Global Pulse

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  • Ruud overcomes heat struggles to progress in Paris

    Ruud overcomes heat struggles to progress in Paris

    The 2025 French Open opened under sweltering conditions in Paris, with two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud pulling off a dramatic comeback victory over Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in a five-set first-round marathon that tested both men’s physical and mental limits. Temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius across the tournament’s opening two days, turning the clay courts of Court Simonne-Mathieu into a grueling heat trap that pushed both competitors to the brink of exhaustion.

    Ruud, the 15th seed in the men’s draw, entered the match as the clear favorite and raced out to an early lead, taking the first set 6-2 and edging a tight second-set tiebreak 7-5 to go two sets up. But by the third set, the brutal heat had already begun to take its toll: the Norwegian squandered five consecutive match points, and started suffering painful leg cramps that would only worsen as the match dragged on. He called a medical timeout to address heat-related distress, and relied on ice towels and repeated water douses between changeovers in a desperate attempt to bring his core body temperature down.

    Safiullin, who had been down 2-5 in the third set, capitalized on Ruud’s physical collapse to mount an extraordinary comeback: the Russian qualifier won 11 straight games to steal the third set 7-5 and take the fourth set 6-0, turning a match that looked like an easy Ruud win into a deciding fifth set. Like Ruud, however, Safiullin also struggled with the extreme conditions, requiring on-court medical treatment for injury issues late in the fourth set. Both players left the court for an extended cooling break before the fifth set, a pause that would prove pivotal for Ruud.

    When play resumed, the 27-year-old Norwegian had recovered enough of his strength and focus to dominate the decider, closing out a 6-2, 7-5 (7), 5-7, 0-6, 6-2 win after nearly four hours of competition. The entire clash stretched three hours and 56 minutes on the outer Parisian clay court.

    In post-match comments, Ruud opened up about the debilitating impact of the Paris heatwave, comparing his experience to a past heat-related retirement on the ATP tour. “It felt like a bit of a heatstroke feeling,” he explained. “I experienced something similar some years ago when I played in Washington DC and I had to retire in the third set because of it. That’s the only time I had that same feeling as I had today in the fourth set, where I felt at times really dizzy, really tired and walking around like a zombie almost.”

    Ruud credited the mid-match pause for giving him a chance to recover enough to finish the match. “Luckily, I was 2-1 up still [in sets] and allowed myself to kind of lower the intensity a bit to get my pulse and body temperature down as much as possible in the fourth to see if there was any chance to finish in the fifth and have some extra energy. Luckily, that ended up working.”

    When asked if the win counted as a victory of mental toughness or physical resilience, Ruud said it was both, but emphasized the role of mental grit in getting him across the finish line. “It feels like a mental win,” he said. “At times in the fourth [set] I was thinking ‘I have to book the flight home tomorrow and I’ll be watching from home on the sofa the next two weeks’. Luckily, that’s not the case. Physically, also, I’m proud because I never really gave in. I didn’t give up.”

  • Brazilian government commits $617.5M to Amazon ecological investment

    Brazilian government commits $617.5M to Amazon ecological investment

    SAO PAULO – In a bold move to advance sustainable development in the world’s largest tropical rainforest, the Brazilian government announced Monday a 3.1 billion reais ($617.5 million) commitment to drive ecological investment across the Amazon region. This injection of public funds expands Eco Invest, a federal sustainable finance program first unveiled during Brazil’s hosting of the COP30 United Nations climate summit last year.

    The allocated resources are earmarked for private and cooperative enterprises that align with three core priorities: scaling sustainable tourism, upgrading critical regional infrastructure, and growing the Amazon’s bioeconomy – an economic framework centered on sustainable use of native natural resources that keeps standing forest intact.

    Eco Invest operates on an innovative blended finance model: Brazil’s National Treasury provides low-interest loans to participating commercial banks at an annual rate of just 1%. In exchange, partner banks are required to mobilize at least four times the public loan amount in private sector investment, with foreign investors required to make up no less than 60% of that private capital. In the latest round of Eco Invest funding auctions, eight commercial banks pledged an additional 10.1 billion reais ($2 billion) in private capital alongside the government’s new 3.1 billion reais commitment. To date, the program has amassed a combined 140 billion reais ($28 billion) in public and private resourcesto invest across the region.

