24 hours in pictures : May 21 2007

Waco, Usa: Oscar Valadez, 4, smiles as water falls on his face while playing on the last day of the ‘Sneak Peek’ weekend at the Waco Water Park, which officially opens on May 26. Photograph: Jerry Larson/AP

Moscow, Russia: With Moscovites enjoying a sunny and hot weekend in the foreground, Kremlin critics and human rights activists participate in a march in protest at what they call the strangling of democracy in Russia. Photograph: Ivan Sekretarev/AP

Baghdad, Iraq: A US soldier watches a road through binoculars during a patrol eight days after an attack that left four US soldiers and an Iraqi soldier dead and three comrades missing in Quarghuli village. Photograph: Maya Alleruzzo/AP

Nahr al-Bared, lebanon: Lebanese soldiers take positions at the entrance of a Palestinian refugee camp during clashes between the Lebanese army and the Palestinian Fatah al-Islam group. Photograph: NABIL MOUNZER/EPA

Taojiang county, China: A checkpoint set by local authorities in an effort to stop the spread of the bird flu. Photograph: Xinhua/AP

Donsol, Philippines: A whale shark passes a Filipino diver in waters off the coast. A programme called ‘adopt a species' aims for a Philippine law that will allow government incentives for private sector companies in exchange for extensive funding in conservation efforts to preserve the country's endangered species. The whale shark is oen of up to 500 species of endangered plants and animals in the Philippines. Photograph: JV NORIEGA/EPA

Plovdiv, Bulgaria: A Bulgarian polling station assistant sits in the corridor of a polling station. Bulgaria is holding its first election for members of the European parliament. Photograph: VASSIL DONEV/EPA

Dublin, Ireland: The taoiseach, Bertie Ahern (centre, top), waves to Fianna Fail party workers during a rally at their election headquarters in Dublin. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Islamabad, Pakistan: Religious students block a road as they stand guard outside the Lal Mosque. Authorities may resort to force to free two police officers held captive by students at a radical Islamic school in Pakistan's capital. A defiant school cleric warned the response would be holy war against the government. Photograph: Anjum Naveed/AP

Jabaliya, Gaza Strip: The mother of 16-year-old Hatem Ihmed weeps during his funeral. Ihmed was killed yesterday following an Israeli strike. Photograph: MOHAMMED SABER/EPA

Mogadishu, Somalia: Transitional government troops use sticks and fire into the air to control people lining up for emergency food distribution. Riots killed two Somali civilians after troops patrolling the food distribution opened fire on the impatient crowd and two other civilians were killed after a bomb was detonated as the mayor's convoy approached the northern district of the Somali capital. Photograph: IBRHIM ELMI/EPA

Tokyo, Japan: A portable shrine, known as a ‘mikoshi’, during the final day of Asakusa Shrine's Sanja Festival. Almost one million visitors turn out for the three-day festival. Photograph: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP

Cannes, France: A group of international directors pose during a photo call for the film Chacun Son Cinema (‘To each his own Cinema’) at the Cannes film festival. Photograph: Jeff Christensen/AP