24 hours in pictures

Lahore, Pakistan: Police officers block the street during a demonstration Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Sofia, Bulgaria: A blind farmer smokes during a rally of dairy farmers demanding more protection against falling incomes Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty

Rawalpindi, Pakistan: Worshippers arrive for a celebration of Eid Milad-un-Nabi Photograph: Emilio Morenatti/AP

Jerusalem, Israel: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men gather at a yeshiva during Purim celebrations Photograph: Kevin Frayer/AP

Vatican City: Bishops shield their faces from the sun as Pope Benedict XVI leads his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square Photograph: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters

London, UK: Dorothy Hughes and Winifred Phillips. The Royal Hospital, has begun to accept to accept women as Chelsea Pensioners for the first time Photograph: Martin Argles/Guardian

Mathura, India: Women tear off the clothes of men as they play huranga, a game played between men and women a day after the Holi festival of colours Photograph: Reuters

Managua, Nicaragua: A giraffe steps into its cage at the Moscow Circus Photograph: Esteban Felix/AP

Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip: Yousef Attar stands in the doorway of his house after it was badly damaged during Israel's January offensive Photograph: Tara Todras-whitehll/AP

Xining, China: A Tibetan pilgrim carries a food parcel and his child inside his robe Photograph: David Gray/Reuters

San Salvador, El Salvador: A woman carries water on her head in Las Victorias shanty town Photograph: Rodrigo Abd/AP

Shenyang, China: Workers load steel onto a truck at a wholesale market Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images

Paris, France: The John Galliano Fall-Winter 2009-2010 ready-to-wear collection Photograph: Thibault Camus/AP

Takotna, Alaska: Matt Hayashida drives his team during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race trail Photograph: Al Grillo/AP