Wednesday's best photos: a WWII ceremony and a handy new sculpture

The Guardian’s picture editors select photo highlights from around the world

Selected by

Main image: Paris, France

Emmanuel Macron’s convoy drives up the Champs Élysées to mark Victory Day. Photograph: Christophe Ena/Pool via Reuters

  • Rafah, Gaza

    A Palestinian family break their fast next to their house that was destroyed during the two-day escalation in Rafah
    A Palestinian family break their fast next to their house that was destroyed during the two-day escalation in Rafah

  • Nicosia, Cyprus

    A diver walks out from a toxic man-made lake after a search for a third victim, part of an investigation hunting for bodies dumped by a suspected serial killer
    A diver walks out from a toxic man-made lake after a search for a third victim, part of an investigation hunting for bodies dumped by a suspected serial killer

  • Asuncion, Paraguay

    Cristaldo family members wash their clothes at a shelter. Around 40,000 Paraguayans have been forced to evacuate their homes in recent weeks due to rising waters
    Cristaldo family members wash their clothes at a shelter after flooding

  • Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Ajax fans wave flares outside the Johan Cruijff Arena prior to the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg football match between Ajax and Tottenham
    Ajax fans wave flares outside the Johan Cruijff Arena

  • New York, New York

    Drivers take part in a rally demanding more job security and liveable incomes at Uber and Lyft headquarters
    Drivers take part in a rally demanding more job security and liveable incomes at Uber and Lyft Headquaters

  • Catania, Italy

    Volcanologists Monitor Mount Etna with special thermal cameras, the largest active volcano in Europe.
    Volcanologists Monitor Mount Etna with special thermal cameras, the largest active volcano in Europe.

  • Venice, Italy

    The Chile Pavilion at the 58th Biennale
    The Chile Pavilion at the 58th Biennale

  • Vargas State, Venezuela

    Opposition leader Juan Guaido waves to students at Los Corales 2006 private school, which he attended as a child
    Opposition leader Juan Guaido waves to students at Los Corales 2006 private school, which he attended as a child

  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    A soldier patrols during a ceremony to celebrate the Allied Forces victory in World War II
    A Brazilian soldier patrols during a ceremony to celebrate the Allied Forces victory in World War II

  • Herat, Afghanistan

    Children learn to read the Qur’an at a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan
    Herat, Afghanistan. Children learn to read the Qur’an at a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan

  • Coachella Valley, US

    Footprints in a dried up section of Mission Creek in Desert Hot Springs, California. The state’s fourth climate change assessment found that temperatures of the inland deserts of Southern California were expected to continue climbing
    Coachella Valley, US. Footprints in a dried up section of Mission Creek in Desert Hot Springs, California. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment found that temperatures of the inland deserts of Southern California are expected to continue climbing with average daily highs increasing by as much as 14 degrees this century if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising

  • Windsor, England

    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, present their newborn son in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle
    Windsor, UK. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex present their newborn son in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle

  • Kawasaki, Japan

    The British athletes Anyika Onuora, left, and Perri Shakes-Drayton train with the new mixed 400-metre relay team at Todoroki stadium. The race will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020
    Kawasaki, Japan. British athletes Anyika Onuora, left, and Perri Shakes-Drayton train with the new mixed 400-metre relay team at Todoroki stadium. The new mixed relay race will make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020

  • Lahore, Pakistan

    Security officials inspect the scene of a suicide bomb attack that targeted a police vehicle outside a shrine. At least eight people, including five police officers, were killed and 25 were injured
    Lahore, PakistanSecurity officials inspect the scene of a suicide bomb attack that targeted a police vehicle outside a shrine. At least eight people, including five police officers, were killed and 25 were injured

  • Geneva, Switzerland

    A claw-set diamond ring weighing 36.57 carats is examined during a press preview of an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s. The ring is expected to fetch between up to $5.5m (£4.2m)
    Geneva, Switzerland. A claw-set diamond ring weighing 36.57 carats is examined during a press preview of an upcoming auction at Sotheby’s. The ring is expected to fetch between up to $5.5m (£4.2m)

  • Venice, Italy

    The Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn’s Building Bridges, a sculptural installation showing six pairs of arching hands creating a bridge over a Venetian waterway in a former shipyard, before the 58th International Venice Biennale art exhibition
    Venice, Italy: The Italian artist Lorenzo Quinn’s Building Bridges, a sculptural installation showing six pairs of arching hands creating a bridge over a Venetian waterway in a former shipyard, before the 58th International Venice Biennale art exhibition

  • Bamako, Mali

    A motorcycle ride through the capital city
    Bamako, Mali. People ride a motorbike through capital city

  • Paris, France

    Soldiers from a naval school take part in a ceremony to mark the end of the second world war at the Arc de Triomphe
    Paris, France. Soldiers from a naval school take part in a ceremony to mark the end of World War II at the Arc de Triomphe

  • Windsor, England

    The Queen smiles through the rain as she watches her horses in the four-year-old hunter class at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
    Windsor, UK. The Queen smiles through the rain as she watches her horses in the four-year-old hunter class at the Royal Windsor Horse Show

  • Bekkersdal, South Africa

    Voters queue in the early morning sun in the mining settlement, west of Johannesburg. South Africans are voting in a national election that pits Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling African National Congress party against the opposition parties the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters
    Bekkersdal, South Africa. Voters queue in the early morning sun in the mining settlement west of Johannesburg. South Africans are voting in a national election that pits President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ruling African National Congress against top opposition parties Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters
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