World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Aretha Franklin engaged



Singer Aretha Franklin and escort William Wilkerson are now officially engaged

[Mr Lick]

People are soaked while trying to enter a taxi in the financial district of Montevideo, Uruguay, December 30, 2011, where workers threw water at each other to celebrate the end of the year.



Typhoon Washi survivors rest in a makeshift shelter on New Year's day, near a car swept by rampaging floodwaters, in the southern Philippines city of Iligan on Mindanao island January 1, 2012.



A soldier carries ammunition on a naval ship during Velayat-90 war game on Sea of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran December 31, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Anti-government protesters carry an injured man while covering their faces from tear gas being fired in Adlb December 30, 2011.



Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos reacts during a news conference after a cabinet meeting at Madrid's Moncloa Palace December 30, 2011.



A man holds up a poster of victims killed during the revolution at Talaat Harb Square, in Cairo January 1, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Flames are seen from a thrown molotov thrown by protesters in front of riot police during clashes in the village of Sitra south of Manama, January 1, 2012.



An Occupy protester lies next to a police car outside U.S. Republican presidential candidate and Representative Michele Bachmann's office in Urbandale, Iowa December 31, 2011.



Buddhist monks wait to enter the complex to attend a teaching session being addressed by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on the first day of the Kalachakra festival in the eastern Indian city of Bodhgaya January 1, 2012.



A man is hit by a bull during a traditional "Corraleja" or bullfight on New Year's Eve in Turbaco, Bolivar, December 31, 2011.



A man falls after jumping over burning puppets during year-end celebrations at the Plaza Foch in Quito, Ecuador, January 1, 2012



An Afghan girl who was tortured for months after refusing prostitution lies on a hospital bed in Kabul December 31, 2011. Sahar Gul, 15, was brutally tortured, beaten and locked in a toilet by her husband's family for months after she refused to become a prostitute, officials said on Saturday. She was in critical condition when she was rescued from a house in northern Baghlan province last week, and doctors said her recovery could take weeks.

[Mr Lick]

Rita De Martino, 27, poses for a photo as she holds her removed defective silicone gel breast implants, manufactured by the now-defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese (PIP), during an interview with Reuters in Caracas December 30, 2011. De Martino, a Venezuelan journalist, in 2004 had surgery to insert PIP breast implants. She learned in February 2011 that the left prosthesis had ruptured, and had both removed the following April. She decided to make her case public after the head of the country's plastic surgery association told local media that the PIP implants had not been used in Venezuela.



People hold chairs to shield themselves from the rain during an election campaign rally to be addressed by Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, for next year's state elections in the northern Indian town of Azamgarh January 1, 2012.



A man holding an umbrella watches large waves on the Marina beach as a cargo ship passes after Cyclone Thane hit the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu December 30, 2011.



People celebrate New Years Day on a beach in Durban, South Africa, January 1, 2012



Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi waves her party flag as she watches a charity music show, organized by National League for Democracy (NLD) party, at Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon December 30, 2011.



Police officers detain an activist during a protest rally to defend Article 31 of the Russian constitution, which guarantees the right of assembly, in St. Petersburg December 31, 2011.



Extreme right wing Jewish settlers (R), argue with protestors during a weekly protest, in front of their house in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem December 30, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Singer Lady Gaga and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kiss each other during celebrations at the New Year Eve ball in Times Square in New York, January 1, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Emergency workers try to remove a motorist trapped inside his vehicle Monday, Jan. 2 near Maysville, Ky.



Megan Harwood, 5, tries to pack some snow for a snowman in Zeeland, Mich., on Monday, Jan. 2



A lone walker braves falling snow at the Cleveland Metroparks South Chagrin Reservation in Bentleyville, Ohio as high winds and heavy snow were expected throughout northeast Ohio much of the day on Monday, Jan. 2.

