World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Violence in Gaza and Israel

[Mr Lick]

Protests over abortion rights in Ireland

A wave of protests have taken place across Ireland in recent days in response to the death of 31-year old Savita Halappanavar, who died of septicemia following a miscarriage 17 weeks into her pregnancy







Demonstrators from India's main opposition party, Bharatiya Janata, shout slogans against the Irish government over the death of Indian national Savita Halappanavar



Dublin

[Mr Lick]

Egypt bus crash kills 50 children near Manfalut



Fifty children aged four to six years old and the driver of the school bus they were on were killed when their vehicle was hit by a train in central Egypt on Saturday, officials said.

The transport minister resigned in the wake of the crash near Manfalut, 350km (230 miles) south of Cairo.

The provincial governor said the man in charge of the crossing was asleep and had been arrested.

Egyptian roads and railways have a poor safety record.

An estimated 8,000 people die in car accidents each year in the country.

The head of the railway authority has also resigned.



President Mursi vowed to take "all necessary steps" to compensate the injured and the families of the dead

[Mr Lick]

French protests against gay marriage bill

There were marches in Lyon (pictured), Toulouse and Marseilles, as well as Paris

Tens of thousands of people have protested in France against plans to legalise same-sex marriage and allow gay couples to adopt.

Police said at least 70,000 took to the streets in Paris; there were other demonstrations in the cities of Lyon, Toulouse and Marseille.

They included Catholic groups and other backers of traditional family rights.

President Francois Hollande has promised to change French law so that gay and lesbian couples can marry.

Despite opposition from more than 1,000 mayors and the Catholic Church, his socialist government approved a bill on the issue earlier this month which will be debated by parliament in January.

France already allows civil unions between same-sex couples, but extending their rights was a campaign pledge of Mr Hollande before he was elected in May.

[Mr Lick]

Quarterback Kevin Hogan #8 of the Stanford Cardinal is mobbed by fans after defeating the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on Nov. 17, in Eugene, Ore. Stanford won the game 17-14 in overtime.

Jordan Williamson hit a 37-yard field goal in overtime and No. 14 Stanford upset No. 1 Oregon 17-14, denying the Ducks a chance to clinch the Pac-12 North and derailing their straight shot at the BCS title game.



A Baylor Bear fan cheers on the field after a 52-24 win against the Kansas State Wildcats at Floyd Casey Stadium on Nov. 17, in Waco, Texas.

[Mr Lick]

A person walks through snow in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Nov. 17.



President Barack Obama jokingly mimics U.S. Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney's 'not impressed' expression while greeting members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams in the Oval Office, Nov. 15, at the White House in Washington, D.C. Maroney's expression became an internet sensation when during the ceremony for her 2012 Olympic vault silver medal she was photographed giving a brief look of disappointment with her lips pursed to the side. Steve Penny, USA Gymnastics President, and Savannah Vinsant laugh at left.

[Mr Lick]

Beit Lahia, Gaza Strip: Palestinians try to salvage items from their damaged house following Israeli air strikes



Tel Aviv, Israel: Civilians run for cover during a rocket attack launched from Gaza

[Mr Lick]

Idlib, Syria: Rebel fighters check their ammunition during clashes with government forces



Batusangkar, Indonesia: Jockeys control harnessed cows during a ''Pacu Jawi'' or cow raceHuman Interest One Person



Pyongyang, North Korea: Women rehearse martial arts movements and dance routines

[Mr Lick]

Fuzhou, China: A Thunderbolt Craziness guitarist in a metal suit before a performance. Band members wear hand-made Faraday suits to protect them from high-voltage electricity



Aylesbury, UK: An art installation by Bruce Munro, entitled 'Blue Moon on a Platter', made up of thousands of used CDs, forms part of the Christmas decorations at Waddesdon Manor



Asunción, Paraguay: An artist draws a tattoo on a client at a tattoo exhibition



Bangkok, Thailand: US President Barack Obama walks down a red carpet through military guards at Don Mueang international airport

[Mr Lick]

Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue

The Israeli military broadens its range of targets in Gaza to include media outlets during the fifth day of its offensive. Palestinian homes have also been hit, raising the death toll. There has also been continued rocket fire from the Palestinian territory towards Israel






Smoke rises after an air strike on Gaza City. The Israeli military has broadened its range of targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday to include the media operations of the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers, sending its aircraft to attack two buildings used by both Islamist movement and foreign media






Members of the Palestinian Civil Defence stretcher a survivor from the rubble of his destroyed house


















An Israeli soldier from a tank squadron, wears prayer shawls and puts on his Tefillin (phylacteries), before morning prayers at an army deployment area near the Gaza Strip

[Mr Lick]

National Poultry Show

Thousands of people have attended the Poultry Club's 2012 national show. The club, founded in 1877, was established to safeguard all pure and traditional breeds of poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys










His cock is so big he needs two hands to hold it



First prize-winning bird in the Best White category

[Mr Lick]

An explosion and smoke are seen after Israeli strikes in Gaza City November 17, 2012.