    Carina Pimenta, national secretary for bioeconomy at Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, outlined the on-the-ground impact of the new funding. She explained that the low-cost credit will support small producer cooperatives harvesting native Amazon goods such as acai berries and Brazil nuts, while also financing sustainable tourism infrastructure in protected conservation areas.

    Stretching across nine Brazilian states, the Amazon rainforest, which more than 60% lies within Brazil’s borders, is a critical global climate regulator, absorbing millions of tons of carbon annually and stabilizing global weather patterns. Much of the Brazilian Amazon is located in the country’s poorest regions, where historically high perceived risk and large upfront project costs have deterred private investors from backing sustainable ventures. Launched in 2024 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration, Eco Invest was designed to de-risk these projects through public credit guarantees, opening the door for private capital to flow into forest-positive economic activity.

    Brazil’s Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco emphasized that the program is central to Brazil’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. By creating tangible financial incentives for non-extractive, deforestation-free economic activity in the Amazon, Eco Invest offers a viable alternative to the region’s historical reliance on forest-clearing for agricultural expansion. Capobianco noted that since Lula took office in 2023, Brazil has successfully cut Amazon deforestation rates without sacrificing overall agricultural productivity, proving that climate action and economic growth can coexist.

    Monday’s investment announcement comes on the heels of a troubling week for Brazil’s environmental agenda. Last week, Brazil’s lower house of Congress – which holds a conservative majority closely aligned with powerful national agribusiness interests – fast-tracked a package of bills that roll back key environmental protections. One controversial provision would restrict the use of satellite monitoring, a core enforcement tool that Brazil’s environmental enforcement agency IBAMA credits with driving a roughly 50% drop in Amazon deforestation since 2023, to penalize illegal deforestation.

    While the rollback bills still require approval from the Senate and a signature from President Lula to become law, they have sparked widespread alarm among environmental advocates. On Monday, the Climate Observatory, a leading coalition of Brazilian environmental non-governmental organizations, issued a statement warning that the measures weaken oversight, territorial protection, and national environmental governance. By eroding these systems, the network argued, the bills will undermine Brazil’s ability to mitigate and adapt to the social, economic, and climate impacts of global warming.

    Addressing growing concerns about policy inconsistency, Capobianco reaffirmed the federal government’s unwavering commitment to meeting Brazil’s international climate pledges, despite the congressional pushback. “We will show that Brazil remains on a path of controlling and reducing deforestation,” he stated.

    This coverage of climate and environmental issues from The Associated Press receives financial support from multiple private foundations, with AP retaining full editorial control over all content.

  • Carney says Alberta referendum ‘dangerous bluff’ and likens to Brexit

    Carney says Alberta referendum ‘dangerous bluff’ and likens to Brexit

    A decades-long simmering debate over Alberta’s place within Canadian confederation has erupted into a formal political battle, with Prime Minister Mark Carney drawing a stark parallel between the upcoming provincial separation referendum and the UK’s chaotic Brexit process as he pledges to lead a national campaign to preserve Canadian unity.

    Carney, who served as Governor of the Bank of England throughout the 2016 Brexit upheaval, told reporters on Monday that the Alberta vote carries all the same risks of unplanned, irreversible harm that Brexit inflicted on the United Kingdom. A decade after the UK’s 2016 separation vote, Carney noted, British policymakers are still scrambling to fix damage that voters never anticipated when they cast their ballots. He warned against the common argument that backing a separation vote is just a tactic to strengthen Alberta’s bargaining hand with the federal government in Ottawa, stressing that such a gamble could trigger unintended consequences no one can roll back.

    The referendum, scheduled for October 19, will ask Albertans whether they wish to remain part of Canada or move forward with a binding vote on full separation at a future date. The vote was triggered after a grassroots pro-independence movement collected more than 300,000 signatures on a separation petition earlier this year, enough to meet the formal threshold for a public vote under provincial rules. That result was thrown into question earlier, however, after Alberta’s First Nations groups successfully challenged the petition in court, arguing they had not been properly consulted on a measure that would fundamentally alter the future of their traditional lands.

    Despite the court ruling quashing the original petition, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has confirmed she will move forward with the plebiscite. Smith pointed to a counter-petition organized by pro-unity advocates that gathered more than 400,000 signatures from Albertans who support remaining in Canada, arguing that the public has a clear right to weigh in on the issue regardless of the court’s decision. Notably, Smith herself will campaign for Alberta to stay within Canada, saying that recent negotiations between the provincial government and Ottawa have produced meaningful improvements in the province’s relationship with the federal government.

