World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

The Mousetrap celebrates 60 years on stage



Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim played the leads in the original Mousetrap at the Ambassadors theatre, where it ran for 21 years



Agatha Christie and Peter Saunders cut the cake – which weighed half a ton – at The Mousetrap's 10th birthday celebration



Richard Attenborough (right) and John Mills present Agatha Christie with a mousetrap in 1958






A blue plaque outside St Martin's theatre marks The Mousetrap's 50th anniversary






The woman who began it all … crime writer Agatha Christie, 1890-1976

[Mr Lick]

Rio's crack problem



A man, identified by municipal agents as a suspected crack user, sleeps behind an umbrella during an operation by Rio de Janeiro's Social Action Secretariat to bring crack addicts to shelters for rehabilitation, near the Parque Uniao slum in Rio de Janeiro


















A suspected crack user is lead away by a municipal agent during an operation

[Mr Lick]

Sarkozy to be questioned in Bettencourt donations scandal

The allegations relate to the financing of Mr Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy is due to be questioned about claims that France's richest woman illegally helped finance his 2007 electoral campaign.

Mr Sarkozy faces allegations of accepting thousands of euros from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt when he ran for office five years ago.

Police raided his home and offices in July as part of an inquiry ordered by investigating judge Jean-Michel Gentil.

Mr Sarkozy, who lost presidential immunity in May, denies all wrongdoing.

He will appear before the judge in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.

Although he has stepped back from frontline politics since his defeat by Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, Mr Sarkozy is rumoured still to harbour ambitions of running for re-election in 2017, the BBC's Christian Fraser in Paris reports.

The outcome of the investigation could determine whether the former president will make his widely anticipated return, our correspondent says

[Mr Lick]

High Wycombe sex abuse inquiry leads to charges

Police moved in to make a series of arrests earlier this week

Seven men face a series of charges following an operation targeting alleged child sexual exploitation.

The men were detained in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, as part of Thames Valley Police's Operation Ribbon.

Iblal Fiaz, 21, Khasim Fiaz, 22, Kasam Dadd, 23, Mohammed Adnan, 21, Janaid Sharif, 26, Mudasser Hussain, 28, and Mohammed Jubroin Khan, 21, have been charged with a total of 32 offences.

They will appear before Aylesbury Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Iblal Fiaz faces 16 charges, including rape, Khasim Fiaz six charges, including rape, and Mr Dadd two charges, including one of rape.

Mr Adnan faces two charges of rape, Mr Sharif one charge of rape, Mr Hussain three charges of rape, and Mr Khan two charges of conspiracy to rape.

A 20-year-old man, from High Wycombe, has been released on bail until 4 December.

Thames Valley Police said earlier this week that an investigation had been started in December last year, uncovering allegations dating back to 2007.

[Mr Lick]

Couple 'shocked' after python found on toilet seat

It is thought Lulu the snake got in through a gap in the wall by the toilet pipe

An elderly couple were left "shocked" after they found a snake wrapped around a toilet seat in their home in Paisley.

The couple discovered the young royal python in the bathroom of their flat on Storie Street on 17 November.

They contacted the Scottish SPCA, which rescued the snake and named her Lulu.

A spokesperson for the charity said it was believed that the snake had got in through a gap in the wall by the toilet pipe and then wrapped itself around the seat.

It is being cared for at the charity's Glasgow Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Cardonald.

Ch Insp Fiona Henderson said: "The lady who found her got quite a fright, but did the right thing by containing the snake in the room and calling us for help.

"Pythons are generally known for their placid nature and relatively small size, so although they can look a bit scary, they aren't dangerous.

"We're keen to reunite Lulu with her owner, who probably lives close by.

"She's in good body condition and well fed, so we're sure someone is missing her."

Anyone who recognises Lulu is asked to contact the Scottish SPCA.

[Mr Lick]

James Brown among new Grammy Hall of Fame inductees

James Brown, the 'Godfather of Soul', performing live at The Roundhouse in 2006, the year he died

Records by James Brown, AC/DC, Billy Joel and Paul McCartney & Wings are among the latest to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame collection.

It is a catalogue of nearly 1000 historically and culturally significant albums and singles celebrating outstanding recordings across all genres.
2013 marks the list's 40th anniversary.

Neil Portnow from The Recording Academy said the new entries "have inspired and influenced" generations of fans.

This latest round of inductees includes the late James Brown's 1965 single I Got You (I Feel Good), Piano Man by Billy Joel - released in 1973 and Bob Dylan's 1964 track The Times They Are A-Changin.

As for albums, 1973's Band On The Run by Paul McCartney & Wings has been recognised alongside Elton John's self-titled album from 1970, Back In Black by AC/DC from 1980 and Whitney Houston's eponymous debut released in 1985.

