Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · 13h

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota closed down and requested additional security Tuesday due to concerns over Palestine protests.

But organizers of the peaceful protest said the U.S. response was an overreaction.

amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

U.S. Embassy in Colombia shuts doors, bolsters security amid pro-Palestinian protests

The U.S. Embassy in Bogota closed its doors and requested additional police protection Tuesday because of security concerns over pro-Palestine protests on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks in Israe...

amp.miamiherald.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · 22d

Trump's decaf decertification ends months of anxiety in #Colombia — where soaring #cocaine production has stoked fears of sweeping #U.S. sanctions — but deals a symbolic blow to a country that has historically been one of #Washington's closest allies in the region.

www.npr.org/2025/09/16/n...

For first time in decades, U.S. says Colombia is falling short in drug war

For the first time in decades, the U.S. has decertified Colombia as a drug control partner — a symbolic blow to one of Washington's closest allies in Latin America.

www.npr.org

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Aug 11

Ethnic minorities in #Colombia are disproportionately affected by the country's internal conflict but have been historically marginalised from processes aimed at ending it.

As the #conflict mounts, they continue to demand a voice in negotiating #peace.

www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news-feature...

In Colombia’s Chocó, neglected ethnic groups fight for a voice in building peace

Long-marginalised Indigenous and Afro-descendant groups are demanding a greater say in how their communities can find paths out of conflict.

www.thenewhumanitarian.org

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Aug 10

Fantastic piece on the UK’s new “dissident right”: Tech bros with a disdain for women, immigrants, wokeism and, notably, the Tories.

Jemima Kelly @jemima.bsky.social · Aug 9

I spent the day with Curtis Yarvin and the "dissident right" at a garden party in Surrey and wrote quite a few words about it.

My cover story for today’s FT Magazine

on.ft.com/4ooXS4t [GIFT LINK! 🎁]

Sunday at the garden party for Curtis Yarvin and the new, new right

[FREE TO READ] What you learn at a gathering of neoreactionaries, Very Online rightwingers and the formerly cancelled

on.ft.com

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Aug 9

Peruvian gov accuses Colombian airforce plane of violating its sovereignty amid a border dispute over Santa Rosa island in the Amazon.

Colombia's President Petro said yesterday he does not recognise Peru's sovereignty over the island, citing a 1922 treaty.

www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latino...

Perú acusa a Colombia de invadir su espacio aéreo con avión militar sobre la isla Santa Rosa, reclamada por el presidente Gustavo Petro

El Gobierno colombiano ya pidió disculpas, pero estas no satisfacen al Ejecutivo peruano, según el primer ministro Eduardo Arana.

www.eltiempo.com

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Aug 8

#Temu's affordability and convenience have propelled its rapid rise across #LatinAmerica, driving a region-wide transition towards e-commerce.

But small businesses are being forced to adapt or die as they struggle to compete with the #Chinese site.

My latest:

www.straitstimes.com/world/small-...

Small businesses struggle as China’s Temu spurs more Latin Americans to shop online

Since formally launching in Colombia last May, Chinese e-commerce platform Temu has taken the country by storm, usurping Amazon to become the second-most popular shopping site after Argentine giant Me...

www.straitstimes.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Aug 4

Senior #Republicans are rallying behind #Colombia's convicted ex-president Uribe.

latinamericareports.com/us-proposes-...

US proposes 50% cuts to Colombia aid budget citing Uribe trial, government drug use - Latin America Reports

The United States House Committee on Appropriations proposed a 50% reduction in its 2026 non-military aid budget for Colombia in a report last week. The bill cited a host of factors in its decision, i...

latinamericareports.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Jul 9

Child recruitment in Colombia increased 1000% from 2021-2024.

This is the story of two mothers whose sons, age 13 and 16, were abducted into Colombia’s violent internal conflict.

#Colombia #War #HumanRights #Noticias #News #Conflicto #LatinAmerica

www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/202...

