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Argelia (Colombia) (AFP) – With cocaine production at an all-time high, Colombia’s government is trying a new approach to its narcotics problem: paying farmers to uproot crops of coca, the drug’s main ingredient. Among the beneficiaries are Alirio Caicedo and his son Nicolas, who a decade ago planted an expanse of coca as they staked their future on the continued patronage of criminal gangs. Today, they are uprooting the crops and hoping for the best.

Geneva (AFP) – The “willful impediment of access to food and other life-sustaining relief supplies for civilians may constitute a war crime,” says United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokesperson Jeremy Laurence, discussing the situation in Gaza at a press conference in Geneva.

Santa María Ostuma (AFP) – Men carry bundles of fruit on poles on their shoulders during the Santa Cruz festivities in Santa Maria Ostuma, 65 km east of San Salvador, to celebrate the year’s abundant harvest. The celebration dates back almost a century and takes place every 31 May.

Warschau (AFP) – Nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election, according to official results, in a major blow for the country’s pro-EU government. The 42-year-old, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, scored 50.9 percent of the vote in Sunday’s runoff. His 53-year-old rival Rafal Trzaskowski, Warsaw’s pro-EU mayor and an ally of the country’s centrist government, won 49.1 percent in the highly polarised NATO and EU nation. The results followed a tense evening, as both candidates had claimed victory when an exit poll indicated they were neck and neck.

Halinów (Poland) (AFP) – Voters in Poland head to the polls for the second round of a tight presidential election, with major stakes for the country’s role in the EU and its stance on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Rafal Trzaskowski, 53, the pro-EU mayor of Warsaw and ally of the centrist government, is up against Karol Nawrocki, 42, a nationalist historian backed by the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) of outgoing President Andrzej Duda.

Paris (AFP) – “We will not tolerate any acts of violence this evening,” warns French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, one day after PSG’s Champions League win on May 31. The celebration has already been marked by two deaths in Dax and Paris, and over 500 arrests across the country.

Mecca (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – Thousands of Muslim pilgrims perform Tawaf, the ritual of circling the Kaaba at Mecca’s Grand Mosque, ahead of this year’s hajj pilgrimage. Over a million people are expected to join the pilgrimage, despite the intense summer heat, which has proven deadly in the past.

Rome (AFP) – Thousands of protesters march through Rome to protest a new security law imposed by Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government, denouncing it as repressive and designed to please her electorate. The law increases sentences for certain acts like protesting and strengthens protections for police officers implicated in violence cases.

Kampur (India) (AFP) – Locals wade through floodwaters in Kampur after flash floods and landslides caused by heavy monsoon rains killed at least 30 people in northeast India, officials said.

Paris (AFP) – Starting from July 1, France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be accessed by children, including beaches, parks and bus stops. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62%) favour banning smoking in public places.

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – People run to take cover and smoke rises amid destruction, after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. People were “torn to pieces”, says one witness, with “severed heads and severed hands”. Israel recently intensified its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war and killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. More than 54,321 people, mostly civilians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Satara (India) (AFP) – Traditional Indian mud wrestling, known as “kushti” or “dangal”, has millennia-old roots but remains hugely popular. The sport, which blends traditional hand-to-hand combat with Persian martial arts, has acted as a training ground for several Indian athletes to win wrestling medals at the Olympic Games.