[Mr Lick]

Semi-nude shoppers stand outside in cool temperatures for free clothes during a promotion by a Spanish clothes outlet on Jan. 2, in Madrid, Spain. The first one hundred semi-nude shoppers were alllowed free clothes on the first day of the January sales.

[Mr Lick]

Mount Rainier ranger shooting: Iraq veteran found dead

Benjamin Barnes had been wanted for questioning before the manhunt began

The body of an Iraq war veteran wanted over the killing of a park ranger in Washington state has been found, officials have said.

Officials found the suspected gunman, Benjamin Colton Barnes, in Mount Rainier National Park.

The park has been closed since Margaret Anderson, 34, was shot dead while trying to stop a vehicle on Sunday morning.

Barnes, 24, had also been linked to an earlier shooting at a New Year's party.

The body of Barnes, reported to have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, was found face down in the snow.

Mount Rainier National Park Chief Ranger Chuck Young said that they were seeking to establish the exact cause of death.

"He was wearing a T-shirt, a pair of jeans and one tennis shoe. That was it," Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Police said they had also recovered his vehicle, which had weapons, body armour and survivalist gear inside.

'Argument over weapon'

The gunman sped past a park checkpoint that was monitoring vehicles for tyre chains, sometimes required in snowy conditions.

As one ranger gave chase, mother-of-two Mrs Anderson blocked the road with her vehicle to stop the driver.

Both of them were fired on, but only Mrs Anderson, who was married to another ranger, was hit.

Margaret Anderson was married with two young children

Response teams could not reach the wounded officer for nearly an hour-and-a-half because the gunman continued to shoot, the Seattle Times newspaper quotes officials as saying.

Police said Mr Barnes was also wanted for questioning over an early-morning shooting at a party in Skyway, just south of Seattle, which left four people injured, two critically.

Witnesses said a number of revellers at the gathering had been armed and that gunfire broke out following an argument over a weapon.

[Mr Lick]

Los Angeles arson: Police arrest man in van






LAPD's Michael Moriarty described CCTV footage of the man dressed in black with whom the authorities wish to speak


Los Angeles police say a van driver they detained earlier on Monday is believed responsible for a spate of arson attacks across the city.

The detention came as a dozen more suspicious fires broke out in the early hours at garages around the city.

Department spokesman Captain Jaime Moore says 10 of the blazes were in Los Angeles and two in West Hollywood.

Police have been puzzled by what is thought to be the worst wave of arson to sweep the city since the 1992 riots.

Investigators released surveillance video on Sunday showing a man at a garage that was the scene of one of the car fires.

Police stopped a van driven by a pony-tailed man near Sunset Boulevard on Monday and found materials that could link him to the fires.

The suspect was not identified by police, but a press conference was scheduled for later on Monday, officials said.

[Mr Lick]

Anuj Bidve killing: Kiaran 'Psycho' Stapleton remanded

Armed police flanked the vehicle taking Mr Stapleton to Manchester magistrates' court

A man describing himself as "Psycho Stapleton" has appeared in court charged with murdering student Anuj Bidve who was shot dead on Boxing Day.

Kiaran Stapleton, 20, of Salford, was remanded in custody by Manchester magistrates over the death of the 23-year-old in Ordsall Lane, Salford.

Mr Bidve, from India, was studying at Lancaster University and was visiting Greater Manchester over Christmas.

He was shot in the head at close range at 01:30 GMT.

When asked his name in court, Mr Stapleton replied: "Psycho. Psycho Stapleton."



Anuj Bidve was shot at close range

[Mr Lick]

Homerton killing: Woman found dead after abduction






The BBC's Daniel Boettcher says the suspect fled the scene in a car later found two miles away in Homerton


A 20-year-old woman has been found dead after she was abducted from an address in east London where two other people had been stabbed.

Police said they believe the woman was called Kirsty Treloar.

She was taken from Brownlow Road, Hackney, at 07:10 GMT on Monday, and was later found stabbed in a car on Ryder Mews in Homerton, police said.

