The Colombian filmmaker Simón Mesa Soto (Medellín, 1986) won the Palme d'Or for best short film at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival with his master's degree final project at the London Film School, where Carla Simón was one of his classmates. A decade later, the difficulties in making his second film brought about doubts and fear. What if his initial success had been a mirage? Would he end up being just a professor, having been forced to abandon his dream of filmmaking? These concerns ended up being reflected in A Poet, a hilarious and at the same time very bitter comedy that premieres this Friday and has a wonderful protagonist: Óscar Restrepo, a poet who won an important award at a very young age and who, now older and a failure, wallows in his life's defeat through alcohol and self-pity, lives off the pension of an elderly and sick mother, and uses his literary aspirations (“I am a poet!”) as a trench to shelter himself from work. “What you are is unemployed,” his sister rightly tells him, pushing him to accept a job as a literature teacher.

A Colombian Air Force military transport plane crashed Monday morning near Puerto Leguízamo, in the department of Putumayo, in southern Colombia. The Hercules aircraft was carrying 125 people, mostly military personnel. Despite the magnitude of the accident, the death toll currently stands at eight. Eighty-three passengers sustained injuries, 14 of whom are in critical condition, according to authorities, who also indicated that the condition of the remaining 34 occupants is unknown. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff, as confirmed on social media by Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez Suárez.

"Despite not having been a soldier, I know about war and clandestinity," Petro said a few days ago when Trump was issuing warnings to Bogotá. A tension and exchange of public messages The truce was short-lived: on Wednesday night they made peace with an hour-long phone call that eased tensions, according to the Colombian ambassador in Washington. Trump noted that it had been "an honor" to speak with the very president whom he had labeled a drug trafficker just days beforeFor his part, Petro posted a photograph on social media of two animals—an eagle and a cheetah—symbolizing a step toward friendship between the two countries. But Petro had already warned: "I swore not to touch another weapon since the 1989 peace agreement, but for the sake of my country, I will take up the weapons I don't want again."

The Colombian city of Cúcuta is an oasis of calm, detached from the geopolitical map that exists outside. While several paramilitary groups risk everything in the surrounding area, the town center turns its back on the sounds of the mountains. Therefore, the echo coming from Washington—with the threat of expanding Pentagon operations in Colombia—has little impact on the lives of the Colombians who live in this town on the border with Venezuela. They don't hide their fear, but for now, they also don't seem willing to consider a hypothetical operation in certain border positions.

At Cecilia's ranch, they couldn't celebrate lavishly due to their precarious economic situation, but the family certainly didn't lack the desire to toast with the best bottle in the house. From her window, she can almost tell what's happening in Venezuela, since it's only a few kilometers away, but one day she had to pack her bags to look for a better life. "I arrived five years ago," she explains to ARA, happy to have a horizon for her future. Because, now that Nicolás Maduro is no longer in powerShe and her family plan to return to Trujillo, from where they had to flee due to the dire circumstances. "I ate panela with water, and we cooked green papaya for the children," she explains, describing their situation. A declining macroeconomic situation, hyperinflation, and shortages of food and medicine drove millions of Venezuelans into exile. And the collapse of Maduro's Venezuela has been felt most acutely in areas like Cúcuta. According to data from the regional government of Norte de Santander in 2021, the Colombian city hosted up to 10% of the Venezuelans who remained in Colombia. Regarding the total number of exiles worldwide, the Venezuelan Diaspora Observatory reported that up to 9.1 million people had left the country. Cecilia chose to settle in Colombia, despite dreaming of returning someday. “They offered me a thousand dollars, but we never sold the house we have there,” he says. It’s probably a better place than the area where he lives right now. In the La Esperanza neighborhood, the informal settlement known to everyone by the name of the country in front of them, Venezuela, took shape. Small plots of land made of brick for the lucky ones and corrugated iron for those who couldn’t afford thicker walls.

The successful military operation against Venezuela to kidnap Nicolás Maduro has further enraged Donald Trump, who has spent the last two days threatening one country after another. To the recurring intimidation tactics of recent months against Greenland—which have been repeated in the last few hours—have been added threats against countries in Washington's so-called "backyard," especially Cuba and Colombia, which appear to be in the crosshairs of the US president.

Following the US raid to capture Nicolás Maduro, nothing unusual was observed this Sunday at the Simón Bolívar Bridge, which connects Colombia and Venezuela. This was confirmed by the soldiers guarding the gateway to the nation presided over by Gustavo Petro. Tranquility and normalcy prevailed; a common scene, both for those entering and leaving. In a rare instance, a small group of Venezuelans crossed the border with numerous large suitcases. A group of journalists tried to follow them, but they left. In fact, the biggest beneficiaries of the influx of international journalists during the hot January weather in Cúcuta, the border city, are the street vendors selling snacks. And the press remains in Cúcuta unable to move forward because Venezuela's borders remain closed to anyone carrying recording equipment. The press is barred.

