WEATHER ALERT
Biden administration suspends satellite monitoring of Colombian coca crops as cocaine surges
Read full article: Biden administration suspends satellite monitoring of Colombian coca crops as cocaine surgesThe Biden administration has quietly suspended satellite monitoring of coca crops in Colombia amid a surge of cocaine flowing into the U.S. from South America.
Petro faces challenges to deliver Colombians promised change
Read full article: Petro faces challenges to deliver Colombians promised changeColombia for the first time elected a leftist as its next president, but the slim victory is a cue that a large portion of the country rejects the ambitious proposals of Gustavo Petro.
Biden, leaders reach migration pact despite attendance flap
Read full article: Biden, leaders reach migration pact despite attendance flapPresident Joe Biden and other Western Hemisphere leaders have announced what is being billed as a roadmap for countries to host large numbers of migrants and refugees.
Ex-rebel emerges as favorite in Colombian presidential race
Read full article: Ex-rebel emerges as favorite in Colombian presidential raceA one-time rebel fighter has used an emotional anti-establishment discourse and promises to boost state involvement in the economy to garner a commanding lead in polls as Colombia heads into Sunday's presidential election.
Colombia announces police reforms aimed at stemming abuses
Read full article: Colombia announces police reforms aimed at stemming abusesColombian President Ivan Duque has announced reforms to the nation’s police forces that are meant to improve accountability and decrease human rights abuses, following weeks of protests in which officers were accused of killing at least two dozen demonstrators.
Ex-rebel capitalizes on Colombia unrest by showing restraint
Read full article: Ex-rebel capitalizes on Colombia unrest by showing restraintA former rebel leader in Colombia who would undo antinarcotics cooperation with the U.S. is looking to capitalize on the biggest antigovernment unrest in decades and ride it to the presidency next year.
UN registers steep rise in murders of Colombian activists
Read full article: UN registers steep rise in murders of Colombian activistsAccording to the U.N. report, at least 133 human rights defenders were murdered in Colombia in 2020, a 23% increase from 2019. The United Nations also registered 76 massacres across the country last year, which are defined as events in which three or more civilians are executed at once. AdThe report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The United Nations urged Colombia’s government to increase its presence in these areas to protect civilians and bring down violence. Critics of his government have said that it has been slow at implementing some aspects of the peace deal, including the coca substitution projects.
Colombia will legalize undocumented Venezuelan migrants
Read full article: Colombia will legalize undocumented Venezuelan migrantsFILE - In this April 14, 2019 file photo, Venezuelans cross illegally into Colombia near the Simon Bolivar International Bridge, seen from La Parada near Cucuta, Colombia. President Ivan Duque said that through a new temporary protection statute, Venezuelan migrants who are in the country illegally will be eligible for 10-year residence permits, while migrants who are currently on temporary residence will be able to extend their stay. The new measure could benefit up to one million Venezuelan citizens who are currently living in Colombia without proper papers, as well as hundreds of thousands who need to extend temporary visas. Other popular destinations for Venezuelan migrants include Panama and Chile, which have imposed visa requirements that make it harder for Venezuelans to move to those countries. AdAccording to the United Nations, there are 4.7 million Venezuelan migrants and other refugees in other Latin American countries after fleeing the economic collapse and political divide in their homeland.
Death threat against 11-year-old activist sends outrage
Read full article: Death threat against 11-year-old activist sends outrageFrancisco Vera, 11, who is well-known in Colombia for his environmental campaigns and defense of children's rights, gives an interview in Villeta, Colombia, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. The 11-year old activist who received a death threat over Twitter, says that he will continue to lead campaigns and urged other young people to use social media to support causes they believe in. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)VILLETA – A social media death threat aimed at an 11-year-old environmental activist has roused outrage in Colombia, a nation where attacks on social leaders are common and threats are taken seriously. Colombian officials said they are investigating the death threat against Francisco Vera and President Ivan Duque recently promised in a television appearance that his government would find “the bandits” behind the Twitter message. She said a town official suggested shutting down her son’s social media account, but she prefers to let him decide whether to stop campaigning.
The Latest: Anchorage opens up after COVID-19 drop, vaccines
Read full article: The Latest: Anchorage opens up after COVID-19 drop, vaccinesPlastic surgeon Daniel Suver receives the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine from Andrea Castelblanco during a vaccine clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is averaging about 60 new COVID-19 cases a day, said Dr. Janet Johnston, the epidemiologist for the Anchorage Health Department. More than 90 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will be produced in Japan. Ad___SACRAMENTO -- California reported its second-highest number of COVID-19 deaths — while the rates of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations continue to drop. ___ALBANY, N.Y. — New York may have undercounted COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents by thousands.
Colombia says it's ready to distribute coronavirus vaccines
Read full article: Colombia says it's ready to distribute coronavirus vaccines(AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)BOGOTA – Colombian officials say that they are ready to distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccines, once the shots arrive in the South American country. On Tuesday, officials from the Ministry of Health took journalists through a temperature-controlled warehouse in Bogota that can house up to 50 million vaccines. The freezers, which are about the size of a kitchen fridge, can hold up to 200,000 vaccines each, officials said. But vaccines have been slow to arrive in Colombia, which still hasn’t administered a single shot. Colombia has reported 1.75 million cases since the pandemic began, and 49,000 deaths.
Iota's devastation comes into focus in storm-weary Nicaragua
Read full article: Iota's devastation comes into focus in storm-weary NicaraguaMen wade through a street flooded after the passing of Hurricane Iota in La Lima, Honduras, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. Rescuers searched at the site of a landslide in northern Nicaragua, where the local government confirmed four deaths and neighbors spoke of at least 16. Iota arrived Monday evening with winds of 155 mph (250 kph), hitting nearly the same location as Hurricane Eta two weeks earlier. The hurricane season officially ends Nov. 30. ___Associated Press writers Christopher Sherman in Mexico City, Marlon González in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Manuel Rueda in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.