Returnees travel home in mini-vans after former members of the al-Qaida-linked insurgents al-Shabaab vacated the area in the Bakara neighborhood of Somalia's capital Mogadishu. (Reuters)
People take cover as police clash with dozens of stone-throwing Kurdish protesters during a rally in Istanbul, Turkey. (AP)
Russian children look at balloons rising into the sky, as they wait for the start of the first school lesson on the Day of Knowledge in Moscow. (AP)
Workers stand on a cherry picker in front of a banner with a large mobile phone as preparations for IFA, the world's largest trade fair for consumer electronics and electrical home appliances, continue in Berlin, Germany. (AP)
Slovakia's Dana Veldakova makes an attempt in the final of the Women's Triple Jump at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea. (AP)
A Bichon Frise dog, dressed in Ukraine's top division soccer club's Shakhtar Donetsk t-shirt, sits in a fan shop on their home ground, Donbass Arena, in Donetsk. (Reuters)
A participant during the Burning Man 2011 "Rites of Passage" arts and music festival in Black Rock desert, Nevada, USA. More than 50,000 people from all over the world have gathered at the sold out festival which is celebrating its 25th year. (Reuters)
Students take cover from a riot police water cannon during a protest against the country's educational system, in Santiago, Chile. (AFP)
From left: Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari walk away after posing for a picture at a residence outside Dushanbe, Takjik capital. The leaders of the four nations gathered to discuss reconstruction in Afghanistan and the joint fight against drug trafficking and terrorism. (AP)
A huge fish-shape installation formed by more than 2,500 lanterns as part of the celebration of the mid-autumn festival in Hong Kong. (AP)
A Hindu devotee offers milk to a snake as part of a ritual on Naag Panchami festival in Jammu. The Hindu festival of Naag Panchami is a day dedicated to snake worship. (AP)
A priest blesses a barrel of beer, as members of the Knighthood of the Brewers' Mashstaff take part in celebrations of Saint-Arnould, patron saint of brewers, during a mass at the Sint-Gudule Cathedral in Brussels, Belgium. (Reuters)
Visitors walk past the Panasonic booth at IFA, one of the world's largest trade fairs for consumer electronics and electrical home appliances in Berlin, Germany. (AP)
A view of the Mae West Room by Salvador Dali at a presentation of a new exhibition of his work at Moscow's Pushkin, Russia. The exhibition is part of a cultural exchange between Russia and Spain taking place this year. (Reuters)
USA's Dwight Phillips competes on his way to winning the gold medal in the Men's Long Jump final at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea. (AP)
Two-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs play in Prague zoo, Czech Republic. (Reuters)
British actress Kate Winslet arrives for the premiere of the TV Series Mildred Pierce at the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy. (AP)
Smoke from a wildfire hangs in the sky, in Bastrop, Texas, USA. Officials hope that calmer winds will help firefighters battling a wildfire that has destroyed nearly 500 homes in Central Texas and forced thousands of residents to evacuate to shelters to avoid the blaze. (AP)
Rescue workers search for missing people among the debris in Gojo, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The death toll from tropical depression Talas has risen to 25 with 52 missing, the government said, as torrential rain pounded the western part of the country on the weekend, triggering mudslides and bursting river banks. (Reuters/Kyodo)
Internally-displaced citizens return to their homes after the army took control of the area at Al-Damazin town in Blue Nile State, Sudan. Fighting erupted last week in Blue Nile state in Sudan between the Sudanese army and fighters allied to Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the dominant force in newly independent South Sudan. (Reuters)
An anti-Gadhafi fighter sleeps at the last checkpoint before the town of Bani Walid, currently held by pro-Gadhafi forces, in southeast Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)
Demonstrators gather in front of the Gothic cathedral in Milan, Italy. A strike by the country's largest labor union against austerity measures has shut down air, land and sea transport and curtailed other public services throughout the country. (AP)
Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich delivers his speech after opposition deputies unfolded a placard of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in the chamber during the opening session of the parliament in Kyiv. (Reuters)
Police officers rescue a girl who was held hostage by a man next to the Parramata court building near Sydney, Australia. (Reuters)
Pakistani girls, who collect recyclable material for their living, walk at a roadside in Rawalpindi. (AP)
A garbage collector rests at the entrance of a building where the air-conditioned cool air is blowing in Shanghai, China. (AP)