Just before she was kidnapped, a man aged 22 and a 24-year-old woman were attacked at the same address.

The man is in stable condition, while the woman suffered a minor injury.

[Mr Lick]

Hungarians protest against new Fidesz constitution






The Budapest protest has brought together several centre-left opposition parties


Tens of thousands of people have been protesting in Budapest over Hungary's controversial new constitution, a day after it came into force.

The country's governing Fidesz party pushed the law through parliament in April after winning a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections.

Opponents say it threatens democracy by removing checks and balances set up in 1989 when Communism fell.

The EU and US had also asked for the law to be withdrawn.

The dispute has cast doubt over talks on a new financing agreement with the EU and IMF, seen as vital for market confidence in the central European country.

[Mr Lick]

Greece sees first strike of 2012 as doctors protest

Pharmacists complain they are owed 400m euros by social insurance funds

Greek doctors and pharmacists have gone on strike in the country's first walkout of 2012.

State hospital doctors have said they will treat only emergency cases until Thursday, in protest at changes to healthcare provision.

Pharmacists are angry at government plans to cut the cost of medicines in an attempt to reduce state spending.

A government spokesman warned on Monday that Greece needed more reforms to meet the terms of an international bailout.

Pantelis Kapsis told Greek television that the unity government led by Lucas Papademos could not afford to postpone austerity measures it had agreed with the EU and IMF as part of a second bailout deal last October.

In total, Greece has secured 240bn euros (£200bn; $310bn) in bailouts. The latest requires Athens to reach an agreement with private creditors to write off 50% of the value of the Greek bonds they hold.

Pharmacists went on strike for 48 hours on Monday arguing that government cuts to social welfare meant they could no longer continue to operate.

The Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Association complained that social insurance funds owed its members 400m euros and said a 3% cut in the profit margin on medicines would harm them further.

Greek Health Minister Andreas Loverdos said that lowering the price of medicines would save 90m euros this year.

Athens is trying to cut health spending from 10.6bn euros in 2009 to 7bn this year.

Despite their decision to go on strike for four days, hospital doctors have said they will staff clinics but treat only emergencies.

Last week, tax officials went on strike over salary cuts and workers at Greece's museums and archaeological sites walked out in a dispute over weekend pay.

[Mr Lick]

Kiro Gligorov, Macedonian independence leader dead

Kiro Gligorov lost his right eye in an attempted assassination

The man considered the architect of Macedonian independence, Kiro Gligorov, has died aged 94.

A former senior Yugoslav communist official, he was elected as Macedonia's president in 1991 while it was still a Yugoslav republic.

After guiding the country through the break-up of Yugoslavia, he served two terms as leader until 1999.

Kiro Gligorov was badly wounded in an car bomb attack in 1995 that killed his driver and a bystander.

He lost an eye and spent four months in hospital, eventually returning to work with severe facial scarring.

The attackers have never been brought to justice.

During his period in office, the country joined the United Nations as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia because of an enduring dispute with Greece, which has a northern province also called Macedonia.

Failure to resolve the dispute has slowed Macedonia's attempts to enter Nato and the EU.

Born in 1917, Kiro Gligorov graduated as a lawyer and joined the partisans fighting against Nazi occupation during World War II.

He filled a series of posts in Yugoslavia's communist government, including deputy prime minister.

His funeral is due to be held on Tuesday in the capital, Skopje

[Mr Lick]

Firefighters tackle Chile flames



Hundreds of people have been left homeless















A 23 year old Israeli tourist, Rotem Singer, was arrested on Saturday and charged with starting the fire through negligence

[Mr Lick]

Stormy weather batters the UK

A violent storm with gusts exceeding 100mph hit Britain. Trees were blown down and houses damaged



A lorry lies on its side after being blown over in high winds on the A66 in County Durham



Agnes McCallum stands outside her storm-damaged home in Rutherglen, Scotland



Council workers cut up part of a tree after it fell and blocked a road in the Marple area of Stockport



Waves crash over the harbour wall in Dover



A tree lies on cars in Havant, Hampshire



A shopper walks in the rain in Bristol

[Mr Lick]

Molly the dog walks around dead herring on a beach at Kvennes in Nordreisa, northern Norway, January 2, 2012.