    Pro-independence supporters frame their push around the province’s vast natural resource wealth, arguing that Alberta’s oil and gas sector has long been sidelined by federal policymakers in Ottawa. They claim that national environmental policies have blocked critical pipeline projects and constrained the province’s ability to develop its natural resources to the benefit of its residents.

    Latest public polling, however, suggests separation faces steep headwinds. A new Angus Reid poll released Monday found that nearly three out of five Albertans intend to vote to remain part of Canada. That aligns with the Brexit result, which produced a narrow 52% majority for exit, but unlike that 2016 vote, current polling shows a solid majority opposed to splitting from Canada. Looking ahead, Carney said he will dedicate significant time over the coming months to campaigning for unity, arguing that the strongest future for Alberta is as a core part of a united Canada.

    “There is a very strong, positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a united Canada,” Carney said. “We have to be very careful about this.”

  • Teenager who died during day out at beach will be ‘sadly missed’

    Teenager who died during day out at beach will be ‘sadly missed’

    A devastating coastal tragedy has rocked a tight-knit Irish community after a 15-year-old girl from Ballymun lost her life during a recreational trip to a popular County Dublin beach on Sunday.

    Abbie Carmody-Pepper had traveled to Burrow Beach alongside a group of friends for a casual day out when she disappeared after entering the water for a swim. Emergency services launched an urgent multi-agency search operation to locate the missing teen, with personnel from An Garda Síochána (the Republic of Ireland’s national police force), the Irish Coast Guard, and the Howth division of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) all joining the effort. Eventually, search teams recovered Abbie’s body from the coastal waters.

    Local Dublin City Councillor Gavin Pepper, who confirmed the teen’s identification to the public, revealed he is a distant relative of Abbie, calling the loss even more personally devastating. “I was shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Abbie Pepper in a tragic accident in Sutton yesterday,” he said in a public statement. “It was even more heartbreaking to find out we are related.”

    Councillor Pepper shared that Abbie’s parents have extended their gratitude to the broader community for the outpouring of sympathy and support they have received in this devastating period. He also requested that the public respect the family’s need for privacy as they process their grief and mourn the loss of their daughter.

    Representatives from the RNLI, which provided on-site emergency casualty care as part of the search and recovery operation, also released a statement expressing their condolences. “The thoughts of everyone in the organisation is with the young girl’s family and friends,” the spokesperson said.

    Local funeral home Rom Massey & Sons, which is handling Abbie’s arrangements, also paid tribute to the teen, noting she will be deeply mourned by all who knew her. “Abbie will be sadly missed by her heartbroken family… school pals, relatives, neighbours and friends,” the firm said in a statement shared publicly.

    The tragedy has left the local community in mourning, with tributes continuing to pour in for the young teen.

  • The US remembers its fallen with wreaths, bagpipes and salutes

    The US remembers its fallen with wreaths, bagpipes and salutes

    On the annual observance of Memorial Day, communities across the United States came to a standstill Monday, gathering for heartfelt, solemn ceremonies to pay tribute to the military service members who gave their lives in service to the nation. From small rural town squares to major national memorials in Washington D.C., organizers and attendees laid wreaths adorned with red, white and blue flowers at gravesites and memorial markers, the deep skirl of bagpipes echoed through cemeteries and public spaces, and uniformed service members fired ceremonial rifle salutes to honor the fallen. This national day of remembrance, which traces its origins back to the aftermath of the American Civil War, has grown into a unifying annual tradition that brings together veterans, active-duty troops, government officials, and ordinary American families. Many attendees shared personal stories of loved ones lost in conflict, using the occasion to reflect on the cost of freedom and the enduring legacy of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. While the day often marks the unofficial start of summer with recreational events, the core ceremonial observances across the country remain a deeply meaningful moment of national pause and reflection.

  • ‘Failure’: Israel reacts with alarm as emerging US-Iran deal draws criticism

    ‘Failure’: Israel reacts with alarm as emerging US-Iran deal draws criticism

    A reported emerging US-Iran agreement to permanently end ongoing conflict has triggered sharp skepticism and deepening alarm across Israel, with political, military and security leaders warning that the proposed framework fails to address core Israeli national security priorities.

