Colombians Go To The Pools As Terror Rises

Colombians Go to the Polls as Terror Rises COLOMBIA Colombia Two weeks before Colombian voters were scheduled to go to the polls to elect a new president, gunmen on motorcycles killed two campaign staffers who worked for right-wing candidate Abelardo de la Espriella. The murders took place in southeastern Colombia, where rebel movements and cocaine trafficking are widespread. According to Al Jazeera, de la Espriella extolled his workers on social media, writing they “walked the streets defending democracy, freedom, and the hope of millions of Colombians. Their only crime was believing in the Fatherland and not kneeling before the violent.” The shootings were only the latest example of the bloodshed that has sharply escalated in the South American country as voters prepare to replace Gustavo Petro, the country’s first leftist president, in elections on May 31. In late April, a spate of attacks against civilians and military installations took place, including at least 26 explosive and drone attacks and a bombing on the highway between Cali and Popayán that killed at least 20 people. That’s because rebels and criminal gangs are turning to violence to improve their negotiating positions with the next leader of the country, the Latin Times wrote. “The recent murders echo a long history of political assassinations in Colombia, but they come at a particularly fragile moment, when President Gustavo Petro’s ‘Total Peace’ policy is under pressure, and multiple armed groups are jockeying for leverage in negotiations and territory,” it said. “These attacks, involving dissident (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel factions) and criminal organizations, are raising fears that public security and crime will dominate Colombia’s coming presidential campaign and could suppress participation in areas already scarred by conflict.” American officials claim the violence has also escalated because Petro has taken a radically soft approach to drug cartels that have long financed leftist rebels fighting against the government. Colombian voters, however, don’t seem to care. Left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda, a Petro ally, is the frontrunner in the presidential race. A human rights advocate who, like Petro, wants to negotiate with the rebels, Cepeda’s father was a Communist Party politician who was killed by right-wing paramilitaries in 1994. Landowners and other Colombian elites commonly financed those paramilitaries to defend their property and interests from rebels. Other leading candidates include de la Espriella, a lawyer who draws inspiration from libertarian Javier Milei, the president of Argentina. In the center-right is Paloma Valencia, an ally of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who served from 2002 to 2010, wrote the Americas Society/Council of the Americas. With American military and financial assistance, Uribe launched a massive attack against rebels in the country’s interior. He also sought to dismantle the right-wing paramilitaries and triggered scandals involving civilian deaths. He was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest on bribery and witness-tampering convictions that an appeals court overturned last year. The presidential election takes place in two rounds, so de la Espriella and Valencia have been attacking each other in an effort to garner sufficient votes to face off against Cepeda in a runoff. Whoever prevails could benefit from regional trends that have tilted the region rightward over the past few years. In the past year alone, voters in Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Honduras have elected conservative presidents. Meanwhile, analysts worry that the violence will hinder the elections. Over the past year, FARC dissidents have regularly staged attacks against the central government despite the peace deal that led most of their comrades in arms to stop fighting. At least 61 political leaders have been killed, including leading presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay, who was assassinated by a 15-year-old boy last year, shocking the country. All the presidential candidates have received threats. Analysts say that some citizens are now avoiding political rallies and campaign events. Large areas of the countryside have in effect become no-go zones for politicians, where campaigning without permission from armed groups can be extremely dangerous. “They’re seeking to limit the degree to which people participate in the electoral process,” Francisco Daza, a coordinator of the Colombian Peace and Reconciliation Foundation, told the Guardian. “Murder and kidnapping serve as a warning.”

