Pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella pulled ahead as a leader in Colombia’s race for the presidency in the first round of elections over the weekend, capitalizing on a growing appetite for heavy-handed crackdowns on criminal groups across Latin America. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow on the Americas at Chatham House, says that "this is really again a part of what's unfortunately called the 'Donroe' doctrine asserting itself in partisan politics in Latin America".

Far-right defence attorney and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella topped the first round of Colombia’s presidential election Sunday, followed closely by leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. A fervent supporter of US President Donald Trump as well as the authoritarian crime crackdown of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, De la Espriella has promised to wage an uncompromising war against the splintered armed groups that continue to hold out in the country’s hinterlands. 

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, June 1: Piles of trash are flooding Havana, as Cuba struggles under US President Donald Trump's oil blockade. Next, papers look at the latest cancer research breakthrough and the industry of hair transplants. Also: US farmers find alternative ways to make money. Finally, some Paris metro stations have new names after PSG's Champions League win.

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Michelle MORGAN, Marilyn Monroe biographer. Author of The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist. One hundred years after the birth of Marilyn Monroe, the actress remains one of the most recognisable cultural figures of the twentieth century. Yet, as biographer Michelle Morgan argues in this centenary interview, the enduring fascination with Monroe often obscures the complexity of the woman behind the image. Far from being merely the glamorous "dumb blonde" immortalised by popular culture, Monroe emerges as a determined, intellectually curious, and surprisingly modern figure who challenged the limitations imposed upon her by Hollywood and society alike.

Brazilian health authorities isolated two patients who recently arrived from African countries after they showed symptoms consistent with Ebola, officials said Friday, although one later tested negative. The move comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo battles an outbreak that has surpassed 1,000 suspected cases and nearly 250 deaths since May.

Colombians voted Sunday in the first round of presidential elections, choosing between a reformist left seeking to retain power and a hard-line right promising security amid escalating violence by armed groups. With 99.99% of votes counted, far-right outsider Abelardo de la Espriella leads with more than 10 million votes (43.70%), followed by leftist Iván Cepeda with 9.6 million (40.93%). Amid mutual accusations, the two will face off in a runoff on June 21.

As Colombians head to the polls, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee speaks to The Economist's Latin America Correspondent Kinley Salmon about what's at stake for Colombia, whether a hard-right populist who calls himself "The Tiger" could become president and why security is still the main worry for voters there.

Colombians are heading to the polls Sunday. With current president Gustavo Petro stepping down, the search for his successor is seen as a referendum on his leftist social policies and response to growing violence in the country. Left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda, who says he will continue pursuing peace accords with armed groups, is leading in the polls. But he faces stark opposition from the more hawkish right. Trump-loving millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, who comes from one of Colombia's most important conservative dynasties, both favor harsher crackdowns on guerrilla groups. Details by Caroline Baum.

In Peru, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Lima on Saturday to protest against Keiko Fujimori’s candidacy and her family's political dynasty. They fear that, if elected, she will continue her father’s authoritarian regime. Keiko Fujimori came out on top in the first round of the presidential election and will face left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez in the second round on June 7. Details by Eliza Herbert.

Ballots for the first round of Colombia's presidential election open Sunday, as candidates with radically diverging visions for the future face off. The vote, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed an historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 

Colombia's presidential election is headed to a run-off after voters delivered a sharply polarised first-round result on Sunday, setting up a contest between hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. The vote came at the end of Colombia's bloodiest campaign in more than a decade, with issues of security and rising violence dominating the race.

A massive structure on the lawn of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has been nicknamed "The Claw" because of its 90-foot-tall steel arches. It currently dwarfs the US president's residence and consists of camera rigs, a lighting grid, and an overhead canopy in case of rain.

Pentagon head Pete Hegseth - has said that Washington could restart the war with Iran at any time if it wanted. His remarks follow days of talks and a two-hour meeting in the White House situation room - that has yet to produce a deal between the US and Iran. Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Shirli Sitbon.

Colombia is going to the polls this Sunday. The presidential election is set to determine Gustavo Petro’s successor. Violence is at the heart of this campaign: armed groups are stepping up their attacks, and each candidate has their own proposals for how to prevent it. Violence is an endemic problem in the country that has been ravaged by conflict for decades. Story by Eliza Herbert and Antoine Fenaux.

Nearly a month of anti-government protests and a blockade of the capital in Bolivia have pushed the country to a "breaking point", said the President, as demonstrators call for his resignation. Details by Antonia Kerrigan.

A judge has revoked the Kennedy Memorial Center board's decision to add Donald Trump's name to the institution, and close for 2 years of intense renovations. The President reacted in a lengthy tirade on his platform Truth Social, and angrily gave up his responsibility in the maintenance and management of the performing arts institution. Story by Antonia Kerrigan.

The Trump administration has announced that it has selected several nuclear start-ups to participate in a project that would allow them to use plutonium stockpiles inherited from the Cold War. This plan has alarmed nuclear non-proliferation specialists.

With Iran's national football team set to be based in Tijuana, Mexico, for the upcoming World Cup, our reporters Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin travelled to the Mexican city known for being one of the most dangerous in the world. Until recently, this border city with the United States was the main crossing point for Mexican migrants seeking the American Dream. But with US President Donald Trump's return to power, everything has changed. Tijuana has become a dead end.

The United States on Thursday designated two of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organisations, the Red Command and First Capital Command, as terrorist organisations, escalating tensions with Brasilia, which strongly opposes the move. US officials said the groups operate transnational criminal networks and pose a security threat.

Fighting between rival armed groups killed at least 52 guerrilla fighters in the Colombian Amazon, one of the groups said Thursday. The clashes come just days ahead of crucial presidential elections that centre in part around rival strategies towards dealing with the country's decades-old insurgencies.