nadine barber,ays. >> cockfighting is a tradition, but now there is a group hoping to ban it from thesland. like boxers before a big fight, all of the birds are weighed first. cockfight something a popular tradition on reunion island, which is a french territory. it's how these men spend their weekends. there is banter and betting but cockfighting is under threat. the french government won't allow any new venues to open, and eventually wants the fights stopped completely. >> in france, there is bull fighting and boxing between men. we don't force the cocks to fight. if he doesn't want to fight, he doesn't fight. >> the birds are highly prized. so these men say fights to the death are rarely allowed. these birds are evenly matched, unlike reunion and france. to some people, this is animal cruelty. but here, it's an important part of life, a strong, proud tradition. men don't see why they should change who they are for anyone. >> less than a million people live here. although reunion is most closer to africa than europe, this could be any street in france. it is financed by the mainland

nadine barber, al jazeera. >>> the largest annual arts festival in the world is taking place.ers from 39 different countries have converged on the scottish capitol with more than 3,000 shows scheduled to take place. the french festival is completely open access. anyone can turn up and perform. charlie angela is at the heart. >> reporter: they are engulfed with performers who are using every nook and cranny and stunt to showcase their talent. the festival is open to anyone with a story to tell, and that makes it a unique environment. >> good morning, reservations thank you for holding, how can i help you? yeah, this is [ inaudible ] office. >> reporter: this man has already made it big as a comedian on tv. but he keeps coming back. >> it attracts everybody like huge name comics and brand new people waiting to be discovered. i was discovered here. i won the bbc new comedian award in '96, and it is where i got good at what i do, because you really have to push yourself. >> reporter: here the competition is brutal with over 3,000 shows all trying to attract the same audiences, it'

nadine barber reports. >> reporter: the moment when anger turned to bloodshed. these pictures show the bloody scene after protesters through a grenade at riot police. the interior ministry says blast injured about 100 officers and about 50 national guardsmen. the violence also injured journalists covering the protest. a crowd had gathered ahead of a parliamentary vote on giving special status to parts of the donetsk lun -- a luhansk region. the bill did pass on its first reading. it's a crucial part of a peace agreement reached in february of this year. it was supposed to end the fi d the -- fighting. since then there has been sporadic violence in the east. these scenes in the capitol are a reminder of how controversial the agreement is. >>> and look at this. this is summer camp in ukraine. children as young as 11 years old, training with assault rifles. 120 kids completed a three-day military-skills course before heading back to school. in addition to combat training, the children also learned first aid. >>> so it's a drug that can literally bring a person back