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Colombian President Gustavo Petro and U.S President Donald Trump inside the White House. Photo: The White House

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

By The City Paper Staff - March 20, 2026

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 […]

Paloma Valencia surge reshapes Colombia race as election season begins

By Richard Emblin - March 10, 2026

Colombia’s presidential race entered a decisive new phase this week after Sunday’s inter-party primaries propelled conservative senator Paloma Valencia into the national spotlight and triggered a scramble among political factions to forge alliances ahead of the May 31 election. Valencia’s commanding performance in the right-wing “La Gran Consulta” primary – where she secured roughly six […]

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

By Richard Emblin - February 9, 2026

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 appeared headed for rupture. The insults have stopped. The social media theatrics have faded. Diplomacy, not spectacle, is back in charge. This alone tells us that both governments have agreed […]

Colombian coffee culture is more about the experience than the drink.

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

By The City Paper Staff - January 2, 2026

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 […]

Hard-Left Candidate Iván Cepeda Leads Poll for Colombia’s 2026 Election

By Richard Emblin - December 1, 2025

Senator Iván Cepeda of the ruling Historic Pact coalition has emerged as the early front-runner in Colombia’s 2026 presidential race, according to a nationwide Invamer poll released Sunday by Caracol TV and Blu Radio. The survey – the first major measurement since the lifting of Colombia’s recent polling restrictions – places the left-wing candidate at […]

U.S warships near Venezuela: Is Latin America’s left facing a reckoning?

By Richard Emblin - August 19, 2025

The United States has deployed three guided-missile destroyers to waters off Venezuela, escalating tensions with Nicolás Maduro, who has mobilised 4.5 million militia members. The move comes as Colombia mourns Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay a close ally of the Trump administration.

Canada’s Mark Carney leads Liberals to fourth term in historic vote

By The Conversation - April 29, 2025

Mark Carney secured a fourth term for Canada’s Liberal Party after winning a historic election on April 28. The election has polarized Canada’s political landscape after months of threats from U.S President Donald Trump to declare Canada as a 51st States.

Colombia's Gustavo Petro during the May Day rally in Bogotá's Plaza de Bolívar. Photo: Presidencia.

Petro claims ‘coup’ imminent as Colombia’s Electoral Council reviews charges of irregular campaign financing

By The City Paper Staff - September 16, 2024

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has escalated his rhetoric, claiming an imminent “coup” orchestrated from within state entities as the National Electoral Council (CNE) prepares for a critical meeting to address allegations of irregular campaign financing during his 2022 presidential campaign.