September 17, 2013
A manta ray swims at the Black Current sea tank at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu. The 1.9 million-gallon main tank, called Kuroshio Sea, features an acrylic glass panel that's 24 inches thick, to contain one of the largest such structures in the world.
September 15
A model displays a spring/summer design by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada during Madrid's Fashion Week.
September 17
American flags surrounding the Washington Monument fly at half-staff as ordered by President Barack Obama following the deadly shooting Monday at the Washington Navy Yard.
September 17
A mother holds her child as Mount Sinabung spewed ash and hot lava during the eruption in Indonesia's northern Sumatra province. The blast covered surrounding areas in ash and rock, and authorities prepared more temporary shelters for evacuees.
September 16
A Free Syrian Army fighter dives into a swimming pool, as his fellow soldier waits his turn.
September 17
Women dressed as Sirens perform inside a tank for schoolchildren (not pictured) at the São Paulo Aquarium. According to the organizers, the performance aims to educate kids about myths and the Greek legend of the Sirens.
September 16
Visitors enjoy a summer day's swim in the Red Sea at a resort about 85 miles west of Cairo.
September 18
A Sri Lankan beautician, center in green, dresses Jeyarasa Mary, a former Tamil Tiger rebel fighter, second from right, as other former rebels wait for their wedding ceremony to begin in northern Sri Lanka. Three couples, including five former rebel fighters who surrendered to the government at the end of the country's quarter-century-long civil war and are serving as home guards, were married in the ceremony as part of the government’s reintegration program.
September 17
Young Nepalese girls in their traditional attire wait for Kumari puja at Hanuman Dhoka, Basantapur Durbar Square. More than 100 girls under the age of 9 gathered for the ceremony, which is part of a tradition of worshiping young pre-pubescent girls as manifestations of divine female energy. The ritual holds a strong religious significance in the Newar community. It is held primarily to save small girls from diseases and bad luck in the years to come.
September 16
The Milwaukee Brewers' Caleb Gindl slides safely past Chicago Cubs catcher Welington Castillo during the sixth inning of their Monday night baseball game. Gindl scored from second on a hit by Yuniesky Betancourt.
Septemer 17
The damaged side of the sunken Costa Concordia is seen at the end of the "parbuckling" operation outside Giglio Harbor. Salvage crews raised the cruise liner, completing one of the most difficult and expensive wreck recovery projects ever performed. In a 19-hour operation which ended at 4 a.m., the ship was pulled upright by a series of huge jacks and cables and left resting in 30 meters of water on underwater platforms drilled into the rocky sea bed.
September 14
An aerial view of vehicles submerged in floodwaters along the South Platte River. Farming communities along the river were ordered to evacuate ahead of a predicted surge in the flooding, which has left many people still unaccounted for.
September 14
Numerous tents are seen during the 2013 International I Camping Festival in Mount Wugongshan, in Jiangxi province. The event attracted more than 15,000 campers all over the world, according to Xinhua News Agency.
September 14
A pilgrim sleeps on a gravel pile outside the Lord of Huanca Sanctuary. Every year, thousands of faithful trek for seven hours up to the foot of Peru’s Pachatusan Mountain to pay homage to the Lord of Huanca, an image of Jesus Christ, scourged and bleeding, which tradition says was painted in a cave 339 years ago. Devotees hike up to the sanctuary carrying candles and flowers, a religious tradition that began in colonial times and lasts for three days.
September 18
A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon in a damaged house in Al-Zibdeh, Aleppo.
September 14
An employee stands near the spacesuits of U.S. astronaut Michael Hopkins, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy. The three are scheduled to be part of a mission to the International Space Station that will launch September 26, according to the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos.
September 13
Government soldiers take cover in armored vehicles as they try to assault the positions of Muslim rebels from the Moro National Liberation Front, during a gun battle. They retreated afterward due to IED and booby traps they found on the road, a military official said.
September 19
Officers try to carry Giza Police Gen. Nabil Farrag, center, to safety after he was shot by unidentified militants who opened fire on security forces deployed to drive off suspected Islamists taking control of the town near the Giza Pyramids. It was later learned that Gen. Farrag was already dead from the gunshots. Forces backed by armored vehicles and military helicopters laid a siege on an Islamists’ stronghold and exchanged fire with what the official news agency identified as “terrorist and criminal elements.”
September 18
Riot police detain protesters after clashes with angry anti-fascist groups following the killing of a 35-year-old anti-racism rapper by a man who sympathized with the far-right Golden Dawn movement.
September 16
Supporters of the Christian Democratic Union hold umbrellas in front of a giant portrait of German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an election campaign event in front of the party's headquarters.
September 16
A rider gears up for the bike parade in the heart of the city. Malaysia hosted Asia Harley Days, a first of its kind event in Southeast Asia, to engage with not only its consumers, but also with their fans in the region.
September 15
Revelers throw colored powders in the air during the Holi Festival of Colors. The festival, which is mainly celebrated during the Hindu spring festival Holi in some regions of India and Nepal, has become popular among people in other communities.
September 16
Horsemen ride through colored smoke during a practice session on a beach. Some 80 members of the Dutch cavalry practiced for any possible emergency during the Prinsjesdag ceremony, which marked the opening of the Dutch parliament.
September 17
Models walk the runway at the Ryan Lo show (Fashion East) during London Fashion Week at the TopShop Show Space.
September 16
Anna Wintour, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe, and Laura Bailey attended the Erdem show during London Fashion Week.
