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

EVERY October, when I tell people I am travelling with a group to the village of Burin in Palestine for the olive harvest, someone will respond — not really knowing what else to say — with “oh, how lovely! The weather will be nice and hot!”
In fact, in October the weather in the part of Palestine where we stay — the occupied West Bank — tends to be variable, with overcast and rainy days, particularly in the second half of the month.
However, our group from Britain and Ireland feels the heat in other ways — the heat generated by the burning of olive groves belonging to Palestinian farmers by Israeli settlers (who I prefer to call colonists) who also attack village homes.