Argentina: Why Peter Thiel Is Decamping To The End Of The World

Why Peter Thiel Is Decamping to the End of the World The billionaire’s new roots in Argentina are said to be partly motivated by concerns about the future of the United States and shared beliefs with Argentina’s right-wing leader. Listen · 10:38 min Share full article 247 A person in a dark suit and blue tie stands next to another person in a dark suit stepping up white stairs. A reddish-brown building is in the background. Peter Thiel, right, arriving for a meeting with President Javier Milei at the Casa Rosada Presidential Palace in Buenos Aires in April.Credit...Matias Baglietto/Reuters Emma BubolaRyan Mac By Emma Bubola and Ryan Mac Emma Bubola reported from Buenos Aires, and Ryan Mac from Los Angeles. May 28, 2026 Updated 8:22 a.m. ET Leer en español See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Times on Google The Saturday tournament at the Buenos Aires chess club hosted its usual lineup of players, including an accountant, a college student and schoolchildren. But this time, hunched over the club’s tiny wooden tables with them, was a new entrant: Peter Thiel, the right-wing tech billionaire and Trump donor. Mr. Thiel — who, according to one of the participants, “did not play badly” and came in third — had recently decamped from his homes in Los Angeles and Miami to establish a foothold thousands of miles away in Argentina’s capital. Over the past two months, Mr. Thiel has met with the country’s president, Javier Milei, and his ministers; purchased a mansion in one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive neighborhoods; and hosted a dinner with local economists where he discussed the Antichrist, one of his favorite conversation topics, according to Argentine officials and people familiar with Mr. Thiel’s activities. Mr. Thiel, who has a history of collecting backup countries as he hedges his bets against the United States, is considering making Argentina another Plan B, according to two people familiar with his thinking. Born in Germany and raised in the United States, he received citizenship in New Zealand in 2011, and applied for a passport in Malta in 2022. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT His new roots in Argentina are partly motivated by his concerns about the direction of the United States, the people familiar with his thinking say, particularly California, where an initiative on November’s ballot could lead to a significant tax on billionaires. Argentina, a nation relatively insulated from potential conflicts in the Northern Hemisphere, also fits as a potential escape hatch from other risks that Mr. Thiel has publicly warned about — nuclear war and runaway artificial intelligence. But Mr. Thiel has also been energized by what he’s discovered in Argentina, finding harmony with Mr. Milei’s libertarian slash-and-burn governance and becoming enamored with Buenos Aires’ vibrancy, the people said. They, and others familiar with the billionaire’s activities and discussions about the country, spoke on condition of anonymity to share private conversations. Mr. Thiel did not respond to a request for comment. Underscoring his belief in the country, Mr. Thiel, 58, has temporarily relocated his family to Argentina and enrolled his children in a local school, two of the people said. The Argentine government has also explored offering the billionaire permanent residence or even citizenship, a person familiar with Mr. Thiel’s plans said, though it’s currently unclear whether he would accept. A spokesman for Mr. Milei denied such an offer had been considered. The Argentine government is currently working to establish a “golden passport” program that would allow people who make large investments in the country to obtain citizenship. Editors’ Picks You Barely Need a Recipe for This Weeknight Dinner. That’s What Makes It Timeless. Did You Know a Total Solar Eclipse Is Coming? Here’s How to See It. A Tiny Los Angeles Kitchen Is Making Three-Star Magic with Masa SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT “All billionaires of the world who want to flee countries increasingly regulated, with higher taxes and governments that persecute their citizens, are welcome in the Argentine republic, the new land of freedom,” Manuel Adorni, Mr. Milei’s cabinet chief, said last month before congress, answering a question about Mr. Thiel. Mr. Thiel, he added, was “interested in the deep reforms that we are bringing forward.” An ideological ally Argentina may be an unlikely place for a billionaire looking for stability. The country has careened through nearly a century of instability, marred by military coups and spectacular financial collapses epitomized by triple-digit inflation. But in Mr. Milei, Mr. Thiel has an ideological ally. The two men share an aversion for taxes, socialism and “wokeness” — a negative label critics use to describe progressive politics. Since becoming president in 2023, Mr. Milei has sought to overhaul Argentina’s economy, pushing sweeping deregulation and government spending cuts. He has sought to attract foreign investment in the country’s natural resources, including oil, lithium and rare earth minerals. Image Mr. Milei in a black suit and blue tie smiles and waves. A crowd of blurred hands holding cellphones are prominent in the foreground. President Javier Milei of Argentina in Buenos Aires on Monday. A top aide said billionaires, like Mr. Thiel, are welcome in Argentina.Credit...Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press Mr. Thiel and Mr. Milei first met in person in 2024 in a meeting brokered by Alec Oxenford, a former tech entrepreneur who is now Argentina’s ambassador to the United States, according to a person familiar with the meeting who requested anonymity to share private details publicly. