From illegal impromptu pet shops, to glove eating goats in Buddhist monasteries, this collection features various animal encounters on the streets of China.

Practice runs for the Ft. Lauderdale Air Show which took place the weekend of April 28, 2012.

Enterprise is part of NASA's retired space shuttle program and will be permanently displayed at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum starting in June. UPI/ Monika Graff

On April 26, 2012, President Obama announced 13 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. "Each of them has made a lasting contribution to the life of our Nation," Obama said. "They've challenged us, they’ve inspired us, and they’ve made the world a better place." Recipients not included in this gallery are former Assistant Attorney General John Doar, who fought to enforce civil rights in the 1960s; William Foege, a physician and epidemiologist who helped eradicate smallpox in the 1970s; Gordon Hirabayashi, a professor and advocate who openly defied the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; and Jan Karski, an officer of the Polish Underground during World War II who was among the first to share with the world his eye-witness account of the Holocaust.

The world's biggest automobile show, Auto China 2012, during a pre-Opening day show in Beijing on April 23, 2012. China is the world's largest automobile market, with international car makers setting up massive plants and dealerships across the country in hopes of gaining a share of the fast growing domestic market. UPI/Stephen Shaver

In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, this UPI photo collection shows leaders around the world -- from Pope Benedict XVI to Prince Harry -- who aren't afraid to get down and dirty with nature.

On April 18, 2012 Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivered what he called a "prebuttal to President Obama's convention speech" during a campaign stop in Charlotte, North Carolina. In this collection we look back at some of the most memorable moments on the campaign trail with Mitt Romney. UPI/Nell Redmond .

The First Family attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama also read "Where the Wild things Are" to children while First Lady Michelle Obama attended a cooking event with award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Worshipers fill St. Peter's Square where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Easter Mass, at the Vatican on April 8, 2012.

A small-scale replica of Tibet's Potala Palace is on display at the Chinese Ethnic Cultural Park in Beijing April 4, 2012. Tibetan self-immolations are rising as China tightens its grip on Tibet. The authorities in China's capital, alarmed about the threat to stability in a region seething with discontent over religious and cultural controls, have responded with heavy-handed measures against Tibetans.

The annual car show offers previews of next year's models along with the introduction of concept vehicles.

The latest in swimsuit fashion takes the runway at Miami Beach International Fashion Week in Miami Beach, Florida on March 21, 2012.

Opening of a special exhibit devoted to the former First Lady Pat Nixon, on display at the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California on March 16, 2012.

Women practice Ninjutsu at their gym in Karaj, 45 km (28 miles) northwest of Tehran on March 15, 2012. Three thousand Iranian women train in Ninjutsu in Iran.

The Jerusalem Marathon offered runners three events, a full marathon, a half marathon and a 10 kilometers run. More than 15,000 runners participated in the event on a chilly and rainy day in Jerusalem on March 16th, 2012.

From Solar storms to the retiring of the Shuttles "Atlantis" and "Discovery", this constantly updated collection features the top space news photos of 2012.

Israeli settlers celebrated the festival of Purim, which commemorates the rescue of Jews from genocide in ancient Persia as told in the book of Esther, on March 8, 2012.