Sputnik's weekly photo gallery presents a compilation of photos to show the highlights of the past week, where you can get a glimpse of what has been happening across the globe during this truly extraordinary time.
From protests in Israel, Iraq and Lebanon, and floods in Asia to more positive occurrences such as the Bastille Day celebrations in France and the chance to witness the brightest comet in several decades fly past our planet.
Models wearing face shields pose with an Audi TT RS Coupe during the media day of the 41st Bangkok International Motor Show after the Thai government eased measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand July 14, 2020.
This photo taken on July 15, 2020, shows residents riding a boat past a damaged and flood-affected house near the Poyang Lake due to torrential rains in Poyang county, Shangrao city in China's central Jiangxi province. The vast Yangtze drainage area has been lashed by torrential rains since last month, leaving 141 people dead or missing and forcing the evacuation of millions more across several provinces.
A picture taken on July 15, 2020 shows the C/2020 F3 comet (L), also known as "NEOWISE", and the green laser beam used by the Haute-Provence Observatory to point to celestial objects for studies and research (C), with an old windmill in the foreground at Saint-Michel-L'Observatoire, southern France. The Northern Hemisphere's skies offer the beautiful spectacle of a comet, named "NEOWISE", whose exceptionally bright plume is visible to the naked eye, a phenomenon that has not happened for more than 20 years. The comet was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer satellite, or NEOWISE, on March 27, 2020.
A woman and a young girl sitting in their flooded house in Sunamganj, Bangladesh, on July 16, 2020.
5/20
© AP Photo / Ramil Zeynalov
A local woman shows damage in her house after shelling by Armenian forces in the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Skirmishes on the volatile Armenia-Azerbaijan border escalated Tuesday, marking the most serious outbreak of hostilities between the neighbours since the fighting in 2016.
6/20
© AP Photo / Frank Augstein
A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a shop window in London, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Britain's government is demanding people wear face coverings in shops as it has sought to clarify its message after weeks of prevarication amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayu adjusts Koiku's kimono, as Koiku wears a protective face mask to pose for a photograph, before working at a party where they will entertain customers along with other geisha, at Asada, a luxury Japanese restaurant, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in Tokyo, Japan, June 23, 2020"My father really didn't understand geisha, he thought it was like the sex trade. He opposed me so violently I thought it would tear the family apart", said Mayu. "After six years I just gave up and left", she added. "When he saw our first performance, and how hard we work, he came backstage and went to his knees and bowed really low ... Now he's a huge fan."
A man covers a girl with highly mineralised sulfide mud from the bottom sediments of the bitter-salt lake Tus in the Shirinsky district of the Republic of Khakassia, Russia
Fireworks explode near the Eiffel Tower, in a picture taken from the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck, at the end of Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, France, July 14, 2020.
Female dog handlers with service dogs during the All-Army canine competition "True Friend" in the Moscow Region.
A health worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) takes a break while waiting for people to collect samples to conduct tests for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), amid the spread of the disease, in New Delhi, India July 10, 2020.
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© AP Photo / Bilal Hussein
An anti-government demonstrator poses with a clown mask as others burn tires and wood to block a road in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Trash has been piling up in different parts of Lebanon recently as no deal has been reached between the government and waste management companies overpayments for their employees. Most workers at the companies are foreigners and want to get paid in U.S. dollars. Lebanon is witnessing shortage in hard currency and the Lebanese pound has lost more than 80% of its value in recent months.
Visitors view panoramic city scenes from the 553 metres (1815 feet) high CN Tower, which reopened for the first time since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions were imposed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 15, 2020.
Iraqi security forces stand in front of demonstrators in anti-government protests during Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's visit, in Basra, Iraq, July 15, 2020.
The Queens band at the opening of "Moscow's transport" drive-in cinema.
People daubed in coloured powder react during the ColorFest festival at the amusement park 'Dreamland' in Minsk, Belarus, July 11, 2020.
Firefighting vessels fight fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard landing craft at the San Diego Naval Base.
A protester stands as police use a water cannon during a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government's response to the financial fallout of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem July 15, 2020. The words on the placard in Hebrew read "Love thy neighbour".
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© AP Photo / Muhammad Sajjad
Youths cover their faces with plastic bags while pushing a handcart during rainfall in Peshawar, Pakistan, Sunday, July 12, 2020.
Ballet dancers during a rehearsal at the Kremlin Ballet Theater.