Two Aldabra giant tortoises fight for a carrot during feeding time at the Singapore Zoo. The Aldabra giant tortoise, from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, are the second largest species of tortoises on Earth and can weigh more than five times the weight of an average human being, according to the Singapore Zoo. (Reuters)
A clay idol of the Hindu goddess Durga lies on the ground for drying at a workshop in Kolkata, India. The idols will be used during the Durga Puja festival from October 2-6, which is the biggest religious event for Bengali Hindus. (Reuters)
Relatives wait for confirmation on status of their kin injured in bomb blast at the RML hospital in New Delhi, India. A bomb apparently hidden in a briefcase exploded outside a top court in New Delhi, killing 10 people. (AP)
A policeman assists Mohammad Azam, 56, injured at the site of a double suicide bombing in Quetta, Pakistan. (Reuters)
An anti-Mubarak protester sits on the ground as she attends a protest outside the police academy court in Cairo, Egypt. The ousted President Hosni Mubarak returned to court for a fourth hearing in his trial on charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters during the 18-day-uprising. (AP)
A row of homes destroyed by wildfire in Bastrop, Texas, USA. The fire has destroyed more than 600 homes and blackened about 45 square miles in and around Bastrop. (AP)
The luxury interior decoration of the state-owned Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Sixth factory in Harbin, in northeast China's Heilongjiang province. The drug firm has caused online outrage for allegedly building offices that appear to mimic France's Versailles palace, complete with gold-tinted walls and chandeliers. (AFP)
Railway workers push a wagon loaded with coal back to its track after it derailed at Sabarmati power house in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad. (Reuters)
A test of the Tribute in Light rises above lower Manhattan, in New York, September 6, 2011. The memorial, sponsored by the Municipal Art Society, will light the sky on the evening of September 11 in honor of those who died ten years before in the terror attacks on the United States. (AP)
Rally driver Mikko Hirvonen of Finland piggybacks a seal on the eve of Round 10 of the World Rally Championship in Coffs Harbour, Australia. (AFP)
Major north-south highway, Route 29, is flooded in Trenton, New Jersey, USA, as the Delaware River continues to rise. Remnants from tropical Storm Lee continue to produce heavy rain there . (AP)
A supporter of Russian professional hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl grieves outside the ice hockey arena in Yaroslavl. All but one of the 28 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl players traveling to Belarus for their first game of the season were killed when their Yak-42 jet crashed on September 7, 2011. (AP)
School children offer prayers inside their school in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad for the victims of a bomb blast outside Delhi's High Court. (Reuters)
A girl walks next to an elderly woman selling plants at the entrance of a pedestrian underpass in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine. (Reuters)
Workers make a final preparation in front of an exhibition tent built for a visit by Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the country's far eastern city of Vladivostok. (Reuters)
A worker of Korea Exchange Bank walks in the compound of KEB in Seoul, South Korea. (Reuters)
A worker walks through the Hacker Pschorr beer tent during preparations for the 178th Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich, southern Germany. (AP)
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron plays tennis with London mayor Boris Johnson, not pictured, in Trafalgar Square London. The politicians joined paralympic athletes in the square to mark international Paralympic Day. (AP)
Rafael Nadal of Spain serves to Gilles Muller of Luxembourg during their match at the US Open tennis tournament in New York. (Reuters)
US First Lady Michelle Obama points with her racket as she takes part in a "Let's Move" tennis clinic at the US Open to promote physical activity for kids, in New York. (Reuters)
A police officer stands guard in New York's Times Square as the ABC news ticker displays news of an al-Qaida terror threat. (AP)
Floodwaters of the Susquehanna River partially submerge homes, in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. (AP)
A masked Palestinian protester waves a national flag as he jumps past burning tires during a demonstration against the closure of a road by Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement of Kfar Kadumim, on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Kafr Qaddum. (AFP)
Wang Gengxiang, known as "Masked Boy", plays in the front courtyard of his house at Mijiazhuang village on the outskirts of Fenyang, North China's Shanxi province. Gengxiang, 6, was severely burned in an accident involving a pile of burning straw last winter. (Reuters)
Child-shaped lanterns are displayed as part of the celebration of the upcoming Mid-Autumn festival in Hong Kong. (AP)
Members of German NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo march during a change of command ceremony in Pristina, Kosovo. (AFP)
A man rides his motorcycle through a flooded road during heavy rains in New Delhi, India. (Reuters)
