Picture desk live: the day's best news images

We're singing in the rain … David Beckham, Boris Johnson and minister for sport Hugh Robertson enter the Panathenian stadium in Athens for the handover of the Olympic flame Photograph: Petros Giannakouris/AP

Members of the Royal Air Force adjust their clothing as they prepare to practice drills in the parade ground at RAF Halton, in advance of formal duties to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

What is the collective noun for a chic group of French female politicians? Aurelie Filippetti, Genevieve Fiorasco, Nicole Bricq, Michele Delaunay and Valerie Fourneyron attend the first cabinet meeting of the newly formed French government Photograph: Jacky Naegelen/Reuters

The Queen enjoys her jubilee trip on the Yellow Duck amphibious vehicle during a visit to the Merseyside Maritime Museum in Liverpool. Not so sure about Prince Philip though, who maybe feeling a bit seasick Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Princess Anne prepares for the Olympic flame handover meeting in Athens with a visit to the presidential palace before the ceremony. Photograph: Getty Images

The torch is lit and today Greece formally hands over the Olympic flame to a London delegation including David Beckham at the Panathenaic stadium where the first modern Games were held in 1896. Boris Johnson is also there, so expect the entire event to go off without a hitch and with no inappropriate jokes Photograph: Yorgos Karahalis/Reuters

Sam Hallam leaves the Royal Courts of Justice after his conviction for murder was quashed following a lengthy campaign to clear his name. The high court judge today declared that he had been the victim of a 'serious miscarriage of justice' Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Police detain a gay-rights protester after clashes with Orthodox Christian activists in Tbilisi, Georgia. Dozens of gay-rights activists marched on the streets to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia Photograph: David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters

Photographers at Cannes focus on Egyptian actress Nahed el-Sebai during the photocall for Baad el-Mawkeaa (After The Battle). Photograph: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images

A new fruit is to go on sale at Marks & Spencer next week, but you may not be able to keep a straight face when asking for it. The fruit, currently dubbed a 'papple', looks and tastes like an apple but has the skin and texture of a pear Photograph: Marks & Spencer/PA

It's laundry day for this family on the outskirts of Islamabad so the baby gets a little bath too. People in Pakistan are facing a shortage of water due to the low level of water in the country's dams Photograph: Muhammed Muheisen/AP

Butterflies, like the rest of us, have been baffled by this year's spring weather. Conservationists report some emerging unusually early due to the warm March and others hit by the April deluge Photograph: Peter Eeles/Butterfly Conservati/PA

Greece's new caretaker prime minister, Panagiotis Pikrammenos, arrives at the Greek parliament in Athens. Greece unveiled a caretaker cabinet of technocrats tasked with organising the cash-strapped nation's second elections just six weeks after the last inconclusive vote. Greece is after all the home of democracy so perhaps it's fitting it produces so many elections in so short a time Photograph: Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

New elected members of parliament of the exteme rightwing Golden Dawn party are sworn in to what will prove to be shortest-lived parliament in Greece's history, as it is due to be dissolved immediately to pave the way for new elections on 17 June Photograph: Orestis Panagiotou/EPA

Mejra Dzogaz prays near the graves of her two sons before another day's television broadcast of the court proceedings against former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic. Mejra's husband, three sons and a grandson were killed during the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 by a Serbian army unit commanded by Mladic. The Bosnian Serb general made a throat-slitting gesture to a woman who lost her son, husband and brothers in the Srebenica massacre at the start of his trial for some of the worst atrocities in Europe since the second world war Photograph: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Exiled Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer at a rally in Tokyo to protest against the Chinese government. Kadeer closed a four-day conference during which she had claimed her people were in a fight for their survival because of increasing repression in China Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images

London but not quite as we know it. People visit 'London Street' at the Water Cube in Beijing, which has been created as the 2012 London Olympics approach Photograph: ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images

This fisherman may be kicking his heels for a while in Qionghai harbour as China's seasonal fishing ban begins in an attempt to curb overfishing Photograph: AP