24 hours in pictures

Beirut, Lebanon: A laser beam points in the direction of Mecca from a minaret of Mohammed al-Amin mosque Photograph: Jamal Saidi/Reuters

Rome, Italy: Brazilian singer Vanessa Da Mata performs during a party in the Piazza Navona as part of the Rome Film Festival Photograph: Alessandro Di Meo /EPA

Sydney, Australia: An Aborigine performs the traditional 'Welcome to Country' smoking ceremony during the opening of the 9th World Congress of Metropolis Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP

Cincinnati, USA: Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is protected by secret service agents as she signs autographs during a campaign rally Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP

Srinagar, India: Kashmiri protesters run for cover as a tear gas shell explodes near them during a clash with police Photograph: Mukhtar Khan/AP

Paranaque City, Philippines: Children sleep inside a makeshift dwelling located under a bridge that crosses a polluted river on the outskirts of the country's capital Photograph: John Javellana/Reuters

Zweibrücken,Germany: Soldiers accompany the coffins of two German soldiers killed in a suicide attack last Monday in Afghanistan Photograph: Michael Probst/AP

Korengal, Afghanistan: A US soldier pays his respects at a memorial service for a comrade, killed by a mortar round while in combat Photograph: John Moore/Getty

Hong Kong, China: An aerial view of residential apartment blocks Photograph: Paul Hilton /EPA

Bekesbourne, UK: Three eleven-week old Siberian Tiger cubs with their mother at Howletts Wild Animal Park Photograph: Gareth Fuller /Press Association

Beijing, China: A guard of honour from the People's Liberation Army prepare to hold a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People Photograph: Adrian Bradshaw /EPA

Cape Town, South Africa: Children brush their teeth at a nursery school which is run out of shipping containers in the informal shack settlement of Redhill Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA