Week in pictures: 7-13 August

1 of 13 British soldiers fire mortars to illuminate the sky during a patrol on the outskirts of Basra, Iraq.

2 of 13 Singapore marks its 39th year of independence with a spectacular and colourful parade.

3 of 13 Demonstrators in Athens protest against working conditions in the sportswear industry.

4 of 13 British workers inspect a tunnel at Heathrow airport's new terminal in London.

5 of 13 As temperatures reach 37C in China's province of Fujian, a macaque at Fuzhou Zoo drinks from a bottle of water.

6 of 13 Cowes Week has been running since 1826 and this year sees the biggest entry for a non-Fastnet year, with 980 boats entered and over 8,000 crew members participating in the world's biggest international sailing regatta. (Photo: Matt Dickens/onEdition)

7 of 13 Harrods department store in London opens its Christmas World section four months before the big day.

8 of 13 In Austria, emergency crews work around the overturned tourist bus, which tumbled down a 30-metre embankment. A survivor is said to have described the scene afterwards as resembling a "war zone".

9 of 13 World oil prices march upwards in trading, despite warnings of "irrational exuberance".

10 of 13 A farmer feeds chickens in Vietnam, where health officials are investigating possible new cases of bird flu.

11 of 13 Athens is ready to host the Olympic Games after a marathon seven-year race to prepare the city for the global games.

12 of 13 Malaysian giant stick insect Phoebe is on display at London Zoo.

13 of 13 An Iraqi woman walks past US troops in the besieged holy city of Najaf.