World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Houston players celebrate with the Championship Trophy after defeating Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl NCAA college football game in Dallas



Thousands of homeless people remain in evacuation centres since the floodwaters swept through their homes in the Philippines

[Mr Lick]

Pakistani police detain a man in Rawalpindi who was protesting over the lack of public transport



Family members gather at the notorious Insein Prison, Rangoon, Burma, hoping that their loved ones would be released

[Mr Lick]

Mystery gold ingots found on Paris train go unclaimed

The gold bars found in the suitcase did not have official stamps on them

A suitcase containing 20kg (44 lbs) of gold bars has been found on a train near Paris.

The bomb squad was called in after an employee found a suspect package on board the RER train at Massy-Palaiseau station on Thursday.

The case was found to contain 20 ingots, with a value of around 800,000 euros ($1m; £670,000) should they prove to be genuine gold.

French police are looking for the person who abandoned the blue case.

As the bars do not have official stamps on them, the authorities think they may have been made from melted down gold.

Investigators believe the case's owner probably left it on the train deliberately - fearing a police check - and is thus unlikely to come forward to claim it. They are now examining CCTV from all the stations visited by the train, which had started its journey at Roissy on Thursday.

If the gold remains unclaimed, it is unclear who would benefit.

The case might be considered "treasure," in which case the gold would be shared by the Paris transport operator (RATP) and the conductor who found it.

But if it were classed as a "found object," it would be placed under seal and put in the state's coffers.

[Mr Lick]

Impossible crystals are 'from space'

The minerals were the first reported naturally-occurring quasicrystals

Examples of a crystal previously thought to be impossible in nature may have come from space, a study shows.

Quasicrystals have an unusual structure - in between those of crystals and glasses.

Until two years ago, quasicrystals had only been created in the lab - then geologists found them in rocks from Russia's Koryak mountains.

In PNAS journal, a team says the chemistry of the Russian crystals suggests they arrived in meteorites.

Quasicrystals were first described in the 1980s by Israeli researcher Daniel Schechtman, who was awarded last year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery.

Schechtman's ideas were initially treated with doubt or scorn by some of his peers, who thought the structures were "impossible".

[Mr Lick]

Greece warns on euro exit if bailout not signed


The Greek government says it will have to abandon the single currency if it fails to secure new loans

Greece may have to leave the eurozone if it fails to secure its latest bailout from the EU, IMF and banks, a government spokesperson has warned.

"The bailout agreement needs to be signed otherwise we will be out of the markets, out of the euro," spokesman Pantelis Kapsis told Skai TV.

The government is struggling with public opposition to new austerity measures, demanded by lenders.

Analysts suggest the warning is designed to win support for the moves

[Mr Lick]

Murder probe over remains at Queen's Sandringham Estate

The woman's remains were found on the Queen's Sandringham estate by a dog walker

A murder inquiry has begun after human remains were found on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

Det Ch Insp Jes Fry, of Norfolk Constabulary, said officers were examining cold cases across the UK for potential links.

The force has confirmed the remains were that of a woman.

A dog walker made the discovery at Anmer, near King's Lynn, on New Year's Day. The area has been cordoned off.

Police said the identity of the woman was not yet known.

Detectives would not speculate on the age of the woman or comment on whether the body was clothed

[Mr Lick]

German President Christian Wulff in furore over loan

President Wulff has declined to give details of his phone calls to Bild

Germany's President Christian Wulff is under intense pressure to give a full explanation of his conduct over a controversial home loan he received.

The popular daily Bild said Mr Wulff, an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, threatened it with legal action if it published details of the loan.

Mr Wulff came under a barrage of criticism in German newspaper editorials on Tuesday over the affair.

He has denied misleading state deputies over the home loan.

Mr Wulff, a centre-right Christian Democrat, was appointed in June 2010 to the largely ceremonial post of German president.

It has emerged that he received a home loan of 500,000 euros (£417,000; $649,000) from the wife of a wealthy businessman in October 2008, while prime minister of Lower Saxony state.

[Mr Lick]

Taliban back Western proposal to open Qatar office

Negotiating with the Taliban is thought to be the best way to end the decade-long conflict

The Taliban say they have reached a preliminary agreement to set up a political office, possibly in Qatar, as part of Western plans to end the war.

A statement confirmed the move, which has been backed by Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Both the US and Germany have been pushing for such a representation in an effort to kick-start negotiations.

The office is seen by some as a key step towards ending the 10-year-long conflict in Afghanistan.

The move was welcomed by the Afghan High Peace Council, which is seeking a negotiated end to the war, as "a gesture of good faith".