Dancers perform a traditional Maori dance during the opening ceremony of Rugby World Cup game at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. (AP)
The Duke and Duchess of Devonshire view the sculpture Lion 2 by Ji Yong-Ho in the gardens of their Chatsworth House in central England. The work is part of the Beyond Limits exhibition of modern and contemporary sculpture displayed in the gardens. (Reuters)
Fish crowd around a steamed bun thrown into a lake by a tourist at a park in Beijing, China. (AP)
A woman places her hand on one of the panels containing the names of victims of the attacks, on the first day that the 9/11 Memorial was opened to the public at the World Trade Center site in New York. (Reuters)
A local man sits at a traditional tea house on a back alley during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in Shanghai, China. (AP)
A man stands on a harbor wall as waves crash around him during gale force winds in Portstewart , Northern Ireland. (Reuters)
Somali men, who were fleeing Somalia and were captured by anti-Gaddafi fighters in Kofra City, sit at the headquarters of the Libyan Red Crescent in Benghazi. The men are staying at the headquarters as they seek asylum in Libya. (Reuters)
A vendor sells flowers at a market in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP)
Newlyweds Nadia Zubi and Ameen Imseeh, react during a portrait session between the pillars of the Citadel in Amman, Jordan. The site, which towers over central Amman, includes some of the earliest fortifications known to man. (AP)
A hippopotamus sits in water at Tripoli's zoo. Animals in the zoo, which was considered one the best in Africa, have suffered as the situation worsened in the Libya conflict. The manager of the zoo is appealing for international help. (AFP)
A woman sits back to enjoy the view near a giant dragon-shaped lantern set up to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival in Beijing, China. (AP)
A protester during a demonstration in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. Protesters urged the Philippine government to support the creation of a U.N. body to investigate human rights abuses in Burma. (Reuters)
Steeve Guenot of France (top) fights against T. Valimaki of Finland during the elimination match of the Freestyle World Wrestling Championship in Istanbul, Turkey. (AFP)
Children play in a flooded street in Sena district, Ayutthaya province, about 80 km north of Bangkok. Thailand is suffering from severe floods and mudslides after being hit by tropical storm "Nock-Ten", which has killed up to 82 people. (Reuters)
A worker walks on the roof of the construction site of Poland's National Stadium, built for the Euro 2012 soccer championships, in Warsaw. (Reuters)
Anti-Gadhafi fighters walk in a pigeon farm in Moammar Gadhafi's house compound in Assdada Fort, some 170 km (105 miles) southwest of Sirte. (Reuters)
A road is covered in hail as a man checks his car after a storm hit the city of Wellington, New Zealand. (Reuters)
Election posters of the BIG party are seen on a lamp post in Berlin, Germany. Berliners will elect a new mayor in a city election on September 18, 2011. (Reuters)
A Pakistani retrieves belongings from his flooded home following heavy rainfall in Karachi. (AP)
View of a crash between two passenger trains and a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At least seven people were killed and 162 injured in a rush-hour crash. (AP)
A horseman rides with a spear during the 'Toro de la Vega' bull spearing fiesta in Tordesillas. The festival is one of the oldest in Spain with roots dating back to the fifteenth century. (AP)
A bolt of lightning appears to hit in front of the Rio Hotel & Casino during a thunderstorm in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. (AFP)
Two newborn Red Panda twin cubs are presented to the media at the Berlin Tierpark zoo, Germany. The pandas named Kit and Kitty were born in June in the German capital. (Reuters)
Sea gulls huddle together in a strong wind in New Plymouth, New Zealand. (AP)
People lie in an installation that is part of Tomas Saraceno's Cloud Cities exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, Germany. (Reuters)
Malaysian students perform during a rehearsal for Malaysia Day celebrations at Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur. The country celebrates the holiday on September 16, to commemorate the formation of the Malaysia federation which was announced on the same date in 1963. (AP)
NATO and Afghan troops attend to casualties during a battle with Taliban insurgents who took over a building near the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Reuters)
People walk over a world map in Lisbon, Portugal. (Reuters)
Burnt Euro notes are displayed in the money museum of German Bundesbank in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP)
An employee arranges a plastinated dog specimen between two horse specimens at a workshop of Dalian Hoffen Bio-Technique Co. Ltd. in Dalian, Liaoning province, China. Founded by Sui Hongjin in 2004, Dalian Hoffen Bio-Technique Co. Ltd. produces, preserves and exhibits plastinated biotic specimens of human and animals. (Reuters)