A man holds up a sign during a protest in central Budapest, January 2, 2012. The demonstrators are protesting against the government and new Basic Law which replaced the country's Constitution on January 1, in a show of angst at what they say is the ruling Fidesz party's heavy-handed policies.




A disabled anti-Mubarak demonstrator shouts while sitting in front of riot police at the police academy where former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is on trial in Cairo, January 2, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Policemen try to keep order as residents gather near a railway station during a protest in Anyang, Henan province, January 1, 2012.



The hand of a dead man is partially covered by a table cloth at a crime scene in Mazatlan, Mexico, January 2, 2012. Two men were killed after several gunmen arrived in a car and started shooting repeatedly, according to local media



Slovakia's Martin Daloga is squeezed by team mates Marko Dano (L) and Peter Ceresnak as they celebrate Dalgoa's goal against Finland during the third period at the 2012 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championship in Calgary, Alberta, January 2, 2012.



Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front 2nd R) meets Emily Inbar, 8, who has a malignant tumour and hopes to be a prime minister one day, before attending a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, January 2, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

A worker sprays paint onto lantern parts in the shape of human hands and heads for a lantern festival to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, at a workshop in Suining, Sichuan province, January 1, 2012.



Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak lies on a gurney bed while leaving the courtroom at the police academy, where he is on trial, in Cairo, January 2, 2012.



An Iranian long-range shore-to-sea missile called Qader (Capable) is launched during Velayat-90 war game on Sea of Oman's shore near the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran, January 2, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Crackdown in Syria



Demonstrators protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Marrat Hrama December 30, 2011. The banner reads "Syria's martyrs are lighting the Christmas tree.



Demonstrators hold posters that read, "To the Pharaohs of Arab League, no blessing on you and your efforts", during a demonstration against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Marrat Hrama December 30, 2011.

[Mr Lick]

Clashes as Cambodian authorities try to evict families in real estate dispute



A riot police officer fires tear gas at residents during a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Jan. 3, 2012.



A resident looks at her destroyed house at a squatter area in Phnom Penh on Jan. 3, 2012. More than 200 houses were demolished.






A woman cries as an excavator demolishes her home during a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex on Jan. 3, 2012.

In 2003, Phan Imex Company signed an agreement with the government to construct 10 six-floor buildings on two hectares of land to house 1,776 displaced families, in exchange for the right to develop the remaining 2.6 hectares.

The company has constructed only eight buildings, leaving nearly 400 families without housing

[Mr Lick]

Relatives react upon the release of a prisoner, center, from Insein prison in Yangon, Myanmar, on Jan. 3, 2011.

Myanmar began releasing some prisoners on Tuesday, but activists and relatives said a government clemency fell short of national reconciliation promises and showed that political prisoners may remain behind bars for a long time.

President Thein Sein signed a clemency order on Monday marking this week's 64th anniversary of independence. He said the sentence reductions were "for the sake of state peace and stability" and on "humanitarian grounds."

[Mr Lick]

A car rests in the Logan River in Utah Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011, after it was flipped upright by rescuers who saved three children trapped inside. The car had plunged off an embankment into the river and Willden shot out the car's window with a handgun and cut a seat belt to help free the children after the accident.



From left, Kenya Wildman, Mia Andersen and Baylor Andersen pose for a photo Monday, Jan. 2, 2011 in Logan, Utah. The girls were rescued from an overturned car that was submerged in an icy river outside Logan, Utah, on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011.



Chris Willden in 2006. - Well done that man!

[Mr Lick]

Storms lash the UK - more pics