But it still remains unclear if the insurgents, who claim to be winning the war, are prepared to engage in truly meaningful peace talks - and whether they could take place while international forces continue to kill Taliban fighters and commanders, says the BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul.

Meanwhile at least 12 people including police were killed in at least two suicide attacks in the southern city of Kandahar, local officials said.

[Mr Lick]

St Trinian's cartoonist Ronald Searle dies






British cartoonist Ronald Searle, best known for creating the fictional girls' school St Trinian's, has died aged 91.

His daughter Kate Searle said in a statement that he "passed away peacefully in his sleep" in a hospital in France.

Searle's spindly cartoons of the naughty schoolgirls first appeared in 1941, before the idea was adapted for film.

The first movie version, The Belles of St Trinian's, was released in 1954.

Joyce Grenfell and George Cole starred in the film, along with Alastair Sim, who appeared in drag as headmistress Millicent Fritton.

Searle also provided illustrations the Molesworth series, written by Geoffrey Willans.

The gothic, line-drawn cartoons breathed life into the gruesome pupils of St Custard's school, in particular the outspoken, but functionally-illiterate Nigel Molesworth "the goriller of 3B".

Searle's work regularly appeared in magazines and newspapers, including Punch and The New Yorker.

[Mr Lick]

Stephen Lawrence murder: Dobson and Norris found guilty

Stephen Lawrence was killed while waiting for a bus in south-east London

Two men have been convicted of the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, 18 years after he was stabbed to death near a south London bus stop.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were found guilty by an Old Bailey jury after a trial based on forensic evidence.

Scientists found a tiny bloodstain on Dobson's jacket that could only have come from Mr Lawrence.

They also found a single hair belonging to the teenager on Norris's jeans. Sentencing will be on Wednesday.

Gary Dobson and David Norris: Denied murder

In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Panorama, Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence said: "I don't forgive the boys who killed Stephen. They don't think they have done anything wrong.

"They took away Stephen's life and there is nothing in their behaviour or anything to show they regret what their actions have done and the pain it has caused us as a family."

In a statement read by his lawyer outside the Old Bailey, Stephen's father, Neville Lawrence, said the convictions were a moment of joy and relief - but he could not rest until all of those who killed his son were brought to justice. He described the investigation and preparation of the case as "faultless".

Duwayne Brooks, Stephen's best friend who had been with him on the night of the murder, tweeted: "Some justice at last".

[Mr Lick]

Trondheim, Norway: An aerial view of a landslide that ripped through a rural area



Beijing, China: An ice fisherman waits for a catch on a frozen lake



New Delhi, India: An old man smokes a beedi wrapped in a rented quilt



Depok, Indonesia: A customer looks for used goods at a 'Mall of Junk'

[Mr Lick]

London, UK: Passengers sit on a train at Clapham Junction station. Commuters returning to work after the Christmas break faced fare rises of up to 11%


Innsbruck, Austria: Bjoern Einar Romoeren of Norway at the Four Hills ski jumping tournament


Beijing, China: Visitors enjoying winter sports on an artificial snow arena built in the National Olympic Stadium



Asuncion, Paraguay: A pet titi monkey sits on the left leg of its owner



Muscat, Oman: An Omani horse rider shows his skills during the annual Royal Horseracing festival

[Mr Lick]

Stephen Lawrence murder trial



Members of the public lay flowers at the memorial for Stephen Lawrence on Well Hall Road, Eltham after the murder convictions were reported



A court drawing of Doreen Lawrence (left) and Neville Lawrence (third from left), Gary Dobson (third from right) and David Norris (second from right) at the Old Bailey



The coffin of Stephen Lawrence being carried into Trinity Methodist church, Plumstead in 1993



Doreen and Neville Lawrence outside Belmarsh magistrates court in 1995, for the first day of the family's private prosecution accusing four men of the murder of their son



Luke Knight (left), Neil Acourt (second left, partially obscured), David Norris (centre back, wearing blue shirt), Jamie Acourt (right, throwing punch), and Gary Dobson (right back) are pelted with eggs by an angry crowd upon leaving a public inquiry into police handling of the Lawrence case on June 30 1998



Images from a police surveillance camera hidden in the home of Gary Dobson, showing Dobson and Neil Acourt, playing with a knife



Police picture of a pair of jeans found at the house of David Norris



The shirt Stephen Lawrence was wearing on the night he was stabbed



A Metropolitan police surveillance photo of David Norris



A Metropolitan police surveillance photo of Gary Dobson



A slide from a presentation shown in court, to illustrate the size of blood flakes found on the jacket seized from Gary Dobson's home



Metropolitan police photographs of exhibit bags depicting seals of all key exhibit items (contents not disclosed) that was shown to the jury in the trial of Gary Dobson and David Norris