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Mr. Oxenford, whose online marketplace company, OLX, received funding from Mr. Thiel’s venture capital firm more than 15 years ago, had been encouraging the then-new Argentine president to meet with influential American business people. Mr. Thiel, who has vehemently opposed taxes in the United States, grew more interested in Argentina after California political groups began discussing a voter initiative that would apply a 5 percent tax on the assets of the state’s billionaires. By the end of last year, Mr. Thiel was considering cutting ties with the Golden State, and started exploring living outside California. Mr. Thiel first started seriously considering Argentina as a place to live, at least temporarily, about a year ago and began looking at Buenos Aires real estate, the two people familiar with his thinking said. They said he also hired a local art dealer to furnish his home. Image A dense cityscape under an orange sky at sunset. A prominent white obelisk rises from a street bustling with vehicles and bright advertisements. Downtown Buenos Aires in 2023.Credit...Sarah Pabst for The New York Times Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Since arriving in Buenos Aires in April, Mr. Thiel and his husband, Matt Danzeisen, have dined at the home of Argentina’s deregulation minister, Federico Sturzenegger, a person familiar with the dinner said. Mr. Thiel met separately with the economy minister, Luis Caputo. The billionaire and an associate from his venture capital firm, Founders Fund, also spent time with Mr. Milei last month at the presidential house. In an interview with a streaming channel following that meeting, Mr. Milei said that the meeting was one of two like-minded individuals and that Mr. Thiel asked how he would ensure that libertarianism endures in Argentina beyond his presidency. “It was an anarcho-capitalist who met another anarcho-capitalist who is bringing things to life,” Mr. Milei said. A backup country Mr. Thiel’s interest in Argentina is not solely because of his alignment with Mr. Milei’s policies. Mr. Thiel also appears to be enjoying Argentine life. He attended Argentina’s most storied soccer game — between Buenos Aires rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors — and traveled to Bariloche, a lakeside mountain resort in Patagonia. Last month at a candlelit dinner at Mr. Thiel’s Buenos Aires mansion, influential economists and Argentine intellectuals gathered with the billionaire to discuss the country’s history and economy, before the conversation turned to the Antichrist, according to three people familiar with the gathering. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Some in attendance were unsure of what to make of their host’s apocalyptic musings, on an entity which he has warned in lectures could establish a totalitarian world government, but they listened intently. The chess tournament this month in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Almagro was a more upbeat affair. Mr. Thiel, who was the highest-rated player in the competition, posed for photos while wearing his third-place medal and stayed to play chess with a child, said Rafael Jabie, a therapist, who finished second. Mr. Milei and his supporters have been quick to embrace the billionaire as one of their own. “He is already more Argentine” than left-wingers, Juan Pablo Carreira, who runs the Argentine presidency’s digital communications, wrote on X, using an offensive term for his political opponents. Image A packed stadium crowd, many people wearing red and white. They hold red and white umbrellas with the number 14 and have open mouths. Fans chanting at a soccer match between Buenos Aires rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors last month.Credit...Sarah Pabst for The New York Times Daniel Parisini, a right-wing pundit close to Mr. Milei, posted an A.I.-generated picture of Mr. Thiel sitting in front of a parrilla, the quintessential Argentine barbecue, while others online created images of Mr. Thiel eating milanesa, a traditional breaded meat cutlet, inside an Argentine home. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT In a polarized nation, rapidly changing under Mr. Milei, Mr. Thiel’s presence has been viewed starkly differently across the political spectrum. Government supporters see the venture capitalist’s presence as proof that Mr. Milei is successfully turning Argentina into a haven for foreign investors. Mr. Milei’s critics, however, see it as another example of the country being sold out to unbridled capitalism. “What Peter Thiel is doing is terrible,” Elisa Lilita Carrió, an Argentine politician, wrote on X, mentioning Palantir, the big-data firm he co-founded and now chairs. “His settling in Argentina is even worse,” she added. Others have spread theories that he was coming to meddle in next year’s presidential elections, build large data centers or seize Argentine’s personal data with Palantir, which has deep relationships with the U.S. government. Mr. Thiel’s only known investment so far has been in personal real estate. Aside from the Buenos Aires home, across the street from a house owned by one of Argentina’s most famous actresses, Mr. Thiel has also bought a plot of land in neighboring Uruguay, a person familiar with the purchase said. Image Mr. Thiel, seen here in Buenos Aires, has also bought property in neighboring Uruguay.Credit...Matias Baglietto/Reuters Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The Uruguayan property, on sprawling grasslands studded with ranches, is near Punta del Este, a glamorous tourist destination on the Atlantic Ocean that people call the Hamptons of South America. Some observers have speculated that it could include a bunker to shelter from nuclear apocalypse. He would not be the first member of the global elite to think about the southern cone as a place to shelter from nuclear Armageddon. Martin Varsavsky, a Spanish-Argentine tech entrepreneur close to Mr. Thiel, has built a ranch in the Argentine city of Mendoza, which he has said he sees as a potential shelter in case of World War III. Mr. Varsavsky has hypothesized that Argentina would be completely unaffected if the northern hemisphere were wiped out by nuclear war. “The moment China takes Taiwan or Russia takes Lithuania, I’m in Buenos Aires,” he said. “It’s good to have a Plan B for civilization.” Lucía Cholakian Herrera contributed reporting. Emma Bubola is a Times reporter covering Argentina. She is based in Buenos Aires. Ryan Mac is a Times reporter who covers corporate accountability across the global technology industry. See more on: Founders Fund, Donald Trump

