The ship, which carried approximately 11 million gold and silver coins, was estimated by Sky News to be worth about $20 billion and earned the nickname "the Holy Grail of shipwrecks."

The post $20B shipwreck: Legal war erupts over legendary treasure appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"President Gustavo Petro, of Colombia, is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Colombia. It has become the biggest business in Colombia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America," Trump wrote on his social media platform.

"AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA. The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc," Trump continued.

Turning his fire directly on Petro, Trump said, "Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely."

Petro, widely considered one of the most anti-Israel leaders in South America, has repeatedly clashed with Trump over Colombia's drug production and US aid to the country in its fight against the cartels. Trump's remarks come amid increased US operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean region, particularly in Venezuela.

Earlier Sunday, Mexican media reported that US special forces have been operating along Mexico's northern coast, conducting raids to destroy cartel drug manufacturing facilities.

The post 'Drug dealer': Trump slams anti-Israel president of Colombia appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The young passenger rose from his seat, displayed nervous behavior, and began uttering unclear, threatening phrases. "I'm doing this for you," he declared while grasping a suitcase still bearing its retail purchase tag. "I'm going to remember all of you, I'm going to find you."

Passenger-recorded videos from the aircraft show crew members removing the man, while one female traveler shouted at him: "Glass boy, don't frighten people. You're terrorizing a pregnant woman – go care for your own family. Be quiet, nobody wants to hear you."

#Bucaramanga Momentos de angustia en el vuelo 8579 de Avianca rumbo Bucaramanga – Bogotá. Un pasajero comenzó a amenazar a bordo, impidiendo el despegue. Autoridades evacuaron el avión para descartar la presencia de explosivos. pic.twitter.com/qjtyg5LPoX

— Vanguardia (@vanguardiacom) September 1, 2025

Shortly thereafter, the airline commanded aircraft evacuation for safety inspection and to eliminate possibilities of dangerous materials that might compromise flight security. Officials reported the individual was transferred to authorities, who are evaluating his medical condition.

Among witnesses documenting the event was actress Katherine Porto, who posted a social media video stating: "This guy threatened us. He said we shouldn't fly on this plane, that we should decide whether we stay or disembark – he threatened us, and we're trapped in the plane."

La actriz @katherineporto describió los minutos de pánico que vivieron en un vuelo de @avianca desde #Bucaramanga a #Bogotá cuando un joven amenazó con que no les convenía viajar en este avión: esto fue lo que dijo pic.twitter.com/OIK7jwoWHS

— Mely Múnera (@MelyMunera) September 1, 2025

Reports indicate that immediately before boarding, the man purchased approximately 1.2 million pesos worth of luggage and headwear. Authorities confirmed his transfer to San Camilo Psychiatric Hospital.

Avianca stressed in an official declaration that the company maintains "zero tolerance toward behaviors endangering safety and service" and will continue employing all legal and criminal measures to protect passengers and staff. Simultaneously, the airline advocated for national legislation enabling deterrence, punishment and prevention of such incidents – including consideration of flight privilege revocation for repeat offenders or individuals compromising aviation safety.

The post Colombian passenger threatens travelers, forces flight evacuation appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Colombian President Ivan Duque Marquez issued an apology Friday after cadets at the Simon Bolivar Police Academy in Tulua wore Nazi uniforms during a cultural exchange event with representatives from Germany.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Cadets wore Wehrmacht and SS uniforms, with some even sporting Adolf Hitler-style mustaches. Decorations included swastikas, the Luftwaffe aerial warfare branch and other symbols of the Nazi regime.

Photographs of the event were shared on an official police Twitter account, with the caption, "With these cultural exchanges, we strengthen the knowledge of our students."

Marquez said, "any acceptance or expression of Nazism is completely unacceptable. I condemn all use of the symbols of the regime that is responsible for the murder of six million people."

The Israeli and German embassies in Bogota issued a joint statement expressing "total rejection of any form of recognition and demonstration of Nazism."

The Colombian Defense Ministry, which oversees the police, also issued a statement, apologizing and condemning the "unacceptable" conduct.

In the aftermath of the scandal, the head of the Simon Boliver Police Academy was dismissed.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Colombian president apologizes for police academy's Nazi-style event appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Iran and its elite Quds Force appear to be behind a recent attempted killing of an Israeli in Colombia, despite original reports that the incident had been plotted by Hezbollah, Israel Hayom has learned.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Sources familiar with the matter insist that there is a consistent pattern of behavior that centers around cooperation between local criminal organizations and international terrorist entities – at the head of which stands the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.

