The colour vermilion: An eye-catching hue among photos this week

Image: Sanaullah SEIAM / AFP
Afghan orphans study in their room at the Sheikh Zayed orphanage in Kandahar on September 19, 2023. More than 900,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside the country since 2021, the vast majority of whom are women and children, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Image: John MACDOUGALL / AFP
Authorities remove orange paint from the columns of Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, on September 17, 2023. The climate activist group "Last Generation" had sprayed orange warning paint on the columns to call for political action against climate change and to phase out fossil energies by 2030.

Image: Madaree TOHLALA / AFP
Birds in cages await the call of a whistle to begin their song during a bird singing competition in Narathiwat, Thailand, on September 18, 2023. Hundreds of bird owners from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore participate in the traditional contest every year. The birds are judged based on their melody, pitch, clarity and volume, and more importantly, the number of times they will 'sing' within a given period.

Image: WILLIAM WEST / AFP
A performer takes part in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on September 23, 2023. Computer-generated wizardry combined with talented performers to artfully elucidate the theme of 'Tides Surging in Asia'—the intermingling of China, Asia and the world in the new era, as well as the unity, love and friendship of the Asian people.

Image: Money SHARMA / AFP
Repsol Honda's riders Marc Marquez (L) and Joan Mir steer their bikes during the sprint race of the Indian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, Delhi NCR on September 23, 2023. Joan Mir easily had the best weekend of his relatively short Honda career so far, finishing fifth, while Marquez, suffering a small crash midway, finished ninth.

Image: RAJESH JANTILAL / AFP
A traditional Isicathamiya group rehearses backstage before a competition at the Natal Playhouse Theatre in Durban, South Africa, on September 23, 2023. The National Competition, held annually, features several groups competing in the Isicathamiya style, a choral singing style developed by migrant Zulu communities in SA

Image: Punit PARANJPE / AFP
Devotees wearing a traditional turban (pheta) push a handcart with an idol of elephant-headed deity Ganesha during a procession on the first day of 'Ganesh Chaturthi' festival in Mumbai on September 19, 2023. The origin of this traditional headgear can be traced to the Peshwa era when wearing the pheta was considered a mandatory part of dressing.

Image: Daniel LEAL / POOL / AFP
Guests attend a star-studded state banquet at the Palace of Versailles, west of Paris, France, on September 20, 2023, on the first day of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla's state visit to France. Among the 180 guests boasting both French and British stars invited to join the state banquet were Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, actors Hugh Grant and Charlotte Gainsbourg, footballer Patrick Vieira, and the tennis player and former Wimbledon winner Amélie Mauresmo.

Image: Dziki OKTOMAULIYADI / AFP
A scavenger searches for items among the floating garbage in the Cibanten River in Serang, Indonesia, on September 20, 2023. Flagged as dangerous by local health experts, the accumulation of waste is attributed to locals dumping garbage in rivers, especially those living close to it.

Image: Carl DE SOUZA / AFP
Dressed in a cloak and smoking a cigar, a priest from the Afro-Brazilian Umbanda religion goes into a trance among devotees at a place of worship in Sepetiba, Brazil, on September 18, 2023. In a daze, the priest believes himself to be a conduit for the deity Exu, a messenger between humankind and the Umbanda Orixás (gods). It is common for devotees to convulse and laugh hysterically as part of the spiritual process.