Bolivian Protestors Attack Minister's Convoy

Bolivian Protesters Attack Minister’s Convoy as Unrest Intensifies BOLIVIA Bolivia Anti-government protesters attacked the convoy of Bolivia’s public works minister over the weekend as mass demonstrations demanding the resignation of center-right President Rodrigo Paz intensified amid nationwide blockades and unrest. The incident occurred Saturday while Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora was overseeing an operation to clear highway roadblocks set up by demonstrators seeking to slow the movement of goods into the administrative capital, La Paz, and the nearby city of El Alto. Officials said the operation aimed to establish “humanitarian corridors,” but protesters responded with fierce resistance, reportedly attacking the convoy with stones and dynamite. Zamora’s vehicle became separated from the group during the clashes, although authorities later said he was found safe afterward. The unrest comes roughly six months after Paz took office promising to resolve Bolivia’s worst economic crisis in decades. His administration’s policies, including a shift toward the United States and the removal of long-standing fuel subsidies, have sparked public anger and demands for his resignation. The protests have included repeated clashes between demonstrators and police, while trade unions and supporters of former leftist President Evo Morales have organized widespread roadblocks across the country. Officials said blockades were active at 59 locations across six of Bolivia’s nine administrative regions. The disruptions have severely affected transportation and the delivery of goods into major cities, prompting regional and US aid efforts. Meanwhile, authorities said that at least 120 people have been detained since the protests began nearly three weeks ago. Paz said his government remained open to dialogue with protesters but warned there were limits to negotiations and that he could invoke constitutional measures, including a state of emergency, if necessary. Morales has called on Paz to resign and demanded new elections within 90 days “to calm the country.” Paz’s administration has accused Morales and his supporters of fueling the unrest.

Gunmen KIll Two Campaign Workers Before Colombia's Presidential Election

Gunmen Kill Two Campaign Workers Before Colombia’s Presidential Vote COLOMBIA Colombia Two campaign workers for right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de La Espriella were killed in southeastern Colombia over the weekend, intensifying concerns about political violence less than two weeks before the country’s election. De La Espriella said four gunmen on motorcycles shot the victims in a rural area of Cubarral, in Meta Department. His Defenders of the Homeland party identified the men as Rogers Mauricio Devia Escoba, a former mayor of Cubarral and local campaign coordinator, and logistics assistant Eder Fabian Cardona Lopez. Authorities have not blamed any armed group for the attack, but de La Espriella accused a dissident faction of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels. Violence and rising crime have become central issues in the race to replace President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s leftist leader. The ombudsman also reported another attack against a former mayoral candidate in the area and warned that the violence could affect the election. Leftist Sen. Iván Cepeda leads the polls with between 37 and 40 percent support and has pledged to continue Petro’s policy of negotiated solutions to the armed conflict. De La Espriella, who is polling in second place with more than 20 percent, has promised a hard line against guerrillas, criminal gangs and drug trafficking. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote on May 31, a runoff will be held on June 21.

As Uruguay Fights Crime, It Battles To Retain Its "Democratic Soul"