A couple walks past a fence decorated with a painting resembling Mona Lisa in Seoul, South Korea. The fence was installed to conceal an art museum which was under renovation. (Reuters)
A Scottish fan waits for the start of the Scotland-Georgia game at the Rugby World Cup Pool B match at the Rugby Park stadium, Invercargill, New Zealand. (AP)
Chris "The Duchess" Walton demonstrates how she texts with her Guinness world record holding fingernails inside the New York Public Library in New York. Her nails measure 10 feet 2 inches on her left hand and 9 feet 7 inches on her right hand. She has been growing them for 18 years. (Reuters)
The concept "e-cell", based on a SLR super sports car is seen at the exhibition booth of German car manufacturer Mercedes during the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany. (Reuters)
South Korean Marine landing craft participate in the 61th Incheon Landing Operations Commemoration Ceremony, near the coastal city of Incheon. (AP)
Indian girls perform the Garba, a traditional dance of western Indian state of Gujarat, as part of preparation for Navratri festival in Ahmadabad. (AP)
A villager carries water as she walks through a drought-hit paddy field in Bontoa village, Maros district, in Indonesia's South Sulawesi province. (Reuters)
Somali refugees, who fled Sebbah in the south desert of Libya, make a stop in Garyat on the road to Tripoli. (AP)
An anti-government protester shouts slogans during a rally to demand the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana'a. (Reuters)
Panasonic's "Evolta" swim robot, powered by the company's Evolta rechargeable batteries, is demonstrated at a pool during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan. The company said three types of Evolta robots, developed to swim, bike and run, will attempt to complete an ironman triathlon course in Hawaii on October 24, 2011. (Reuters)
A visitor looks at an exhibit in a display of Elizabeth Taylor's collection of jewelry, paintings and costumes held in Moscow's GUM department store on Red Square, Russia. The two-day show is the first of a world tour of the items from the late actress's estate due to be auctioned in December. (Reuters)
A Russian Soyuz TMA-21 space capsule descends about 150 km southeast of the Kazakh town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. NASA Astronaut Garan, Russian Cosmonauts Borisenko and Samokutyayev are returning from more than five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 27 and 28 crews. (AP)
Malaysians celebrate the 48th anniversary of Malaysia Day as well as the 54 years of Independence Day, in Kuala Lumpur. (Reuters)
Pakistani Navy personnel distribute aid to flood-affected villagers in Jhudo district. (AFP)
A resident carries a potted plant through floodwaters in Ang Thong province, 100 km (62 miles) north of Bangkok, Thailand. (Reuters)
Fighters loyal to Libya's new leaders fire their artillery during clashes with pro-Gadhafi armed men in the city of Bani Walid, southeast of Tripoli. (AFP)
A local rural worker stands near a carcass in a field covered with ash from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain, which has been in a state of eruption since June 4, in the mountain resort of San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina's Patagonia region, September 15, 2011. (Reuters)
A man sets himself on fire outside a branch of Piraeus bank in the northern port city of Thessaloniki, Greece. (AP)
Octopus Ophira, a so-called "octopus oracle", at the Sea Life Aquarium in Berlin, Germany, predicts top candidate of the environmental Greens party Die Gruenen Renate Kuenast as the winner in the upcoming Berlin regional state elections. (Reuters)
A girl plays at "Cup Noodles Park", an interactive attraction where children can experience the manufacturing process of cup noodles, at the Cup Noodles museum in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan. (Reuters)
Dancers rehearse ahead of their performance of ASA, a co-production between EDNO and the dance company Derida Dance, as part of Sofia Dance Week. The fourth annual Sofia Dance Week takes place from September 26 to October 1, 2011. (Reuters)
Grower Derek Neumann arrives with his award winning giant cabbage at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in Harrogate, northern England. (Reuters)
A performer plays a game on an iPad while waiting for a Beijing opera performance, ahead of the closing ceremony of the 1st young Beijing Opera actors' arena contest in Beijing, China. (Reuters)
A Palestinian sits next to his camel on the beach in Gaza City. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday that he would push ahead with plans to seek full U.N. membership for a Palestinian state. (Reuters)
Fossil remains of a tree-climbing ape's jaw from about 20 million years ago in Uganda's Karamoja region are presented at a news conference in Paris. Scientists discovered the remains on July 18 while looking for fossils in the remnants of an extinct volcano. (Reuters)
A man works on his laptop in the cafe of the Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia. Twenty-two years after the fall of its communist regime, Bulgaria opened its first-ever museum of the state-sponsored, propaganda art characteristic of that era. (AFP)