Palestinians search for victims under the rubble of the destroyed house of a Hamas official after an Israeli air strike in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip November 17, 2012.



An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man watches as a truck transports Iron Dome anti-missiles batteries in the southern city of Ashdod November 17, 2012

[Mr Lick]

People take part in a vigil in memory of Savita Halappanavar and in support of changes to abortion law in Dublin November 17, 2012



Police arrest a demonstrator during a protest supporting a draft law to allow same-sex marriage in Lyon November 17, 2012



A Hamas policeman looks at an unexploded missile fired by an Israeli aircraft in Gaza City November 17, 2012.




A Palestinian protester throws a stone over the controversial barrier towards Israeli security forces during clashes against Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, in Qalandiya checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah November 17, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

The Oppidans team huddle during the Eton Wall Game at Eton college in Eton November 17, 2012.



Women wait to vote during presidential elections in Freetown November 17, 2012



Boeung Kak lake residents prepare a banner, with a portrait of U.S. president Barack Obama, asking for his help to protecting their rights in Phnom Penh November 17, 2012. Obama will be among the heads of state visiting Cambodia, as the country hosts the 21st ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits.



Participants of the bikini fitness competition perform during the 4th "Strongo Cup" open amateur tournament at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, November 17, 2012.

Is that really her head?



Julia Zlobina (L) and Alexei Sitnikov of Azerbaijan perform the ice dance free dance program at the Bompard Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition in Paris, November 17, 2012.



Israeli soldiers sleep in their sleeping bags next to a tank near the border with the Gaza Strip November 17, 2012

[Mr Lick]

Gaza-Israel violence



















An Israeli strike on a Hamas official killed 9 members of a faimily and 4 other children

[Mr Lick]

Two missing in US Gulf of Mexico oil rig fire

The blaze on the Black Elk Energy-owned rig has now been put out

Two people are missing and four have been injured by a fire on a shallow-bed oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Louisiana coast, officials say.

The four people who were hurt were in critical condition in hospital, a spokeswoman said. Earlier, the US Coast Guard said two people had died.

The oil production platform is owned by Black Elk Energy and is about 25 miles (40km) south-east of Grand Isle.

The fire, which started before 09:00 local time (15:00 GMT), is now out.

The Coast Guard said 24 people were on the platform when the fire broke out. Eleven people were taken by helicopter to hospitals or for treatment on shore by emergency medical workers.

In a news briefing in New Orleans, Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski said the rig was not producing oil when the fire started and no oil had leaked, playing down fears of an environmental disaster.

The fire began when rig workers cut one of the platform's lines with a torch.

[Mr Lick]

Luke Donald moves up rankings with Japan win


Luke Donald moved up a place to world number two as he overtook Tiger Woods by claiming victory in the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan.

Donald followed up opening rounds of 65, 64 and 71 with a 68 for the win.

The Briton had led by four shots going into the final round and ended up finishing five strokes ahead of nearest rival Hideki Matsuyama.

It is the 34-year-old's first tournament win since he defended the PGA Championship at Wentworth in May.

Donald's latest success rarely appeared in doubt after he birdied the fourth and eighth, while getting an eagle at the seventh.

He did bogey holes nine and 10 before seven pars and a birdie on the long 18th assured him of victory.

[Mr Lick]

Hong Kong Open: Jimenez sets record with triumph aged 48


Hong Kong Open leaderboard

• -15: MA Jimenez (Spa)
• -14: F Andersson Hed (Swe)
• -12: M Fraser (Aus)
• -11: S Gallacher (Sco), P Lawrie (Sco), M Manassero (Ita)
• Selected others: -9: M Kuchar (US); -6 JM Olazabal; -5: P Casey (Eng)

Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest winner on the European Tour by clinching victory in the Hong Kong Open at the age of 48 years and 318 days.

The Spaniard hit a final round 65 to beat Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed, who had hit a 64, by one shot.

He is 284 days older than Ireland's Des Smyth was when he lifted the 2001 Madeira Islands Open.

"It's always an honour to make records and I hope it's not the last one," said Jimenez.

He now has three Hong Kong title wins in his 19 European Tour triumphs and added: "The way I am playing and handle myself I can be fit to win another one."

[Mr Lick]

Lewis Hamilton beats Sebastian Vettel in US GP, Alonso third

Lewis Hamilton won the United States Grand Prix after a tight battle with Sebastian Vettel as Fernando Alonso kept the title fight alive.

Hamilton's McLaren tracked Vettel's Red Bull throughout the race and finally passed him with 14 laps to go.

“I tried to defend but I knew [Hamilton] would have so much more speed. I was obviously not too happy”

Sebastian Vettel


Alonso's third place means he is 13 points behind Vettel in the standings.