As Uruguay Fights Crime, It Battles to Retain Its ‘Democratic Soul’ URUGUAY Uruguay For years, Uruguay stood out in the region for failing to make headlines. Its voters chose center “safe” politics. Crime remained low. The economy was stable. Moderation was a key value. More recently, however, things have begun to take a turn, particularly regarding security, as increased drug trafficking, organized crime and economic jitters have compelled many Uruguayans to call for more drastic action. Crime in Uruguay remains relatively low for Latin America but left-wing Uruguayan President Yamandú Orsi has been responding to the situation by channeling right-wing populist Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, who has imprisoned tens of thousands of alleged drug lords, gang leaders, thieves and murderers in a bid to clean up his nation. But in moderate, cautious Uruguay, where many remember the cruelty of the authoritarian government that ran the country from 1973 to 1985, that is a problem, analysts say. They add that the challenge for Orsi, unlike Bukele, is to secure the country while upholding civil liberties and protecting Uruguay’s “proud left-wing democracy.” “The question is whether those answers will help tear down democracy or build up the rule of law,” wrote Benjamin N. Gedan, deputy director of the Wilson Center’s Latin American program, in Foreign Policy. Uruguay’s institutions may offer some protection, he added: “… the failure, so far, of ‘Bukelismo’ to take hold in Uruguay is also a vote of confidence in the capacity of the country’s democratic institutions to step up to the challenge of organized crime.” That is the institutional test. The political pressure is more immediate. A recent poll showed crime dominating public concern, with 49 percent of Uruguayans calling it the country’s top problem, far ahead of unemployment at 29 percent. Although still below the 64 percent peak recorded in August 2024, that figure has risen lately, while voters have grown less satisfied with the government’s response. Orsi’s popularity has dropped from 41 percent to 36 percent since he assumed office a year ago. Orsi has tried to show he is responding. He has proposed creating a Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, reforming the criminal code to strengthen security, hiring more police and prison guards, and installing 20,000 surveillance devices to help catch criminals, wrote MercoPress. The government says that crime declined in 2025, including a slight decrease in homicides – 369 for the year compared to 382 in 2024. Progress was less clear on the economy, however. Wages rose by less than 2 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, employment remained level but didn’t necessarily count recent large-scale business restructurings, and poverty remained level at around 18 percent. Fuel prices are also increasing due to market instability stemming from the US-Israeli war against Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As he has struggled domestically, Orsi’s international policy has remained distinctly left-wing. His political coalition, Frente Amplio, recently condemned US President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance toward Cuba, for example. The country is also seeking to reduce the amount of debt it holds in US dollars. Instead, Orsi is seeking to issue debt in the country’s peso while trying to boost beef, soybean and other exports to China and other big buyers. Orsi signed a series of economic agreements with China last year. Orsi’s success or failure in tackling issues within his country will likely determine whether he can continue those diplomatic policies, analysts say. Meanwhile, Uruguayans say that they want things to change sooner rather than later. “On the streets, ordinary Uruguayans say life feels more precarious: more visible homelessness, more petty theft, more open drug consumption, and more scattered but spectacular acts of violence,” wrote the Latin American Post. “For a society that has long seen itself as calm and orderly, this was a jarring reminder that past success offers no protection.”

Hundreds of Thousands Of Argentines Protest Milei's Cuts to Public Universities

Hundreds of Thousands of Argentines Protest Milei’s Funding Cuts to Public Universities ARGENTINA Argentina Hundreds of thousands of Argentines took to the streets of Buenos Aires and other cities this week to protest President Javier Milei’s funding cuts to public universities. Argentina’s tuition-free public university system – established in 1949 and credited with producing five Nobel Prize laureates – is widely seen as a source of national pride. Protesters accused Milei’s libertarian government of trying to dismantle it through austerity measures aimed at reducing state spending. Demonstrators marched across the capital carrying banners reading “Milei, comply with the law” and “Without public universities, there is no future.” Organizers said more than 1.5 million people demonstrated across the country. Congress last year passed a law to fund universities’ operational costs and raise teacher salaries in line with inflation, but Milei vetoed it and later sought to repeal it in the 2026 budget. Lawmakers overruled both efforts, but the government has still refused to release the funds, prompting legal action and injunctions now under appeal before the Supreme Court. “Funding transfers to the university system have fallen by 45.6 percent from 2023 to the present,” said Franco Bartolacci, president of the National Interuniversity Council. The government has claimed that the law threatens its fiscal surplus and has portrayed the demonstrations as politically motivated. The protests came as Milei is also facing declining approval ratings amid falling wages, rising unemployment and corruption allegations surrounding his cabinet chief, Manuel Adorni. Some demonstrators carried signs targeting Adorni, with one reading, “How much does Adorni cost us?”

Peruvian Prosecutors Charge Presidential Candiadte Roberto Sanchez Ahead of Runoff Vote

Peruvian Prosecutors Charge Presidential Candidate Roberto Sánchez Ahead of Runoff Vote PERU Peru Peru’s top prosecutor filed financial crime charges against leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sánchez, hours after election authorities confirmed he would advance to next month’s presidential runoff against conservative rival Keiko Fujimori. Prosecutors on Tuesday accused Sánchez, a candidate from the Juntos por el Perú party, of making false statements in administrative proceedings and filing false financial disclosures with the National Office of Electoral Processes related to campaign contributions from 2018 to 2020. Authorities are seeking a prison sentence of more than five years as well as his “permanent disqualification” from serving as president of the Juntos por el Perú party. Sánchez’s lawyer rejected the accusations, arguing that the party’s treasurer – not Sánchez – was responsible for the financial filings. The charges were announced shortly after Peru’s electoral commission said Sánchez and Fujimori would advance to the June 7 runoff vote. With nearly all ballots counted, Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, led with 17.17 percent of the vote, while Sánchez followed with 12 percent. Election authorities are expected to certify the final first-round results by Friday. The presidential race has unfolded amid weeks of political tension following a contentious first round marked by allegations of fraud, logistical problems and the resignation of Peru’s top electoral official, who is also under investigation. Despite the accusations, international observers said they found no concrete evidence of fraud in the April vote. Advertisement