‘Never touched a gun’: Colombia fighters step up child soldier recruitment

As Colombia’s conflicts continue to escalate, criminal organisations rely on young soldiers to bolster ranks.

www.aljazeera.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Jun 11

The 15-year-old who shot Miguel Uribe was offered roughly USD $4800 to carry out the attack, according to local media.

The intellectual authors of the assassination attempt exploited a vulnerable child from an impoverished background to do their dirty work.

#Colombia #MiguelUribe #News #Noticias

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Jun 8

“Essentially what we have tonight is a return to a very dark era of politics in Colombia when violence was used as a political tool at the highest level of elections,"
@dickinsonbeth.bsky.social @crisisgroup.org @latam.crisisgroup.org

My latest for @npr.org:

www.npr.org/2025/06/08/n...

Colombian Presidential hopeful shot at Bogotá rally

A Colombian Presidential hopeful in critical condition after being shot during a campaign rally in Bogotá on Saturday. The assassination attempt is having a chilling effect in Colombia where security ...

www.npr.org

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Jun 7

Assassination attempt against Colombian presidential hopeful and Senator Miguel Uribe. Uribe’s mother, Diana Turbay, was killed in 1991 after being kidnapped by Pablo Escobar.

#Colombia #news #elections

www.eltiempo.com/politica/par...

Atención: Miguel Uribe Turbay fue víctima de un atentado en Bogotá

El senador y precandidato presidencial recibió un disparo en Fontibón.

www.eltiempo.com

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Jun 3

My latest for @aljazeera.com:

Guatemala's Public Prosecutor yesterday issued warrants for the arrest of #Colombia's Attorney General and its ex-Defense Minister.

Colombian President #Petro responded saying #Guatemala's judiciary answers to narco-traffickers.

www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/...

Colombia rejects Guatemalan court’s arrest warrants for top officials

Colombia says that the action by Guatemalan Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche is part of a politically motivated campaign.

www.aljazeera.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · May 15

My latest for @miamiherald.com:

“The move by Colombia, traditionally one of Washington’s strongest regional allies, is the latest indication of Beijing’s growing challenge to U.S. influence in Latin America”

#colombia #trump #petro #china #beltandroad #usa

www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Colombia joins China’s Belt and Road Initiative amid tensions with Trump

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has formalized his country’s entry into China’s Belt and Road Initiative, or New Silk Road, a sprawling geoeconomic development project that already includes over 140...

www.miamiherald.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · May 6

My latest for @miamiherald.com.

“This institution is compelled by the memory of our murdered comrades to continue confronting any expression of crime" - Director of Colombian National Police.

#Colombia #Escobar #Police #Crime #Policia

www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...

Wave of police killings in Colombia copies drug lord Pablo Escobar’s terror tactics

Nineteen police officers and 12 soldiers have been killed by armed groups in Colombia since April 15, in what President Gustavo Petro has called a “plan pistola” – a tactic popularized by notorious dr...

www.miamiherald.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · May 5

My latest piece on how #Trump's exaggeration of the Tren de Aragua threat in order to justify anti-immigration policies, criticise opponents and vilify #Venezuelan migrants is not a new strategy; for years, Latin American politicians have done the same.

www.latintimes.com/trumps-tren-...

Trump's Tren de Aragua Crackdown Takes a Leaf Out Of South America's Political Playbook

South American countries have used the Tren de Aragua as a political tool to criticize urban insecurity, stigmatize Venezuelan migrants, and justify anti-immigration policies.

www.latintimes.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Apr 14

My first piece for NPR, on the unsettling alliance between #Trump and #Bukele, an autocrat who has overseen some of Latin America's worst human rights violations in recent years and in doing so attracted the admiration of #MAGA Republicans.

NPR @npr.org · Apr 14

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele heads to the White House to discuss further cooperation with the U.S., including the continued use of El Salvador's supermax prison for deported migrants.

