- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
Indonesian villagers dress corpses in ritual for the dead
A family on an Indonesian island poses with a relative dressed in a school uniform, while an elderly member of the local community stands patiently as loved ones put a sarong and a white shirt around him.
But the student is not off to class and their forebear is not going out -- they are both dead.
Residents around Indonesia's North Toraja regency on Sulawesi island have been celebrating a weeks-long ceremony called "the Manene".
Hundreds of corpses including those of babies are brought out in North Toraja's villages -- some from tombs locally known as patane –- as part of a ritual to honour their ancestors.
"All family groups gather, each come to check on parents, grandmothers, relatives who are in the patane," Kapala Pitu villager Yuliana Kombong Palino, 51, told AFP.
"We all gather, work together, clean (the bodies) and then change the clothes."
Coffins holding the preserved bodies of loved ones are pulled from a burial cave carved into the mountainside.
The remains are then put back in their resting place one or two days before their graves are closed again until the next ritual, Yuliana added.
A few of the bodies remain relatively intact because of the mummification process, while others have deteriorated to skeletal remains.
- 'Strong' bond -
The ceremony is carried out by the Torajans, an ethnic group of around a million people on Sulawesi island.
They believe the spirits of the dead will linger in the world before their funeral ceremonies and will begin their journey to the land of the spirits after their souls are immortalised.
"The Torajans will always remember their ancestors, even after they are dead. The bond is strong," said Benteng Mamullu resident Samuel Matasak.
Depending on the village, the Manene is usually held every few years after the rice harvest in August or September, Samuel said.
It is the first time in 40 years that a Manene ritual is being held in the two North Toraja villages of Kapala Pitu and Benteng Mamullu, residents told AFP.
The deceased were previously mummified through an embalming process using natural preservatives such as sour vinegar and tea leaves.
But many families now inject a formaldehyde solution into the corpse.
The corpse's display can be a shocking for onlooking Western tourists.
But for locals, the Manene ritual is an expression of affection to their loved ones.
"When the Manene is carried out, it is a joy for me personally that we can realise or express our love to our parents who had died, to our grandmothers, child, to relatives," Yuliana said.
"Maybe there are some things that we have not had the chance to do in their lifetime. We can realise it right now."
P.Santos--AMWN