The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

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The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

2026-08-24 12:20 Last Updated At：12:50

From front page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today's top photos, chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

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A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rocky, a gibbon hand-raised by on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier, sits in an enclosure at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Washington Commanders running back Craig Reynolds (24) is upended by Detroit Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) during a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Women smoke waterpipes as they sit by the Litani River in the village of Qaaqaaiet al-Jisr, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People's shadows are cast on a hot air balloon's envelope during the 5th edition of the Middle of the World International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Cassidy Towriss watches the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Villagers participate in a tug-of-war as they celebrate the end of the agricultural cycle called "Punnuk" along the Hapao River in Hungduan, Ifugao province, northern Philippines, Saturday Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Harley Palangchao)

A woman visits a photography exhibition showcasing works by world photographers from the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Funeral workers place into a grave the body of a migrant who died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

A man is silhouetted against the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)

Cameroon's First Lady, Chantal Biya, poses for a photograph with the Women Africa Cup of Nations trophy and Cameroon female soccer team players during a reception at the Unity Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Angel Ngwe)

An artisan makes an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Mohammed Ajouri mourns over the body of his brother Islam Ajouri, 14, who, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, was killed by Israeli forces, as his body is brought to the hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Dana White watch after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro attend a campaign motorcade in the Duque de Caxias neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

More Images

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rocky, a gibbon hand-raised by on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier, sits in an enclosure at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Washington Commanders running back Craig Reynolds (24) is upended by Detroit Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) during a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Women smoke waterpipes as they sit by the Litani River in the village of Qaaqaaiet al-Jisr, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People's shadows are cast on a hot air balloon's envelope during the 5th edition of the Middle of the World International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Cassidy Towriss watches the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Villagers participate in a tug-of-war as they celebrate the end of the agricultural cycle called "Punnuk" along the Hapao River in Hungduan, Ifugao province, northern Philippines, Saturday Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Harley Palangchao)

A woman visits a photography exhibition showcasing works by world photographers from the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Funeral workers place into a grave the body of a migrant who died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

A man is silhouetted against the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)

Cameroon's First Lady, Chantal Biya, poses for a photograph with the Women Africa Cup of Nations trophy and Cameroon female soccer team players during a reception at the Unity Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Angel Ngwe)

An artisan makes an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Mohammed Ajouri mourns over the body of his brother Islam Ajouri, 14, who, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, was killed by Israeli forces, as his body is brought to the hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Dana White watch after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro attend a campaign motorcade in the Duque de Caxias neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

Thai prime minister meets security chiefs after coordinated attacks in 3 southern provinces

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand ’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, already facing a flood crisis in the country’s north, held an urgent meeting on Sunday with high-level security officials in response to coordinated violence overnight in three southern provinces where a small-scale Muslim insurgency is active.

The meeting, held shortly before Anutin flew north to inspect the badly flooded province of Nan, followed 51 incidents on Saturday night in the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

The attackers did not engage with military or police forces. Only three civilians were known to have been wounded, and they were reported to be recovering on Sunday.

The violence primarily involved small bombs, arson and other forms of property damage. The highest-profile target was a 7-Eleven convenience store in Pattani. A video circulating on social media appeared to show armed men stalking outside the store while customers and workers fled before it was set on fire.

A bomb that damaged rail tracks in Narathiwat forced the suspension of local and long-haul services. It was not clear when they would be restored due to the uncertain security situation.

As has often been the case with such incidents, no group was immediately publicly blamed or claimed responsibility for the actions.

However, such attacks are generally believed to be carried out by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, or BRN. It is the major insurgent group in the south with the organizational means and support to stage such an action. It is also the group with which the Thai government has been holding on-again, off-again peace talks.

The three southernmost provinces are the only ones with Muslim majorities in predominantly Buddhist Thailand and the BRN has said that it is seeking self-rule for them.

Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades.

Insurgent violence escalated sharply in 2004 and was met with heavy-handed crackdowns, further fueling discontent. According to Deep South Watch, a think tank based at the Prince of Songkla University’s campus in Pattani, 7,837 people have died in the violence in the past 22 years.

The last major flare-up came in July, when about 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security checkpoint in Narathiwat. Five paramilitary soldiers were killed and six civilians were wounded, including a 10-year-old boy.

Don Pathan, an independent security analyst, says the BRN carries out attacks largely for leverage as it negotiates with the Thai government.

“From the ground, BRN combatants are turned off by the boasting of military officials and wanted to use the spike in violence to demonstrate their capabilities," said Pathan. "Many of the targets in these latest incidents were civilians, but BRN combatants were not after body counts. They want to send a stern message to the Thais of what they are capable of doing.”

The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rocky, a gibbon hand-raised by on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier, sits in an enclosure at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Washington Commanders running back Craig Reynolds (24) is upended by Detroit Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) during a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Women smoke waterpipes as they sit by the Litani River in the village of Qaaqaaiet al-Jisr, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People's shadows are cast on a hot air balloon's envelope during the 5th edition of the Middle of the World International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Cassidy Towriss watches the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Villagers participate in a tug-of-war as they celebrate the end of the agricultural cycle called "Punnuk" along the Hapao River in Hungduan, Ifugao province, northern Philippines, Saturday Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Harley Palangchao)

A woman visits a photography exhibition showcasing works by world photographers from the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Funeral workers place into a grave the body of a migrant who died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

A man is silhouetted against the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)

Cameroon's First Lady, Chantal Biya, poses for a photograph with the Women Africa Cup of Nations trophy and Cameroon female soccer team players during a reception at the Unity Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Angel Ngwe)

An artisan makes an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Mohammed Ajouri mourns over the body of his brother Islam Ajouri, 14, who, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, was killed by Israeli forces, as his body is brought to the hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Dana White watch after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro attend a campaign motorcade in the Duque de Caxias neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Rocky, a gibbon hand-raised by on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier, sits in an enclosure at the Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Washington Commanders running back Craig Reynolds (24) is upended by Detroit Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) during a preseason NFL football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Women smoke waterpipes as they sit by the Litani River in the village of Qaaqaaiet al-Jisr, southern Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

People's shadows are cast on a hot air balloon's envelope during the 5th edition of the Middle of the World International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Quito, Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Cassidy Towriss watches the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Villagers participate in a tug-of-war as they celebrate the end of the agricultural cycle called "Punnuk" along the Hapao River in Hungduan, Ifugao province, northern Philippines, Saturday Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Harley Palangchao)

A woman visits a photography exhibition showcasing works by world photographers from the collection of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Funeral workers place into a grave the body of a migrant who died while trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Sempere)

A man is silhouetted against the haze from wildfires that blankets Musi River in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Muhammad Fajri)

Cameroon's First Lady, Chantal Biya, poses for a photograph with the Women Africa Cup of Nations trophy and Cameroon female soccer team players during a reception at the Unity Palace in Yaounde, Cameroon. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Angel Ngwe)

An artisan makes an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh ahead of the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Hyderabad, India, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Mohammed Ajouri mourns over the body of his brother Islam Ajouri, 14, who, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, was killed by Israeli forces, as his body is brought to the hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Dana White watch after Kyle Kirkwood (27) won the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix auto race in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A humanoid robot is carried off the field after competing in the 1500m run race during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Supporters of opposition presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro attend a campaign motorcade in the Duque de Caxias neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

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