Members of a German military honor guard stand in position before the start of an official state banquet in honor of Turkish President Abdullah Gul hosted by German President Christian Wulff at Bellevue Castle in Berlin. (AP)
A woman walks near brooms placed at the beach by members of Rio de Paz (Peace River) in Rio de Janeiro. A total of 594 brooms, representing the number of congressmen in the country, were meant to symbolize the need to 'sweep off' corruption in the Brazilian National Congress. (Reuters)
A Pakistani woman walks along a flooded road holding an axe to cut wood, in Digri district near Hyderabad, Pakistan. The U.N. appealed for $357 million Sunday to help millions of Pakistanis affected by floods that have damaged hundreds of thousands of homes. (AP)
Sheep shearer Paul Lambert clips wool in a woodshed in Portobello near Dunedin, New Zealand. (Reuters)
Combo picture shows fans wearing face paint with the colors of the 15 out of 20 countries participating in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. (AFP)
An Indian boy shows a crack of damaged road in Gangtok, India. Rescue workers in helicopters and earth movers raced Monday to reach villages cut off by mudslides after a powerful earthquake damaged thousands of homes in the remote Himalayan region. (AP)
Chinese director Liu Jiayin leaps in front of a poster for "Digital Shadows: Last Generation Chinese Film", a thematic cycle of films made up of 18 works shot digitally from 2000-2010, including Liu's Niupi er (Oxhide II) during the 59th San Sebastian Film Festival. (Reuters)
Spain's team captain Juan Carlos Navarro raises the FIBA EuroBasket 2011 trophy during a celebration in central Madrid. Spain won their second European title after beating France in the final game. (Reuters)
Chairman of Tata Group Ratan Tata poses in front of a Nano car made of gold during a ceremony in Mumbai, India. About 80 kg of 22 karat gold, approximately 15 kg of silver and gemstones were used to decorate the car, according to a press statement. (Reuters)
Waitresses wait for visitors behind empty beer mugs during rainy weather at the famous beer festival 'Oktoberfest' in Munich, southern Germany. The world's biggest beer festival runs until October 3. (AP)
Hideko Kurihara, 79, exercises with wooden dumbbells during a health promotion event to mark "Respect for the Aged Day" at a temple in Tokyo. Many elderly people took part in the annual event held at Sugamo district, where it is known as "Harajuku for Grannies." (Reuters)
Locals and rescue personnel search for bodies trapped in the debris of homes after the 6.9 earthquake in Dikchu about 20 km from Mangan on the border between India's northeastern Sikkim state and Nepal. (AFP)
Palestinians applaud during the unveiling of a symbolic chair in the West Bank city of Ramallah, supporting the Palestinian statehood bid. (AP)
Flames are seen in a street after a blast in central Ankara. A bomb blast rocked the center of the Turkish capital. (Reuters)
An internally displaced Somali woman mourns near the body of her son, who died of malnourishment, in Hodan district, south of Somalia's capital Mogadishu. (Reuters)
A girl sits on makeshift walkway on a flooded street near a mosque in Ayutthaya province, Thailand. (Reuters)
Officials stand next to the carcass of an unidentified whale at Clifton beach in Karachi, Pakistan. A dead whale was washed up on the beach and authorities have initiated efforts to remove its carcass, local media reported. (Reuters)
Kamani, 70, who has been displaced by floods, prepares food outside her tent after escaping from a flooded village in the Badin district of Pakistan's Sindh province. (Reuters)
Tourists look at high-rise buildings in Pudong new develop zone in Shanghai, China. (AP)
A Wodaabe woman chooses a husband during the "Cure Salee" festival in Ingal, Niger. Tuareg, Peul and Wodaabe nomads congregate each year at the salt flats around the northern oasis town of Ingal for the "Cure Salee" (salt cure), where their camels, cattle, sheep and goats drink the mineral-rich water after months on the move. (Reuters)
Team members of the classic yacht "Moonbeam' in the harbor of Cannes, southeastern France, during the 33rd Royal Regatta of Cannes (AP)
A caretaker at the Calauit island wildlife sanctuary feeding giraffes with tree leaves in Busuanga, Palawan province, in the western Philippines. Calauit island wildlife sanctuary covers 3,700 hectares and is home to endemic animals and African wildlife. (AFP)
A model displays a Spring/Summer design by Ibai Labega during the EGO for young designers at the Pasarela Cibeles fashion show, in Madrid, Spain. (AP)
New Zealand player Brad Thorn plays with children during training in Christchurch in Christchurch. (AP)
People walk under strong winds and rains from Typhoon Violet in downtown Tokyo, Japan. (AP)
Indian villagers evacuated by helicopter from Chungthang in Mangan, India. Soldiers in northeastern India cleared a path Wednesday to a hydroelectric project where many were confirmed killed by landslides in a powerful Himalayan earthquake. (AP)
Traffic heading into the Bahraini capital of Manama along a highway running through ancient burial mounds near Aali. Traffic has been slowed to a crawl on many Bahrain highways after calls by pro-reform groups to flood the roads with slow-moving cars in a show of strength before parliamentary elections later this week. (AP)
