Pictures of the week: Edinburgh Fringe, a mass confessional and sports

The Independent’s picture editors bring you the best photography from all corners of the planet

Performers from Afrique en Cirque during a photocall at the Mound in Edinburgh, ahead of their performances throughout the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (PA)

Each week the picture editors at The Independent sort through hundreds of thousands images sent into us by photography agencies from all around the world.

These are some of the most eye-catching and the most striking images from culture, news, politics, sport and lifestyle.

You can also keep up with the latest photography making headlines via our Instagram.

(AFP/Getty)

Art installation Shattered Souls ... in a Sea of Silence by Dennis Josef Meseg in front of Cologne Cathedral, Germany.

(AP)

A priest listens to confession in a row of confessionals set up for pilgrims arriving for international World Youth Day at a park in Lisbon.

(AP)

A boy rides a scooter through a fountain in Seoul, South Korea.

(Reuters)

Workers dismount a Soviet emblem from the shield of the ‘Motherland’ monument, at a compound of the World War II museum in Kyiv, Ukraine.

(AFP/Getty)

Chloe Kelly celebrates scoring England’s fifth goal against China in the Women’s World Cup Group D match at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, Australia.

(Reuters)

A whale carcass is hoisted onto a ship after the discovery of the dead mammal in Hong Kong waters sparked anger on social media.

(Reuters)

A devotee collects Panchamrit – a mixture of milk, water, yoghurt, sugar and honey – at Makhan Pashupatinath temple during the Shrawan Sombar festival in Kathmandu, Nepal.

(AFP /Getty)

Stuart Broad celebrates taking the final wicket as England beat Australia by 49 runs to win the fifth Test at The Oval and end the Ashes series all square at 2-2. The bowler announced he would be retiring from cricket days before.

(EPA)

Members of the Yolngu people perform the Bunggul traditional dance during the Garma Festival of Traditional Cultures in East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. EPA