24 hours in pictures

Cape Town, South Africa: A bushfire sweeps across Table Mountain Photograph: Mike Hutchings/Reuters

Athens, Greece: Protesting union members – demanding protection of workers' rights – seen through the hole of a banner during a rally Photograph: John Kolesidis/Reuters

Iran: Women visit a war memorial site Photograph: Morteza Nikoubazl/Reuters

Beijing, China: An honour guard looks from behind a curtain Photograph: Alfred Cheng Jin/Reuters

New York, US: The 248th annual St Patrick's Day parade Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Dancers perform at the end of a St Patrick's day parade Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Sheffield, UK: James Goddard competes during day two of the British swimming championships at Ponds Forge Photograph: Clive Rose/Getty Images

Gaza City: A Palestinian worker takes pots out of a mud oven at the Atalah pottery factory Photograph: Ali Ali/EPA

Songkhla, Thailand: A worker taps sap from rubber trees at a plantation Photograph: Chumsak Kanoknan/Getty Images

Harbin, China: Sacked workers from the Longbin distillery stage a sit-in Photograph: AndyWong/AP

Baku, Azerbaijan: An oil pump jack is reflected in an oil puddle Photograph: David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

Rawalpindi, Pakistan: A boy flies his kite along the bank of a river Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Yaounde, Cameroon: A vendor sells crosses to the faithful waiting to see the convoy of Pope Benedict XVI Photograph: Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Valencia, Spain: A fireman supervises the firing of the mascleta, a pyrotechnic event in which hundreds of string-linked firecrackers are let off Photograph: Manuel Bruque/EPA

Cairo, Egypt: A white peacock flares out its plumage at the Giza zoo Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP