Picture desk live: the day's best news images

Sacha Baron Cohen points his golden gun at Mohamed Al Fayed as they attend the premiere of Baron Cohen's new film, The Dictator, at the Royal Festival Hall in London Photograph: David Fisher/Rex Features

You wouldn't want to mess with these protesters. Off-duty police officers march in protest at funding cuts through central London. Thousands of British police officers planned to join striking border officials and healthcare workers in a protest against wage caps, pension reforms and other austerity measures Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

This nicely framed image shows the Afghan amputee Malek Mohammad with team-mates after training in a swimming pool in Kabul. Malek lost both his legs in a landmine explosion in 2005 in the city and is aiming to represent Afghanistan at the London Paralympics this summer Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

The British cyclist Mark Cavendish celebrates crossing the finish line of the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia in Fano. Cavendish won the stage after falling heavily on Monday Photograph: Luk Benies/AFP/Getty Images

Newly arrived refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo sit at the Nakamira transit camp in Rwanda after fleeing fighting between Congolese troops and a renegade general in the Masisi region of North Kivu province Photograph: Reuters

Hillary Clinton holds up a really big stick otherwise known as the New York women's foundation century award. Clinton delivered a keynote address, then contemplated whether it would fit on her mantelpiece Photograph: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Andy Coulson arrives at the Leveson inquiry. During questioning the former News of the World editor said he didn't speak to Rupert Murdoch about the 2005 leadership election Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP

Meanwhile Coulson's replacement as head of communications at No 10 has a tough time getting through the door Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

This slightly surreal image made us look twice. The Duchess of Cornwall reads the weather in the Six O'Clock studio during a tour of BBC Scotland's headquarters in Glasgow, where they met staff to celebrate 60 years of BBC Scotland television Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

Not to be left out, Prince Charles has a go too Photograph: Andrew Milligan/PA

We're used to seeing dogs in Greece during austerity protests but now they have hit the streets of Britain. A dog wears a cap in support of the police as officers join public sector workers in central London during a national day of protest Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Indian girls search for rags as Greater Adjutant Storks loom behind, hoping to find their own source of food at a rubbish dump near Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Guwahati city. Numbers of the storks are in decline due to the loss of wetlands, habitat and declining availability of food Photograph: EPA

Actors playing the role of priestesses take part in the torch-lighting ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the site of ancient Olympia. This part of the ceremony took the form of a music and movement class but at least the priestesses were bang on trend with their pleated dresses Photograph: MAL Langsdon/Reuters

Most of the photographs from this bomb blast are too graphic to show. Flames and smoke rise from burning cars after two bombs exploded in the Qazaz neighbourhood of the Syrian capital, Damascus, heavily damaging a military intelligence building and leaving many people injured Photograph: HOPD/AP

An injured man is carried after the explosion in Damascus. At least 40 people were reported dead and hundreds injured. A little known Islamist group, Al-Nusra Front, claimed responsibility. Follow events in our live blog Photograph: Khaled Al-hariri/Reuters

More dramatic scenes from Nepal, where tensions remain high as ethnic groups demand to be recognised within the constitution. A boy who was injured during a protest is carried towards a nearby hospital during a general strike called by the Brahmin Chhetri Society in Kathmandu Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

The crouching soldiers seem incongruous during a wedding ceremony. However, they are actually trying to prevent the platform from falling apart while newlyweds have their group photo taken during a military mass wedding Photograph: Pichi Chuang/Reuters

These incredibly bendy Chinese gymnastic students stretch during a training session at a gymnastic course at a sports school in Shenyang Photograph: Sheng Li/Reuters

In an entertaining way to get your point across a Sri Lankan performing arts undergraduate student sings during a protest in Colombo. The protesters fear that the government's new education policy will end the free education system which Sri Lankans have been enjoying for decades Photograph: Eranga Jayawardena/AP