Today's best photos: from sandstorms in Iraq to a dark opening on Mars - in pictures

  • A youth dives into the Shatt Al Arab river during a sandstorm in Iraq's southern city of Basra. Another sandstorm in Iraq sent at least 4,000 people to hospital with breathing problems and led to the closure of airports, schools and public offices. AFP
    A youth dives into the Shatt Al Arab river during a sandstorm in Iraq's southern city of Basra. Another sandstorm in Iraq sent at least 4,000 people to hospital with breathing problems and led to the closure of airports, schools and public offices. AFP
  • The Korean People's Army medical corps attend the launch of a campaign to improve the supply of medicines amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Reuters
    The Korean People's Army medical corps attend the launch of a campaign to improve the supply of medicines amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Reuters
  • Buddhist devotees and tourists release lanterns into the air on Borobudur temple during celebrations for Vesak Day in Magelang, central Java, Indonesia. Getty Images
    Buddhist devotees and tourists release lanterns into the air on Borobudur temple during celebrations for Vesak Day in Magelang, central Java, Indonesia. Getty Images
  • The Manhattan skyline is visible, upper left, as cars traverse the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the Brooklyn and Staten Island boroughs of New York, while fog covers the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and New York Bay. AP
    The Manhattan skyline is visible, upper left, as cars traverse the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the Brooklyn and Staten Island boroughs of New York, while fog covers the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and New York Bay. AP
  • The remains of a Russian helicopter lie in a bomb-cratered field on May 16, in Biskvitne, Ukraine. Ukrainian and western officials say Russia is withdrawing forces around Kharkiv, and it may now redirect troops to Ukraine's south-east. Getty Images
    The remains of a Russian helicopter lie in a bomb-cratered field on May 16, in Biskvitne, Ukraine. Ukrainian and western officials say Russia is withdrawing forces around Kharkiv, and it may now redirect troops to Ukraine's south-east. Getty Images
  • Stocks of elephant ivory in Harare, stacked one on top of another inside a strong room where Zimbabwe's ivory is secured during a tour of by EU envoys. AFP
    Stocks of elephant ivory in Harare, stacked one on top of another inside a strong room where Zimbabwe's ivory is secured during a tour of by EU envoys. AFP
  • Children walk past as smoke rises from a re-rolling mill in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Reuters
    Children walk past as smoke rises from a re-rolling mill in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Reuters
  • An image captured by Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity shows a dark opening on Mars. Reuters
    An image captured by Nasa's Mars rover Curiosity shows a dark opening on Mars. Reuters