Forty years ago, on the night of November 13, 1985, Colombia experienced one of its greatest tragedies: the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. After nearly seven decades of dormancy, the volcano awoke, and despite warnings from scientists, the country was unprepared for the catastrophe. A mudslide of mud and rocks—descending from 5,000 meters above sea level—buried the city of Armero, in the department of Tolima, wiping it off the map and causing the deaths of more than 23,000 people. That night, the face of Omaira Sánchez, a 13-year-old girl trapped in the mud, became a global symbol of pain and helplessness in the face of nature. Omaira ultimately died, surrounded by emergency services, who were powerless to save her life. Her farewell words, full of love and hope, became a poignant reminder of the devastation. Weekly report, from TVE, impacted an entire generation that the memory of their intense gaze continues to challenge.

The United States has launched a new military attack against an alleged drug boat, but this time it was in Pacific waters. instead of the Caribbean, off the Colombian coast. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told X on Wednesday that the two crew members of the vessel died and compared them to the terrorist group al-Qaeda. Shortly after, a second boat was struck, killing three more people. "Narco-terrorists intent on bringing poison to our shores will find no safe harbor but in our hemisphere. Just as al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and on our people," he wrote.

US President Donald Trump announced this Sunday that he will freeze financial aid to Colombia due to its alleged inaction in the fight against drug trafficking, and accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of being "a drug trafficking leader." He warned that if he does not close "these extermination camps immediately," the United States will shut them down.

The US State Department has revoked the visa to the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, arguing that he has urged US soldiers to "disobey orders and incite violence." Petro, one of the main leaders of the Latin American left, participated in a pro-Palestine demonstration in New York on Friday, coinciding with the celebration of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.

Colombia has been shaken by two attacks targeting a police helicopter in Antioquia and a military airbase in Cali, which have left at least 18 dead and dozens injured and have put one of the main dissidents of the disappeared FARC, the Central General Staff (EMC), identified as responsible. The country's president, Gustavo Petro, described the day as a "day of death" and did not hesitate to describe the events as "terrorist reactions" against his government's offensive. Currently, there are two arrests for the attack in Cali.

The senator and Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe Turbay died this Monday, two months after the attack. which left him in very critical condition, according to his wife, Maria Claudia Tarazona, on social media. Uribe, 39, was shot twice in the head and once in the left leg while holding a rally in Bogotá, in a political attack for which a 15-year-old boy, the alleged perpetrator of the crime, was initially arrested. The Prosecutor's Office has linked five other adults to the events, who are believed to have participated in planning and covering up the crime.

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who governed the country between 2002 and 2010, was sentenced on Monday night for the crimes of bribery of witnesses during a criminal proceeding and procedural fraud. He thus becomes the first former president of the country to be criminally convicted for a crime that could result in a prison sentence of between four and eight years. We will have to wait until Friday, August 1, to find out the specific sentence applied to him.

It's the drug of greatest concern today. Over the past four years, the global cocaine market has continued to grow, and in 2023, according to figures released by the United Nations this Thursday, cocaine will reach record levels in production, seizures, consumption, treatment, and related deaths," Pietschmann, a researcher with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) since 1997, said. World Drugs Report 2025, cocaine production soared by 34% in 2023, reaching over 3,708 tons. In 2019, half that amount, 1,784 tons, was recorded. The increase in recent years is mainly due to Colombia, which is the world's largest producer and accounts for nearly 70% of the market. The hectares where the cocaine is planted—equivalent to 525,000 soccer fields—have grown far below total production, indicating greater concentration and higher crop yields.

Colombia's Attorney General, Luz Adriana Camargo, reported on Monday that the investigation into the attack against presidential candidate Miguel Uribe The report indicates that an organized criminal group is behind the attack in which the senator was seriously injured. The perpetrator is a 15-year-old minor carrying a gun. He was arrested immediately after the attack by the politician's own followers, who held him until security forces arrived. "We are perfectly aware that this boy is only the perpetrator," the prosecutor stated at a press conference, adding that her objective is "to be able to establish who carried out this criminal act." At least 180 officials are participating in the investigation, including investigators from the Attorney General's Office, intelligence agents, and members of the Colombian National Police, she explained.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested accused of shooting Miguel Uribe, a candidate in Colombia's presidential elections, twice in the head. Uribe, a senator and presidential candidate for the opposition Democratic Center party, was shot twice while participating in an election event. The man was taken to a Bogotá hospital in critical condition and was still "fighting for his life" on Sunday after undergoing emergency surgery, according to his wife and the hospital. The detained 15-year-old is believed to be the perpetrator of the attack, and the politician's own supporters held him until security forces arrived, offering a reward of 3 billion pesos (approximately 639,000 euros) to anyone with information about the attack.

Shakira has many problems to carry out her tour Women Don't Cry World Tour. Before kicking off more than four months of concerts across the American continent, raising her two children with Gerard Piqué was already a matter of debate. Later she had to cancel the concert in Peru for health reasons and this Monday she will not be able to dazzle her fans in Medellín either due to technical problems.

"How does it feel to fill empty stomachs with the cold of a rifle?" wrote Laura Sofia, a journalism student, in red on black on her banner. "In this country, to eat we have more bullets than food", she justifies. Recently Noticias Caracol leaked the Colombian government's intention to buy 24 military planes for 4.5 billion dollars, a third of what the tax reform that triggered the National Strike on 28 April was intended to raise.