A giraffe calf, migrating geese, a vast Garba dance and autumn landscapes are among this week’s scenes from around the world.
This week’s photographs move between intimate encounters and scenes on a grand scale: a newborn giraffe beside its mother, geese rising from a wetland, and thousands of dancers circling a stage in India. Elsewhere, images capture a rescue effort in wildfire-affected Indonesia, a new spacecraft lifting off in Japan, and the vivid shifts of autumn across several countries. Together, they offer a varied record of daily life, celebration, nature and spectacle in late October.
Wildlife and changing seasons
A person in a period costume stands in Paris on October 17, 2026. The outfit, mask and goggles make the scene feel theatrical, even amid a gathering on the city streets.
A person in protective clothing stands near a burning barricade by Place de la République in Paris on October 17. Firelight and smoke shape the image’s stark nighttime scene.
A performer wearing a suit decorated with what appear to be coffee pods stands in the rotunda of Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne. The appearance marked the start of the Long Night of Munich Museums on October 17.
A bearskin hat nearly hides its wearer’s face during a ceremony at Horse Guards Parade in central London on October 16. The occasion marked 100 years since the dedication of the Guards Memorial.
A 20-year-old orangutan tries to get away as a rescue team works to move it from Hampangen Village in Central Kalimantan on October 17. The evacuation, involving local conservation teams and WWF Indonesia, followed wildfires in the area.
Nine days after her birth, a female giraffe calf spends a sunny day beside her mother, Kahlua, at Schwerin Zoo in Germany. Her tongue peeking out gives the quiet portrait a playful detail.
A deer crosses a stand of trees at sunrise in London’s Richmond Park on October 19. The low light outlines the animal and filters through the branches.
Hezly Rivera of the United States practices on the balance beam during a training session ahead of the 2026 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam on October 15.
Geese rise from the Mannhausen shallow-water area in Germany early on October 21 to search for food. Thousands of migratory birds are stopping at the site to rest during their journey toward wintering grounds.
An effigy of the mythical king Ravana burns at Gandhi Maidan in Patna on October 20, during the Hindu festival of Dussehra. The towering figure and ring of spectators turn the ritual into a vivid public spectacle.
Smoke and haze from regional forest and land fires fill the air above Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on October 15. Seen from above, the layer blurs the city streets and buildings below.
More than 50,000 people dance in circles around a stage at the United Way of Baroda Garba Mahotsav in Vadodara on October 19. Garba, a folk dance from Gujarat performed in honor of the goddess Durga, anchors this nine-night celebration of Navratri, with musicians playing at the center and spectators watching from the stands.
The Taihang No. 1 Tourist Road traces sharp turns through autumn-colored forest in Jinzhong, Shanxi province, on October 19. From above, the road’s repeated bends stand out against the foliage.
A man sits among fall colors in Stockholm’s Djurgården National Park at sunrise on October 18. The still figure and changing leaves make a small, quiet scene in the early light.
Two capybaras investigate a carved pumpkin at Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder, Scotland, on October 21. The seasonal decoration offers the animals something new to explore ahead of Halloween.
A boy plays among the rocks on Sillon beach in Saint-Malo, France, as the sun sets on October 20. His silhouette stands out against the bright line of the horizon.
Technology, architecture and public life
An H3 rocket carrying the Martian Moons eXploration rover rises from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima prefecture on October 20. The rover is bound for Phobos, one of Mars’s moons.
A man and a woman photograph the densely built residential blocks known as the Monster Building in Hong Kong on October 20. From the stairs, the buildings’ close-set walls fill the view above them.
The Lotte World Tower, at right, and Namsan Seoul Tower, in the distance, form part of the nighttime skyline as seen from Namhansanseong in Gwangju, a suburb of Seoul, on October 22.
A humanoid robot loses its balance on a sloped obstacle during the 2026 Robot Warrior Challenge Fall Competition in Beijing on October 18. The stumble captures the physical challenges built into the course.
A mail carrier walks past a home decorated with skeleton displays in Los Angeles on October 21. The everyday delivery route cuts through a front yard transformed for Halloween.
Santa and four performers dressed as bellhops kick in unison outside Selfridges’ Christmas windows during a media preview in London on October 22. The pose brings a burst of movement to the seasonal display.
Students at St Andrews take part in a foam fight on the lower college lawn on October 19. The annual Raisin Monday gathering leaves participants covered from head to toe in suds.
Romanian Red Cross volunteers hold CPR mannequins before a flash-mob performance in Bucharest on October 16. The event marked World Restart a Heart Day, drawing attention to CPR through a public demonstration.
Riders swing outward as an amusement ride spins at the Big Fresno Fair in California on October 17. The elevated view captures both the motion of the attraction and the fairground below.
Two people examine a crater in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv on October 21. The damaged ground sits amid the city’s homes, bringing the consequences of conflict into an everyday setting.
At Five Sisters Zoo, two capybaras nibble at a pumpkin in their enclosure. The October 21 scene is a seasonal moment of curiosity, with the animals testing the carved fruit together.
