News

Colombia’s Petro Defies Court Suspension of Minimum Wage Hike

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday mounted a forceful defence of his government’s 23.7% minimum wage increase for 2026, pledging to issue a temporary decree to keep the so-called “vital wage” in place after the…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF February 16, 2026

Global airlines return to Venezuela, Avianca restores Bogotá–Caracas flight

International airlines are rapidly re-establishing services to Venezuela, signalling a cautious but commercially significant reopening of the country’s aviation market. On Thursday, February 12, Colombia’s…

RICHARD EMBLIN February 12, 2026

Extreme flooding in northern Colombia triggers humanitarian crisis

Unseasonal heavy rains and severe flooding across northern Colombia have created a full-blown humanitarian crisis, displacing hundreds of thousands, destroying homes and farmland, and pushing…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF February 10, 2026

Petro and Trump: What next in U.S.–Colombia relations?

Nearly a week after Donald Trump hosted Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, at the White House, calm has returned to a bilateral relationship that only recently…

RICHARD EMBLIN February 9, 2026

A diesel tanker washed ashore in Santa Marta during the tropical storms. Photo: Peter Emblin

Tropical storms batter Colombia’s Caribbean coast, flooding tens of thousands of homes

Powerful storm surges and weeks of unusually intense rainfall have triggered widespread flooding across Colombia’s Caribbean coast, affecting more than 50,000 families, damaging homes and…

RICHARD EMBLIN February 4, 2026

Local farmers were first to arrive at the crash site of the Satena flight on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: X

Colombia rules out external factors in SATENA crash as probe opens

Colombian authorities said on Thursday they have found no evidence so far of “external factors” contributing to the crash on Wednesday of a SATENA Beechcraft…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF January 30, 2026

Bogotá’s No Car and Motorcycle Day Returns on 5 February

On Thursday 5 February, Bogotá will once again ask its citizens to imagine the city differently. For 16 hours, from 5.00 a.m to 9.00 p.m.,…

RICHARD EMBLIN January 29, 2026

SATENA flight carrying 15 loses contact over Colombia’s Catatumbo

A Beechcraft 1900 aircraft operating a domestic flight for Colombia’s state-owned airline SATENA lost contact with air traffic control on Wednesday while flying over the…

RICHARD EMBLIN January 28, 2026

President Gustavo Petro announced Tuesday that his trip to the White House on February 3 will benefit the "life of humanity". Photo: Presidencia

Colombia’s Petro claims U.S. “kidnapped” Maduro during Caracas strike

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that Nicolás Maduro should be returned to Venezuela to face trial in his home country, calling the U.S.…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF January 28, 2026

Colombia, Ecuador locked in trade dispute as pipeline tariff jumps 900%

Ecuador has sharply increased tariffs on Colombian crude oil transported through its pipeline system, deepening a trade and energy dispute between the two Andean neighbours…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF January 27, 2026

As Fighting Engulfs Briceño, Colombia, Schools Forced to Close

The school year had barely begun when gunfire forced children in rural northern Colombia to cower under their desks in fear and silence. On the…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF January 26, 2026

Colombia, Ecuador in trade and energy spat after Noboa announces 30% “security” tariff

Colombia and Ecuador have started exchanging trade retaliations after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced a 30% “security” tariff on imports from Colombia, escalating tensions between…

THE CITY PAPER STAFF January 22, 2026