Other artists with records now on the list include Little Richard, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra for his Theme from New York, New York and Willie Mae 'Big Mama' Thornton for the first recording of Hound Dog in 1953, a record Elvis Presley covered three years later.

The collection, which is on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, now features 933 records.

An annual review by a committee of professionals from the recording arts industry decide which records are put forward, with final approval given by a board of trustees at The Recording Academy.

Mr Portnow said of the new additions: "We are proud to add them to our growing catalogue of outstanding recordings that have become part of our musical, social, and cultural history."

[Mr Lick]

Thanksgiving









Breezy Point

[Mr Lick]

An instructor (2nd R) teaches a trainee dressed as a character mascot, at the Choko Group mascot school in Tokyo, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2012. Choko Oohira, a 20-year veteran of the mascot arts, founded the school - the only one of its kind in Japan and, quite possibly, the world - in 1985. Her goal: to help mascot wannabes perfect the art of moving and playing the characters. Students are taught everything from traditional dance, to help with actual dance routines as mascots, to different walking styles that illustrate different ages while wearing costumes

[Mr Lick]

A Mexican soldier stands guard next in a clandestine chemical drug processing laboratory discovered in a cave in the mountains of Yahualica, Jalisco State, on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2012. More than 70,000 people have been killed in rising drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed soldiers and federal police to take on organized crime.

[Mr Lick]

Flooding around the UK

With downpours expected in Wales, northern England, Scottish borders and south-west England; the Met Office has issued severe weather warnings



Somerset



Ban Norton



Halesowen



North Curry



Ditto



Tetbury, Glous



Taunton












The above in Somerset

[Mr Lick]

Ricky Hatton talks to journalists after his opponent Vyacheslav Senchenko failed to show up for a 'head to head' at Manchester Town Hall.



Members of the pensioner association Yayoflautas shout slogans inside a subway train after a protest at the Pharmacies Association against Madrid's one-euro surcharge for medical prescriptions next year



Undertakers take away the body of a victim after a former employee shot dead three former colleagues at Slovak engineering firm TC Trade in the city of Zvolen, central Slovakia. The man was arrested



A Palestinian worker cleans the street in front of graffiti near the destroyed Al-Saraya Hamas headquarters in Gaza City

[Mr Lick]

It's like a palace on wheels: the Queen steps out of a caravan during a visit to the Bailey caravan factory as part of her jubilee tour in Bristol, England.

Times are hard then Liz?



A pedestrian walks past a pile of uncollected rubbish during the 21st day of the refuse collectors' strike in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain



Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants hold a press conference in Gaza City

[Mr Lick]

Yemeni air force officers hold posters of victims who died in a military plane crash yesterday, during their funeral procession in Sana'a. The aircraft crashed during training, killing all 10 people on board



Estibaliz Carranza, 34, sits in a courtroom on the last day of her trial in Vienna. The former ice-cream parlour owner confessed in court on Monday to shooting, sawing and freezing both her ex-husband and her lover, and burying them under the cellar of her shop in the Austrian capital



David Cameron arrives at the EU council headquarters in Brussels for the European Union leaders summit, which will discuss the crisis-hit bloc's long-term budget



A man sits on the ruins of what was once his house and workshop, destroyed the day before by a 500lb bomb allegedly dropped by the Syrian airforce in the town of Maaret al-Numan in southern Idlib province.



Ho, ho, halt! Ramiro Hinojas, 47, directs traffic along a main street in Pasay city in Manila, the Philippines



A house sits awkwardly in the middle of a newly built road in Wenling, Zhejiang province in China. An elderly couple refused to sign an agreement to allow their house to be demolished. They say that compensation offered is not enough to cover rebuilding costs.

[Mr Lick]

Shia Muslims mourn beside the body of a blast victim after an overnight suicide bomb attack on a procession in Rawalpindi, Pakistan



Homeless people tuck into a hearty lunch at the LA Mission's annual Thanksgiving meal



Photographer Daniel Botelho and a companion attempt to befriend a great white shark off the coast of Mexico



Here's another pic of that shark and a brave/foolish diver

[Mr Lick]

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (R) scores past Manchester City's keeper Joe Hart during their Champions League Group D match at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England November 21, 2012



A destroyed bridge is seen after what witnesses said was a hit by an Israeli air strike in central Gaza Strip November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as the U.S. Secretary of State held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops.



Protesters run from tear gas released by riot police during clashes after a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of fatal clashes at Mohamed Mahmoud street, in the vicinity of the Interior Ministry, in Cairo November 21, 2012.



Travelers wait after a power outage at Penn Station caused delays for hours in New York, November 21, 2012, on the eve of Thanksgiving

[Mr Lick]

A Palestinian girl looks at the body of nine-year-old Mohammed Ashour during his funeral in the Gaza Strip November 20, 2012



A protester throws a molotov cocktail towards riot police during clashes after a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of fatal clashes at Mohamed Mahmoud street, in the vicinity of the Interior Ministry, in Cairo November 21, 2012.



