Images of the day - Dec 27

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir waves his walking stick as he attends the inauguration ceremony of the new Hadida oilfield in Hadida, South Kordofan State, Dec 27, 2012. Bashir danced, waved his walking stick and delivered a defiant speech on Thursday at his first rally since undergoing surgery in Saudi Arabia and withstanding what officials called an attempted coup. On Thursday, Bashir opened a new oilfield in western Sudan which the government hopes will mitigate the loss of crucial oil reserves since South Sudan seceded last year. [Photo/Agencies]

Researchers from the Riverhead Foundation for marine research and preservation stand in front of a deceased beached whale in the Queens borough region of Breezy Point, New York, Dec 27, 2012. A 60-foot finback whale that washed up on a beach in New York City on Wednesday has died, a marine rescue official said on Thursday.[Photo/Agencies]