The holiday of Eid Al-Fitr ushered in a day of prayers and joy for Muslims worldwide on Friday. The celebration was marred by tragedy amid conflict in Sudan, while in other countries it came against the backdrop of hopes for a better future.

In Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, gunfire marked the early hours of the feast day. A deadly conflict in the African country that erupted in the past week has forced many to shelter indoors ahead of the holiday, as water and food for civilians runs low.

President Joe Biden on Friday plans to sign an executive order that would create the White House Office of Environmental Justice.

The White House said it wants to ensure that poverty, race and ethnic status do not lead to worse exposure to pollution and environmental harm.

An arbitration panel ordered MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell to pay five million to a software engineer for breach of contract in a dispute over data that Lindell claims proves that China interfered in the U.S. 2020 elections and tipped the outcome to Joe Biden.

Lindell told the Associated Press on Thursday that he “has no intention of paying and that he expects the dispute to land in court.”

Diana Zaharia can be reached at zaha3727@stthomas.edu