AFP UK

Sao Paulo (AFP) – Japan’s Princess Kako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, arrives at Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paulo during her official visit to Brazil. IMAGES

Saint-Claude (France) (AFP) – Jeremy Nicollin, a 34-year-old professional cliff jumper, leaps from a 22-metre-high waterfall near his home in eastern France. The former athlete has been living off his passion for a year by making videos of his jumps shared on social media. His next goal is to break the world record by jumping from a height of 60 metres.

Hanoï (AFP) – “Having children should match one’s financial situation, and allow time for personal well-being,” says 18-year-old Hanoi resident Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, after Vietnam’s communist government scrapped its long-standing two-child policy in an effort to reverse the decline in the birth rate.

La Havane (AFP) – It’s never too late to make a splash at a historic swimming club in Havana as dozens of dedicated swimmers over 70 dive into the Caribbean Sea, finding a powerful way to “rejuvenate” and “lift their spirits.”

Oualata (Mauritanie) (AFP) – More than a thousand kilometres from the Mauritanian capital, the medieval town of Oualata has been devastated by the encroaching desert and recent heavy rains attributed to climate change. Many have left the crumbling town, leaving those who remain to try and preserve its historic buildings as well as its store of valuable manuscripts.

Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is only holding talks on ending the war to try to convince US President Donald Trump to delay fresh sanctions over its invasion. “They did it to demonstrate to the United States of America that they are constructive,” Zelensky tells reporters in Kyiv after both countries held direct talks in Turkey.

Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Children bid farewell to their mother Reem Al-Akhras after she was killed in the Al-Alam area of Rafah near an aid centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), where the Red Cross says at least 27 people were killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military says it is investigating the incident.

Moscow (AFP) – The evening is in full swing in Moscow’s posh Patriarch Ponds neighbourhood, with ice-cold spritz and fancy cars. Despite Ukraine recently intensifying its drone attacks aimed at the Russian capital, the revelry continues in Moscow. “I don’t read the news. It’s a mood spoiler,” says one woman.

Kramatorsk (Ukraine) (AFP) – Even with Russian bombs raining down on her town in eastern Ukraine, nothing will stop Olena Sologub from taking care of her appearance. For Ukrainians like her living near the front, beauty offers an escape that prevents the war from engulfing their lives. “Let me be beautiful, even if they find me under the rubble,” says the 50-year-old crane operator in Kramatorsk, which lies less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) from advancing Russian troops.

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.