Friday, September 25, 2026

Latest News

Colombia Elections: Cepeda Leads, Valencia Doubles in Race Down to Three

By The City Paper Staff -

With just over a month to go before Colombia’s May 31 presidential election, a new Invamer poll suggests the race has narrowed to three viable contenders, as left-wing senator Iván Cepeda strengthens his lead and two right-wing rivals battle for a place in the runoff. The survey, conducted for Noticias Caracol and Blu Radio, shows […]

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Colombia reels from worst terrorist attack in decades as Petro celebrates birthday

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombians are expressing outrage and grief after a bombing attributed to dissident factions of the former FARC killed 20 people and left injured 46, marking the country’s deadliest attack in over a decade. The blast on Saturday afternoon tore through a stretch of the Pan-American Highway near Cajibío, in the southwestern department of Cauca, leaving […]

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Petro to meet Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas, focus on border security

By Richard Emblin -

Colombian President Gustavo Petro will meet Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas on Friday to address security challenges along the shared border, marking their first official encounter since Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S special forces on January 3, 2026. The meeting, to be held at the Miraflores presidential palace, is expected to center […]

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Lufthansa and Qatar Airways Narrowly Avert Air Collision Over Bogotá

By Richard Emblin -

A Qatar Airways cargo jet and a Lufthansa passenger plane came within an estimated 200 meters of each other on final approach to Bogotá on Sunday evening, in a near miss that could have resulted in a major airline catastrophe. The incident unfolded near El Dorado International Airport as both aircraft were being guided toward […]

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Colombia to cull wild hippos as population threatens Magdalena River ecosystems

By Richard Emblin -

Colombia will cull dozens of invasive hippopotamuses descended from animals illegally imported by Pablo Escobar, as authorities warn the rapidly growing population is endangering ecosystems and local communities. Environment Minister Irene Vélez Torres said the government has authorized the euthanasia of up to 80 animals as part of a broader strategy to control the herd, […]

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Petro severs ties with Central Bank after Colombia rate rise

By The City Paper Staff -

President Gustavo Petro has triggered a rare institutional confrontation with the Central Bank  after he ordered to “break relations” following an modest interest rate increase, raising concerns over economic policy independence just two months before the May 31 presidential election. The board of Banco de la República voted on March 31 to raise its benchmark […]

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Petro faces fresh political crisis after leaked audios link officials to alleged smuggler

By The City Paper Staff -

Fresh audio revelations broadcast by Noticias Caracol have triggered a political storm in Colombia, implicating senior government-linked figures in alleged secret contacts with one of the country’s most notorious smugglers, Diego Marín Buitrago. The recordings, aired late on April 5, appear to document meetings between intermediaries connected to President Gustavo Petro and the legal representative […]

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Colombia on brink of outlawing female genital mutilation in landmark vote

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia is on the verge of banning female genital mutilation (FGM), as lawmakers advance legislation that would outlaw a practice still reported in parts of the country, making it the only nation in Latin America where cases have been documented. In a unanimous decision, the First Commission of the Senate approved the bill in its […]

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FARC dissident ‘Iván Mordisco’ alive but wounded after major military bombardment

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombia’s security forces believe FARC dissident leader Iván Mordisco is alive but seriously wounded following a major aerial bombardment in the remote department of Vaupés, dealing a significant blow to one of the country’s most powerful armed groups. Uncertainty over the fate of Mordisco — whose real name is Néstor Gregorio Vera Fernández — mounted […]

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American Airlines flight attendant missing in Medellín prompts cross-border search

By The City Paper Staff -

The disappearance of a U.S. flight attendant during a brief layover in Medellín has sparked an urgent search involving Colombian authorities, airline officials and U.S. representatives, as questions mount over his final hours in the city. Eric Fernando Gutierrez Molina, 32, an American Airlines crew member based in Dallas-Fort Worth, arrived in Colombia’s second-largest city […]

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Colombia probes aging Hercules crash as Petro calls aircraft “scrap”

By Richard Emblin -

Colombian authorities are investigating whether mechanical failure, human error or excess weight caused the crash of a military C-130 aircraft that has now left at least 69 dead, as a political dispute intensifies over the condition of the country’s aging air fleet. The aircraft, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), […]

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Colombia mourns 66 dead after military Hercules crash in Putumayo

By Richard Emblin -

At least 66 people were killed after a Colombian military transport aircraft crashed shortly after take-off in the country’s southwest on Monday, authorities said, in one of the deadliest air disasters involving the armed forces in recent years. The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules, went down at around 9:50 a.m. local time near the municipality of […]

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U.S. prosecutors probe Colombia’s Petro over alleged narco links, NYT reports

By The City Paper Staff -

U.S. federal prosecutors have opened preliminary criminal investigations into Colombian President Gustavo Petro over alleged links to drug traffickers and possible illicit financing of his 2022 campaign, according to a report by The New York Times. The previously undisclosed probes are being conducted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and Brooklyn and involve specialists in international […]

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Colombia arrests “mastermind” of Ecuador candidate Villavicencio’s murder

By The City Paper Staff -

Colombian authorities on Wednesday arrested Ángel Esteban Aguilar Morales, alias “Lobo Menor”, an alleged senior figure in the Ecuadorian criminal group Los Lobos and suspected intellectual author behind the 2023 assassination of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio. The arrest took place at El Dorado International Airport, where Aguilar Morales arrived on a commercial flight from […]

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Colombia – Ecuador rift widens over cross-border bombings

By The City Paper Staff -

President Gustavo Petro accused Ecuador on Monday of carrying out bombing raids inside Colombian territory, sharply escalating a diplomatic and trade dispute that has been simmering since January. Petro said “27 charred bodies” have been found near the border and suggested the attacks could not have been carried out by illegal armed groups, though he […]

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