US offers $1bn to Colombia on new right-wing president's first day of office - BBC

Colombia's newly inaugurated right-wing populist president, Abelardo de la Espriella, received a $1bn (£740m) US security package hours after being sworn in on Friday, aimed at fighting organised crime and illegal immigration.
In his first official speech at a military base, de la Espriella pledged an "all-out war" on drug cartels and vowed to combat crime with an "iron fist," declaring that criminals would have no safe haven in Colombian territory.
A lawyer and businessman styling himself as a maverick outsider nicknamed "the Tiger," de la Espriella is an admirer of Donald Trump and echoed many of the US president's policies during his campaign, winning election in June.
The US state department framed the funding as advancing "shared goals," while Trump had previously predicted a "much better relationship" with Colombia and pledged his "total support" for the new leader.
De la Espriella's approach marks a sharp break from predecessor Gustavo Petro, whose "total peace" strategy prioritised negotiation with guerrilla groups and incentives for farmers to abandon coca cultivation, which critics say failed as armed group membership expanded.
His inauguration reflects a broader rightward shift across Latin America amid economic hardship and gang violence, drawing comparisons to hardline crackdowns by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador.