In pictures: Eyewitness July 2009

30 July 2009, El Arenal, Spain: Firefighters and volunteers battle to extinguish a forest blaze. Summer wildfires along the Mediterranean coast have forced more than 1000 people from their homes Photograph: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP/Getty Images

29 July 2009, Krakatoa, Indonesia: Amateur photographer Marco Fulle’s pictures of Krakatoa, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, taken last month, highlight the raw intensity of volcanic eruption Photograph: Marco Fulle /Barcroft Media

26 July 2009, California, US: Mesh II, a work of sand art by Andres Amador, adorns a beach. Amador has produced more than 100 works on the beach over five years. The biggest was 5ooft by 300ft Photograph: Barcroft Media

7 July 2009, Padma Pakur, Khulna division, Bangladesh: Villagers build a new mud embankment by hand, after tropical cyclone Aila destroyed the old flood barriers in May. Rising tides and cyclones are making life increasingly diffi cult on Bangladesh’s low-lying islands. Aila killed more than 200 people and wrecked the system of dykes, flooding the land and forcing hundreds to live in tents and cabins Photograph: Espen Rasmussen/Panos Pictures

21 July 2009, Harrogate, UK: Soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment march to the music of the Band of the King’s Division. The troops, many from the area, have recently returned from six-month tours in Iraq and Kosovo Photograph: Bethany Clarke/PIN

19 July 2009, Wuhan, China: Boys jump into the Yangtze river to cool down in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, where temperatures reached 39C (102F) on Saturday Photograph: China Daily China Daily Inform/Reuters

16 July 2009, London, UK: Members of the MCC queue up in the the hope of grabbing a good spot in unreserved seating at Lord's cricket ground, before the second Ashes test started yesterday Photograph: David Levene

14 July 2009, Friedberg, Germany: The eyes of an American alligator, one of 36 housed at Europe’s largest crocodile zoo, the Alligator Action Farm Photograph: Boris Roessler/EPA

8 July 2009, Pateley Bridge, UK: Traditional glass jars filled with sarsaparilla drops, toffees and other confectionery adorn the shelves of The Oldest Sweet Shop in England, which opened its doors in 1827 Photograph: Christopher Thomond

For nearly two decades Heidi and Hans-Jürgen Koch have photographed a wealth of animal life across the globe. Here they show that you don't have to travel outside Europe to appreciate the bug's eye view Photograph: Heidi & Hans-Jürgen Koch/Eyevine

7 July 2009, California, USA: Fans are seen outside the public memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles Photograph: Marcio Sanchez/AP

6 July 2009, London, UK: Scott Illman sits on the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Squar in London. The project by artist Antony Gormley entitled 'One & Other' will see a different person take their place on the empty fourth plinth every hour 24 hours a day for 100 days Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Graeme Robertson

5 July 2009, Portadown, Northern Ireland: Orangemen outside Drumcree church for the annual Orange Ireland Order parade, which passed off peacefully. Orangemen have been banned since 1998 from going down the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters

1 July 2009, London, UK: English National Ballet perform at St Pauls Cathedral Photograph: David Levene