The first part of this year has been quite a turbulent time for many countries not only because of the coronavirus outbreak, but also due to mass protests, with people taking to the streets to express their anger about a wide range of things: from measures introduced to curb the infection to what they see as failure of their governments to support nations economically through these tough times.
Check out Sputnik's photo gallery to have a virtual trip around the globe at this unstable time when borders are mostly closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko / Go to the mediabankA woman holds a banner with "Flowers are better than bullets" written on it during a rally in Minsk, Belarus on 15 August, 2020.
A woman holds a banner with "Flowers are better than bullets" written on it during a rally in Minsk, Belarus on 15 August, 2020.
© REUTERS / StringerPeople enjoy a music party inside a swimming pool at the Wuhan Maya Beach Park, in Wuhan, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, Hubei Province, China 15 August 2020.
People enjoy a music party inside a swimming pool at the Wuhan Maya Beach Park, in Wuhan, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, Hubei Province, China 15 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Pavel Lvov / Go to the mediabankClean up of an oil spill from the Saida vessel that capsized after a fire off Murmansk, Russia, 17 August.
Clean up of an oil spill from the Saida vessel that capsized after a fire off Murmansk, Russia, 17 August.
© Sputnik / Vitaly Timkiv / Go to the mediabankHarvesting watermelons and melons in the Krasnodar region of Russia, 16 August 2020.
Harvesting watermelons and melons in the Krasnodar region of Russia, 16 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Valery Hache A woman wearing a face mask walks past the closed "Le Cafe Senequier" situated along the Quai Jean Jaures, on the Saint-Tropez harbour on 16 August 2020, as the city made wearing a protective mask mandatory in the town centre due to a resurgence of the coronavirus.
A woman wearing a face mask walks past the closed "Le Cafe Senequier" situated along the Quai Jean Jaures, on the Saint-Tropez harbour on 16 August 2020, as the city made wearing a protective mask mandatory in the town centre due to a resurgence of the coronavirus.
© Sputnik / Ilya Naymushin / Go to the mediabankA male Siberian lynx called Buran lies in a hammock at the Royev Ruchei park in Krasnoyarsk.
A male Siberian lynx called Buran lies in a hammock at the Royev Ruchei park in Krasnoyarsk.
© Sputnik / Ramil Sitdikov / Go to the mediabankRussian actor Mikhail Yefremov walks outside the Presnensky court in Moscow after a hearing into a deadly accident involving his car.
Russian actor Mikhail Yefremov walks outside the Presnensky court in Moscow after a hearing into a deadly accident involving his car.
© AP PhotoVillagers do their laundry as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic materials during an eruption, in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia Friday, 14 August 2020.
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© AP Photo
Villagers do their laundry as Mount Sinabung spews volcanic materials during an eruption, in Karo, North Sumatra, Indonesia Friday, 14 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Henry NichollsA-level students hold placards as they protest outside the Department for Education, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, 16 August 2020.
A-level students hold placards as they protest outside the Department for Education, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain, 16 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Enrique CalvoPeople sunbathe and swim on El Arenal beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 15 August 2020.
People sunbathe and swim on El Arenal beach, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, 15 August 2020.
© AP Photo / Nabil al-JuraniProtesters partake in an anti-government protest demanding free elections and against corruption outside the provincial council building in Basra, Iraq, Monday, 17 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Nabil al-Jurani
Protesters partake in an anti-government protest demanding free elections and against corruption outside the provincial council building in Basra, Iraq, Monday, 17 August 2020.
© REUTERS / David BeckerSteve Krofchik of Las Vegas keeps cool with a bottle of ice on his head as the thermometer reads 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius) at the Furnace Creek Visitors Centre in Death Valley, California, 17 August 2020.
Steve Krofchik of Las Vegas keeps cool with a bottle of ice on his head as the thermometer reads 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius) at the Furnace Creek Visitors Centre in Death Valley, California, 17 August 2020.
© AP Photo / Noah BergerFlames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville, California, Wednesday, 19 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Noah Berger
Flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires jump Interstate 80 in Vacaville, California, Wednesday, 19 August 2020.
© AP Photo / Amy HarrisContestants participate in the Miss Buffalo Chip Beauty Pageant on the Wolfman Jack Stage at Buffalo Chip during the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Saturday, 15 August 2020, in Sturgis, S.D.
