The question is not simply how much we spend on defence, but what we understand defence and security to mean, says SIMON BRIGNELL
Farc senator Sandra Ramirez elected second vice-president of Congress
But problems on the ground remain for former Farc guerillas
Given the recent rejection of peace proposals by Israel the world must provide an immediate and resolute response to force accountability on Gaza, argues RAMZY BAROUD
MARK SEDDON tries to cool off in the countryside to avoid the heatwaves but the greed and incompetence of the privatised water industry is now at boiling point
The disputed election of a far-right president, who is also a US citizen, signals further consolidation of Washington’s regional power and represents a threat to the country’s democracy and sovereignty, writes WT WHITNEY JNR
by Her Excellency Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the United Kingdom
DR STEPHEN WILKINSON assesses the life and legacy of a revolutionary giant
LESS than a decade ago, Sandra Ramirez was a Farc guerilla engaged in conflict with the state, knowing that each day could be her last.
Today, she sits in the Colombian Senate as its newly elected second vice-president, a development that has raised hopes for the future of the peace process and reaffirmed the Farc political party’s commitment to its post-2016 struggle within electoral politics.
Under the peace agreement’s terms on political participation, one of its core components, the Farc re-formed as a political party and entered the Colombian congress, where it is guaranteed 10 seats for two electoral terms, a total of eight years.
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