The mother (2nd R) of al-Aqsa TV cameraman Mahmoud Al Kawmy mourns during his funeral in Gaza Strip November 21, 2012

[Mr Lick]

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo: The corpse of a dead Congolese soldier lies at the side of the road after M23 rebels took control of the city



Israel-Gaza Strip border: An Israeli soldier performs morning prayers at an army deployment area

[Mr Lick]

Gaza-Israel truce











Hamas is claiming the ceasefire as a victory - for common sense maybe







Gazan women mourn the loss of a relative











Hamas out for an early morning ride



Israeli's taking a relaxing break from the conflict



Not all Israeli's are happy with the ceasefire

[Mr Lick]

A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 23 people during a procession in Pakistan



Indonesian factory workers take to the streets to protest about low wages and the introduction of fees for health care

[Mr Lick]

Students protest against the rising cost of education in London

[Mr Lick]

South Pacific Sandy Island 'proven not to exist'

Cartographers everywhere are now rushing to undiscover Sandy Island for ever

A South Pacific island, shown on marine charts and world maps as well as on Google Earth and Google Maps, does not exist, Australian scientists say.

The supposedly sizeable strip of land, named Sandy Island on Google maps, was positioned midway between Australia and French-governed New Caledonia.

But when scientists from the University of Sydney went to the area, they found only the blue ocean of the Coral Sea.

The phantom island has featured in publications for at least a decade.

Scientist Maria Seton, who was on the ship, said that the team was expecting land, not 1,400m (4,620ft) of deep ocean.

"We wanted to check it out because the navigation charts on board the ship showed a water depth of 1,400m in that area - very deep," Dr Seton, from the University of Sydney, told the AFP news agency after the 25-day voyage.

"It's on Google Earth and other maps so we went to check and there was no island. We're really puzzled. It's quite biza

[Mr Lick]

Simone Gbagbo arrest warrant issued by ICC

Simone Gbagbo, a politician in her own right, campaigned for her husband

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Simone Gbagbo, the wife of Ivory Coast's ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

She is wanted for alleged crimes against humanity committed in the wake of disputed presidential elections in 2010.

Her husband is already awaiting trial at the court in The Hague on four charges of crimes against humanity.

Some 3,000 people died in the unrest after he refused to accept defeat.

Although unelected, she behaved as the alter ego of her husband, exercising power and taking state decision” -ICC arrest warrant for Simone Gbagbo

Mr and Mrs Gbagbo were arrested in a bunker in April 2011, five months after the elections, following a military assault - backed up by UN and French troops - on their residence in the main city, Abidjan.

Mr Gbagbo, 67, was transferred to The Hague a year ago - the first former head of state to appear at the ICC.

He has denied responsibility for the post-election violence.

Before the transfer, both he and his wife, 63, were charged in Ivory Coast with economic crimes, including looting, armed robbery, and embezzlement.

[Mr Lick]

Boxer Hector Camacho 'brain dead' after shooting

Camacho won most of his professional fights

Puerto Rican former boxer Hector "Macho" Camacho is clinically brain dead after being shot in the head on Tuesday, doctors say.

He was in a deep coma and unresponsive, the director of the hospital treating him, Dr Ernesto Torres, told reporters.

Relatives are expected to decide whether to remove the three-time world champion from life support.

Camacho suffered a heart attack after being wounded in a drive-by shooting outside the capital, San Juan.

"We have done all we can do," Dr Torres said, adding that brain studies had shown irregular and intermittent activity.

The bullet "damaged three arteries that run through the neck and as a result blood is not flowing well" to Camacho's brain, he added.

Camacho, 50, was sitting in a car outside a bar on Tuesday with a friend when it was fired on.

His friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, was killed in the attack. Police say they do not know of any motives for the shooting.

Camacho fought some of the great names of boxing - Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Ray Leonard and Felix Trinidad.

But in recent years he was convicted of burglary, found in possession of drugs and the subject of domestic abuse complaints from his former wife.

[Mr Lick]

Wet weather hits UK - more pics



Devon



Somerset



The famous horseshoe-shaped Pulteney Weir in Bath is almost invisible



Bradford-on-Avon



Tamworth, Staffs



Warwickshire



Cardigan Bay



Stirling



Paisley



P & O ferry, nr. Dover



Taunton

[Mr Lick]

Birmingham mosque roof blown into road

Evelyn Road was cordoned off as engineers worked to make the building safe

A mosque roof has been blown into a road during strong winds in the West Midlands.

Fire crews were called to Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, after the roof was lifted off the two-storey building.

A spokeswoman said three nearby cars were damaged but no-one had been hurt.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for a spell of wet and windy weather in the area.

Evelyn Road was cordoned off as engineers worked to make the building safe.