Sputnik's weekly photo gallery presents a compilation of pictures to show the highlights of the past week, where you can get a glimpse of what has been happening across the world during this truly unusual period.
They range from a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon to wildfires in La Couronne, near Marseille, France, and from protests against government restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Berlin to cosplayers wearing face masks posing for a picture at the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy) in Shanghai.
© AFP 2023 / ANP / Robin van LonkhuijsenAn opponent of obligatory mask-wearing holds her dog as she wears a bikini made of protective face masks, during a demonstration at Lijnbaan in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on 5 August 2020, as the Netherlands imposed stricter mask-wearing rules amid signs that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is flaring up again across the globe, with the worldwide death toll exceeding 700,000.
An opponent of obligatory mask-wearing holds her dog as she wears a bikini made of protective face masks, during a demonstration at Lijnbaan in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on 5 August 2020, as the Netherlands imposed stricter mask-wearing rules amid signs that the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is flaring up again across the globe, with the worldwide death toll exceeding 700,000.
© Sputnik / Roscosmos / Go to the mediabankLaunch of the Proton-M rocket carrier with the Express-80 and Express-103 telecommunication satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
Launch of the Proton-M rocket carrier with the Express-80 and Express-103 telecommunication satellites from the Baikonur cosmodrome.
© REUTERS / Peter CziborraPeople walk at Hitchin Lavender farm in Ickleford, Britain, 4 August 2020.
People walk at Hitchin Lavender farm in Ickleford, Britain, 4 August 2020.
Participant during the Moscow Half Marathon - 2020.
© AP Photo / Rajanish KakadePeople wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus try to make their way through a water-logged street during heavy rain in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, 4 August 2020. India's monsoon season runs from June to September.
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© AP Photo / Rajanish Kakade
People wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus try to make their way through a water-logged street during heavy rain in Mumbai, India, Tuesday, 4 August 2020. India's monsoon season runs from June to September.
Explosion in Beirut.
© Sputnik / Valery Melnikov / Go to the mediabankA view shows damage at the site of the massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. The blast hit the capital on 4 August, killing over 150 people and injuring over 5,000 more.
A view shows damage at the site of the massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. The blast hit the capital on 4 August, killing over 150 people and injuring over 5,000 more.
© AP Photo / Ben Birchall / PAA hot air balloon pilot checks her rigging inside the canopy before a mass ascent, with 43 balloon teams taking part in a Fiesta Flypast over the city of Bristol as part of the socially distanced alternative to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on Monday, 3 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Ben Birchall / PA
A hot air balloon pilot checks her rigging inside the canopy before a mass ascent, with 43 balloon teams taking part in a Fiesta Flypast over the city of Bristol as part of the socially distanced alternative to the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta on Monday, 3 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Sonny TumbelakaPeople prepare to release green sea turtles on Kuta beach near Denpasar at the Indonesian resort island of Bali on 5 August 2020, after police arrested seven people on the Serangan waters for allegedly attempting to smuggle 36 green sea turtles.
People prepare to release green sea turtles on Kuta beach near Denpasar at the Indonesian resort island of Bali on 5 August 2020, after police arrested seven people on the Serangan waters for allegedly attempting to smuggle 36 green sea turtles.
© Sputnik / Mikhail Golenkov / Go to the mediabankBaltic Fleet marines disembark from a Ka-27 PS helicopter onto the coast during military exercises.
Baltic Fleet marines disembark from a Ka-27 PS helicopter onto the coast during military exercises.
© AFP 2023 / Yasin Akgul People cool off at the Menekse beach during the last day of the celebrations of the Eid-al-Adha holiday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at sunset in Istanbul, Turkey, on 3 August 2020.
People cool off at the Menekse beach during the last day of the celebrations of the Eid-al-Adha holiday amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic at sunset in Istanbul, Turkey, on 3 August 2020.
Vacationers on the beach in Crimea.
© AFP 2023 / Xavier LeotyA man uses a garden hose to drench his house before being evacuated as a wild fire burns in the background, in La Couronne, near Marseille, on 4 August 2020. Several fires were raging as of late 4 August near Marseille, with one particularly fuelled by strong winds, ravaging nearly 300 hectares of vegetation in a coastal area of Martigues, according to the authorities.
A man uses a garden hose to drench his house before being evacuated as a wild fire burns in the background, in La Couronne, near Marseille, on 4 August 2020. Several fires were raging as of late 4 August near Marseille, with one particularly fuelled by strong winds, ravaging nearly 300 hectares of vegetation in a coastal area of Martigues, according to the authorities.
© REUTERS / Christian MangA demonstrator wearing a mask is seen during a protest against the German government's restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Berlin, Germany, 1 August 2020.
A demonstrator wearing a mask is seen during a protest against the German government's restrictions amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Berlin, Germany, 1 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / John WesselsChildren help their family slaughter and cut up their sheep in Dakar on 31 July 2020, during the Muslim Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), known as Tabaski in Western Africa.
Children help their family slaughter and cut up their sheep in Dakar on 31 July 2020, during the Muslim Eid al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice), known as Tabaski in Western Africa.
© Sputnik / NASA / Go to the mediabankThe Crew Dragon spacecraft after splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft after splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
© REUTERS / Aly SongPeople ride bicycles in front of Lujiazui financial district, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, 5 August 2020.
People ride bicycles in front of Lujiazui financial district, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Shanghai, China, 5 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Sam PanthakyThe caretaker of Bhekhaddhari Goga Maharaj temple, Ishwar Desai, feeds stray dogs and monkeys, in Ahmedabad on 2 August 2020.
The caretaker of Bhekhaddhari Goga Maharaj temple, Ishwar Desai, feeds stray dogs and monkeys, in Ahmedabad on 2 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Adnan AbidiA supporter of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds a model of proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya as they celebrate the stone laying ceremony, in New Delhi, India 5 August 2020.
A supporter of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds a model of proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya as they celebrate the stone laying ceremony, in New Delhi, India 5 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Pedro PardoA gravedigger digs a grave during a funeral at the San Miguel Xico cemetery on 5 August 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
A gravedigger digs a grave during a funeral at the San Miguel Xico cemetery on 5 August 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
© AFP 2023 / Chandan KhannaA woman runs with her dog during a heavy rainfall in Miami Beach, Florida on 5 August 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. A Flood Advisory has been issued for or a portion of Broward county due to heavy rainfall.
A woman runs with her dog during a heavy rainfall in Miami Beach, Florida on 5 August 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. A Flood Advisory has been issued for or a portion of Broward county due to heavy rainfall.
© AP Photo / Thanassis StavrakisThe moon rises behind the columns of the ancient marble Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 Km (45 miles) south of Athens, Monday, 3 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis
The moon rises behind the columns of the ancient marble Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, about 70 Km (45 miles) south of Athens, Monday, 3 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Bruno Kelly A worker in a protective suit sprays to disinfect the Amazonas Theatre ahead of its reopening after the Amazonas state government eased isolation measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manaus, Brazil, 2 August 2020.
A worker in a protective suit sprays to disinfect the Amazonas Theatre ahead of its reopening after the Amazonas state government eased isolation measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manaus, Brazil, 2 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Thomas Mukoya Muslim faithful buy goats at a livestock market during celebrations marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nairobi, Kenya, 31 July 2020.
Muslim faithful buy goats at a livestock market during celebrations marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nairobi, Kenya, 31 July 2020.