    Early weekend reports outlined that the tentative deal centers on a 60-day preliminary ceasefire captured in a memorandum of understanding, with the draft text notably omitting any provisions targeting Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The preliminary scope of the agreement also calls for an end to hostilities across all regional fronts, including the ongoing conflict in Lebanon.

    Cross-party criticism from U.S. lawmakers, ranging from Democratic members to hardline Republican hawks, has been mirrored by widespread condemnation from Israeli political analysts and security experts. Against this mounting backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement Sunday confirming he had reached an understanding with U.S. President Donald Trump that any final, binding agreement with Iran must fully eliminate the nuclear threat posed by the regime. Netanyahu added that Trump had reaffirmed Israel’s sovereign right to self-defense against threats across all fronts, including Lebanon.

    For his part, President Trump has moved to defend the ongoing negotiations in a post on his Truth Social platform. “If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama,” he wrote, referencing the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement signed during the administration of former Democratic President Barack Obama. “I don’t make bad deals,” he added.

    These public reassurances from both leaders have done little to ease concerns among Israeli journalists and military analysts, many of whom frame the emerging deal as a major political failure and strategic retreat for both the U.S. and Israeli governments.

    Amos Harel, veteran military affairs commentator for leading Israeli left-leaning outlet Haaretz, argued Monday that any such deal would amount to a clear American capitulation to Iran, while also highlighting Israel’s eroding leverage within the Trump administration. Harel emphasized that the proposed framework falls drastically short of the explicit goals Netanyahu set when the conflict launched in late February, which included the full collapse of Iran’s ruling government and the complete dismantlement of the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

    Danny Citrinowicz, an Iran-focused researcher at Israel’s independent Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), echoed Harel’s critical assessment, noting that the architects of the joint military campaign “did not truly understand Iran”. “The enormous gap between the declarations made at the beginning of the campaign and the agreement that will likely bring it to an end illustrates its failure,” Citrinowicz said Monday. “This war proved that Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy has collapsed.”

    Fellow INSS researcher Raz Zimmt described the tentative agreement as “very problematic” for Israeli national interests, arguing that Iran has effectively succeeded in reshaping a new regional power order in its favor. “The one who blinked first was President Trump, not the Iranians,” Zimmt told Israeli public radio outlet 103FM.

    Nahum Barnea, veteran prominent political columnist for leading Israeli tabloid Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote Monday that the emerging deal would mark a clear strategic defeat for both Israel and the United States. He noted that neither Netanyahu nor Trump “never imagined” that after nearly three months of conflict, Iran would emerge in a stronger regional position than it held before the war began. Barnea added that Israel is now “subject to the absolute authority of a capricious, hollow, desperate American president” and argued that while confronting Iran remains an existential challenge for Israel, “Netanyahu is the last person” capable of leading that effort.

    This wave of domestic criticism comes alongside growing concern across Israel that the country’s political influence in Washington has diminished significantly in recent months. On Saturday, *The New York Times* reported that the Trump administration had largely sidelined Israeli officials from the direct negotiation process, despite Israel’s role as a core coalition partner in the military campaign against Iran.

    A Sunday report from Haaretz added that senior Israeli security officials are deeply alarmed by the direction of the U.S.-Iran talks, and have privately warned that “Israeli interests were not taken into account throughout the negotiations”. According to the report, officials have expressed significant frustration that despite Israel’s direct participation in joint military action against Iran, the White House has refused to prioritize Israeli core security concerns in the negotiation text. Senior officials now fear that a final U.S.-Iran agreement could impose binding restrictions on Israel’s ability to conduct independent future military operations in both Lebanon and Gaza.

    Leading Israeli news outlet Ynet also reported that senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officials view the proposed framework as “a bad agreement for Israel” and have expressed deep disappointment with the reported terms. The outlet noted that the IDF had already begun preparations for a renewed military campaign against Iran, and senior commanders believe the agreement will fall far short of meeting core strategic goals, potentially leaving Iran well positioned to advance to full nuclear weapons capability as a “nuclear threshold state”.

