation chairman Frederick J. Ryan Jr. after a wreath laying ceremony at a centennial birthday celebration for former President Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.




Tiger Woods tees off during the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.



A child walks between tents at a refugee camp in the Kathararak district, Thailand. Six people have been killed as Cambodian and Thai troops clashed over a disputed border for a fourth day near a historic 11th century temple.





A television image captures a bomb exploding in Kirkuk, Iraq. At least seven people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber posing as a deliveryman blew himself up outside a Kurdish security headquarters. Two more explosions followed as rescue crews sped to the scene.




Anti-government protesters stomp on a poster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak outside the Egyptian Parliament in Cairo.




German actress Sibel Kekilli poses on the red carpet at the premiere of the film "True Grit" at the 61st Berlin film festival in Berlin.




A participant in the 12th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade waves a Chinese flag in New York. According to the Chinese lunar calendar, this is the Year of the Rabbit.

[Mr Lick]

Auto Shows - 2011 Chicago




Traditionally, the Chicago Auto Show is known for its trucks, but this year automakers put some muscle into it. Saying he loves the car and can't wait for his own, Dodge's Ralph Giles kisses the fender of a 2012 Charger SRT8. The show is open to the public Feb. 11-20.




General Motors introduced the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The ZL1 hearkens back to the all-aluminum racing engine of the same name, which was developed in the late 1960s.




Chevrolet also showed off the 2011 Indianapolis 500 Chevrolet Camaro Pace Car.



Certainly, there were trucks. Ram's Fred Diaz showed the Ram 3500 Heavy Duty. Chrysler says it will tow more than 11 tons.




There were plenty of other models to see. Dodge also showed the Durango R/T. R/T is the performance version of the crossover.




Dodge's Giles also showed the 2012 Grand Caravan R/T. The sporty R/T runs $30,595, making it top dog among Grand Caravan trims. Above it is a photo of the Dodge Journey crossover.



Acura softened the TL's much-criticized grille and front end, and made some changes under the hood. The new TL gets a six-speed transmission for better fuel economy




Volkswagen's Jonathan Browning introduced the 2012 Jetta GLI. The performance version of the Jetta will start at $23,495.




Hyundai introduces a revision to the Genesis 5.0 R-Spec. It has a 429-horsepower 5-liter V-8.

[Mr Lick]

World Press Photo Winners 2010





Jodi Bieber's portrait of 18 year old Bibi Aisha whose husband cut off her nose and ears in a case of Taliban administered justice, has won the World Press Photo award for 2010. Aisha now lives in the US





Corentin Fohlen, a Fedephoto photographer based in France was on hand to capture this picture of anti-government riots in Bangkok.


Some more award winning photo's

[Mr Lick]

Celebrations in Cairo as ex-President Mubarak walks like an Egyptian




Anti-government protesters celebrate inside Tahrir Square after the announcement of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Cairo February 11, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Iranian women stand on Tehran's telecommunication tower rooftop before a ceremony to mark the 32nd anniversary of Iran's Islamic revolution February 10, 2011.





A medic has a snack at a makeshift clinic in the opposition stronghold of Tahrir Square, in Cairo February 10, 2011.





Lawmakers Sirri Sakik (L) from the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and Mehmet Erdogan (2nd R) from the ruling Justice and Development Party argue during a debate at the parliament in Ankara February 10, 2011.





Firefighters use a foam gun to extinguish a fire during a joint training exercise between the Emergency Ministry and airport services at Yemelyanovo airport in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk February 10, 2011.





Marion Rolland of France crashes during women's practice run at the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen February 10, 2011.





Actress Anke Engelke (L) reacts next to Berlinale festival director Dieter Kosslick during the opening gala of the 61st Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 10, 2011.




A model yawns as the group is given their instructions during a run through before the Luca Luca Fall/Winter 2011 collection during New York Fashion Week February 10, 2011.




With tea bags hanging from her hat, Tea Party member Martha Stamp of Wakefield, Rhode Island, attends the 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, February 10, 2011.





Palestinian fans wave flags as they cheer during a women's soccer match at Aram stadium in the West Bank near Jerusalem February 10, 2011.







Frank Williams (L) founder of the Williams Formula One team poses with Williams Chairman Adam Parr in front of Frankfurt's stock exchange, February 10, 2011.





