24 hours in pictures

Guangxi Yizhou, China: Rescuers work at the site of an explosion at a chemical plant Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

Seoul, South Korea: Buddhist monks participate in a rally against government policy in front of Seoul City Hall Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP

Denver, US: Supporters of Barack Obama wear hats in national colours Photograph: Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Bangkok, Thailand: Anti-government protesters swarm around Government House Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA

Sidiqin, Lebanon: Farmers process fresh tobacco leaves from their collected harvest Photograph: Ramzi Haidar/AFP

Gyeonggi province, South Korea: A military policeman patrols a barbed-wire fence on the demilitarised zone separating North Korea from South Korea Photograph: Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA

Harare, Zimbabwe: A guard of honour waits for the arrival of Robert Mugabe at the opening of parliament Photograph: EPA

Denver, Colorado: Members of the press sit in the media area at the Democratic national convention Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP

Poreche area, Macedonia: Firemen and villagers try to put down a major forest fire near the town of Makedonski Brod Photograph: Robert Atanasovski/AFP

Abidjan, Ivory Coast: A gendarme showing the heroin he extracted from the fibres hidden in one of 51 carpets coming from Pakistan via Dubai Photograph: Kambou Sia/AFP

Wayne, US: Ford Expedition SUVs go through the assembly line Photograph: Bill Pugliano/Getty

Pakistan: Armoured vehicles during the army's Zarb-e-Hadeed exercise, which started at Khairpur Tamewali Photograph: AP

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: People protect themselves from rain caused by hurricane Gustav Photograph: Ariana Cubillos/AP

Kabul, Afghanistan: A group of men head home after a day's work Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters

Bhubaneswar, India: A month old hippopotamus calf with its mother at the Nandankanan zoological park Photograph: Biswaranjan Rout/AP

Buttstaedt, Germany: A worker stands in the 'Finnetunnel' which is part of the 76-mile high-speed railway line under construction Photograph: Jens Meyer/AP