The Colombia incident is the latest in a long series of recent attempted killings of Israeli businesspeople in Africa in retaliation for the targeted killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last November.

The sources also said that the attempted killing comprised a violation of sovereignty, and stressed that it was Iran who was sending cells of trained killers to murder Israelis abroad.

"Two months ago we had to deal with a situation where we had to set up an operation to capture and expel two criminals mandated by Hezbollah who intended to commit a criminal act in Colombia," Molano said, in an interview with the local news outlet el Tiempo. According to the report, the plot included a cell that had been following a number of foreigners in Colombia, Americans as well as Israelis.

Colombia is accusing neighboring Venezuela of offering haven to terrorists, who then operate form insides its borders, as Israel Hayom reported in October.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post 'Iran's Quds Force, not Hezbollah, behind plot targeting Israelis' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Demetria, the first artificial-intelligence (AI)-powered taste and quality intelligence SaaS startup for the coffee supply chain, has unveiled a working application that identifies the successful reproduction of high value coffee seedlings.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Demetria has entered into a commercial agreement with beverage giant Nespresso to deploy its solution to help the coffee brand provide farmers with high-quality coffee plants.

Nespresso is continually working on new coffee varieties through the technique of grafting coffee tree seedlings. Thus far, Nespresso has relied on the experience of a few trained experts to examine seedlings to determine whether the grafting process was successful and the plant is viable.

Now Demetria has applied its handheld sensor technology and machine-learning models to help Nespresso's operational teams measure and classify grafted stems of specific coffee tree seedlings. During the pilot, Demetria's application was used to classify over 240,000 seedlings in a three-month period. These seedling have since been supplied to Nespresso's network of coffee farmers in Colombia.

This joint process is expected to will provide coffee farmers across Colombia with high-quality grafted plants.

"Demetria was able to understand, design, develop and deploy a solution to meet our needs in the field in a very tight timeframe," says Santiago Arango, Green Coffee Project Manager Nestlé Nespresso.

"This work is an introduction to our long term plans with Demetria. We are embarking on applying their pioneering technology to build a suite of applications that will allow our network of farmers to accurately measure and manage their post-harvest processes for the first time, in order to consistently produce optimal coffee quality," Arango said.

Demetria co-founder and CEO Felipe Ayerbe said, "Demetria leverages technological innovation to create shared value across the coffee supply chain with a particular emphasis on positively impacting the livelihoods for the crop's smallholders.

"We're delighted to be working with Nespresso at such an early stage in our company's growth and we hope this application is just one of many high value use cases we can provide, bringing a new level of efficiency to a critical stage of coffee production while minimizing the cost of failure for both the roaster and the farmer," Ayerbe added.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Coffee quality company Demetria wants the industry to wake up appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

"Without a doubt, our relationship with Israel is important and we are talking about a change in this relationship. We are united with Israel on values such as peace, democracy, and the fight against terrorism, so I'm convinced that relations will be profound," said Borges, who serves under Venezuela's Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Venezuela is currently embroiled in a political crisis concerning who is the country's legitimate president, which has been underway since Jan. 10, 2019, with the nation and the world divided in support of Guaidó and rival President Nicolás Maduro.

Guaidó has been recognized as the country's president by some 60 nations worldwide, including the United States and Israel.

In a recent visit to Israel, Borges said that Caracas lends great importance to its ties with Jerusalem, adding, "We want to learn from Israel, among other things because our two countries share similar threats like terrorism. Renewing our relationship is an issue of paramount importance on the agenda led by President Guaidó."

Venezuela cut ties with Israel in 2009 in protest over its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which targeted Hamas, the terrorist group ruling the coastal enclave.

Borges, who is currently based in Bogotá, said that "Maduro's dictatorship has isolated Venezuela – no country wants anything to do with a government that served as a patron to terrorism."

He further accused Maduro of being in cahoots with terrorist organizations: "Maduro's alliance with terrorist organizations, groups like Colombia's ELN [National Liberation Army] or FARC [the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army], or like Hezbollah [in Lebanon] has allowed him to pursue an economic policy based on trafficking in drugs, gold, and diamonds."