    Even within Netanyahu’s own ruling Likud party, some lawmakers have acknowledged the gap between opening war aims and the emerging deal. David Bitan, a Likud member of the Knesset, acknowledged Monday that Israeli expectations at the start of the conflict had been unrealistically high. Even so, Bitan insisted that Israel had secured significant military gains during the 40-day active conflict phase. When asked about Iran’s remaining ballistic missile capabilities, Bitan said Israel would “have to deal with it again and again”, adding that he expects further rounds of military conflict with Iran to occur every two to three years going forward.

  • Orange County residents react to evacuation after threat chemical tank explosion

    Orange County residents react to evacuation after threat chemical tank explosion

    A looming public safety crisis has forced thousands of Orange County residents to leave their homes abruptly, after officials issued an urgent evacuation order over the imminent risk of explosion from a structurally failing chemical storage tank. The sudden threat has upended daily life across the affected region, leaving local communities grappling with uncertainty and disruption as emergency crews work to mitigate the hazard.

    Interviews with displaced residents paint a picture of chaotic, last-minute departures, with many saying they received only hours’ notice to pack essential belongings, arrange temporary shelter, and secure their properties before the evacuation window closed. Some families reported having to make hard choices about which possessions to bring, while others with limited mobility or dependent family members described scrambling to find accessible emergency accommodation outside the evacuation zone.

    Local emergency management agencies have not yet released full details about the tank’s condition, the specific chemicals stored at the facility, or a timeline for when residents might be allowed to return to their homes. Officials have confirmed that hazard assessment teams are on-site conducting continuous structural inspections and monitoring air quality in surrounding areas to prevent avoidable risk to the public.

    For many Orange County residents, the unplanned evacuation has disrupted work schedules, children’s schooling, and routine family activities, with many staying with friends, relatives, or in emergency shelters set up by local government and non-profit organizations. Community groups have stepped in to provide food, clothing, and other essentials to displaced families, highlighting the region’s collective response to the unfolding emergency.

  • In German first, Leipzig students vote for academic boycott of Israel

    In German first, Leipzig students vote for academic boycott of Israel

    On May 19, a landmark vote unfolded at Germany’s University of Leipzig that marks a seismic shift in the national debate over academic collaboration with Israel. Nearly 700 gathered students voted almost unanimously to cut all formal institutional ties between their university and Israeli academic entities, citing allegations of Israeli genocide and systematic educational destruction in Gaza. This outcome carries unique weight given Leipzig’s long-standing reputation as the heart of Germany’s Antideutsche movement, a radical left tradition defined by militant anti-German nationalism and unwavering, vocal support for Israel rooted in anti-antisemitism commitments, where Antideutsche activists have regularly clashed with pro-Palestinian organizers for decades.

    The resolution approved by students lays out three core demands: first, that the university officially recognize and condemn what students frame as the genocidal character of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, including the deliberate destruction of the Palestinian education system — a phenomenon widely termed scholasticide. Second, the university must terminate all existing cooperative agreements with Israeli higher education and research institutions. Finally, students insist the university refuse to participate in, promote, or publicize any joint activities or programs hosted or organized by Israeli academic bodies.

    A collaborative report compiled by Leipzig students and staff alleges that the university’s existing partnerships directly enable what they call Israel’s genocide and repeated violations of international law. Current collaborations include extensive student exchange programs, active joint research initiatives, and formal partnerships with multiple Israeli institutions that have been linked to the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory.

    “Leipzig University is completely open about its work with institutions that break international law,” one student who contributed to the report told Middle East Eye. The student laid out three justifications for cutting ties: moral, noting the universal justice of opposing genocide; ethical, arguing universities must uphold the values of life and education while rejecting human rights abuses and scholasticide; and legal, referencing the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion that confirms the illegality of aiding or abetting violations of universally binding erga omnes international law, including violations committed by Israeli educational institutions.

    University administration moved preemptively to block the student assembly, rejecting the vote’s legitimacy. Ahead of the planned gathering, the institution withdrew its permission for students to use university-owned space for the assembly, and the university’s rector Professor Eva Ines Obergfell argued that the event was no longer a legitimate academic debate, but rather a partisan push that aimed to restrict academic freedom. The administration also claimed the assembly was improperly convened, noting it was not organized through the official student council leadership per institutional statutes, and that only around 1 percent of the university’s total student body attended.