A journalist tends to a Palestinian youth who was hit in the face with a tear gas canister fired by Israeli security forces during clashes that erupted between Israeli troops and Palestinian stone-throwers at Qalandiya checkpoint, West Bank. (Reuters)
A steward sits on a seat at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, during preparations for the Pope Benedict XVI's visit. (AP)
Armenian Orthodox clergy walk during a military parade marking the 20th anniversary of Armenia's Independence Day in Yerevan. (AP)
Wind turbines on the Tararua mountain range on the outskirts of the town of Palmerston North, New Zealand. (Reuters)
A man transports used empty plastic containers on a horse cart to a junkyard in Panchkula in the northern Indian state of Haryana. (Reuters)
A plastinated human body with an electric guitar is seen during the exhibition "Body Worlds" by Gunther von Hagen in Rome, Italy. Von Hagen is a German anatomist who invented plastination, the method of preserving biological tissue specimens. (Reuters)
Artists from the Chinese acrobatics team from Yunnan province perform during a cultural show organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in New Delhi, India, September 20, 2011. (Reuters)
Demonstrators hold effigies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L), Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest outside the 66th UN General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (AFP)
A woman carries a metal jar containing water on her head inside a house, as seen from a bunker of U.S. soldiers from Task Force "No Fear" Alpha Co 2-27 Infantry in Ghaziabad district in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan. (Reuters)
A stray dog barks at policemen outside the Greek parliament during a protest march by students against economic austerity and planned education reforms in Athens, Greece. (Reuters)
A demonstrator opposing the visit of Pope Benedict XVI wears a caricature of a Catholic nun with a slogan reading 'Never Again', during a protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. (Reuters)
Wearing their traditional dress, a group of Iranian Turkmen, who are members of Basij militia, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, march, during armed forces parade marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the Iraq-Iran war, in front of the mausoleum of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran. (AP)
People riding bicycles pass the Republic Museum during World Car Free Day in Brasilia, Brazil. The movement, whereby participants switch from using cars to bicycles, aims to raise awareness on environmental problems caused by heavy usage of cars in urban areas. (Reuters)
A farmer picks cotton on a farm in Qaha about 25 km (16 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters)
A woman looks into the eyes of a sculpture of golfer Jack Nicklaus during the last practice day ahead of the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in Dunsany near Dublin, Ireland. (AFP)
A model shows off part of the Fendi Women's Spring-Summer 2012 collection, during the Fashion Week in Milan, Italy. (AP)
Fans attend the 2011 Rugby World Cup pool D match Namibia vs South Africa at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. (AFP)
Fischer's Lovebirds stand in a bird cage at Pairi Daiza, a zoo and botanical garden, in Brugelette, Belgium. (Reuters)
Libyans are seen through the new flag of their country while attending an open-air Friday prayer in downtown Tripoli. (AP)
Afghan soldiers carry the coffin of slain former President Burhanuddin Rabbani during his funeral at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. (Reuters)
Hundreds of students execute "planking" by lying prone on the pavement during a rally near the Presidential Palace in Manila, Philippines, to protest budget cuts in education for state universities and colleges in the country. (AP)
The airplane with Pope Benedict XVI inside is approaching to land in Erfurt, Germany. Pope Benedict XVI is on a four-day official visit to his homeland Germany. (AP)
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso of Spain steers his car during a practice session for Sunday's Singapore Formula One Grand Prix on the Marina Bay City Circuit in Singapore. (AP)
New world champion Arnaud Demare of France celebrates winning the men under 23 road race over 168 kilometers (104.4 miles) with start and finish in Holte, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. (AP)
A man works on a model of a giant lion that will be used for the Durga Puja festival, in Kolkata, India. The festival will be celebrated from October 2 to 6, and is the biggest religious event for Bengali Hindus. (Reuters)
A sea lion makes its way across the beach to the sea at Sandfly Bay near Dunedin in New Zealand. (AFP)
A model at the 2011 Cali Exposhow's launch ceremony in Cali, Colombia, September 22, 2011. (AP)
A Palestinian holds a sign depicting caricatures of German Chancellor Merkel, US President Obama and French President Sarkozy during a protest against the UN Security Council meeting, Ramallah, the West Bank. (AP Photo)
