World News in Pictures

[Mr Lick]

Plosky Tolbachik volcano erupted in Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Nov. 29. The volcano, located on the peninsula's eastern coast, is erupting for the first time in 36 years

[Mr Lick]

About 100 Jamaat-e-Islami activists were arrested and 25 injured during a day-long strike by the largest Islamic party in the country on Tuesday as a part of their continuing protest for the release of their senior leaders who are facing trial against war crimes and crimes against humanity






Police load injured activists of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party onto a police van as they detain them after a clash with police and pro-government activists in Dhaka on Dec. 4.



A member of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) inspects a burnt bus after activists of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party set fire to it during a strike in Dhaka on Dec. 4.

[Mr Lick]

The strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year pounded the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday and about 40 people were dead or missing, media said, after the storm destroyed homes and brought down power and communication lines.

[Mr Lick]

Franschoek, South Africa: a woman runs from a burning barricade during a farm workers' strike in the wine-producing valley. Farm workers across the Western Cape returned to their wage strike to protest about low wages



Cairo, Egypt: riot police officers eat their lunch as they stand guard in front of Egypt's top court during a protest by supporters of President Mohamed Morsi



Madrid, Spain: people queue to enter a government job centre. The number of people officially registered as unemployed in Spain has edged up toward 5 million



Bangkok, Thailand: a Thai customs official holds a confiscated turtle during a press conference at the airport. Thai authorities arrested a Thai man after finding 343 turtles in boxes for export to Hong Kong

[Mr Lick]

Typhoon Bopha hits Philippines - more pics



A man walks past the bodies of 3 victims











Lists of relief supplies arrive at evacuation centres

[Mr Lick]

Residents clean their sofa outside their destroyed house after Typhoon Bopha hit Compostela Valley, southern Philippines, Dec. 5.

GRAPHIC WARNING: Contains graphic images which some viewers may find disturbing.
















MANILA, Philippines -- The death toll from the Philippines' strongest typhoon this year rose on Wednesday to around 230, with hundreds missing in landslides and floodwaters, as the storm continued its destructive path across the island nation.

Typhoon Bopha, with central winds of 75 mph and gusts of up to 93 mph, battered beach resorts and dive spots in northern Palawan on Wednesday, but there was little damage as the storm began to weaken

[Mr Lick]

Former drug addict Miguel Restrepo, 62, has been living in an abandoned sewer with his wife and dog Blackie for 22 years. Their home, fitted with a kitchen, fan, television, chair and bed, is a 64.5-square-feet tunnel that leaks when it rains and requires a manhole cover.









Miguel Restrepo, left, rests with his wife Maria Garcia and their dog on a bed inside their sewer home in Medellin, Colombia, Dec. 4.

[Rural Surin]

Still remains an outstanding and valued contribution to TD, Lick!

Kudos!

[Mr Lick]

Typhoon Bopha: Philippines death toll worsens

Death toll from Typhoon Bopha climbs to more than 270 across south of country after 170,000 flee homes

[Mr Lick]

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A man walks past a murder rate protest by the NGO Rio de Paz. The 500,000 beans were placed on red sheets to represent the number of people murdered in Brazil over the past 10 years



New Delhi, India: Indian sugarcane farmers listen to a speaker during a protest organised by National Farmers Association

[Mr Lick]

Los Angeles, US: An LA park ranger listens to a call on his radio in front of the freshly painted Hollywood sign following a press conference to announce the completion of a major makeover



Moscow, Russia: Saint Basil's Cathedral behind snowdrifts in Red Square



Ayodhya, India: Police officers stand guard near a Hindu temple, on the eve of the anniversary of the destruction of Babri mosque. The mosque was destroyed in 1992 during riots involving tens of thousands of people

[Mr Lick]

Who knew the welfare bill could be so much fun? Danny Alexander, George Osborne and David Cameron react as Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, responds after the Osborne delivered his autumn statement to MPs in the Commons



Denmark's prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, has a Cinderella moment while getting off her car prior to meeting with her French counterpart at the Élysée Palace in Paris



When haystacks attack... Men dressed in straw outfits and devilish masks start the traditional Buttnmandl run, during which they shout and make noises with cowbells to frighten the villagers of Bischofswiesen, Germany

[Mr Lick]

Prince William arrives at the King Edward VII hospital in central London to visit Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who is expecting a baby



