Iraqis of African descent keep to musical traditions during Ramadan

Hundreds of angry Iraqis protest in several cities against a currency devaluation that has slashed their purchasing power amid a pandemic-fuelled economic crisis. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) at the weekend devalued the currency by over a fifth against the US dollar, officially re-pegging the dinar at a bank rate of 1,460 to the greenback.

Designer Rana Bacaloni says the arts products and decorations she creates aim to help Muslim Americans feel they "belong" in the US during the Muslim holiday Ramadan. Jomana Siddiqui, an influencer and creator of ModernEID, says she seeks to create products "her generation" can use.

Surging coronavirus cases in many parts of the world overshadow the start of the holy month of Ramadan. From Saudi Arabia to Turkey, many Muslims around the world started the month of prayer and fasting after religious leaders confirmed it would begin on Tuesday, with many countries facing virus restrictions.

In northwest Nigeria, siblings Khadijat and Adamu Shamaki begin Ramadan without their sister Fatima, who was among the 39 students kidnapped from her college by unidentified gunmen last month. Not long after her abduction, their father passed away, plunging the family into despair.

Every spring, roses bloom in the western Saudi city of Taif, turning pockets of the kingdom’s vast desert landscape a vivid and fragrant pink. In April, they are harvested for the essential oil used to cleanse the outer walls of the sacred Kaaba, the cubic structure in the holy city of Mecca towards which Muslims around the world pray. This year, the harvest falls during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which observant Muslims devote to prayer and reflection.

The Senegalese Muslim community start the month of Ramadan in solidarity and sharing. At the Massalikul Jinaan mosque in Dakar, one of the largest in West Africa, hundreds of meals consisting of bread, dates and rice, are distributed at dusk by "Baye Fall", a branch of the Mouride brotherhood whose members are distinguished by their "dreadlocks" hairstyles, their colourful accoutrements and their devotion.

Many Sudanese are cutting down on groceries for Ramadan feasts this year as acute inflation blunts the impact of a donor-funded scheme to pay most citizens a basic monthly income.

Madagascar is facing a second deadly wave of Covid-19, as the South African variant spreads across the island nation. In the past month, almost 13,000 infections and 250 deaths have been recorded, according to official figures that likely represent a vast underestimate. The situation is spiralling out of control and has been worsened by shortages of oxygen and medicine, with hospitals overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the authorities are downplaying the gravity of the situation. The first vaccines are due to arrive at the end of the week in Madagascar. Our correspondent Gaëlle Borgia reports.

Iraqis mourn relatives who died in a massive fire which engulfed a coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, as they take part in their funeral in the central city of Najaf. The devastating blaze Monday evening, which medics said was fuelled by oxygen canisters exploding, was the second such tragedy in Iraq in three months.

The price of staple foods like rice, onions and oil is rising in Senegal - leaving Muslim families who are celebrating Ramadan relying on charity.

The popular children festival of Gargee'an, celebrated in the Gulf and southern Iraq during Ramadan, is an opportunity for Iraqis of African descent to keep traditional beats and attire alive.

After a year of political gridlock and instability, Iraq is finally on the verge of forming a government as Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Shia al-Sudani assembles his cabinet.