Yemeni Soldiers march during a military parade celebrating the 49th anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, Sanaa. (AP Photo)
Anti-government protesters carry the bodies of those killed during recent clashes with Yemeni security forces during a funeral procession in Sanaa, September 25, 2011. (AP)
A Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) official shows journalists on September 25, 2011 what is believed to be a human jawbone found in a mass grave with the remains of more than 1,700 prisoners that NTC said were executed in 1996 at Tripoli's notorious Abu Salim prison. (AFP)
Iraqi security forces stand guard at the scene of a bomb attack in Karbala, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, September 25, 2011. (AP Photo)
Belongings of victims are scattered at the scene of the Buddha Air plane crash in Lalitpur, September 25, 2011. (Reuters)
A displaced Pakistani girl eats an orange as she and her family take refuge on a roadside in Tando Allah Yar, in Pakistan's Sindh province, after fleeing their flood-hit homes. (AP Photo)
Members of the Spanish public walk in the Monumental bullring following the final bullfight to be held in the region of Catalonia, Barcelona, September 25, 2011. (AP)
Team of Germany performs with 3 Ribbons and 2 Hoops in the groups final competition of the 31st Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships on September 25, 2011 in Montpellier, southern France. (AFP)
A dog rides a wave at a surf dog contest in Huntington Beach, California, September 25, 2011. (Reuters)
A Libyan man walks by graffiti in Tripoli, depicting Moammar Gadhafi. (AP)
Displaced Pakistanis take refugee along a road surrounded by flood waters, after fleeing their homes in Kunri, in Umerkot District of Pakistan's Sindh province. (AP)
A boy cries as he waits for the search and recovery of his relatives beneath the rubble after strong winds brought by Typhoon Nesat knocked down a wall killing four residents in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila, Philippines. (Reuters)
People play in high waves along the sea wall on Roxas Blvd. during Typhoon Nesat in Manila, Philippines. (AFP)
Cambodians compete in a Khmer wrestling match during the Pchum Ben festival, the festival of death, at Vihear Suor village in Kandal province, some 50 kilometres northeast of Phnom Penh. (AFP)
An elderly Taiwanese woman performs during a celebration honoring Taiwanese centenarians in Taipei. (AP)
Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia watches the ball during their first round match of the Japan Pan Pacific Open tennis tournament against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in Tokyo, Japan. (AP)
Raoni Metuktire, 81, the chief of the Amazonian Indian tribe Kayapo, poses after being awarded the title of honorary citizen by Paris' mayor Bertrand Delanoe at Paris city hall, France. (AP)
A model wears a creation for Aganovich's spring-summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection presente in Paris, France. (AP)
An Occupy Wall Street campaign protester wears a mask on the back of his head as he walks through Zuccotti Park, near Wall Street in New York, USA. Protesters complaining about the power of the financial industry staged noisy demonstrations and slowed pedestrian traffic on Wall Street for the second consecutive week. (Reuters)
Egyptian students ride aboard a truck towards their school, as they approach a road checkpoint during a joint military and police anti-arms and drug traffickers campaign at the governate of Qaliubiya, north of Cairo. (AP)
A Libyan National Transitional Council fighter runs past smoke billowing at a position held by NTC in the outskirts of Bani Walid. (AFP)
Children living near the sea front, who lost their shanty homes during Typhoon Nesat, search for items they can salvage in Baseco town, Tondo city, Metro Manila, Philippines. (Reuters)
A woman walks on the muddy banks of the Ganges river before taking a holy dip during the Navratri festival, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad. The festival, which is held in honor of the Hindu goddess Durga, is celebrated over nine days. (Reuters)
A man dressed as Hindu goddess Kali, the goddess of power, applies makeup before performing during celebrations for Navratri on the outskirts of Jammu, India. (Reuters)
Traditional South Korean dancers perform in a twice-yearly event entitled "The Great Confucian Ceremony" to honor the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius at a shrine in Seoul. The shrine was built by an ancient school for Confucian scholars in 1398. (AFP)
School children dressed as ancient Chinese scholars, perform during a traditional ritual to celebrate Confucius' birthday, or Teachers' Day, at Taipei's Confucius Temple, Taiwan. (Reuters)
A Pakistani woman collects rice from the ground, during a food distribution, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP)
A Chinese Bai ethnic minority fisherman pulls two cormorants away from a fish during Erhai lake fishing opening festival in Dali, Yunnan province. (Reuters)
View of the 594 brooms planted on the grass in front of the National Congress in Brasilia. The demonstration is organized by Rio de Janeiro's "River of Peace" Movement and the 594 brooms - the number of deputies and senators of the Brazilian National Congress - symbolizes the "cleaning" of the country from corruption. (AFP)
