Thursday: The day in photos

A girl takes on former sumo wrestler Taiichiro Tashima during a beach sumo event in Tokyo. Japan’s ancient sport sumo is hitting the beach this summer to promote sportsmanship and environmental awareness.  (Junji Kurokawa / Associated Press)

A model displays a creation by Neelam Ashley at the Bangalore Fashion Week 2009 in India.  (Aijaz Rahi / Associated Press)

Parakeets at a bird feeder in a domestic back garden in London. About 90% of Britain’s population of wild parakeets are believed to live in the London area. It is feared that the birds, which nest in holes and crevices in trees, may displace British species such as woodpeckers and starlings.  (Phil Cole / Getty Images)

British singer Amy Winehouse during a break in her trial outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London. She was accused in court of launching an “unjustifiable” attack on a female fan who politely asked her for a photograph at a charity ball. The 25-year-old, said to be on the road to recovery from her drug addiction, denies beating dancer Sherene Flash in Berkeley Square, central London, on Sept. 26.  (Ben Stansall / AFP/Getty Images)

A Kurdish soldier flashes a victory sign after voting in Baghdad. About 160,000 soldiers, security forces, prisoners and hospital patients voted early in the Kurdistan region elections. In the Kurdish north, about 2.5 million eligible voters in three provinces -- Irbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniya -- on Saturday will elect the region’s 111-seat parliament and president.  (Ali Abbas / EPA)

Protesters march in a township near Balfour, South Africa, to demand improved services and more jobs. Siyathemba township erupted in flames four days ago and more than 100 people have been arrested and many more injured.  (Paballo Thekiso / AFP/Getty Images)

Guinean children in the town of Bafata try to watch candidate Kumba Yala during the campaign for the second round of Guinea-Bissau presidential elections. The elections will take place next Sunday.  (Mario Cruz / EPA)

Cinders fly as a firefighter tackles a blaze in the northern Spanish region of Aragon. About 500 people are battling wind-fueled wildfires that have claimed the lives of four firefighters and seriously injured two.  (Pedro Armestre / AFP/Getty Images)

North Korea spokesman Ri Hung Sik, center in background, is surrounded by bodyguards in Phuket, Thailand, just before making a statement saying North Korea would not reenter into six-party talks to end its nuclear weapons program. The comments came during a meeting at the ASEAN Regional Forum.  (David Longstreath / Associated Press)