Monday, February 9, 2026

Latest News

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

By The City Paper Staff -

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 Andean neighbours over border security cooperation. Noboa said the measure would take effect on Feb. 1 and would remain in place until Colombia shows “real commitment” to jointly tackle drug […]

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Bogotá declares Metro Line 2 tender void after no bids received

By The City Paper Staff -

The Bogotá mayoralty has declared the tender process for the construction of the capital’s second metro line void after no bids were submitted by the deadline, Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said on Tuesday, highlighting ongoing challenges facing Colombia’s most ambitious infrastructure project. Galán said none of the prequalified consortia presented final offers before the cutoff […]

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Federal Jury Awards Drummond $256 Million in Colombia Defamation Case

By The City Paper Staff -

A federal jury in the United States has awarded coal producer Drummond Company Inc. $256 million after finding that a prominent human-rights attorney and his associates orchestrated a campaign of false accusations linking the company to paramilitary violence in Colombia. The verdict, delivered on January 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District […]

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Why a Strong Peso Is Making a Colombia Vacation More Expensive

By Timothy Langham -

For much of the past decade, Colombia built a reputation as one of travel’s great value destinations: culturally rich, visually stunning, and refreshingly affordable. A strong U.S. dollar, competitive hotel rates, and inexpensive food and transport helped turn cities like Medellín and Cartagena into global favorites, while smaller destinations thrived on a steady flow of […]

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Colombia’s 23.7% Minimum Wage Hike, Stirs Inflation and Informality Fears

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday decreed a 23.7% increase in the country’s minimum wage for 2026, the largest real rise in at least two decades, bypassing negotiations with unions and business groups and sparking warnings from economists, bankers and employers over inflation, job losses and rising informality. The decree lifts the monthly minimum wage […]

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Black-market will push Venezuela for bigger discounts following US oil tanker seizure

By The Conversation -

The U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast appears designed to further squeeze the economy of President Nicolás Maduro’s government. The Dec. 10, 2025 operation — in which American forces descended from helicopters onto the vessel — followed months of U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and was immediately condemned by Venezuela […]

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Colombia’s Avianca Close to Completing A320 Software Update

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia’s Transport Minister María Fernanda Rojas said on Monday that Avianca is close to completing mandatory software updates on its Airbus A320 fleet, with only 19 aircraft still pending intervention after a week of global disruptions triggered by what aviation experts describe as the largest recall in Airbus’s 55-year history. The grounding forced airlines across […]

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Avianca Grounds Most of Its A320 Fleet After Airbus Issues Safety Alert

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia’s flagship carrier, Avianca, announced Friday it has grounded more than 70% of its Airbus A320 fleet after the European manufacturer issued an urgent global bulletin ordering operators to carry out immediate software updates to prevent potential flight-control failures. The disruption, one of the most severe to hit the airline in years, comes as Airbus […]

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Did Venezuela’s ex-spymaster Hugo Carvajal Spark OFAC Sanctions Against Petro?

By The City Paper Staff -

The U.S. Treasury’s unprecedented decision to sanction Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his inner circle has sparked speculation that recent testimony by Venezuela’s former spy chief, Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal, may have cemented the move. Carvajal, once a powerful general in Hugo Chávez’s intelligence services, pleaded guilty in June 2025 to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism […]

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Trump Calls Colombia’s Petro an “Illegal Drug Leader,” Halts U.S. Aid

By The City Paper Staff -

In an extraordinary escalation that threatens to end decades of strategic partnership, U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Sunday labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro an “illegal drug leader” and announced the immediate suspension of U.S. financial aid to Colombia. Speaking from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused […]

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First Metro Train for Bogotá Arrives in Colombia

By Richard Emblin -

Bogotá’s first metro train has arrived in Colombia after a 30-day journey from China, marking a historic milestone for the long-delayed project. The six-car train will undergo testing in the capital, with Line 1 expected to begin passenger service in March 2028.

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Colombia Bets Big on Instant Payments With Central Bank’s BRE-B

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia has launched BRE-B, a real-time payments system developed by its central bank to unify digital transactions across banks and wallets. The free platform allows instant money transfers nationwide and aims to boost financial inclusion, mirroring Brazil’s Pix model while addressing high fees and limited interoperability in the country.

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