Current British long jump champion J.J. Jegede performs an exhibition jump over three Mini cars back-dropped by Tower Bridge in London. (AP)
A forest fire engulfs the summit area and popular mountaineering site of Mount Merbabu in the Magelang district of Java island, Indonesia. (AFP)
Actors of The National Black Theater of Prague perform during a press rehearsal of "Alice in Wonderland" in Madrid, Spain. (Reuters)
Steam rises from the ground at the Craters of the Moon Geothermal Park near Taupo, New Zealand. (Reuters)
A Massachusetts cat with two faces that has become the world's longest surviving so called "janus" feline at 12 years of age. The cat, who is named Frank and Louie, has two mouths, two noses and three eyes. Frank and Louie have one brain, so the faces react in unison. (Reuters)
A fan waits for the start of the Rugby World Cup Pool B match between Georgia and Romania at the Manawatu stadium in Palmerston North, New Zealand. (AP)
Chilean students clash with riot police during a demonstration in Santiago in their ongoing attempt to press the government to reform the country's education system. (AFP)
Libyan revolutionary fighters pray at their position outside Sirte. (AP)
Strong waves hit the coast at Haikou on southern China's Hainan island as Typhoon Nesat packs winds of up to 151 kilometres (94 miles) per hour. (AFP)
A laborer smokes while taking a break from spreading maize crop to dry at a wholesale grain market in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh. India's food price index rose 9.13 percent, according to government data. (Reuters)
South Korean army soldiers dressed as North Korean soldiers running with North flags during Naktong River Battle re-enactment near the Waegwan railway bridge in Waegwan, South Korea. South Korean Defense Ministry re-enacted one of the important battles as part of commemorative events for the 61th anniversary of the Korean War. (AP)
A baby is baptized during a mass baptism ceremony in Tbilisi. About 450 children were baptized by the Georgian Orthodox church at the country's main cathedral Holy Trinity. (Reuters)
BASE jumper Sammy Rohan from Sydney, Australia, leaps with a parachute off Kuala Lumpur Tower, Malaysia. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after a blast in a quarry at the Ariab mine in east Sudan's Red Sea state. (Reuters)
Britain's Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge, meets well-wishers as she leaves after opening a children's cancer unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, in south-east England. (AFP)
A Chinese circus artist performs during a dress rehearsal of the "Fenmo "show of the Chinese Jinani circus at the Budapest's Grand Circus, Hungary. (AP)
Female Amur tiger Iris licks its 7-week-old cub during one of their first walks in an open-air cage at the Royev Ruchey zoo in Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk. (Reuters)
An aerial view of a flooded rice field in Bulacan province, north of Manila, Philippines. (Reuters/Philippine Air Force)
Volunteers help residents to cross under a strong current as they evacuate to safer grounds following massive flooding in Calumpit township, Bulacan province north of Manila, Philippines. (AP)
Middle school students sing revolutionary songs as they hold Chinese national flags during a ceremony to celebrate their upcoming National Day in Huaying, Sichuan province. (Reuters)
Vendors sell garlands of marigold flowers at a wholesale flower market ahead of Durga Puja festival in Kolkata. The garlands are in great demand as people seek to decorate temples and their homes during the festival from October 2 to October 6. (Reuters)
An aerial view of a farmer tending to a herd of cattle near harvesting fields in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan. (Reuters)
People wearing Belarusian regional costumes carry a huge wreath during a national festival marking the end of harvest collection in the town of Molodechno, 70 km (46 miles) northwest of Minsk. (AP)
A boy watches proceedings from behind two men wearing shirts bearing the national symbol of Turkey, during a visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the western Macedonian town of Gostivar. (AP)
A Christie's employee looks at a Mongol "Cloth of Gold" silk and metal thread robe at Christie's auction house in central London. The robe is expected to fetch between GBP 200,000-300,000 ($312,000-470,000 or euros 230,000-345,000) when it is auctioned at the Art of the Islamic and Indian Worlds sale in London. (AFP)
The building site of the new "Refuge du Goûter" at the Dôme du Goûter (4.304 meters-high) on the way to the summit of Mont Blanc. (AFP)
A Maori performs during the 2011 Rugby World Cup pool D match South Africa vs Samoa at the North Harbour stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. (AFP)
Men play in the mud on the banks of the Ganges river, before taking a dip in the river, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad. (Reuters)
A child watches chimpanzees sharing a coconut in their newly renovated habitat at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. (AFP)
