August 23, 2013 10:34 AM EDT
F rom 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.
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 Aug. 16, 2013. A young couple sits on a rock admiring the starry sky over the Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt, Germany. Daniel Reinhardt—EPA 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 Aug. 17, 2013. Yannick Granieri of France competes during the Crankworx Red Bull Joyride in Whistler, British Columbia. Andy Clark—Reuters 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 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 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 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 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 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 Aug. 19, 2013. Mayflies are pictured above a river at dusk in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China. China Daily/Reuters Aug. 20, 2013. Craig Williams riding Commanding Jewel during a trackwork session at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. Vince Caligiuri—Getty Images 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 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 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 Aug. 20, 2013. A man reaches for a hippopotamus at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. Andrew Burton—Getty Images Aug. 20, 2013. A pelican is seen in its enclosure at Planckendael's zoo near Mechelen, Belgium. Francois Lenoir—Reuters Aug. 20, 2013. A boy sits on his front steps in the Fairview neighborhood of Camden, New Jersey. Andrew Burton—Getty Images 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 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 Aug. 21, 2013. A warbler hangs in a mist net on a private reserve in East Sussex in Rye, England. Dan Kitwood—Getty Images Aug. 21, 2013. An Egyptian worker builds a scaffold at the Rabaah Al-Adawiya mosque in Nasr city, Cairo. Manu Brabo—AP 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 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 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 Aug. 21, 2013. A man looks at a giant inukshuk as the moon rises above it in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada. Chris Wattie—Reuters 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 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 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 Aug. 22, 2013. A worker cooks soybeans at a tofu factory in Jakarta, Indonesia. Beawiharta—Reuters 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 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 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 Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024 Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024 Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision