Pictures of the Week: August 16 – August 23

1 minute read

From an execution by rifle in Somalia and the 2nd Asian Youth Games in China to an alleged nerve gas attack in Syria and the world’s largest alphorn orchestra, TIME presents the best pictures of the week.

***BESTPIX*** Indonesians Celebrate National Independence Day
Aug. 17, 2013. An Indonesian man looks up at the prizes hung from greased bamboo poles prepared for a game called "panjat pinang" in which people try to climb a greased bamboo pole to get prizes hung from the top such as bicycles and kitchen appliances in Jakarta, Indonesia.Ed Wray—Getty Images
Young couple admires starry sky
Aug. 16, 2013. A young couple sits on a rock admiring the starry sky over the Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt, Germany.Daniel Reinhardt—EPA
2nd Asian Youth Games - Day 1
Aug. 17, 2013. Yi Zeng Tian of Hong Kong in action during the Men's 3m Springboard finals during day one of the 2nd Asian Youth Games in Nanjing, China.Lintao Zhang—Getty Images
Granieri of France competes during the Crankworx Red Bull Joyride in Whistler
Aug. 17, 2013. Yannick Granieri of France competes during the Crankworx Red Bull Joyride in Whistler, British Columbia.Andy Clark—Reuters
68TH INDONESIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA
Aug. 17, 2013. Indonesian soldiers preparing canon gun to commemorate 68th Indonesian Independence Day at Unitomo University in Surabaya, Indonesia.Robertus Pudyanto—Barcroft Media/Landov
Abdi Sheikh, who has been sentenced to death for the murder of journalist Absuge, stands tied to a pole before he is executed by shooting at close range in Mogadishu
Aug. 17, 2013. Adan Sheikh Abdi Sheikh, who has been sentenced to death for the murder of journalist Hassan Yusuf Absuge, stands tied to a pole before he is executed by shooting at close range at the Iskola Bulisiya square in the Somali capital Mogadishu.Feisal Omar—Reuters
A participant falls into muddy water after getting over a muddy mound during the Warrior Dash obstacle race in Crawfordsville
Aug. 17, 2013. A participant falls into muddy water after getting over a muddy mound during the Warrior Dash obstacle race in Crawfordsville, Indiana.Nate Chute—Reuters
Alphorn players blow their instruments to break the world record for the largest ensemble of people playing the alphorn, on the Gornergrat in front of the Matterhorn mountain near Zermatt
Aug. 17, 2013. Alphorn players blow their instruments in an attempt to break the world record for the largest ensemble of people playing the alphorn, on the Gornergrat in front of the Matterhorn mountain near Zermatt, Switzerland, 10,135 feet above sea level.Ruben Sprich—Reuters
Pyrotechnics and 'devils' take the streets for Sant Roc Festival
Aug. 18, 2013. People dressed as devils run amidst the pyrotechnics during an old Catalan tradition, part of the celebrations for the Sant Roc Festival in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.Jordi Boixareu—Demotix/Corbis
Cloud partially covers Rock of the British territory of Gibraltar at sunrise before Spanish fishermen take part in a protest in Algeciras bay
Aug. 18, 2013. A cloud partially covers the tip of the Rock of the British territory of Gibraltar at sunrise from La Atunara port before Spanish fishermen sail in their fishing boats with their relatives to take part in a protest at an area of the sea where an artificial reef was built by Gibraltar using concrete blocks, in Algeciras bay, La Linea de la Concepcion in southern Spain.Jon Nazca—Reuters
Mayflies are pictured above a river at dusk in Heihe
Aug. 19, 2013. Mayflies are pictured above a river at dusk in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China.China Daily/Reuters
*** BESTPIX *** Moonee Valley Trackwork Session
Aug. 20, 2013. Craig Williams riding Commanding Jewel during a trackwork session at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. Vince Caligiuri—Getty Images
INDIA-DEFENCE-AIR FORCE
Aug. 20, 2013. In this handout photograph released by the Ministry of Defence, an Indian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules kicks up a cloud of dust after landing at the high-altitude Daulat Beg Oldie military airstrip in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayas.Ministry of Defense—AFP/Getty Images
Steve Westnedge plays his saxophone for a Leopard Seal known as "Casey" as part of a study on the animal's reactions to different sounds at Sydney's Taronga Zoo