Sir William Macpherson, chairman of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, visiting the bus stop in Eltham, south-east London, where Stephen Lawrence was murdered in 1998

[Mr Lick]

Chile battles forest fires

Firefighters tackle several blazes across southern Chile with the worst-hit area the Bio-Bio region









Helicopter collects water from a lake around Quillón

[Mr Lick]

[Mr Lick]

A man uses a machete to kill a buffalo during a Rambu Solo ceremony in Tana Toraja in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province January 3, 2012. Rambu Solo is a traditional death ritual practised by Tana Toraja residents. When a person dies, animals such as pigs, chickens and buffaloes are sacrificed as the locals believe the animals carry the soul of the deceased into heaven. The number and type of animal killed reflects the social status of the dead person. After the animals are killed, a feast is thrown and the body of the deceased carried up a hill into a resting house. The ceremony on Tuesday was for Agnes Datu Sarungallo, who died in August 2011. Her family killed 200 buffaloes and 500 other animals to feed to guests.



Policemen beat up a protester during a rally against fuel subsidy removal on Ikorodu road in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, January 3, 2012.



Protesters affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement march from Grand Central Station to Times Square after a protest in Grand Central Station in New York, January 3, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

A veiled woman casts her vote at a polling station in Toukh, El-Kalubia governorate, northeast of Cairo January 3, 2012.



Members of Sweden's team celebrate after they defeated Finland in overtime during the semi-final of the 2012 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championship in Calgary, Alberta, January 3, 2012.



The Iraqi police presents suspected militants, who were arrested in recent security operations, to the media at the Interior Ministry headquarters in central Baghdad, January 3, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

Businesswomen and businessmen pray for success in business at Kandamyojin shrine in Tokyo, Japan, on Jan. 04, 2012, to start the first business day of the New Year

[Mr Lick]

The dead body of a man, wrapped in a blanket, is seen lying near the wall of a private school in the municipality of Ecatepec on the outskirts of Mexico City on Jan. 3, 2012. Neighbors notified the police when they saw the body on the street, according to local media.

[Mr Lick]

This picture taken by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Jan. 1, 2012 shows new North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (front row, center) posing for photos with soldiers of the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su 105 Guards Tank Division of the Korean People's Army, honored with the title of the O Jung Hup-led Seventh Regiment, at an undisclosed place in North Korea.



Great to see them all in party mood. I just can't wait to move there.

[Mr Lick]

Rick Santorum, center, looks over caucus returns with campaign staff in his hotel room on Jan. 3, 2012, in Johnston, Iowa



Supporters of Mitt Romney watch caucus returns at his caucus night rally in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 3, 2012.



Rick Perry is greeted by supporters after speaking on caucus night on Jan. 3, 2012, in West Des Moines, Iowa.



My sentiments also

[Mr Lick]

A man takes pictures as Toyota's driver Abdulla Alheraiz and co-driver Khalid Ahmad, both of the United Arab Emirates, compete in the third stage of the 2012 Argentina-Chile-Peru Dakar Rally between San Rafael and San Juan, Argentina, Tuesday Jan. 3, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

In this photo taken on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2011, customers shop in Guaicaipuro food market in Caracas, Venezuela. President Hugo Chavez's government is likely to spend heavily in 2012 to rev up the economy during his re-election bid, and that could worsen one of Venezuela's biggest problems: 27-percent annual inflation that is already close to the highest in the world. Polls consistently show that Venezuelans see inflation as one of the country's biggest problems after violent crime. Poor Venezuelans, who traditionally have been key supporters of Chavez, are particularly hard-hit by rising food prices, which according to the Central Bank, increased by more than 35 percent last year.

[Mr Lick]

In this photo taken on Thursday, instructors rig a dummy suicide bomber to explode during the operator advance course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg, N.C. A scene of stomach-clenching gore confronted the special operations troops: The shredded remains of a suicide bomber, scattered around the checkpoint. But the blood and body are fake, like the Hollywood-style explosion that began a classroom exercise designed to teach these students to look past the grisly mess for the evidence that could lead to those who built the bomb.



A student collects evidence at the scene of a suicide bombing during a mock exercise at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg, N.C.

[Mr Lick]

Protesters hold placards and shout slogans on Ikorodu road in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, Jan. 3, 2012. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the recent increase in fuel prices after a government subsidy was removed.



A man walks past a fire burning on a major road during a fuel subsidy protest in Lagos, Nigeria, Jan. 3, 2012. Angry mobs of protesters stopped gas station owners from selling fuel Tuesday while others lit a bonfire on a major highway in an attempt to thwart the government's removal of a cherished consumer subsidy that had kept gas affordable for more than two decades.