Afghan women wait for their turn at a World Food Program (WFP) distribution centre in Kabul February 10, 2011





A model presents a creation from the Christian Siriano Fall/Winter 2011 collection during New York Fashion Week February 10, 2011.





Toronto Maple Leafs goalie James Reimer looks down in the spotlight before his team plays the New Jersey Devils during the first period of their NHL game in Toronto February 10, 2011.




A man stands between two couples during a mass kissing event in downtown Madrid February 10, 2011.





A labourer sleeps inside a suburban train at Churchgate station in Mumbai February 9, 2011. Photo taken February 9, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Children play under a tree with snow-covered decorative red lanterns after a snowfall in Beijing, February 10, 2011.





Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is surrounded by his body guards as he leaves after a news conference in Tel Aviv February 10, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Iran marks their revolution






A girl wearing Iranian flags on her hat and a headband that reads "Khamenei", holds a poster with pictures of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) and late Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during a rally to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Qom, south of Tehran, February 11, 2011.




Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds a placard as he takes part in a rally to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, February 11, 2011. The placard on right reads: "We have all come".





Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square, February 11, 2011.




A boy holds a plastic gun as his father who is a cleric holds a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Qom, south of Tehran, February 11, 2011.




A girl with doves in the colours of the Iranian flag painted on her face attends a demonstration to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, February 11, 2011.




A woman walks under a large Iranian flag during a demonstration to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, February 11, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Some great pics of several weeks ago, IMO too good to miss.




A sledger's boots are visible in an explosion of snow during an attempt to jump a ramp at the Queen Elizabeth country park near Petersfield in southern England December 3, 2010.





Five-month-old Roshni, child of a woman labourer (R), rests in a basket at a roadside construction site in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh December 10, 2010. India's domestically driven economy grew 8.9 percent for the second straight quarter in the three months to end-September on higher consumption, with the government forecasting higher growth in the next two quarters.




An inmate waves a Chilean flag from inside San Miguel public prison, after a fire broke out in the building, killing 81 inmates, in Santiago December 8, 2010. Fire engulfed the prison in the Chilean capital early, killing 81 inmates and critically injuring 14 others, prison officials said, in the worst-ever accident in the country's jail system.





Demonstrators jump off burning park benches during a protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London December 9, 2010.




Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men look at a forest fire that broke out near kibbutz Beit Oren in the north of Israel December 2, 2010.





Fireworks explode over St. Basil Cathedral at Red Square during New Year's Day celebrations in Moscow January 1, 2011.




A man dressed as Santa Claus holds a flare as he wakeboards at a water ski set on a small lake in Hamburg december 5, 2010.






Paramilitary soldiers stand guard as plumes of smoke rise from a burning fuel tanker after it was attacked in Chaman, in Pakistan's Balochistan province, along the Afghan border December 31, 2010.





A Roman statue stands on the shore of the Mediterranean sea in the southern city of Ashkelon December 14, 2010. The statue that had been buried for centuries has been unearthed by the winter gales that have raked Israel's coast. The white-marble figure of a woman in toga and sandals was found in the remains of a cliff that crumbled under the force of winds, waves and rain at the ancient port of Ashkelon, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.





A man walks in the flooded streets in Barlovento in the state of Miranda outside Caracas, Venezuela, December 1, 2010.





A Palestinian protester uses a sling to throw stones at Israeli security forces during clashes at a protest against the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah December 31, 2010.





An image of Liu Xiaobo is projected on a hotel in the centre of Oslo following the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony December 10, 2010. Jailed Chinese dissident Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in a ceremony where he was represented by an empty chair and he dedicated it from prison to the "lost souls" of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.





Former conservative minister Kostis Hatzidakis is covered with blood after about 200 leftists attacked him with stones and sticks, shouting: "Thieves! Shame on you!" in central Athens, Greece, December 15, 2010.




Soldiers wait inside a bus before a military parade to celebrate Romania's National Day in central Bucharest December 1, 2010.





A swimmer dives into the icy water as the roof of a tower is reflected in the Houhai Lake during winter in central Beijing, December 21, 2010.






Mannequins are pictured next to a container during an emergency response drill to simulate the aftermath of a dirty bomb explosion outside Madrid December 2, 2010.




A boy carries a pumpkin at a wholesale vegetable market in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh December 3, 2010.