The second reason for Maduro's survival, according to Borges, is the Cuban dictatorship that has taken over Venezuela's centers of power.

Speaking of the Jewish community in his country, Borges said that "Venezuela was a country of opportunities where everyone was treated with the same affection. That has changed. We live in a devastated country, plagued by a humanitarian crisis, and under a regime that sponsors terrorism. All this led to an emigration process, among the Jewish community as well.

"We're fighting so that everyone can come back, including Jews. I know how hard it is to leave everything behind and I'm sure they miss [Venezuela] but we have to move forward and fight to win our country back, so that we can all go back to living in a Venezuela that champions development, justice, and freedom. These are things we currently can only dream about."

But Borges said he was optimistic about a change in government in the near future.

"We have extensive international support, as well as at home, where the Venezuelan people have given their all for this cause."

The post 'I hope Jews who left can come back to Venezuela,' minister says appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

According to a Sunday report on Channel 13 News, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn sent a letter to new EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and his EU counterparts, saying the only way to save the two-state solution was to create "a more equitable situation" between Israel and the Palestinians.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

"It is time to start a debate within the European Union on the opportunity of a recognition of the State of Palestine by all its Member States," Asselborn wrote. "The recognition of Palestine as a state would neither be a favor, nor a blank check, but a simple recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to their own state.

"This in no way would it be directed against Israel," he stressed, adding, "Indeed, if we want to contribute to solving the conflict between Israel and Palestine, we must never lose sight of Israel's security conditions, as well as of justice and dignity for the Palestinian people."

Israeli officials expressed concern over the move and were reportedly scrambling to stop the measure being adopted.

However, Jerusalem officials and EU diplomats said it was "extremely unlikely" that all the European states would agree to back Luxembourg's bid.

As a joint move by the 28-nation bloc, an EU recognition of a Palestinian state requires a consensus vote.

As of July 31, 2019, 138 countries have recognized a Palestinian state. World powers the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany have not made such a move.

Israel has long argued that recognizing a Palestinian state before a peace deal is finalized will harden the Palestinians' negotiating positions, making it more difficult to reach a true peace treaty.

Last week, 11 EU countries, plus Latin American powers Brazil and Colombia, voted for the first time against a US resolution mandating a special "Division for Palestinian Rights" inside the UN Secretariat, devoted to promoting the Palestinian narrative against Israel.

The post Luxembourg urges recognition of 'Palestine' in wake of US shift on settlements appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The machine, a technological innovation of the Israel-based company, arrived in Cúcuta at the beginning of October thanks to Andrés Suárez, pastor of the Christian Center and general manager of the alliance project with the State of Israel in Colombia.

Suárez said he was driven by a desire to show residents in northern Colombia that such technology can provide some of the neediest communities in the region with safe drinking water.

 Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Requiring no external infrastructure to operate except for a source of electricity, Watergen's GEN-M can make up to 800 liters (200 gallons) of water per day.

With a weight of just 780 kilograms (1700 pounds), the machine is easily transportable and specially designed to help isolated communities that do not have adequate access to clean water.

Like Watergen's other AWGs, after collecting ambient air and cleansing it of impurities, the GEN-M uses the company's patented, heat-exchange GENius technology to create water by cooling the air at its dew point. Subsequently, the liquid is filtered and purified with carbon. Using ultraviolet rays, any remaining bacteria is eliminated.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

The post Israeli technology converts air into water in Colombia appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

About half of the 132,226 applications were submitted in the past month alone as the deadline drew near, it said. The bulk of applications came from Latin American countries, mainly Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

For the past four years, Spain allowed the foreign Sephardim – old Hebrew for Spaniards – to apply to become Spanish nationals without giving up their current citizenship. They had to present proof of their Sephardi background through their family names, language, or ancestry.

The ministry said it would process all applications, including those without the legal certificates attached, which can be submitted later.

Around 300,000 Jews lived in Spain before the so-called Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand – whose reign saw the founding of the Spanish Empire – ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country.

Spain has said it owes its descendants a debt of gratitude for spreading the Spanish language and culture around the world.

Most of the Jews expelled settled elsewhere in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. In Israel, the Sephardim make up around a quarter of the population.

The old Jewish quarters in medieval Spanish cities such as Córdoba and Toledo now attract thousands of tourists every year.

The post Over 130,000 Sephardi Jews apply for Spanish citizenship appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.