Aug. 19, 2013. Steve Westnedge plays his saxophone for a Leopard Seal known as "Casey" as part of a study on the animal's reactions to different sounds at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.David Gray—Reuters
China World Markets
Aug. 20, 2013. A boy with his head shaved looks at the skylines in Pudong, China's financial and commercial hub, in Shanghai, China. Eugene Hoshiko—AP
Camden Battles Crime And Poverty In Effort To Re-Vitalize Community
Aug. 20, 2013. A man reaches for a hippopotamus at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey.Andrew Burton—Getty Images
A pelican is seen in its enclosure at Planckendael's zoo near Mechelen
Aug. 20, 2013. A pelican is seen in its enclosure at Planckendael's zoo near Mechelen, Belgium.Francois Lenoir—Reuters
Camden Battles Crime And Poverty In Effort To Re-Vitalize Community
Aug. 20, 2013. A boy sits on his front steps in the Fairview neighborhood of Camden, New Jersey. Andrew Burton—Getty Images
Franklin Institute Gift
Aug. 20, 2013. A workmen wraps a statue of Benjamin Franklin in protective cover in preparation for upcoming construction at the The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.Matt Rourke—AP
Bodies of people activists say were killed by nerve gas in the Ghouta region are seen in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus
Aug. 21, 2013. Bodies of people activists say were killed by nerve gas in the Ghouta region are seen in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus.Reuters
Birds Are Recorded At One Of The Worlds Largest Ringing Stations
Aug. 21, 2013. A warbler hangs in a mist net on a private reserve in East Sussex in Rye, England.Dan Kitwood—Getty Images
Mideast Egypt
Aug. 21, 2013. An Egyptian worker builds a scaffold at the Rabaah Al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr city, Cairo. Manu Brabo—AP
APTOPIX Mideast Egypt Tourism
Aug. 21, 2013. A street musician plays while walking through an alley in the Khan El-Khalili market, a popular destination for tourists, in Cairo. Manu Brabo—AP
APTOPIX India Varanasi
Aug. 21, 2013. An Indian boy eats outside his house as a pet monkey clings on his head in Varanasi, India.Rajesh Kumar Singh—AP
A young Hindu priest arranges sacred thread during the Janai Purnima, or Sacred Thread, Festival at the premises of Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu
Aug. 21, 2013. A young Hindu priest arranges sacred thread during the Janai Purnima Festival at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.Navesh Chitrakar—Reuters
A man looks at a giant inukshuk as the moon rises above it in Rankin Inlet
Aug. 21, 2013. A man looks at a giant inukshuk as the moon rises above it in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada.Chris Wattie—Reuters
APTOPIX India Protest
Aug. 22, 2013. An Indian villager smokes tobacco as he joins other protesters during a rally demanding pension for elderly poor citizens in New Delhi.Altaf Qadri—AP
India Kashmir Protest
Aug. 22, 2013. A Kashmiri government employee is sprayed colored water as police use it to disperses people during a protest in Srinagar, India.Mukhtar Khan—AP
NFL Peseason: Carolina Panthers v Baltimore Ravens
Aug. 22, 2013. The Raven's cheer squad puts on an aerial show during the preseason game between the Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens and M and T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. Scott Serio—Eclipse/Zuma Press
A worker cooks soybeans at a tofu factory in Jakarta
Aug. 22, 2013. A worker cooks soybeans at a tofu factory in Jakarta, Indonesia.Beawiharta—Reuters
MORNING ATMOSPHERE AT THE RIVER ODER
Aug. 23, 2013. The landscape of the Oderbruch at the river Oder is pictured in light morning fog near Mallnow, Germany.Patrick Pleul—DPA/Landov
Living goddess Kumari is kept outside her house during the parade commemorating the Neku Jatra-Mataya festival, the festival of lights, in Lalitpur
Aug. 23, 2013. Living goddess Kumari is kept outside her house during the parade commemorating the Neku Jatra-Mataya festival, the festival of lights, in Lalitpur, Nepal.Navesh Chitrakar—Reuters
CHINA-WEATHER-TYPHOON
Aug. 22, 2013. Onlookers are washed away by huge waves from the "Haining tide" — a daily occurrence when the river tides hit the banks of the city — as the waves surged higher than usual due to the influence of Typhoon Trami in the region in Haining, in eastern China's Zhejiang province.AFP/Getty Images

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com