As Colombia approaches presidential elections next year, the US decision to decertify the country in the war on drugs plays into the hands of its allies on the political right, writes NICK MacWILLIAM

ON BBC Newsnight the panel of journalists and politicians were discussing Elon Musk’s emphatic salute at Trump’s triumphal inauguration rally in Washington DC.
Probably most people have seen Musk’s Dr Strangelove moment by now but none of the panel would say what it most clearly was: a Nazi salute.
Musk did not just involuntarily raise his right arm and point his fingers to heaven. He slammed his right hand into his chest, paused for a long moment, and then thrust his arm upwards as tens of millions watched nationwide, and thousands of Trump supporters in the auditorium in Washington cheered.
![BY ANY MEANS POSSIBLE: Yanaocha mine in Cajamarca, Peru is the largest gold mine in South America operated by Newmont Corporation. It is considered the most profitable in the world [Pic: Elbuenminero/CC]]( https://msd11.gn.apc.org/sites/default/files/styles/low_resolution/public/2025-09/extractive%20caoitakism%20webpic.jpg.webp?itok=DEObb5jr)
JOE GILL appreciates a lucid demonstration of how capital today is an outgrowth of the colonial economy

JOE GILL looks at research on the reasons people voted as they did last week and concludes Labour is finished unless it ditches Starmer and changes course