'Hello, is that George? Is it buy high and sell low, or buy low and sell high?.' Samantha Cameron hits the trading floor at ICAP to speak to customers and help boost trading volumes for the day as part of ICAP's Charity Day that has raised over £89m for more than 1,000 charities since 1993



Indian rescue workers attempt to control a major fire that erupted along the a crude oil pipeline from Salaya to Mathura. Three people were injured and taken to a hospital in Ahmedabad



A boy waves flags among tens of thousands of people waiting to see Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on his 85th birthday in Bangkok, Thailand. Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch, made a rare public appearance for his birthday



It must be a bit hot under that hat. A Thai royal guard of honor reacts as he parades to salute King Bhumibol Adulyadej during his 85th birthday celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand

[Mr Lick]

A Free Syrian Army fighter with a rifle stands guard at the frontline against government forces in the neighbourhood of Homs



A labourer works at a steel factory in Dalian, China. China's economic health has improved since September with retail sales and investment showing Beijing's pro-growth policies are starting to gain traction

[Mr Lick]

A girl peeks up from under a table as indigenous people from several ethnic groups attend a public hearing of the Lower house's Human Rights Commission at the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, December 4, 2012



A man bleeds from injuries suffered after a clash between main labour union body UGTT and Islamists, during a gathering where they called for a general strike and downfall of the government led by the Islamist Ennahda party in Tunis, Tunisia, December 4, 2012



Free Syrian Army fighters are seen near buildings damaged by what activists said were missiles fired by a Syrian Air Force fighter jet loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the Akraba suburb of Damascus, December 1, 2012.

[Mr Lick]

A police officer blocks striking farmworkers as they march for higher wages during a strike called by the Confederation of South African Trade Unions in Franschoek, near Cape Town, December 4, 2012 .



Spanish policemen drag away anti-eviction supporters before the eviction of Sagrario Urena in Madrid, December 4, 2012.



A San Francisco Sheriff's Deputy removes a nude protester who removed his clothes in the supervisors' legislative chambers in San Francisco City Hall, California, December 4, 2012. Under a proposed municipal ban on public nakedness, which critics dubbed the "Wiener bill," nudity would still be allowed at permitted parades, fairs and festivals, as well as on designated nude beaches



Police carry injured activists of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami party onto a police van as they detain them after a clash with police and pro-government activists in Dhaka, December 4, 2012.



Loyalists protest outside the offices of a member of the Alliance Party in East Belfast, December 4, 2012. At least five police officers were wounded during a riot at Belfast city hall in Northern Ireland after Irish nationalist councillors voted to remove the British flag from the building on all but 17 days of the year

[Mr Lick]

The man who murdered Anni Dewani, a Swedish woman on her honeymoon, in S.Africa in 2010, holds his head in his hands whilst the father of Anni looks on



Thousands of Indonesian workers protest for better conditions



The Thai Royal Guard celebrate the King's 85th birthday



Contestants prepare for the Miss Universe competition in Las Vegas



An 18-week-old Panda cub gets a close up at San Diego zoo

[Mr Lick]

Yaseen Ali Ege murder: Mother killed son over Koran studies

Sara Ege had denied the murder in July 2010

A mother who beat her seven-year-old son "like a dog" when he failed to memorise passages of the Koran has been found guilty of his murder.

Sara Ege, 33, beat Yaseen Ege to death at their home in Pontcanna, Cardiff, in July 2010 and set fire to his body.

She was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice at Cardiff Crown Court. Sentence was adjourned.

The boy's father, Yousuf Ege, 38, was acquitted of causing Yaseen's death by failing to protect him.

Yaseen Ege was beaten to death by his mother, who then set fire to his body

It was initially thought Yaseen had died in the blaze at the family home but tests later revealed he had died hours earlier.

His mother had pleaded not guilty to his murder and claimed her husband was responsible for Yaseen's death.

She said she feared her husband would murder her unless she confessed to the murder.

That confession - made to police days after the death of her son - was captured on video and played to the jury during the five week trial.

During the hour-long harrowing footage, Ege described how the young boy collapsed while still murmuring extracts of the Koran.

[Mr Lick]

Outrage after Indonesian official divorces teenage bride

Protesters burned portraits of the district chief

An Indonesian official is facing calls for his resignation after it emerged he divorced a teenager by text message following four days of marriage.

Aceng Fikri, the elected head of Garut in West Java province, has publicly apologised amid the outcry. Hundreds protested against him on Tuesday.

Mr Fikri, 40, is married with three children and took the 17-year-old as his second wife in a Muslim ceremony.

