Today in photos (Jan. 16)

Debris lies on the ground after a helicopter crashed into a construction crane on top of St George’s Wharf tower building, in London, Wednesday Jan. 16, 2013. Police say two people were killed when a helicopter crashed during rush hour in central London after apparently hitting a construction crane on top of a building. (Vince Pol / Associated Press)

A journalist takes a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and the President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, left, during a joint press conference as part of a meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. (Michael Sohn / Associated Press)

Pope Benedict XVI greets U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta after the pontiff’s weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Panetta was in the front row at Wednesday’s weekly general audience in the Vatican auditorium. Panetta, a staunch Catholic, is in Rome as part of a weeklong swing across Europe, meeting with defense ministers to talk about ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Mali. This is expected to be Panetta’s last overseas trip as Pentagon chief, as he long has planned to step down once his replacement is confirmed. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

An Iranian officer lashes a man, convicted of rape, at the northeastern city of Sabzevar, Iran, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Rape, like murder and treason, can be punished by the death sentence in Iran, but sometimes judges imposed a sentence of lashes before execution or imprisonment. (Hossein Esmaeli / Associated Press)

Supporters of Pakistani Sunni Muslim cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, read local newspapers featuring Pakistan’s Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, as they camp near the parliament, during an anti-government rally in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Pakistan’s leaders received a powerful one-two punch Tuesday as the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the prime minister in a corruption case and a firebrand cleric led thousands of protesters in a second day of anti-government demonstrations in the capital. (Muhammed Muheisen / Associated Press)

A woman is rescued from being trapped inside a wall of the parking garage at the Gretchen Kafoury Commons in SW Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013. Portland firefighters worked for over three and a half hours cutting her free. (Brent Wojahn / The Oregonian)