The 'world's coolest dictator' heads to the White House

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele heads to the White House to discuss further cooperation with the U.S., including the continued use of El Salvador's supermax prison for deported migrants.

www.npr.org

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 24

Colombia's President has repeatedly claimed Mexican cartels are behind the country's conflict. But experts @dickinsonbeth.bsky.social of @latam.crisisgroup.org and Henry Shuldiner of InsightCrime dispute this.

#Mexico #Cartel #Colombia #Petro #News #Drugs

www.latintimes.com/are-mexican-...

Are Mexican Cartels Behind Violence in Colombia's Conflict Zone?

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has repeatedly claimed Mexican cartels are behind violence in the country's conflict zone, but that's not accurate, experts say

www.latintimes.com

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 19

Video from yesterday’s march in Bogotá in support of Gustavo Petro and his labour reform.

#Petro #GustavoPetro #Reformalaboral #colombia #pactohistorico #news #protest #Bogota

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 18

My latest for @reuters.com: in his address to Congress, #DonaldTrump scoffed at #USAID programmes funding "Afro-Colombian empowerment in Central America."

But in #Colombia (which is in South America) these programmes can be the difference between life and death.

www.reuters.com/world/americ...

USAID suspension shutters Colombia programs, endangering FARC peace deal

The global suspension of USAID funding is shuttering peace and anti-gang programs in Colombia's most impoverished places, endangering implementation of the country's 2016 peace deal with leftist FARC rebels, according to officials, people working with the agency and beneficiaries.

www.reuters.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 18

Decent turnout in Bogotá for the march in favour of Gustavo Petro and his labour reforms. One source tells me they were instructed by their employer to attend, but many are clearly there of their own volition.

#Colombia #Petro #NoticiasColombia

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 13

Our visit to La Escombrera, a landfill in Medellin believed to be the site of Colombia’s largest mass grave.

Pictures by Jonathan Nassif.

Link to article in bio.

#colombia #news #medellin #comuna13 #operationorion #conflict #conflictoarmado

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 11

The situation now in Tibú, Colombia: sources inside tell me that the army is bombarding ELN and FARC dissident guerrilla forces, who are pinned down. Residents in the urban sector have been told to shelter in place and fear clashes will reach them.

#colombia #catatumbo #tibu #ELN #FARC

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 11

My latest from Quibdó, in Colombia's Pacific region.

#Quibdo #Chocó #Colombia #Crime #Gangs #Petro #News #Crimen #NoticiasColombia

latinamericareports.com/a-gang-truce...

A gang truce in Colombia’s poorest city drastically cut homicide rates, but can it hold? - Latin America Reports

Quibdó, Colombia – A truce signed between three gangs in December reduced homicide rates in Quibdó, the capital of Colombia’s impoverished Chocó region, by 56%, said authorities. Government officials...

latinamericareports.com

Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Mar 10

My latest for Latin America Reports.

#colombia #conflict #eln #farc #petro #catatumbo #tibu #ocaña

latinamericareports.com/at-least-sev...

At least seven killed on Sunday in renewed clashes in Colombia’s Catatumbo region - Latin America Reports

The conflict in Colombia’s northeast Catatumbo region flared up over the weekend with new confrontations between armed groups leaving at least seven dead.

latinamericareports.com

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Alfie Pannell @alfiepannell.bsky.social · Feb 26

In #Colombia's #Chocó Department, the arrival of the #EMC #guerrilla group stokes fears of an escalation in the long-running armed conflict between the #ELN and #EGC or #ClanDelGolfo.

#PeaceProcess #PazTotal #Petro #ConflictoArmado

thebogotapost.com/fears-in-cho...

Fears in Chocó that FARC dissidents’ arrival will worsen humanitarian crisis

Quibdó, Colombia – Local officials, community leaders and residents in Colombia’s eastern Chocó department fear that the entry of a third armed group to the region will aggravate the existing humanita...

thebogotapost.com