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Pictures of the Week: August 16 – August 23

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.

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 Young couple admires starry sky 2nd Asian Youth Games - Day 1 Granieri of France competes during the Crankworx Red Bull Joyride in Whistler 68TH INDONESIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA 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 A participant falls into muddy water after getting over a muddy mound during the Warrior Dash obstacle race in Crawfordsville 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 Pyrotechnics and 'devils' take the streets for Sant Roc Festival Cloud partially covers Rock of the British territory of Gibraltar at sunrise before Spanish fishermen take part in a protest in Algeciras bay Mayflies are pictured above a river at dusk in Heihe *** BESTPIX *** Moonee Valley Trackwork Session INDIA-DEFENCE-AIR FORCE China World Markets Camden Battles Crime And Poverty In Effort To Re-Vitalize Community A pelican is seen in its enclosure at Planckendael's zoo near Mechelen Camden Battles Crime And Poverty In Effort To Re-Vitalize Community Franklin Institute Gift Bodies of people activists say were killed by nerve gas in the Ghouta region are seen in the Duma neighbourhood of Damascus Birds Are Recorded At One Of The Worlds Largest Ringing Stations Mideast Egypt APTOPIX Mideast Egypt Tourism APTOPIX India Varanasi A young Hindu priest arranges sacred thread during the Janai Purnima, or Sacred Thread, Festival at the premises of Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu A man looks at a giant inukshuk as the moon rises above it in Rankin Inlet APTOPIX India Protest India Kashmir Protest NFL Peseason: Carolina Panthers v Baltimore Ravens A worker cooks soybeans at a tofu factory in Jakarta MORNING ATMOSPHERE AT THE RIVER ODER Living goddess Kumari is kept outside her house during the parade commemorating the Neku Jatra-Mataya festival, the festival of lights, in Lalitpur CHINA-WEATHER-TYPHOON

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