Worsening relations between Colombia and Venezuela led to a decision on November 3 by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to close the border between the two countries. Instead of giving in to the obstacle, however, residents from either side are finding every way round it. Read more...

At first sight they seem to be children's drawings of jungles, mountains and rivers. But on closer inspection the details come into focus: people pleading for mercy before being executed, women being raped, hostages tied up, giant cemeteries... Read more...

Renowned Cuban artist Tania Bruguera surprised a Bogota audience in September when she lined up three people directly involved in the Colombian conflict for a chat. The real performance however, started when a waitress emerged with a tray of neatly organised lines of cocaine, and began offering them to members of the audience. Read more and see the video...

The Colombian rock star Juanes gave a much anticipated concert for peace in Havana, the Cuban capital, along with 14 other Hispanic artists on September 20. But the concert was nearly cancelled when the singer realised his every move was being spied on by Cuban authorities. A cell-phone video captured Juanes exploding before the Cuban concert producers hours before the show. Read more and watch the video...

Luis Soriano, an unemployed Colombian schoolteacher, spreads knowledge and literature to places where no librarian has ever set foot. He brings his books by donkeys to Colombia’s poorest and most isolated provinces. Read more...

Colombian authorites recovered proof-of-life videos of 10 soliders and policemen held by FARC rebels after arresting a FARC operative. Read more and watch the videos.

Left, a photo of Jose Nieto Gil. Right, his "whitened" portrait.

At the end of the 19th century, Jose Nieto Gil was president of Colombia. And yet, you won't find him in a single history book. Why? Presumably because he was black. Read more...

Sebastien Longhurst, one of our Observers in Bogota, sent us this photo of a lottery ticket with Barack Obama's face on it. Read more.

A Colombian TV channel has broadcast a video of Ingrid Betancourt's rescue from the other side of the operation. When the helicopter takes off, the Farc cameraman, unaware of the trick that's just been played on him, is pleased to find that the fake humanitarian workers have left... a box of beer. See the video.

 

This unseen footage of Ingrid Betancourt's rescue has just been released by a Colombian television channel, a month after she was released. The document, now available on YouTube, contains over an hour of footage. See the images...