Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have taken to the streets on May Day to protest against their governments' handling of the financial crisis.
In France, trades unions organised some 300 mass protests around the country to voice their anger over President Nicolas Sarkozy's economic and social policies.
Violence broke out in Istanbul as police used tear gas and water cannon to prevent thousands of demonstrators marching to a main square in the Turkish city.
Berlin was also a scene of tension as German riot police forcibly remove protesters trying to blockade a commuter train station in one district of the capital.
Overnight, 29 police were injured after clashes with protesters who hurled stones and bottles and set fire to rubbish bins.
In Russia, government supporters and opponents took to the streets. There were reports of police arresting several dozen activists in St Petersburg.
Arrests were also made in South Korea's capital, Seoul, where anti-government protesters demanded better pay conditions for workers and farmers.
In Cuba, marchers praised the country's former President Fidel Castro and chanted and anti-US slogans during a huge rally in the capital Havana.
Several hundred people in Asia's financial hub, Hong Kong, protested against job cuts and reduced working hours.
In Senegal's capital, Dakar, demonstrators demanded a ban on child labour in the country.
Greater protection for jobs was the theme of several rallies held in the Philippines.
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