24 hours: Thousands of Pakistanis call for crackdown on government corruption

Supporters of Muhammad Tahirul Qadri, leader of Mihaj-ul-Quran, take part in a protest in Islamabad on Jan 14, 2013. Thousands of Pakistanis converged on the capital on Monday to join a march planned by Sufi cleric Qadri, calling for the indefinite delay of elections and a crackdown on government corruption and inefficiency. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A female Hindu pilgrim takes a dip at the confluence of the Ganges river and the Bay of Bengal at Sagar Island, south of Kolkata, on Jan 14, 2013. Hindu monks and pilgrims are making an annual trip to Sagar Island for the one-day festival of Makar Sankranti. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A policeman mounted on his horse maintains order during the first Shahi Snan (grand bath) at the ongoing Kumbh Mela, or Pitcher Festival, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad on January 14, 2013. Upwards of a million elated Hindu holy men and pilgrims took a bracing plunge in India's sacred Ganges river to wash away lifetimes of sins on Monday, in a raucous start to an ever-growing religious gathering that is already the world's largest. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

People from the Salafist faction celebrate the second anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis on Jan 14, 2013. Thousands of Tunisians protested against the Islamist-led government on Monday, exactly two years after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt that inspired others across the Arab world. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

The China Central Television building is seen next to a construction site in heavy haze in Beijing's central business district on Jan 14, 2013. In an unusual display of unity in criticising a troubling domestic social problem, Chinese media are giving prominent coverage to the historically high level of air pollution that has choked wide swaths of the country for the past few days. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti appears as a guest on the RAI television show Porta a Porta (Door to Door) in Rome on Jan 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Palestinians carry cooking gas canisters after filling them at a gas station on the Gaza Strip on Jan 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Revellers parade the streets during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, some 170km from the Macedonian capital Skopje, on Jan 14, 2013. Vevcani village marks the Orthodox St Vasilij Day annually with a carnival that features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. The highlights of the carnival include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A man (right) dressed in gwanbok, a traditional Korean outfit which used to be worn by government officials, takes a break after skating at an outdoor ice skating rink on a sunny winter day in central Seoul on Jan 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A labourer works atop a building on a hazy day in Hefei, Anhui province, on Jan 14, 2013. Chinese media said on Monday the government had to take urgent action to tackle air pollution, which has blanketed parts of the country at dangerous levels in recent days, and one newspaper called for a re-think of a "fixation" on economic growth. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A reveller applies a mask before parading the streets during a carnival in the village of Vevcani, some 170km from the Macedonian capital Skopje, on Jan 13, 2013. Vevcani village marks the Orthodox St Vasilij Day annually with a carnival that features a 1,400-year-old celebration with pagan roots. The highlights of the carnival include a political satire where masked villagers act out current events. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

United States President Barack Obama pauses during remarks at a news conference at the White House in Washington, on Jan 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Actress Jodie Foster (centre) runs with her Cecil B DeMille Award at the Weinstein Company after-party following the 70th annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan 13, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

People stand by a recent caved-in area on a paddy field in Fukou county, Hunan province, on Jan 12, 2013. More than 20 pits formed from the sunken ground surface in Fukou county during the past four months. According to the local media, the government's initial investigation showed years of mining destroyed the local underground water systems and led to the numerous cave-ins. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Japanese women in kimonos walk to attend a ceremony celebrating coming of age day in heavy snowfall at the Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo on Jan 14, 2013. Youths across Japan are honoured with special coming-of-age ceremonies when they reach the age of 20. Tokyo saw its first snowfall this season on Monday. Transportation has been affected by the weather with some flights to and from the capital's Haneda airport being cancelled, parts of the expressways have temporarily closed and local train services have been delayed. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Students do body exercise during class break in a classroom building on a foggy day in Jinan, Shandong province, on Jan 14, 2013. Heavy fog enveloped a large swathe of east and central China, with the city's residents being advised to stay indoors to avoid the heavily polluted air, Xinhua News Agency reported. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

A member of the ground staff clears snow from a C-17 cargo aircraft at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on Jan 14, 2013. Britain is lending two C-17 aircraft for logistical support to France as it sends troops and military equipment to Mali. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

Nelba Marquez Greene (right), her husband Jimmy Greene (centre), and her mother Elba Marquez, grieve over the loss of their daughter Ana Grace Marquez Green (in photo) at the launch of the Sandy Hook Promise in Newtown, Connecticut, on Jan 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: REUTERS