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© AP Photo / Amy Harris
Contestants participate in the Miss Buffalo Chip Beauty Pageant on the Wolfman Jack Stage at Buffalo Chip during the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally on Saturday, 15 August 2020, in Sturgis, S.D.
© AP Photo / Khalil HamraA Palestinian fisherman cleans up his fishing net after the Israeli decision to close Gaza's fishing zone, on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, 18 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Khalil Hamra
A Palestinian fisherman cleans up his fishing net after the Israeli decision to close Gaza's fishing zone, on the beach in Gaza City, Tuesday, 18 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Vitaly Timkiv / Go to the mediabankSoldiers from Russia's Southern Military District during exercises in the Krasnodar region, 19 August 2020.
Soldiers from Russia's Southern Military District during exercises in the Krasnodar region, 19 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Agustin MarcarianA volunteer wearing a costume of Pokemon character Pikachu hugs a child during Children's Day, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Fuerte Apache, in Buenos Aires, Argentina 16 August 2020.
A volunteer wearing a costume of Pokemon character Pikachu hugs a child during Children's Day, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Fuerte Apache, in Buenos Aires, Argentina 16 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Ajeng Dinar UlfianaA coffin and a dummy dressed in a personal protective suit to look like a health worker are seen in a public area to warn people about the dangers of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, 18 August 2020.
A coffin and a dummy dressed in a personal protective suit to look like a health worker are seen in a public area to warn people about the dangers of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, 18 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Alexey Maishev / Go to the mediabankFans of Russian rock singer Viktor Tsoi remember the musician on the 30th anniversary of his tragic death, Arbat Street, Moscow, 15 August 2020.
Fans of Russian rock singer Viktor Tsoi remember the musician on the 30th anniversary of his tragic death, Arbat Street, Moscow, 15 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Munir Uz ZamanAn aerial view shows a traditional wooden boat market in Manikganj, Bangladesh on 19 August, 2020.
An aerial view shows a traditional wooden boat market in Manikganj, Bangladesh on 19 August, 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Noah SeelamA health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a woman at a free COVID-19 coronavirus testing centre in Hyderabad on 19 August 2020.
A health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) collects a swab sample from a woman at a free COVID-19 coronavirus testing centre in Hyderabad on 19 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Carl de SouzaA farmer tries to pour water on an area close to an illegally lit fire in an Amazon rainforest reserve, south of Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil, on 15 August 2020.
A farmer tries to pour water on an area close to an illegally lit fire in an Amazon rainforest reserve, south of Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil, on 15 August 2020.
© REUTERS / Pilar OlivaresA couple stands with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background during reopening after a months-long closure due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 15 August 2020.
A couple stands with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background during reopening after a months-long closure due to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 15 August 2020.
© AFP 2023 / Hugo BorgerMembers of a Star Wars fan club deliver food and sodas to relatives of patients hospitalised within the area of respiratory diseases at the Hospital Ignacio Garcia of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Merida, state of Yucatan, on 15 August 2020 amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Members of a Star Wars fan club deliver food and sodas to relatives of patients hospitalised within the area of respiratory diseases at the Hospital Ignacio Garcia of the Mexican Social Security Institute in Merida, state of Yucatan, on 15 August 2020 amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
© AP Photo / Noah BergerLightning bolts over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland, California, Sunday, 16 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Noah Berger
Lightning bolts over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland, California, Sunday, 16 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Ilya Naimushin / Go to the mediabankA male zebra called Khvostik stands in an enclosure at the Royev Ruchei park in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, on 16 August 2020.
A male zebra called Khvostik stands in an enclosure at the Royev Ruchei park in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, on 16 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Ekaterina Chesnokova / Go to the mediabankChildren take part in the Cinema Fashion project at the Mosfilm studio in Moscow on 14 August 2020.
Children take part in the Cinema Fashion project at the Mosfilm studio in Moscow on 14 August 2020.
© AP Photo / Emilio MorenattiTwo women lay on a float on a beach in southwest Grand Canary island, Spain, Wednesday 19 August 2020.
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© AP Photo / Emilio Morenatti
Two women lay on a float on a beach in southwest Grand Canary island, Spain, Wednesday 19 August 2020.
© Sputnik / Mikhail Alaeddin / Go to the mediabankThe aftermath of the deadly explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on 14 August 2020.
The aftermath of the deadly explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon, on 14 August 2020.