Paris (AFP) – Hundreds of Tibetans gather in Paris in support of the Dalai Lama, after a video of him asking a young boy to suck his tongue triggered a massive backlash. “We know that behind all this, it is really Chinese propaganda,” denounces Yangkey Muccini, one of the organisers of the demonstration. The Dalai Lama is the face of the Tibetan autonomy mouvement, mostly governed by China.
Sevare (Mali) (AFP) – Ten civilians and three soldiers were killed and 88 jihadists “neutralised” in multiple incidents across Mali on Saturday, according to the government, in a wave of bloodshed it describes as a resurgence of “terrorist incidents”.
Jindayris (Syria) (AFP) – Among the earthquake rubble, Syrian children celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a makeshift amusement park in the rebel-held town of Jindayris.
Tokyo (AFP) – Dozens of bawling Japanese babies face off in a traditional “crying sumo” ritual believed to bring the infants good health, which returned for the first time in four years after the pandemic.
Dakar (AFP) – Muslim worshippers pray at the Massalikoul Djinane mosque, the largest in Dakar, on the day of Eid al-Fitr — which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. IMAGES
Lima (AFP) – Peruvian shamans offer tributes and invoke nature’s elements on Earth Day to “calm” the planet, angered by man-made environmental pollution. “We are doing this ritual to strengthen the world, so that there will be no more pollution,” says Cleofe Sedano, Amazonian shaman.
Washington (AFP) – Images of people outside the US Supreme Court building as the nation’s highest court is poised to wade into the legal battle over the abortion drug mifepristone with a ruling Friday on lower court-ordered restrictions on the widely used pill.
Siversk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Alla Trubacheva has lived in east Ukraine since she trained as a doctor more than four decades ago. Even though her resolve to stay in the battle-scarred town of Siversk has been sorely tested by Russia’s army, which killed her colleague and shelled her hospital to ruin, one thing keeps her from finally calling it quits and leaving for somewhere safer: her patients.
Khartoum (AFP) – As intense fighting between the forces of two rival generals spills over into the streets of Khartoum, residents of Sudan’s capital find themselves cut off from water and electricity. “Every minute there’s a casualty… the country is in a state of extreme chaos,” one tells AFP.
Khartoum (AFP) – As fighting between the regular army and paramilitaries rages on, Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan says he is “confident” that the country and its people will “overcome” the current crisis and “come out of it stronger and more united”. Burhan’s speech marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr comes after the warring parties ignored appeals for an end-of-Ramadan ceasefire.
Beijing (AFP) – China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin insists that no country has the right to interfere in its relationship with Russia. Wenbin’s remarks come in response to US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen saying that Beijing’s “no limits” ties to Moscow show that it is “not serious” about peace in Ukraine.
Sarajevo (AFP) – Muslims around the world take part in prayers for the annual holiday of Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. The timing of Eid al-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.
