“This hasn’t ended, this is just beginning, my hope is for the truth to be known and I know that we will prove that the Ministry of Agriculture, the minister and deputy ministers always act in an honest way.” These were the words of former Minister of Agriculture, Andrés Felipe Arias, who is currently under investigation for alleged irregularities in the Agro Ingreso Seguro program. Today, for the first time in the past two years, he was able to attend a hearing as a free man after a judge in Bogotá ordered his release.

Arias is accused of embezzlement and entering into contracts without meeting legal requirements. He explained that his defense team is getting ready to introduce many pieces of evidence, “Nearly 300 documents. Then there are many witnesses, like 35, and we will demonstrate that we acted honorably.”

“I was deprived of my freedom for two years, weakened, away from my family because the Attorney General (…) said I had gone to La Picota and other places to tell people what they had to say. That turned out to be a lie.” Arias thanked the justice system and said “people should be allowed to defend themselves while free because preventative arrest weakens the human being way too much.”

The construction of an inter-oceanic canal in Nicaragua by a Chinese company has Colombians wondering whether or not it brings the legality of a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice in the Hague into question. First to bring it up was Colombia’s former Foreign Relations Minister, Noemí Sanín, who questioned the ruling and China’s supposed vested interests in the Central American nation.

While Colombia has yet to issue an official statement on the issue, the fact that  Sanín’s comments could jeopardize Colombia’s diplomatic relations with China is now also a major concern. Some analysts feel that Ms. Sanín’s comments show blatant disregard for international law and are perhaps an attempt to divert attention from those who actually dropped the ball in the maritime dispute with Nicaragua that ended in a territorial loss for Colombia.

Less than two weeks before the end of this legislative period, there are at least 40 bills and legislative acts awaiting approval on the agenda. The goal in the House of Representatives is to do as much as possible this week so representatives can focus on budget transfers for coffee growers’ subsidies and debating the health reform next week.

Legislators are not, however, committing to passing the health reform and admitted that there will be some bills left out such as the modernization of Congress.

The possibility of the Farc guerrilla transitioning into having a role in the nation’s politics is one of the most complex issues up for discussion at the negotiation table in Havana. The goal, according to head government negotiator, Humberto de la Calle, is for Farc to “insert itself in democracy by trading weapons for ideas.”

Discussions on this issue, the second one on the peace talks’ agenda, began yesterday and will focus on exploring the political scenarios in which the group could participate as well as security conditions for former combatants who make the transition.

The Eln guerrilla group said four mining titles must be returned as a condition for the release of Canadian citizen, Jernoc Wober, taken hostage four months ago.

The group insists that titles were stripped from the communities of Casa de Barro, Mina Seca, la Nevera and las Nieves by the Braewal Mining Corporation and that both the Canadian and Colombian governments have chosen to ignore the issue, making the use of force necessary on their part.

In a statement released by the Darío Ramírez Castro front, the group expressed its willingness to release the foreigner and is hoping for “a quick solution” for the situation.

Analysts agree that Colombia can’t remove itself from international decision-making scenarios nor can it turn to neighbor countries when it comes to making internal decisions.

This after strong reactions from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua to the Colombian Government’s decision to seek cooperation agreements with NATO. According to professor Ricardo Abello, the transfers of knowledge and information on a variety of issues are necessary in a globalized world, and Colombia must not exclude itself from this need.

The Foreign Relations Minister of Venezuela, Elías Jaua, said that a visit from opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, to Colombia and his meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos confirm that,“there is an open conspiracy against peace in Venezuela from Bogotá” which reaches “the highest powers of the Colombian State.”

The Venezuelan government “deeply regrets that President Santos took a step towards something that will painfully cause the derailment of the good relations we had, it’s regrettable,” Jaua said.

The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, asked his commissioner for the peace process in Colombia, Roy Chaderton, to return to Caracas so that a “complete evaluation” of the situation can be made.

“We are going to evaluate, it’s very difficult to work towards peace in a sister country when the highest institutions of that country are stimulating and encouraging destabilization in Venezuela,” Maduro said

Five healthcare entities in Medellín and two in the western portion of Colombia joined forces so that they could increase their ability to diagnose illness with cutting edge techonology. The new machine, called a cyclotron, is a type of particle accelerator that produces radioisotopes, which is a substance injected into patients that later emits a specific type of radiation.

Another machine, an advanced imaging tool called a Pet-CT, is then used for very specific diagnoses. Experts say the two machines complement each other and will help diagnose diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s sooner, hence treatment can begin earlier.

Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, declared a state of emergency in the nation’s prisons, but Antioquia’s authorities know all too well that this will only serve as a partial solution to the overcrowding crisis.

The hope is that the emergency will help expedite contracts to build new prisons or expand wings in Bellavista, El Pedregal, and Puerto Triunfo.

The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, was amazed by the apparent progress Colombia has made in matters of security and economic growth; above all, he highlighted progress made in peace talks between the Colombian Government and Farc.

After meeting with President Juan Manuel Santos for over two hours, Mr. Biden also said the country has made significant progress in terms of respect for human rights and taking the right paths towards achieving long-lasting peace.