He divorced her after reportedly discovering she was not a virgin.

"I would like to apologise to the public if women feel harassed, even though I didn't mean to harass anyone," Mr Fikri said.

He added that he was sorry "even though what I did was appropriately based on Shariah [law]".

Although not recognised in Indonesian law, unrecorded marriages, including religious ones, are common in the country. The marriage law says that women who are 16 can marry.

Fani Octora was 17 years old and still in high school when she married Mr Fikri in a Muslim ceremony in July that was not officially registered, correspondents say.



Mr Fikri says wife "didn't meet the specifications

[Mr Lick]

Polish builders demolish Russian oligarch's French chateau

The original 13,000 sq m chateau was due to be renovated

Polish builders have demolished an 18th Century chateau in Bordeaux belonging to a Russian businessman, apparently by mistake.

Owner Dmitry Stroskin said he was shocked and had only ordered them to knock down an adjacent outhouse.

The local mayor in the nearby French village of Yvrac is said to be furious.

Chateau de Bellevue had been due to be renovated to its former glory - Mr Stroskin has said he will rebuild it exactly as it was.

The original 13,000 sq m chateau, which featured grand horseshoe steps and a once palatial ballroom, was previously hired out for wedding receptions and functions.

It sat within an imposing vineyard estate, where now only the rundown outhouse is still standing.

"The Chateau de Bellevue was Yvrac's pride and joy, the whole village is in shock," former owner Juliette Marmie told Associated Press. "How can this construction firm make such a mistake?"

Mr Stroskin has told local media that he is "in shock" and understands the locals' feelings.

French prosecutors are reported to be investigating whether there was a breach of the building code.

[Mr Lick]

Latino families began moving to the sleepy, rural town of Forks, Wash., in the 1980s, attracted by the quiet and willing to work at low-paying jobs left behind when the logging industry faded. The men pick salal, a green plant commonly used in floral arrangements, or cut cedar shingles in the woods, making enough to support their families.

But now the town—200 miles from the Canadian border and 1,300 miles from the Mexican border—has turned into an unexpected focus of the U.S. Border Patrol.










With the increased presence of U.S. border patrol agents, the decades-old Latino community is dispersing, fearing deportations that can divide families. About 75 percent of the Latino families have left, and business owners say they are suffering.

[Mr Lick]

A woman walks during a blizzard in Stockholm, Sweden, Dec. 5.






Forecasters have issued a class 2 storm warning for central and southern Sweden, saying that Stockholm may get another 12 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. The main airport was hampered by the snowfall, canceling flights and taking no arriving planes, just as the Nobel Prize winners were expected for activities leading up to the awards ceremony on Dec. 10.

[Mr Lick]

Thai people wearing yellow shirts flock to Royal Plaza ahead of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's public appearance during 85th birthday celebrations on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 5.









Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves the Siriraj Hospital for the Anatasamakom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Dec. 5.



Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, center, sitting next to his family members, from left to right: Princess Soamsawali Mahidol, his older daughter Princess Ubol Ratana, Princess Siribhachudabhorn, youngest daughter Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol, Princess Aditayadornkitikhun, Royal Consort Princess Srirasm, grandson Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, his son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and his daughter Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

[Mr Lick]

A lighter look

Time for a sideways glance, or two, at some of the week's more entertaining pictures



Do you think Vladimir Putin suspects his Turkish host of pulling the old whoopee cushion gag?



Lollipop lady. Michelle Obama takes a bite during the unveiling of this year's Christmas decorations at the White House



David Cameron and Nick Clegg try out their Morcambe and Wise routine on the bemused of Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Primary School in Brixton, London



Dogs might fly ... if they're as excited about the year's first snowfall as jack russell Alfie in County Durham



Heard the one about the baby panda who got a healthcheck at San Diego zoo?



Hair allergy? Someone's got a itchy nose at the birthday parade for the Thai king in Bangkok



Eyes up, pies down. Former Dunfermline manager Jim Leishman judges the competition during the 14th World Scotch Pie Championships



And the debt crisis is this big … Angela Merkel joins in the party games at the CDU convention in Hanover

[Mr Lick]

Dave Brubeck's career

The classically influenced artist's hit Take Five made him a household name and helped to define 1960s jazz - he passed away yesterday, the day before his 92nd birthday



1956



1981 at the Newport Jazz Festival



1958



Ed Sullivan Show 1955



Dial M for Music 1965



Central Park NY



London 1995



The Barbican, London, in celebration of his 85th birthday in 2005