The title will now be settled in the final race of the season in Brazil next weekend, with 25 points available for victory.

For Alonso to win the drivers' crown, he needs a victory in Brazil with Vettel finishing lower than fourth.

Second place for Alonso would mean he would only win the title in the event of Vettel not finishing in the top seven, while third spot for Alonso would require Vettel to finish lower than ninth.

One title was settled in Austin, Texas, though - Red Bull have won the constructors' championship.

[Mr Lick]

Fillon and Cope claim win in French UMP vote

UMP Secretary General Jean-Francois Cope (pictured) and his rival Francois Fillon were said to be separated by a few hundred votes

Both candidates have claimed victory in the race to become France's next opposition leader, in a contest marred by allegations of vote-rigging.

Hundreds of votes are said to separate right-wing candidate Jean-Francois Cope and ex-PM Francois Fillon.

As the neck-and-neck result emerged, supporters of both UMP candidates made accusations of vote fraud.

The party has been without a leader since Nicolas Sarkozy was defeated in the May presidential election.

[Mr Lick]

James Bond star Daniel Craig visits Camp Bastion troops

Craig fired machine guns used by UK forces

James Bond star Daniel Craig has surprised UK troops at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan by coming to visit them as they prepared to watch his latest film.

Some 800 soldiers, sailors and airmen were waiting for a screening of Skyfall when the 007 star arrived.

Craig was given a tour of the camp after a brief introduction of the latest Bond film to the audience.

He met soldiers and saw some of the training they undergo before they deploy to forward operating bases.

The star was driven around the camp in a Foxhound vehicle by Warrant Officer Class 1 Rob Ingham.

"We get quite a lot of visitors here, but having James Bond was special," said WO1 Ingham.

"He seemed to be pretty comfortable in the driving seat."

[Mr Lick]

The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft is seen shortly after it landed with the International Space Station crew of Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and U.S. astronaut Sunita Williams near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan on November 19, 2012.

Three astronauts touched down in the dark, chilly expanses of central Kazakhstan onboard a Soyuz capsule Monday after a 125-day stay at the International Space Station.

Eight helicopters rushed search-and-recovery crew to assist the crew, whose capsule did not parachute onto the exact planned touchdown site due to a minimal delay in procedures

[Mr Lick]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi step out onto the balcony of her house to deliver a statement in Yangon, Myanmar, on November 19, 2012.



President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tour the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Nov. 19. Obama became the first serving U.S. president to visit Myanmar, trying during a whirlwind six-hour trip to strike a balance between praising the government's progress in shaking off military rule and pressing for more reform.



"I don't think anybody is under the illusion that Burma's arrived, that they're where they need to be," Obama told a news conference as he began a three-country Asian tour, his first trip abroad since winning a second term.

"On the other hand, if we waited to engage until they had achieved a perfect democracy, my suspicion is we'd be waiting an awful long time," he said.

[Mr Lick]

An Indian villager collects cow dung cakes, after they are sun dried on the banks of the River Ganges in Allahabad, India. Cow dung cakes are a major source of domestic fuel for rural households and an environmentally-friendly alternative to firewood.

[Mr Lick]

World toilet day: public poo, crap compost and a golden turd

A can-do attitude is needed for people working in sanitation – which is often not a priority for governments. Some 57 countries are seriously off-track to meet the target within millennium development goal seven to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation; around 2.5 billion people lack access to a clean toilet. World toilet day aims to break the taboo around loos and basic hygiene



Alex Wekesa, 26, stands near the Fresh Life toilet he operates in Mukuru, Nairobi. Wekesa has two toilets ('choo' in Swahili) and charges four shillings per adult customer, and two shillings per child. He says he gets around 50 customers per day. Before, people in the slum often used 'flying toilets': they would urinate or defecate into a plastic bag and then throw it into the narrow streets



The inside of a Fresh Life toilet, made by Sanergy. The walls are made of prefabricated concrete, and two containers are placed under the toilet to capture the waste. The containers are emptied every day by a team of waste collectors and brought to a nearby site for processing into organic fertiliser



Locals celebrate the inauguration of composting toilets in an El Alto neighbourhood in La Paz, Bolivia. Many people have no sewerage service – for them the closest river is the bathroom – but Sumaj Huasi, an NGO, provides families with some materials and the plans to build their own toilets close to their homes, but in separate buildings. The homeowner supplies the labour and easy-to-acquire materials

'ave you finished luv?



The girls and boys toilets of a primary school in the village of Yana Mono Zone Two, on the banks of the Amazon river near Iquitos, Peru



In 2009 this was the only toilet at Simakakata community school in southern Zambia. It was for the exclusive use of the teachers – the children had to use a nearby cornfield. There was no water for washing hands either. But since this photo was taken, a toilet block has been built with money from Care International, which has made a huge difference to hygiene