    These accusations were immediately rejected as baseless by the Leipzig Student Council. Per the student body’s own governing rules, a general assembly can be called via a public petition signed by at least 3 percent of the total student population. Organizers collected roughly 1,300 signatures, easily surpassing the required threshold to convene the assembly. Ultimately, students held the gathering in an outdoor university courtyard after being denied indoor space. “The signatures we collected make it clear that we as a student body want and need to participate in this critical discourse,” explained Alaska Krakor, a Student Council representative. “The general assembly as a direct democratic outlet for our position must be respected by university leadership.”

    Leipzig is far from an outlier in Germany: almost every major higher education institution in the country maintains formal academic ties to Israel. In June 2025, the German Rectors’ Conference, the national umbrella group for all public and officially recognized German universities, issued a formal statement calling for the expansion and strengthening of academic and research partnerships with Israel. The statement was released in direct response to growing European calls to suspend the EU Association Agreement with Israel, the primary legal framework governing political and economic relations between the bloc and Israel. The conference asserted that Israeli universities and the broader Israeli academic community have long been a core liberal, democratic force in the Middle East, and a central pillar of balanced ethical and academic reflection on the regional conflict.

    Student organizers emphasize that this vote breaks new ground even as past student council resolutions have backed academic boycotts of Israel. Unlike previous measures that were introduced as part of broader general assemblies, this vote came out of a general assembly specifically convened to address the question of institutional academic complicity in Gaza. Organizers with Students for Palestine Leipzig told Middle East Eye that the groundwork for the overwhelming vote was laid months earlier at the start of the academic year, when the group released the complicity report detailing the university’s Israeli partnerships. In the lead-up to the assembly, organizers held educational sessions to walk students through the report’s findings and explain the rationale for an academic boycott, building broad support across the student body.

    “We as students wanted to think globally and act locally,” the SFP Leipzig statement read. “Our university is complicit through its direct ties and cooperation with Israeli institutions that help develop weapons, manufacture bombs, and build knowledge that enables the oppression of Palestinians. We want no part in this complicity. We call on the university to respect the will of the student body.”

  • Watch: Only world record broken at Enhanced Games won’t be recognised

    Watch: Only world record broken at Enhanced Games won’t be recognised

    A groundbreaking moment at the controversial Enhanced Games has turned into a dispute over sporting legitimacy, after officials confirmed a new world mark set by Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev will not receive formal recognition from any mainstream global sports governing bodies.

    The Enhanced Games, an event that has sparked fierce debate across the international athletic community, permits competitors to use performance-enhancing substances that are strictly banned under traditional anti-doping regulations. This core stance puts the competition in direct conflict with the long-standing rules and ethical frameworks established by leading international sports organizations.

    BBC correspondent Shaimaa Khalil has detailed the structural conflict that led to the automatic rejection of Gkolomeev’s record. Even though the Greek athlete delivered an impressive performance that surpassed existing global standards, the unauthorised status of the Enhanced Games means official bodies cannot acknowledge the result as a valid world record under their by-laws.

    The decision has reignited long-running conversations about the future of clean sport, the line between innovation and fairness in elite competition, and how governing bodies should respond to emerging alternative sporting events that challenge established anti-doping norms. While supporters of the Enhanced Games frame it as a progressive reimagining of elite athletics, traditional governing bodies have remained firm in protecting the integrity of drug-free competition, leaving records set at the alternative event outside the bounds of official recognition.

  • Leftist icon, millionaire lawyer, conservative senator: Who will be Colombia’s next leader?

    Leftist icon, millionaire lawyer, conservative senator: Who will be Colombia’s next leader?

    As Colombians prepare to head to the polls this Sunday to elect their next head of state, three candidates from wildly different political backgrounds have emerged as the clear frontrunners, each offering a sharply contrasting vision for the country’s future. At the top of pre-election polling is Ivan Cepeda, a veteran leftist senator, human rights advocate and close ally of outgoing President Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first ever left-wing head of state. Trailing closely behind him are right-wing political newcomer Abelardo “The Tiger” de la Espriella and conservative opposition senator Paloma Valencia, a protégé of hardline former president Alvaro Uribe.

    Cepeda’s political journey has been defined by tragedy and resilience, shaped by decades of conflict in Colombia. He first stepped into the national spotlight in 1994, when at just 32 years old, he stood beside the bullet-riddled corpse of his father, a communist senator assassinated by far-right paramilitaries during a wave of political violence that killed more than 5,700 leftist leaders across the country. Speaking to reporters on that day, he demanded accountability, saying “Let this crime not go unpunished” — a moment broadcast live to millions of Colombians.

