SEPTEMBER 30 - PHUKET, THAILAND: A devotee of the Jui Tui shrine takes part in the vegetarian festival parade. Its participants pierce their bodies to fight evil spirits, hoping it will bring them good luck.
Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images
Umbrella protests —
SEPTEMBER 29 - HONG KONG: Pro-democracy activists use umbrellas to shield themselves from tear gas, prompting many to dub the protest movement the "umbrella revolution." The goal of the largest protests since the 1997 handover is to pressure China into giving the former British colony full universal suffrage.
AP Photo/Wally Santana
Free Bua Noi —
SEPTEMBER 26 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Bua Noi, Pata Zoo's only gorilla, rests in her enclosure. Located on the sixth and seventh floors of the aging Pata department store, the zoo is being criticized for having cramped, inadequate facilities. A recent campaign to free Bua Noi has received over 35,000 signatures and the chief of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has agreed to meet with activists to discuss the matter.
Taylor Weidman/Getty Images
Rosh Hashanah —
SEPTEMBER 25 - JERUSALEM: An ultra-Orthodox man prays at the Western Wall, marking Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of year 5,775 in the Jewish calendar. Jews believe the occasion is a time for reflection and repentance and is referred to as the "day of judgment" or the "day of repentance."
AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner
First day of fall —
SEPTEMBER 24 - LONDON, ENGLAND: A red deer walks around in the morning light in Richmond Park. Tuesday was the fall equinox, when day and night are of equal lengths, marking the start of a new season.
Rob Stothard/Getty Images
New era? —
SEPTEMBER 23 - KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: Afghan girls listen to a speech by Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai in his first public appearance since winning the election runoff. The new president said he wanted more Afghan women represented at the highest levels of government, and he pledged to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court.
AP Photo/Rahmat Gul
Marching for peace —
SEPTEMBER 22 - MOSCOW, RUSSIA: A protester wears traditional Ukrainian flower headband during an anti-war rally in Moscow. Several thousand people took to the streets of the Russian capital to protest the war in Ukraine and how Kremlin has handled the crisis there.
SEPTEMBER 18, CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA: Mount Slamet spews lava and gas during its eruption seen from Pandansari village. The volcano erupted early Thursday as ash fell on some villages and activity is banned within four kilometers (2.5 miles) of the peak.
AP Photo/Idhad Zakaria
Climbing Matterhorn —
SEPTEMBER 17 - ZERMATT, SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn, one of the highest peaks of the Swiss Alps, is illuminated by the torch lights of climbers celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first ascent of the mountain. Matterhorn is popular worldwide and regarded as the emblem of the Alps.
Robert Boesch/Mammut/Photopress via AP Images
Mexico celebrates —
SEPTEMBER 26 - MEXICO CITY, MEXICO: Charros, as Mexican cowboys are known, salute the flag during a celebration of Mexico's 204th Independence Day on September 15.
AP Photo/Marco UgarteAP Photo/Marco Ugarte
Harry's games —
SEPTEMBER 15 - LONDON, UK: Prince Harry prepares to give a speech at the Invictus Games Closing Ceremony. The Prince came up with the idea for the international sports event for wounded warriors after visiting a similar competition in the U.S. The four-day event has brought together 13 teams from around the world to compete in nine events.
Chris Jackson/Getty Image
Urban colors —
SEPTEMBER 12 - NORTH SUMATRA, INDONESIA: Student performers join an urban fashion show during a cultural parade in the city of Medan.
AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara
Catalonia calls —
SEPTEMBER 11 - BARCELONA, SPAIN: People wave Catalan "Estelada" flags during a demonstration calling for the independence of Catalonia. A week before Scotland votes on whether to break away from the United Kingdom, separatists in northeastern Spain are demanding a secession sentiment vote.
AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti
Final supermoon —
SEPTEMBER 10 - SEVILLE, SPAIN: The moon rises over the Giralda, the tower of Seville's Cathedral, on September 9. This will be the third and final "supermoon", also known as a "Harvest Moon" or a "perigee moon" by scientists, of 2014. The phenomenon occurs when the moon is near the horizon and appears larger and brighter than usual.
AP Photo/Miguel Angel Morenatti
Living goddess —
SEPTEMBER 9 - KATHMANDU, NEPAL: A Nepalese child revered as a living goddess, or Kumari, is carried on a palanquin during a procession on the main day of the Indra Jatra festival at Basantapur Durbar Square on September 8. Nepal's week-long festival celebrates "Indra," the king of gods and the god of rains.
PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images
Waiting in line —
SEPTEMBER 8 - COSTESTI, ROMANIA: A Roma child waits in line to pass under a table as part of a local tradition during a religious service celebrating the Birth of the Virgin Mary at the Bistrita Monastery. Thousands of Roma gather on a nearby hillside after attending the service and celebrate by sharing food and playing traditional music until dawn.
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
Teacher tributes —
SEPTEMBER 5 - ALLAHABAD, INDIA: Schoolchildren crowd around a radio as they listen to a broadcast by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivering his Teachers' Day speech at a primary municipal school at Bakshi Kala Daraganj. Modi addressed hundreds of thousands of students during a live telecast to classrooms across India.
Sanjay Kanojia/AFP/Getty Images
NATO's pivotal moment —
SEPTEMBER 4 - NEWPORT, WALES: U.S. President Barack Obama meets school children at Mount Pleasant Primary School prior to the NATO summit. The meeting of leaders and senior ministers from 28 nations has been billed as the most important NATO gathering in more than a decade.
Tim Ireland/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Ma Durga —
SEPTEMBER 3 - ALLAHABAD, INDIA: Indian artisans prepare an idol of the Hindu goddess Durga slaying the demon Asura for the upcoming Durga Puja festival -- Bengal's biggest event of the year.
AP Photo/ Rajesh Kumar Singh
Sports diplomacy —
SEPTEMBER 2 - PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA: Gymnasts practice their routines for the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. Beginning on September 19 and held every four years, the competition is said to be the biggest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.