24 hours in pictures

Dauphin Island, US: A chunk of tar on a beach in Alabama. Tar balls have been sighted on the island after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico
Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

Manila, Philippines: A family sorts through rubbish in front of election posters in the Tondo slum where hundreds eke out a living recycling
Photograph: Nicky Loh/Reuters

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Three-day-old premature baby Jessica Thelusma rests in a bed made out of a cardboard box in the General Hospital's emergency room
Photograph: Esteban Felix/AP

Kathmandu, Nepal: Nepalese riot police form a defensive shield during clashes with Maoist protesters
Photograph: Prakash Mathema/AFP/Getty Images

Mexico City, Mexico: A pupil from a local high school, wearing military gear, eats an ice-lolly during a parade in Zocalo plaza to celebrate the participation of the Mexican Aztec Eagles Squadron during the second world war
Photograph: Marco Ugarte/AP

Minsk, Belarus: Servicemen march during a military parade
Photograph: Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

New Orleans, US: A plastic replica of an elephant on a trailer
Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

Allahabad, India: A rickshaw puller rests under the shade of a tree. Temperatures in northern India have soared to nearly 45 degrees celsius
Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP/Getty Images

Bangkok, Thailand: Relatives of anti-government protesters who died during clashes on 10 April , hold their loved-ones' pictures as they take part in a ceremony marking a month since their deaths
Photograph: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images

Aproz, Switzerland: Two Herens cows lock horns in the annual Battle of the Queens cow fight finals
Photograph: Valentin Flauraud/Reuters

Medellin, Colombia: A protester smokes marijuana during a demonstration against penalties for the consumption of small amounts of drugs
Photograph: Fredy Builes/Reuters

Bratislava, Slovakia: History enthusiasts dressed as Soviet soldiers re-enact the liberation of Bratislava during the commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the end of the second world war in Europe
Photograph: Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images

Beijing, China: A child plays near a Volkswagen Scirocco car displayed on a 3D rollercoaster painting during a mall promotion
Photograph: Andy Wong/AP

Cape Town, South Africa: Hout Bay harbour covered in mist seen from the Chapman's peak road, the coastal link between Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope
Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images