Latest Colombia government News
Cocaine trade in the rugged Micay Canyon threatens Colombia's peace efforts
EL PLATEADO, Colombia (AP) — El Plateado in the rugged mountains of southwestern Colombia might seem like a typical community in the countryside — until you hear the bursts of machine-gun fire and mortar blasts in the distance. The remote town of 12,000 people lies in the Micay...
Colombian truckers block highways in main cities in protest over increases in fuel prices
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Thousands of Colombians were forced to walk to work on Tuesday, as truckers in major cities blocked highways to protest a recent increase in the price of diesel fuel. Truckers unions have said that plans by the government to eliminate diesel fuel subsidies...
As Columbia resumes classes, student activists vow to carry on with protests against Israel
NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University resumed classes Tuesday with students sunbathing and eating ice cream on the lawn that was home to a pro-Palestinian encampment last spring. But there were also fresh demonstrations just off campus, and students and faculty say they're planning for more as the...
Real estate magnate who came close to winning Colombia's presidential election dies from cancer
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Rodolfo Hernández, a controversial real estate magnate and anti-corruption crusader who came close to winning Colombia's presidential election two years ago, has died from colon cancer at a hospital near the city of Bucaramanga, his doctors said Monday in a statement. He...
Border arrests are expected to rise slightly in August but are hovering near 4-year lows
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico during August are expected to rise slightly from July, officials said, possibly ending a streak of five straight monthly declines but the numbers are hovering near four-year lows. Authorities made about 54,000...
EU: Maduro has not shown 'necessary public evidence' to declare victory in Venezuela elections
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The European Union's top diplomat on Saturday said that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has still “not provided the necessary public evidence” to prove he was the winner of July’s elections, days after the country’s Supreme Court backed the government’s disputed...
Panama deports 29 Colombians on first US-funded flight
PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama deported 29 Colombians on Tuesday on a flight that the government said was the first paid for by the United States under an agreement the two countries signed in July. The Colombians had entered Panama illegally through the Darien jungle, a path used by...
Dozens of former FARC fighters abandon 'reincorporation' village in Colombia after death threats
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Dozens of former guerrilla fighters and their families were forced to abandon their village in southern Colombia on Tuesday, after receiving death threats by a rebel group that is still fighting the government, authorities said. The displaced former fighters...
Prince Harry and Meghan will visit Colombia for the first time. Here’s what they will be doing
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will arrive in Colombia on Thursday at the invitation of Vice President Francia Márquez, where they will take part in several events, including a forum against cyberbullying, the office of the Colombian vice president said Wednesday. ...
Colombia’s President Petro was the target of a possible attack in July, says defense minister
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro was the target of a possible attack in July, when he took part in a public event in downtown Bogotá, Defense Minister Iván Velásquez said Thursday, without providing evidence or elaborating further. “There was...