    Now 63, Cepeda spent years in exile across Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Cuba and France before returning to his home country to advocate for victims of the decades-long internal armed conflict. He played a pivotal role in crafting the 2016 historic peace accord that brought about the full disarmament of the FARC, Colombia’s once-largest rebel guerrilla group, and later was the architect of Petro’s controversial “total peace” initiative, an effort to end all remaining insurgent and criminal violence that ultimately failed to meet its core goals.

    A defining moment in his political rivalry with the right came when Cepeda led the investigation into Uribe’s alleged paramilitary ties, a case that led to Uribe becoming the first former Colombian president to be convicted of a criminal offense in 2024. Though the conviction was later overturned by a judge, the confrontation cemented Cepeda’s status as the left’s most prominent icon and Uribe’s greatest political foe. Known for rejecting neckties — which he calls a symbol of oligarchy — and often wearing a traditional Caribbean collared shirt, Cepeda has brushed off decades of attacks from opponents, noting during this campaign: “I have survived genocide, stigmatization and relentless persecution. And here I am, still standing.” His critics still attack him over his past, however, repeating accusations of hidden ties to the FARC and blaming him for the failures of Petro’s total peace plan.

    In second place in the polls is 47-year-old de la Espriella, a millionaire lawyer and businessman who has branded himself “The Tiger” and is making his first run for public office after years living a lavish lifestyle abroad. A self-identified right-wing outsider, de la Espriella left Colombia to live in Florence, Italy, where he enjoyed opera, traveled via private jet and built his businesses in rum and wine. He returned to run for president, he says, to stop the left from “destroying” Colombia, and counts among his political idols former U.S. President Donald Trump, Argentina’s libertarian leader Javier Milei and El Salvador’s hardline president Nayib Bukele.

    Over his decades-long legal career, de la Espriella has defended a wide range of high-profile Colombian figures, from top soccer stars to notorious drug traffickers. Now campaigning, he often wears a tailored suit and has recently taken to wearing a bulletproof vest to public events, a nod to his tough-on-crime platform. As the candidate of the hardline law-and-order movement, de la Espriella has proposed sweeping measures to tackle Colombia’s status as the world’s largest cocaine producer: he wants to create a military alliance with the United States and Israel to crack down on drug cartels, build a network of large mega-prisons, and expand legal access to firearms for civilians. “Any criminal who does not surrender will be taken down as the law allows,” he told AFP in a February interview.

    The candidate has drawn widespread controversy for his inflammatory rhetoric: he once called for the Colombian left to be “gutted” before later softening his language, has made remarks widely condemned as homophobic and sexist, and often uses aggressive, vulgar language in campaign events. His hot temper and unapologetic style have become defining parts of his political brand, attracting a base of angry, anti-establishment right-wing voters.

    Third in pre-election surveys is 50-year-old Paloma Valencia, a conservative senator from one of Colombia’s most politically powerful elite families. She is the granddaughter of Guillermo León Valencia, who served as Colombia’s president from 1962 to 1966, a conservative leader who took a hard line against early guerrilla groups and aligned Colombia closely with U.S. anti-communist policy in Latin America. If elected, she would become Colombia’s first female president.

    Valencia has long positioned herself as one of the most vocal critics of the Colombian left and guerrilla groups, and considers former president Uribe her political “father” and mentor, campaigning side-by-side with him across the country. Like Uribe, she opposed the 2016 FARC peace accord and supports the hardline militarized security strategy that defined his presidency. In a March campaign speech, she laid out her core policy contrast to Petro’s agenda: “We are going to put an end to ‘total peace’ in order to impose total security.”

    On social issues, Valencia holds staunch conservative positions on LGBTQ rights, and she supports expanding fracking — a controversial method of oil and gas extraction widely criticized for its severe environmental harms. As the most established right-wing candidate in the race, she draws support from traditional conservative voters who align with Uribe’s long-standing political movement.

    With just days to go before voting begins, polls show a tight three-way race that remains too close to call, leaving Colombians poised to choose between continuing the country’s left-wing shift or turning back to a hardline conservative security agenda.