Colombian Conflict

The United Arab Emirates has secretly sent some 300 Colombian mercenaries to fight for it in Yemen, paying handsomely to recruit a private army of well-trained, battle-hardened South American soldiers, sources told AFP.

The Colombian government and FARC rebels reached a deal on Saturday on searching for the thousands missing and presumed dead in their decades-long conflict, in a further step toward peace, diplomats said.

The Colombian government reached a major De-escalation agreement on Sunday with leftist FARC guerrillas, agreeing for the first time to reduce anti-rebel operations in the decades-long armed conflict, diplomats in Havana said.

A Colombian mother and child on a family holiday were among 17 tourists killed in a gun attack in Tunisia, their government said as conflicting breakdowns of the casualties emerged from different national authorities.

Victims of Colombia's 50-year-old war pleaded with peace negotiators to reach a deal and said they were willing to forgive heinous acts of cruelty, urging Colombians to unite behind the effort to end the bloodshed.

Football has given Colombian fans a massive reason to cheer in a country that has been ravaged by a half-century conflict that has killed 220,000 lives. The team faces Brazil in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.

The United Arab Emirates has secretly sent some 300 Colombian mercenaries to fight for it in Yemen, paying handsomely to recruit a private army of well-trained, battle-hardened South American soldiers, sources told AFP.

The Colombian government and FARC rebels reached a deal on Saturday on searching for the thousands missing and presumed dead in their decades-long conflict, in a further step toward peace, diplomats said.

The Colombian government reached a major De-escalation agreement on Sunday with leftist FARC guerrillas, agreeing for the first time to reduce anti-rebel operations in the decades-long armed conflict, diplomats in Havana said.

A Colombian mother and child on a family holiday were among 17 tourists killed in a gun attack in Tunisia, their government said as conflicting breakdowns of the casualties emerged from different national authorities.

Victims of Colombia's 50-year-old war pleaded with peace negotiators to reach a deal and said they were willing to forgive heinous acts of cruelty, urging Colombians to unite behind the effort to end the bloodshed.

Football has given Colombian fans a massive reason to cheer in a country that has been ravaged by a half-century conflict that has killed 220,000 lives. The team faces Brazil in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals.