Day in pictures

1 of 12 Locusts devour a field of wheat in Morocco. Gigantic swarms of the insects have devastated a swathe of farmland across west Africa.

2 of 12 Iraqi soldiers prepare to leave the governor's office in Najaf, where the stand-off between Shia militias and Iraqi and US forces remained unresolved.

3 of 12 Meanwhile, a US soldier takes cover during an attack by numerous snipers near Najaf's ancient cemetery.

4 of 12 Sara Fereshtian of Iran skates during a domestic tournament in Tehran - watched by an organising official.

5 of 12 A Chinese woman mounts a protest on top of a block of flats in Beijing, China, complaining of corruption. Six women demonstrated for several hours.

6 of 12 In Truro in England,18-year-old sisters Lil, Helen and Kate Armstrong celebrate getting the grades they need to become the first set of triplets to win places at Cambridge University.

7 of 12 The clear-up continues for residents in Port Charlotte, Florida, following last week's devastating Hurricane Charley.

8 of 12 A shocked woman is treated by medics in the southern Israeli town of Sderot after a rocket attack by Palestinian militants.

9 of 12 People in Pakistan's tribal areas pray for militants killed in a crackdown on al-Qaeda - and protest against the US and Pakistan's army for ongoing operations in their area.

10 of 12 Two Chinese women's doubles table tennis teams battle for a place in the final in Athens.

11 of 12 British rally driver Ollie Marshall sets a pace during a test stage before the 10th round of the FIA World Rally Championships in Germany.

12 of 12 Activists protest in Jakarta, Indonesia, against the smuggling of orang-utans to Thailand, where they are allegedly used in entertainment shows and boxing matches.