A craftsman weaves a cane chinlone ball at a workshop in Hinthada township, Myanmar, on May 8, 2025. The ball is used in Chinlone, an ancient Burmese game that blends sport and art. Practitioners say mastering control of the lightweight rattan ball teaches patience—a quality greatly needed in the long-suffering nation.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
Veterinarian Myo Min Aung tends to ten-month-old injured baby elephant Kyaw Pearl at the Wingabaw Elephant Camp in Phayargyi, Myanmar’s Bago region, on June 24, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
Mahout Hsu Mon Htike cares for the injured baby elephant Kyaw Pearl, alongside the calf’s mother, Pearl Sanda, and sister, Pearl Sint, at the Wingabaw Elephant Camp in Phayargyi, Myanmar, on June 24, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
Smoke billows from a pile of seized illegal drugs during a destruction ceremony for the UN’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 26, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
A firefighter sprays water to control a burning pile of seized narcotics during a destruction ceremony for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 26, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
A bodybuilder competes during a competition held to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 28, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Female contestants prepare at backstage before their model physique competition to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, June 28, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Female contestants prepare backstage before a model physique competition marking International Olympic Day in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 28, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Contestants compete during their model physique competition to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Contestants compete during their bodybuilding competition to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Contestants compete during their model physique competition to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Bodybuilders prepare backstage during a competition for International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 28, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Contestants compete during their model physique competition to mark International Olympic Day at the Myanmar Convention Center in Yangon, Myanmar, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Devotees pour water on a Buddha statue at Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso, July 9, 2025. The day marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent in the Myanmar lunar calendar.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
A vendor carries a bunch of bananas at a market in Yangon, Myanmar, on September 1, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
Ethnic Intha people row a boat past pagodas on Inle Lake in southern Shan State, Myanmar, on September 21, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
Intha ethnic rowers compete in a traditional boat race during the Phaung Daw Oo pagoda festival on Inle Lake, Myanmar, on September 26, 2025.(Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)
A Buddhist nun lights incense at Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda during the full moon day of the Thadingyut festival, October 6, 2025.(Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)
