This photo taken on May 8, 2025 show a man weaving cane into a chinlone ball, used in the ancient Myanmar game considered a blend between sport and art, at a workshop in Hinthada township in the Irrawaddy delta region. Mastering control of the rising and falling rattan chinlone ball teaches patience, says a veteran of the traditional Myanmar sport – a quality dearly needed in the long-suffering nation. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





Veterinarian Myo Min Aung (R) takes care of ten-month old injured baby elephant Kyaw Pearl (C) at Wingabaw Elephant Camp in Phayargyi in Myanmar's Bago region on June 24, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





Mahout Hsu Mon Htike takes care of injured baby elephant Kyaw Pearl; his mother, Pearl Sanda; and his sister, Pearl Sint, at the Wingabaw Elephant Camp in Phayargyi, Myanmar, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





Smoke rises during a destruction ceremony of seized illegal drugs to mark the UN's “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” in Yangon on June 26, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





A firefighter sprays water to control burning pile of seized illegal drugs during a destruction ceremony to mark the “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” in Yangon on June 26, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP 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)





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)





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)





Contestants prepare at backstage 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)





Devotees pour water on a Buddha statue as they visit Shwedagon Pagoda during the full moon day of Waso, a sacred day in the Myanmar lunar calendar that marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent, in Yangon on July 9, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





A vendor carries bananas at a market in Yangon on September 1, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)





Ethnic Inntha people row a boat near pagodas Sunday, September 21, 2025, in Inle Lake, southern Shan State, Myanmar. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)





Intha ethnic people row their boats during a traditional boats racing competition to mark the Phaung Daw Oo pagoda festival Friday, September 26, 2025, in Inle Lake, southern Shan State, Myanmar. (Photo by Thein Zaw/AP Photo)





A Buddhist nun lights incense as she visits the Shwedagon pagoda to mark the full moon day of the Thadingyut festival in Yangon on October 6, 2025. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)