Balkar men, dressed in national clothes, sit during a heavy snowfall as they take part in a protest rally in central Moscow, December 9, 2010.







Customers rest their feet in a tank containing "doctor fish" at a "fish spa" inside a shopping mall in Singapore December 18, 2010. The "fish spa" consists of shallow tanks of Garra Rufa fish. The fish exfoliate feet by eating away dead skin, according to the spa company.





Mounted police ride during a protest in Westminster in central London December 9, 2010. .





Nikica, the hippopotamus walks partially submerged in a flooded yard at a village in Berislavci, about 25 km (15 miles) south of the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica, December 6, 2010. Nikola Pejovic, owner of a private zoo, says that the 12-year-old, 2-ton hippopotamus was released from her cage after the flood. The only hippopotamus from Montenegro regularly escapes from the mountainous Adriatic nation's zoo during seasonal floods.





New houses are seen in Huaxi village, at Jiangsu province December 3, 2010. In China's richest village of Huaxi, a booming market town of 36,000 in the affluent eastern province of Jiangsu, every family has at least one house, two cars and $250,000 in the bank. Officials from elsewhere in China tour Huaxi to find out how this once sleepy village, just 576 residents in the 1950s, is now so rich and why non-local businessmen would donate million-dollar factories to buy the privilege of a local residence permit.





A member of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) makes his way past a barricade of furniture, created by his party to block lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party and their aides, near an entrance of the main conference hall of parliament in Seoul December 8, 2010.





A figure of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is placed in a Neapolitan Christmas creche by Gennaro Di Virgilio depicting the Nativity of Jesus in Naples, December 6, 2010.





Asma Begum and her eleven-month-old daughter Afsana, survivors of an acid attack, rest at the burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 11, 2010. Begum and Afsana were attacked with acid by her relatives on December 10 due to problems arising from her sister's divorce, according to Begum and hospital authorities.





A police officer detains a Tibetan exile outside the venue of the India-China joint meeting in New Delhi December 16, 2010.





A Lebanese Shi'ite Muslim man bleeds after tapping his forehead with a razor during a ceremony marking Ashura in Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, December 16, 2010. Shi'ite mourners beat themselves during Ashura with steel-tipped flails or slash their bodies with knives to mark the death anniversary of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was killed during a battle in A.D. 680 in Kerbala, a city in modern-day Iraq.

[Mr Lick]

A researcher dressed in a panda costume puts a panda cub into a box before its physical examination at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan province December 3, 2010. The 4-month old cub, the first in the centre to be trained for reintroduction into the wild, is monitored by hidden cameras. Researchers performing physical examinations on the cub wear panda costumes to ensure that the cub's environment is devoid of human influence, according to local media.




A policeman throws a stone to protesters during an anti-corruption protest in Makassar, Indonesia, December 9, 2010.






Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi walks with her son Kim Aris as he leaves Yangon December 7, 2010. Aris, the younger of two sons of Suu Kyi and her late husband British academic Michael Aris, visited his mother for the first time in ten years after she was released from the house arrest in November.





A man clears snow to form a path in a yard during in Berlin, December 2, 2010.





A Israeli soldier runs towards Palestinian demonstrators (not seen) protesting against the controversial Israeli barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin near Ramallah December 24, 2010.





Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attends a session at the Senate in Rome December 14, 2010.





People dressed as zebras rest in the centre of La Paz, Bolivia, December 23, 2010. About a hundred people dressed as zebras, took up positions at the city's main intersections, to help pedestrians cross roads and to teach drivers to stop as part of a new campaign by City Hall to relieve traffic chaos.





A firefighter and a resident help evacuate a resident at the site of an explosion of a Pemex pipeline in the village of San Martin Texmelucan near Puebla December 19, 2010. The oil pipeline exploded in central Mexico, creating a "river of fire" and killing 22 people, a local official said.





A flooded graveyard is seen in the village of Berislavci, 25km south of the capital Podgorica, Montenegro, December 6, 2010.




Police officers detain a couple during an unauthorised protest rally to defend article 31 of the Russian constitution, in St. Petersburg December 31, 2010. Opposition activists have been holding demonstrations on the 31st day of each month to mark the article, which guarantees the right of assembly.





Friends disagree during a game of checkers at a home for senior citizens in Guatemala City December 11, 2010.

[Mr Lick]

Egyptions celebrate the end of Mubaraks rule