Picture desk live: the day's best news images

Taxi drivers demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in protest over their ban from dedicated Olympic traffic lanes and, judging by the current mood of drivers in London, they're not alone Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

Dame Kelly Holmes delights pupils from her old school, Hildenborough, at Tonbridge Castle. She brought them the Olympic torch on day 60 of the relay Photograph: Yui Mok/PA

Eden Project employee Neil Stark is having a fun day at work today trying out the new zip wire attraction which opens to the public this week at the project in St Austell. The new 740-metre wire, currently the longest in England, allows the public a bird's-eye view of the rainforest and gardens Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

People pass a closed train station in Athens during a four-hour strike by railway employees Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/AFP/Getty Images

New mum Princess cares for one of her white lion babies in Kempten, Germany. Princess gave birth to six cubs last week Photograph: Tobias Kleinschmidt/AFP/Getty Images

A highly-polished competitor prepares for the International Bodybuilding and Fitness Invitation Championship in Hong Kong. Participants use tanning products and oils to best display their physique to a panel of judges who assign points based on their appearance Photograph: Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

Caught on camera: Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle, are captured kissing at a basketball game on the 'Kiss Cam', the in-house video that spotlights kissing couples during a game break. They took a bit of encouraging from the crowd though as they couldn't be persuaded to lock lips during the first half of the match Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

Dark clouds of smoke are seen billowing from a wildfire over the town of Tijoco Bajo, on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife. A forest fire raging on the island reached the edge of a major tourist park on Monday. Emergency services have evacuated 90 villagers from their homes overnight Photograph: Desiree Martin/AFP/Getty Images

It's time to hit the beach in Strogino in north-west Moscow Photograph: Karpov Sergei/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Children make a splash in Tokyo, which is experiencing a blistering heatwave with temperatures over 33C in the centre of the city Photograph: Itsuo Inouye/AP

This little dog is wearing a pair of shoes to keep from burning its paws on the scorching pavements of Tokyo Photograph: Shizuo Kambayashi/AP

A farmer looks over an ear of corn picked from one of his fields near Ashley, Illinois. The field from which the corn was picked has yielded more than 180 bushels of corn per acre in past years. The farmer expects to get less than 15 bushels per acre from this year's drought-damaged crop. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, the state is experiencing the sixth driest year on record Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Activists from the European Union of Jewish Students stand with their hands taped to each other's near Laszlo Csatary's home in Budapest during a protest against Csatary, which was called after a Hungarian prosecutor said that investigating the alleged Nazi war criminal was problematic because the events took place so long ago and in a different country Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images

In Afghanistan police officers attend a graduation ceremony at the interior ministry in Kabul. Five hundred and thirty five police officers graduated during the ceremony Photograph: Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images

The British foreign secretary, William Hague, is visiting refugees who have fled the violence in Syria, at Bashabsha camp near the Jordanian city of Al Ramtha Photograph: Ali Jarekji/Reuters

US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke waits to testify before the Senate banking, housing and urban affairs committee Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Nasa Indians drag a soldier during an attack on half a dozen soldiers guarding a communications tower on the outskirts of Toribio, southern Colombia. Six soldiers were attacked and dragged along the ground by dozens of indigenous people demanding the departure of security forces and guerrillas fighters because of their constant fighting Photograph: William Fernando Martinez/AP

Haram Hjana holds her son Samani, one, who suffers from severe malnutrition, at the MSF field hospital in Jamam refugee camp, South Sudan. Up to 16,000 refugees are in the process of being moved due to flooding in the camp Photograph: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

Firemen try to extinguish blazes burning on the mountain of Spathovouni, near Corinth city in southern Greece. Reports state that a fire that began the previous day at Zevgolatio village, Corinth, was still burning fiercely due to strong winds that started up during the night Photograph: Vassilis Psomas/EPA

Madonna performs at Hyde Park in London Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters