PREPARING FOR THE HOLY MONTH: Ishaaq Kremed, a tamarind juice seller, poses with his ornate brass jug in the covered Hamidiyah market in the old part of the capital Damascus. In a busy market in Syria’s capital, 53-year-old Ishaaq serenades customers and agilely pours tamarind juice from the ornate brass jug on his back ahead of Ramadhan. The popular street vendor says he usually has more customers during the Islamic month starting this week, during which many favour the drink to break their day-long fast at sundown. But he says his job of more than 40 years has also taken on new meaning since the war-torn country has been plunged into economic crisis. — AFP